#aburame antics

[kiljoius]

Accepted

Team 8 feels from Shino's perspective

Word Count: 800

Wrote this a few months ago, wish I had done something new for our beautiful bug boys birthday. 🪲

Ao3

Abandonment issues were always present in Shino as Kiba, Hinata, and Kurenai knew. It would take a very long time for him to finally reveal exactly why that was, but in the meantime, they always did their best to ensure he felt included. Kiba often invited him on walks with Akamaru. Hinata taught him how to press flowers. Kurenai personally trained with him, as his own clan was often too busy to train with him like Kiba did with Hana or Hinata did with her father or Neji. They didn’t realize how much it meant to Shino.

While Shino enjoyed silence, especially when in his greenhouse, tending to his nests, he also enjoyed the company of another. While he was never well and truly alone, having hundreds of insects constantly with him, it in fact made him feel even lonelier. For as long as he could remember, he struggled to create companionship's. His mother and father could tell him every day, every hour, that it did not matter what others thought, only that he be himself, he could never shake the feeling of being feared.

Other's thought he was disgusting. As he learned to control his beetles in his early days of the academy, he would often have beetles crawling over his hands and cheeks, which other children recoiled at. Like most of his clan, he was quiet and reserved, and used that to block others out. Then his only friend, someone he looked to as a brother, was taken from him, and he truly felt alone. He felt abandoned, deciding he wouldn’t get close enough to anyone else again to avoid that feeling.

Team 8 broke that barrier quite swiftly. He remembered hearing his name come after Hinata’s and Kiba’s. He was alright with Hinata, though he feared she may be weak, but did not have a good impression of Kiba. He was loud, brash, rude. Always seeking attention, always looking to pick a fight. He had done his best to avoid that type of person, knowing he would almost certainly tell him how disgusting he found him. It’s not like the damn dog wasn’t gross in his own way.

Then, the next day, they sat together as they waited to be picked up. Silence hung over them as Kiba continued to interact with Shikamaru and Choji rather than he and Hinata. Hinata was too overly shy to initiate conversation and Shino didn’t care to try either. They were all caught off guard when Kurenai appeared, calling their names. Kiba and Hinata looked at her with awe, and Shino had to admit he was a quite impressed by her as well.

They had a rough time at first, but soon fell into sync as a team within weeks. He could already tell Hinata was quite a bit stronger than she first let on, and Kiba was quite a bit more sensitive than he let on, too. Fiercely loyal, he would call them. One day, while training, another team had stopped to watch Shino as he unleashed an insect type attack on Kiba, and with keen hearing, Kiba could pick up the insults they were telling each other about Shino. It was the first time he had seen Kiba truly furious.

“You wanna come over here and say that shit to us, fuckface?” Kiba suddenly spun around, ignoring Shino’s oncoming attack as he stomped towards the boys. Hinata gasped as she watched on, Shino feeling a little bewildered.

“Oh shut up, mutt boy.” One of the boys called, trying to walk away. Kiba bolted over, Akamaru in tow, and grabbed his collar, lifting him from the ground. The boy squirmed “-h-hey! Put me down!”

“If I hear you insult my friends again, I’ll put you down-in the ground.” He hissed as Hinata and Shino approached with concern. He shoved the boy back, causing him to fall. He scrambled up and ran after his teammate who had already taken off.

“K-Kiba? What was that?” Hinata asked as she stopped in front of him, peering up at his reddened, anger laden face. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, patting her on the top of the head.

“Nothin’. Just some cowards shit-talking.” He forced a smile at her before looking at Shino, nodding.

It was the first time Shino felt something like endearing gratitude. Hinata had never once spoken ill towards him about his beetles, and had even been quite amazed by them. And while Kiba had been seemingly a bit iffy about his bugs, he had proven himself a true friend that day, one that wouldn’t stand for bad mouthing of him.

From that day, Shino finally felt accepted. He felt like he belonged. To team 8.

[eiloveir]

→﹐naruto hc! <3

‹𝟹 :: ⭑⭒  🗨 !!   𓏲  what naruto men would be like as boyfriends!

✰ pairing: them x f!reader

✰ warnings: none, except maybe being a bit cringy? it’s rushed too, there might be errors since i didn’t proofread.

i was bored and had nothing to write, so i came up with this idea to occupy someone’s delusional thoughts — though the characters might seem out of their usual paced.

the sunshine boyfriend

uzumaki naruto, rock lee, inuzuka kiba, akimichi choji

a surge of energy that is consistently buoyant in your life. they make you laugh with their jokes and antics, and their contagious laughter and lively humor makes your day. they are the gregarious person that infuses the group with spontaneity and a sense of joy during social events. they may be that social, but beneath that there’s a side that comes out in the way they treat you. they always make sure you feel supported and loved—paying close attention to your happiness and well-being. they are there for you with effort and loyalty, whether it’s celebrating your victories or providing you with comfort during your most vulnerable times and they constantly bring warmth and positivity into your being—in your life, like a ray of sunshine.

the reserved and protective boyfriend

uchiha itachi, hyuga neji, gaara, aburame shino

prioritizes your happiness above all else, their actions speaking volumes about their commitment to your well-being. they don’t rely on words to show their affection; instead, they express their love through thoughtful gestures that make your heart flutter. their confidence in your bond is reassuring—as they know your heart belongs to them alone. they’re attuned to your every need and desire—noticing the smallest details that make you feel truly understood and loved. your relationship with them resembles as each other’s safety nets—like the archers, both are holding onto one another.

the ideal boyfriend

uchiha obito, hatake kakashi, nara shikamaru

they radiate a sophisticated poise and a playful charisma. they always know how to make you laugh and feel at ease while adeptly balancing a relaxed style with courteous care. their dependability make you feel consistently loved—their protectiveness guarantee that you feel safe and treasured. they are the kind that are good at flirting—the tease one and those who can be called a “playboy”—but they are extremely loyal. they are often perceived as having many women in their lives, but in reality, that is just their aura; they only have one person in mind, and that someone is you. they are the combination of carefree and playful, which makes them an ideal partner in every way.

the black cat boyfriend

uchiha sasuke

someone who, like a feline, keeps a cold exterior, appearing remote and aloof. despite his outward demeanor, his heart races in your presence, and he blushes when he sees you. he may reject inquiries about his thoughts with a flippant “it’s nothing,” but his actions scream louder than words, much like a black cat’s intriguing charm. although expressing feelings vocally is difficult for him, he expresses caring through actions and intimate moments shared only with you (just like with the second one)

[mya-valentine]

Headcanon: Shino Aburame with a Chill but Mischievous S/O

Shino is calm and composed, while his S/O is laid-back but always up to something mischievous. He appreciates their carefree attitude, as it contrasts with his more serious nature. They keep him from being too stiff, while he brings stability to their unpredictable side.

Shino’s S/O loves to tease him about how stoic he is, often trying to get him to crack a smile or react. They’ll sneak up on him or play harmless pranks, hoping to see even the slightest twitch of amusement. Shino secretly enjoys the effort they put into lightening his mood.

While Shino may not always show it, he finds his S/O’s mischievous antics amusing. He’ll never admit it, but he enjoys how they bring a sense of spontaneity into his life. Occasionally, if they push him enough, he’ll drop a rare, subtle smirk, letting them know he’s in on the joke.

Shino’s protective nature doesn’t waver, even with his chill, carefree S/O. He won’t hover or be overbearing, but his bugs are always keeping an eye on them, ready to act if anything goes wrong. His S/O finds this protective subtlety endearing, teasing him about being their “quiet shadow.”

His S/O takes pleasure in gently pushing Shino’s buttons, like making silly faces when he’s deep in thought or intentionally misplacing his bugs just to see him react. Shino rarely rises to the bait, but on the rare occasions he does, it’s always a fun and playful moment.

Shino’s S/O might be mischievous, but they’re also deeply supportive in their own chill way. They’re the type to casually offer encouragement or comfort when Shino is feeling the weight of responsibility. Their laid-back attitude helps ease his stress without making a big deal out of it.

Shino’s S/O loves to play with his insects, despite Shino’s initial reservations. They might even jokingly name a few of them or make up little stories about his kikaichū. Shino pretends to be indifferent, but secretly finds their fascination with his bugs adorable.

Despite their mischievous nature, Shino’s S/O is intelligent and often surprises him with clever insights or strategic thinking. While they act laid-back, Shino knows there’s more to them than meets the eye, and he respects their ability to switch from playful to serious when necessary.

Shino’s S/O might be mischievous, but their laid-back demeanor is surprisingly grounding for him. They remind him not to take life too seriously, often encouraging him to relax and let go of the small stuff. Their calm presence is something Shino finds soothing.

Shino’s S/O loves to flirt with him in playful, cheeky ways, whether it’s a teasing comment or a sly wink. Shino often responds with a raised eyebrow and a calm, cool reaction, but internally, he appreciates the way they constantly remind him of their affection.

Despite his preference for a calm and ordered life, Shino finds himself going along with his S/O’s spontaneous adventures. Whether it’s a late-night walk or a sudden day trip, Shino enjoys these little getaways, even if he acts like he’s only tagging along to keep them out of trouble.

Though Shino isn’t overly expressive, his S/O knows the little ways he shows he cares. Whether it’s the subtle way his bugs act as an early warning system for them or the quiet times they spend together in peaceful silence, they know Shino is always watching out for them.

Over time, Shino starts to engage in his S/O’s mischief, albeit in his own quiet, strategic way. He may not be the prankster type, but he’ll plan small, clever tricks that catch his S/O off guard, enjoying the rare moments where he turns the tables on them.

.

.

.

Masterlist

[loveliest-venus]

You don’t give him the chance to get jealous.

How could he? When you don’t even realize how utterly dismissive of other possible “suitors” you are. Not giving anyone a second glance, eyes straying over to where he is if you two happen to be in the same room, reserving that sweet tone of your voice for when you call his name, shamelessly flashing that pretty ring he gave you whenever someone gets too close for comfort.

It’s not as if he wants to be jealous, far from it. It’s just baffling to think that, in all of your years together, he can’t remember any time he felt threatened by another. To make him burn with anger and freeze in fear over losing you is but a mere fantasy for those who admire you from afar, knowing that you will never like them back.

It hits him one day when you're all hanging out with your shared circle of friends and acquaintances, laughing at their antics and engaging in friendly banter with those closest to you. His friends, in particular, are well aware of his jealous streak, inquiring about the green-eyed beast they had seen in his younger years with past lovers. If the confused look on your face isn't enough indication, his own hesitation before answering gives them all the information they need. They're skeptical, of course. Him? Never getting jealous? What a joke.

"I've never seen him jealous," your earnest answer leaves them gobsmacked, now staring at him as if he's sprouted four more limbs. "he's not really the jealous type." That's a lie and he knows it, so why can't he think of any event that proves it? He frowns, glancing back at you as if you'd know any better than him. But the loving glint in your eyes when he meets your gaze it's like a sucker punch to the gut, heart throbbing at the sheer adoration making you glow.

Of course, he realizes. It's not that he's suddenly become the type of man who can see his love being flirted with without batting an eye or that he gives people the benefit of the doubt. It's that you have single-handedly helped him overcome his insecurities, healing his emotional wounds with your unbridled love and unwavering loyalty. Similarly, his commitment to you is just as strong, as the trust you've built the longer your relationship progressed further deepened your bond.

He's feeling breathless, in awe of you and hopelessly lovestruck, staring at you as if you're the only person in the room. Your shared friends jokingly gag at the sight, teasing remarks and cat-calls filling the room when he boldly leans in to kiss you, melting into you when your lips move against his own with practiced ease.

It's perfect, he can only sigh in bliss, once again realizing that he'd never find someone who loved him like you did. Someone he loved just as deeply, wholly, and desperately.

Portgas D. Ace, God Usopp (One Piece), Kaminari Denki, Kuroiro Shihai, Shishikura Seiji, Shinsou Hitoshi (Boku No Hero Academia), Inumaki Toge, Fushiguro Megumi (Jujutsu Kaisen), Solomon, Satan (Obey Me!), Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime, Sugawara Koushi, Yaku Morisuke, Kozume Kenma, Kyoutani Kentaro, Semi Eita, Daishou Suguru, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Osamu Miya (Haikyuu!!), Gorou, Cyno, Kaveh, Wanderer (Genshin Impact), Gokudera Hayato, Colonnello (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!), Jean Kirsten (Shingeki No Kyojin), Midorima Shintaro, Hyuga Junpei, Kasamatsu Yukio, Wakamatsu Kousuke, Himuro Tatsuya, Mayuzumi Chihiro, Nijimura Shuuzo (Kuroko No Basket), Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, Uzumaki Menma, Uchiha Shisui (Naruto), your fave.

© 2023 loveliest-venus — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Please do NOT repost, translate, modify, use for AI or claim my content as yours.

[mata-aetara-if]

[ DEMO (TBA) ] - [ PINTEREST (TBA) ] - [ PLAYLIST (TBA) ]

🍃 This is the dev blog for my interactive fiction set in the Naruto universe titled Mata Aetara ~!

🍃 Sorry there’s not much here at the moment as the story being written is still SUPER early in development ~!  Please keep in mind I’m new to writing and creating an if so it will take a while for things to come out, and I’m doing this for fun so I don’t want to rush or put any pressure on myself. If you’re still interested in following my progress thank u so much I appreciate it 🥰

🍃 My main blog I will follow/like from: @sweetchaosyk

🍃 My interactive fiction side blog I'm most active on: @stephschoices

Summary & Features:

Slice of life, but make it Naruto. It's been 4 years since The Nine Tailed Fox wreaked havoc on your village, and things have, for the most part returned to normal. You start off playing as a genin who graduated from the academy about a year ago. Your team, and your friends teams have only been taking on the lowest level missions, but it's about time to start taking higher ranking ones! How will you maneuver life in The Hidden Leaf Village?

Choices you can make:

name

gender, pronouns, & sexuality

hair style, texture, & color

eye color

skin color & details

height

you are the medical-ninja of your team, choose to master it or learn various jutsus

chakra nature

summoning animal (options)

small weapon (options not decided yet)

dads restaurant type (options not decided yet)

RO info & tags below ⬇️

Asahi Uchiha ( x )

he/him

One of your teammates, a member of team 3

From the Hidden Leaf Village

One of your childhood best friends, and the most talented shinobi in your class. With how humble he is you could almost say it happened accidentally though. Prefers only having a few close friends and would go to the end of the Earth for them

Niko Sarutobi ( x )

they/them

One of your teammates, a member of team 3

From the Hidden Leaf Village

Your other childhood best friend! The opposite of Asahi and will make friends wherever they go! Will always put you and Asahi first though! Is also very flexible

Shikako Nara ( x )

she/her

A member of team 5

From the Hidden Leaf Village

A shy girl from the Nara clan. Tends to think her jutsu is never good enough, but her teammates are always there to reassure her!

Inoru Yamanaka ( x )

he/him

A member of team 5

From the Hidden Leaf Village

Not a fan of Asahi, as he thinks he was the best shinobi in your class (he wasn't). Despite that, he is very talented so he has a right to be confident. As he gets older, his confidence and charisma continue to grow

Rona Inuzuka ( x )

she/her

A member of team 13

From the Hidden Leaf Village

Her clan members can be a little chaotic, so she likes to be the responsible one wherever she goes. Safe to say she's the mom friend of your group

Jun Hyuga ( x )

he/him

A member of team 13

From the Hidden Leaf Village

Jun is from the side branch of the Hyuga clan and tends to be quiet and reserved. He is usually uninterested in the antics you and your friends get into

Might Chai ( x )

she/her

A member of team 13

From the Hidden Leaf Village

Chai can perform minimum ninjutsu and prefers taijutsu, just like her father and older brother. She doesn't let that get her down though! She'll do everything possible to show she's a capable kunoichi just like everyone else!

Mokoto Aburame

they/them

A member of team 9

From the Hidden Leaf Village

As long as you don't squish any bugs around them, you'll get along great. Most people call Mokoto creepy, but it's just because they dress in dark colors, don't talk much, and of course, the bugs.

Ryoku (x)

he/him

A member of the sand team

From the Hidden Sand Village

A member of the Kazekages clan, Ryoku was born with their ability to control sand with their chakra. He has a serious personality and will protect his village with his life.

Kougetsu Hozuki ( x )

they/them

A member of the mist team

From the Hidden Mist Village

Kougetsu is an adventurous and unpredictable ninja from the very dangerous Hidden Mist Village. You never know what their next move will be. They like to keep you on your toes.

Important tags to know:

🍃 "ch: [name]" : any info, answered asks, or aesthetics related to the charater

🍃 "ch: [team name/number]" : any info, answered asks, or aesthetics related to the team of characters

🍃 "ro asks" : any reaction / scenario asks answered about the ros

🍃 ".txt" : general text posts about Mata Aetara

🍃 "info" : information regarding Mata Aetara

🍃 "aesthetic" : and posts that give me inspiration about Mata Aetara

🍃 "q" : queued posts

🍃 "my art" : art / edits I've made for Mata Aetara

🍃 "mcs" : any mc art or edits

🍃 "picrew" : any picrews I do of the characters

🍃 "fanart" : any art of the characters

🍃 "irl inspo" : any irl people or places inspo of the characters

🍃 "character design" : official designs of the characters

🍃 "memes" : blank memes i filled out with the characters

[hellcifrogs]

Hey i just found yr blog and im in deep regret that why wasn't i able to do that beforeT_T, anyways i enjoyed your comics VERY VERYmuch, i was deeply enthralled by naruto fox au, i checked out your ocs as well and the childish relationship between kakashi and kenshi was my favourite, iwas just assuming if you could draw them more with their bickering (i love themmm)and about kenshi , her story is not clear to me, maybe i missed something while checking out yr blog ...

Thank you :D Kenshi is my beloved little Uzumaki, you can find stuff about him these tags for him and his team :)

Abiut his story/background -> His mother Tamako travelled around a lot after the fall of Uzushio and settled in Konoha when she found out she was pregnant. Kenshi was born and raised by her until she passed (he was 7), then he was pretty much adopted by Ashi's father, Inuzuka Kita. Kenshi, Ashi and Uchiha Sho become a team under Aburame Shinichi.

After this point there are a few different paths I took with these characters, originally all of them but Kenshi would die by the time the og Naruto timeline starts. But that was making me sad so I switched to a happy version where everyone lives :) Kenshi gets his own genin team too in the future (with Kaen, Miyu and Naoki).

The thing with Kakashi is that he had a crush on him when they were kids, but after the Kyuubi attack Kenshi was very hurt (losing the last of his clan, originally his teacher died that night too, being denied Naruto's care, and just all the tragedy that it was) and Kakashi still went against him, insisting on following Hiruzen's orders, so Kenshi snapped at him and their relationship took a dark turn. Only around shippuden era they would get around talking it out.

And the fun thing is, they are both very strong shinobi with powerful skills and yet when faced with an "ally" they simply don't get along with... they turn to the pettiest, silliest, most (usually) harmless antics possible <3

[canonsinthehead]

Naruto Modern AU/Hollywood pt.6 - More Basketball Info & The IBL Finale

KONOHA'S BASKETBALL TEAM:

Name: The Red Leaves of Konoha

Asuma Sarutobi took over 3 years ago when the previous coach Genma resigned without warning. At first, he was a controversial choice because his father Hiruzen got arrested and demoted from his high-ranking position as a Minister of Finances of the country of Fire for fraud, mishandling of funds, and abuse of power. Asuma was met with a lot of resistance but overturned the public opinion in his favor as he “built the team back up” leading it to a new path of constant victories.

The team has been secured with being #2 behind Kumo. They’ve accepted being their natural enemy because Kumo is undefeatable, and it is what it is. Their position maintained itself for years until Kiri’s team's emergence. Konoha’s team then dropped to third position in the world rankings. There is no need to worry because they are still above average and are promised to maintain their position for years, but Konoha started putting their bet on other sports anyway.

Regardless, with Asuma’s efforts and the Hyuuga clan's generous donations, they formed a strong and determined basketball team made of diverse players:

Konohamaru Sarutobi:

the star of the team

highest stats

Fastest

Basketball has been a passion for him since high school

As suggested by his surname, he is not a nobody

 Comes from a family/background involved in politics. Asuma broke away from it by marrying a woman from a different clan, Kurenai, and ending the generational curse of corruption who ran in the Sarutobi’s bloodline for decades.

Kawaki:

Most recent recruit

Youngest member

He has an amateur basketball background

He was recruited after getting in a fight with Kiba during a friendly match in an urban area

Most red cards/accidents are linked to him

He is a fan favorite, especially with the girlies for his looks and edgy personality

Kiba Inuzuka:

All bark, No bite. Loves to run his mouth while being the least skilled

His specialty is the element of surprise

Friendly extroverted butterfly

Loves to drink and always found himself with insta model grade “groupies” along with Torune

It is often awkward for him and his sense of humor because of the wide age range of the team

Torune Aburame:

Oldest, tallest and most muscular (Do your thing Wonho!)

Bestie with Kiba for their unhinged antics

He must be the one who spent the most time at Konoha’s basketball academy. Before getting drafted, either he never gave up or was killing time in a sport/hobby since he is a trust fund kid of the Aburame clan.

His specialty is long-distance shots and he rarely misses

Unfortunately, he often acts like he is the only player on the court.

Iwabe Yuino

Shortest

Same age as Kawaki

One of the few people who will proudly defend the position of “defense”. He takes it seriously.

Was drafted the month he joined the basketball academy. Something about him spoke to Asuma without formally introducing himself

His playing style melts into Konohamaru’s hence why they get along so well.

Star Players: Knohamaru, Kawaki, and Torune. Konohamaru and Kawaki receive the most brand deals. The young Sarutobi benefits from the image of being “Mr. National Hero/Konoha’s Pride” which opened doors for him in all areas of life; documentaries, variety shows, and TV series cameos. Meanwhile, Kawaki is a teen magazine favorite. Torune is receiving as many opportunities but is busy participating in every athletic competition or sport -based tv show known to man. The Aburame has a secured spot in men’s magazines for his strong and defined physique.  

KUMO’S BASKETBALL TEAM:

Team’s name: The Lightnings of Kumo

The greatest & undefeatable. It has been the case forever and ever since the team has been under the management and coaching of Mabui.  She is a businesswoman by profession but took over as a coach after Killer Bee’s relentless begging (he is an investor).

The team is made of 5 players going along like ingredients of a cake recipe;

Omoi:

“Either you’re gonna crank that Soulja Boy or that Soulja Boy is going to crank you”

The star of the team

His devious game tactics became the trademark of Kumo’s team

Him, Atsui, and Darui are the same age and were drafted at the same time

He is a professional prankster and is heavily present on social media

In his free time, he likes to play video games (he plays 2k lol)

His studies in advanced mathematics allowed him to tweak the team’s tactics on the court, hence why Kumo has a million techniques and ways revolving around strategically passing the ball (THIS IS SCIENCE YALL!). Their training is way more calculated than it seems. It is so hard to intercept the ball after they put their hands on it

Like street fashion and has a PhD in dunking.

Atsui:

Dynamic duo with Omoi. They do everything together

He seamlessly integrated the team even if he stands out like a sore thumb. It doesn’t bother him since he easily adapts to different situations and environments.

He never thought he would play professionally and sent his application to Kumo’s basketball academy after losing a bet.

He mastered the art of crossovers

Darui:

Becoming a basketball player was not the direction he expected his life to take

Omoi got him drafted by referral saying “Hey, I know this dude and he’s not bad”

Darui is the introverted quiet type of guy living the extroverted life

Being so composed and quiet allows him to sneak on his opponents without warning

Thanks to his immunity to stress, he often chimes in and organizes his coach’s commands on the court ending in endless arguments with Omoi

Kakui:

He is not that old, please stop calling him Unc.

Marui:

Youngest member.

Designated photographer

Star players: Darui, Atsui & Omoi. The Raikage himself supports all team members financially. Atsui receives the most brand deals while Darui is backed by few major companies and is content with it (because they don’t go against his personal values). Omoi found a new avenue that fits his personality which is MC-ing. He became a permanent member of Killer Bee’s Showtime variety show cast and makes a good living out of it.

CHEERLEADERS AND THE TRADITION OF THE FINALE:

Cheerleaders and mascots are important parts of each team, especially during the finale of the IBL (International Basketball League). It has gained a reputation for putting on a show along with the hottest artists of each nation making the finale such an event every year. Each nation has a different way of operating (including the important celebrities/public figures attending the match.

KONOHA Their mascot is named Kurama and is a nine-tail Firefox. Its theme song is “Fire Burning”.

For the finale, it will perform along with the largest cheerleader team in the world of basketball and a marching band. They carry the performance and hype the crowd until introducing the team’s members into the arena.

In recent years only and imitating other nations, they invited top artists to perform. Unfortunately, last year Konoha did not participate to the finals since it was Kumo vs Kiri but the new pop singer Mirai performed her most popular single as an opening act since the finale took place in Konoha.

She is Asuma Sarutobi’s daughter and Mizuki blamed nepotism as a reason for her being included in the event which doesn’t matter since her song is an international success and had undeniable popularity with the public.

KUMO

It’s a show! Some think their pre-game introduction is a mess while others can’t wait to see it. Kumo never sleeps on the gas when it comes to their basketball team. Knowing they have been dominating the sport for the longest and haven’t yet met a “worthy opponent” in decades, the finale is just a big ole party for them. As follows their tradition, Killer Bee introduces the performance with one of his songs along with the team’s mascot Gyuki also known as The Anpanman. On last year's finale, he performed his most popular hit and the mascot’s theme song.

Due to the circumstance of going against a brand-new team instead of Konoha. They went all out with large street dance/breakdancing crews and as expected the basketball players joined them on the dancefloor to introduce themselves. It’s a tradition with them to always participate with the dancers. To add oil to the fire, the most popular singer Samui and the most awarded rapper Karui offered a special performance together.

KIRI: Being a new team and recently entered the world scene, it was THE opportunity to formally introduce themselves not only as a team, but as a nation. Saying “Kiri, we are here. Modernized and our dark past is behind us.” Hence why they decided to introduce the team along with a large group of musicians performing traditional percussion-based music belonging to each players' respective ethnicities.

Having a smaller cheerleader team and no mascot, they were represented by the country of water’s current gem, the singer Sera. Her background as a professional dancer allowed her to put on a show by herself as much as whole cheerleading teams from other nations.

Her production team came up with a catchy song for the basketball finale that she performed along with her most popular single. Zabuza performed another song with her meanwhile the rest of the team performed along Utakata, the new pop singer making waves in Kiri these days.

NEXT PART

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[dira333]

A moth to the flame - Ibiki x Aburame! Reader part 5 (Finale)

masterlist - part 4

…After the Chunin Exams and the events that followed…

Ryo rests on her father’s chest, lifting her head ever so often to peer up at the familiar features. 

“Baba!” She’s making grabby hands, not the least bit disappointed that he’s asleep, bandages covering his head and parts of his face. “Ba!”

You’re resting in the chair next to his bed, his uninjured left hand pressed against your stomach as you’re holding it. You want him to feel the baby kick, something he could never get enough off in your first pregnancy.

“How are we doing?” You turn, not at all surprised to see his mother in the doorstep. She’s aged a lot over the last weeks. The disappointment of Idate failing so spectacularly followed by the horror of him defecting the village and the loss of everything she’d held dear. Idate is gone, unable to ever step foot into Konoha again. And his actions, though probably those of a child, had almost cost his brothers life.

“The surgery was a success,” you explain what the doctors have told you. “His right arm’s badly burnt, but he’ll regain full function. His leg will take a bit more time to heal fully, and-”

“What about his head?” Your mother in law takes a few steps, leans down to kiss Ryo’s short crop of silver hair before resting one hand on the bandages covering Ibiki’s head. 

“He’ll be bald,” you say, unable to think about what he had to endure. 

“What a shame,” she sighs. “He’d been such a pretty boy.”

“He still is,” you point out, unwilling to let anyone think different. Ibiki’s still asleep but you can’t help but lift his hand and press a kiss to the back of it, murmuring a “You still are,” into it.

-

Eventually though, you have to leave. Ryo needs to be fed and although the nurses would probably not notice you taking a nap next to your husband’s bed, your daughter is a fussy little girl.

Tomorrow, you’ll bring her back. Tomorrow, he might be awake again, able to smile at Ryo’s antics.

Though you should have learned by now not to trust the promises of the night.

-x-

The morning’s almost fully gone by the time he blinks awake, his mouth dry, his head filled with cotton.

“Ah, you’re awake.” A nurse pats his arm. “Do you want us to call anyone?”

“My wife.”

“Your wife?” She looks surprised. “I didn’t know you were married- I’m sorry, I will check.”

He sighs. It wouldn’t be the first time they conveniently forgot to put the correct information down.

His mother is the first one he meets that day, her face full of surprise when she steps into his room and sees him looking back.

“Oh, you’re awake? I didn’t know!”

“I did ask them to notify my family, but they forget everything as soon as they leave the room, it seems.”

“Where’s Ryo?” She asks, a little concerned. “I was fully convinced to find your whole family here again, there hasn’t been a day yet where I’ve found you alone.”

“And there will not be another,” he points out. “I’m going to discharge myself with your help.”

“Is that smart?”

“I don’t care. Help me up, will you?”

-

The Aburame compound feels unusually deserted when they enter. If he’d been able to walk, he’d raced over to his doorstep, but now he’s bound to a wheelchair, and the help of his mother pushing him forward.

“Ibiki-san!” Shino finds him halfway up the hill to his house. “You are home.”

“Yes!” He grits through his teeth, the pain he’s still in making it hard to stay patient. “Where is everyone? My wife, Ryo?”

“Aunty has given birth in the morning,” Shino tells him as calmly as only a kid can, falling into step beside his wheelchair. “Father asked me to help because there have been complications.”

Fear gripes for his heart with hands of steel. “Complications?”

Shino nods. “The Ritual has just ended. Do you want to see the child?”

“Do I want- Shino!” He’s trying to stay calm, he really is. “Take me to them as fast as you can.”

“Okay.” And with the casualness of a child, he strides out, leading them to… Ibiki’s own home.

“Ibiki!” Shibi meets him at the front door. “I’ve sent for you! Glad you could return earlier.”

“You’ve sent for me?!” Ibiki’s voice comes out ragged and uneven, the pain only partly to blame for that. “I have been sitting in my hospital room by myself all day.”

“Hey now,” his mother chides him from behind. “Clearly there has been a miscommunication. Are mother and child well?”

“Yes. Why? We have taken utmost care.”

The sound of a child crying cuts through Shibi’s speech.

“Ryo,” he explains. “Shino, get your cousin.”

Ibiki feels the loss of his strength even more, now that he has to wait for Shino to bring him his child. Ryo settles into his hold easily, her small hands holding onto him just as her moths are holding onto his Chakra.

“Now,” Ibiki sinks back into his wheelchair. “Where’s my wife?”

-x-

You know Ibiki’s home before you’ve fully opened your eyes. 

The night, the morning, the day, it has taken a toll on you. Everything hurts.

But there’s breathing, in and out, in and out, and just the sound alone tells you that it’s Ibiki, his presence warm and safe next to you.

Your head sinks against his shoulder. 

“Morning sleepyhead,” he grumbles.

“When did you come home?” You ask. 

“Right after dinner,” he jokes softly. “Got to burp Ryo right after I came in.”

You sigh. “I wanted you to be present.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Did you see-” You move, but his hand stills you, keeps you in place. 

“Rest,” he asks and you’re too tired to fight that. “Mother is going to stay with us for a bit. Until we’re both able to move freely again.”

You chuckle at that. “And here I thought we agreed on doing things carefully.”

“No such thing as that when you’re in love.”

- Years later -

“Ryo, Miki, Usagi, Kiku, Arisu,” Guy counts on his fingers as he names the girls. “Did I miss one?”

“No!” Miki exclaims, already going straight for his left leg to hug him. “You got us all right, Uncle Guy!”

Ibiki sighs. “Don’t praise him too much. It’s not that big of a skill to remember all your names!”

“Yes,” Ryo adds coolly, her sullen demeanor not unlike her cousin Shino. “Next you’re going to be happy someone notices you.”

“Shush,” you touch her shoulder lightly, something akin to a gentle slap over the head for your eldest daughter. “Don’t be rude.”

“Can we go now?” Arisu begs. She’s the youngest, and probably the most stubborn. “I want to get going.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?” You ask once again with a glance toward Ibiki. His arms are full with the twins, the two of them conversing in a language neither of you speaks.

“No!” Arisu huffs. “I’m already old enough to walk by myself.”

“Fine,” you sigh, ushering her toward the front. “Then let’s get going. We don’t want to miss a thing.”

“Do you think Shino will become Jonin today, Uncle Guy?” Miki asks, clinging to her favorite Shinobi. No one really knows how it happened, but Ibiki likes to claim her birth and the fact that he wasn’t present to instill good taste in her.

“I think he will try his best. Wether or not that’s enough for him to become Jonin today, I cannot say.”

“But-”

The rest of Miki’s speech gets lost when Ibiki falls into step with you, leaning over to kiss you. It’s a little awkward, Usagi giggling into your ear as he does so, but, just like your children, you’ve developed your own secret language.

“Love you too,” you murmur against his lips. 

Though some things still need to be said out loud.

“Mom!” Miki yells from the front. “Arisu’s tired. Can you carry her?”

“Am not!”

“Oh, Guy, what a nice sight! Who do all these children belong to?... Ibiki? You’re a father?”

And some things never change.

Buy me a Coffee Taglist: @snuggleboots @missalienqueen @bennyb0i0 @kitty262 @burningbluegalaxy @ravenswife @shadowwolf202101blog @anaxst @satueblueberry @neonrogueraven @bombshellbella @theferretkids @bjem @mangoxsago @elliotintgewoods @sillypissyfroggy @sage101 @f1girlie

[x-authorship-x]

Do you have any Naruto ocs?

I do!! Some are really old and I've basically forgotten everything about them lol, but some have always managed to stick around (it's even more impressive if I can actually keep them as an OC and not end up merging the idea into canon characters)

1 - Takara: she's Konohamaru's older sister by six years (3+ Rookie9), she was in a genin team with Aburame torune (before he was snatched up by root) and taught under Genma. She specialises in trapping and ends up becoming the demolition expert of konoha on par with Deidara. She's very good at eavesdropping on her dad (monkey masked anbu commander) and grandfather (sandaime). She ends up dating kankuro ^_^ mainly used for cool diplomacy insights

2 - Asahi: (SIOC), he's born with uncommon awareness of chakra but a civilian in the middle of nowhere in Whirlpool country. He's raised to be a fisherman like his family but one day sails down the coast further than anyone dares and comes to the Uzushio ruins (his mum was an Uzumaki but dammit red hair is a recessive gene okay). He fucks around and finds out experimenting with chakra, ends up moving down there full time as an adult, doesn't even realise he's doing crazy chakra shit because he has no scale of reference. Takes care of local bandits using nothing but the crazy Uzumaki seals he reverse engineered. Accidentally makes Kiri think that Uzushio never actually died. He ends up being thought of as the Uzukage. Crack treated seriously. Mainly used for Uzushio and civilian culture antics.

3 - Minako: used for Uchiha Sharingan tomfoolery. Activates Sharingan from trauma of falling out of a tree and fracturing her eye socket. Proceeds to ignore all pushing to be a Shinobi and takes up weaving and makes some very stunning kimono, obi, and tapestries. She couldn't be less interested in killing people. Itachi leaves her alive because he didn't do a headcount and she was away on a caravan. Sasuke low-key adores his kinda-cousin/aunt/sister. Basically so I can explore the use of dojutsu in non Shinobi crafts and get Sasuke in therapy asap

There's more but those I remember off the top of my head ✨

[sleepysnk]

Hi!! Can I please request Shino with fluff prompt 5!

a/n: yes of course! you’re actually the first request i received! 🤍 i hope you enjoy and thank you again!

pairings: shino aburame x fem!reader

warnings: modern au, fluff, mentions of drinking alcohol (?)

fluff prompt #5: “Maybe we got put under the mistletoe for a reason..”

You had known Shino Aburame for as long as you could remember.

He was a friend of Kiba’s, and when you first saw him you didn’t expect to ever feel the way you did towards him now.

And since you were good friends with Kiba, Shino was going to be around.

Tonight, you and your friends were having this small Christmas get together. You were kind of excited for it, especially since you’d be heading on home from university right after the party. But also, who wouldn’t love the holidays? Christmas was definitely your favorite holiday.

Right now, you were sitting beside your friend, Hinata. The two of you were chatting about your plans for break, and how you both were so thankful for it.

She was one of the few people who knew you had a crush on Shino. She was also one of his close friends as well, and she often teased you for this crush you had. You in return would tease her for her own crush on Naruto Uzumaki.

“Do you think it’s gonna snow?” Hinata asked, turning her head towards the window behind her.

You looked outside of the glass. It was a chilly night, and the sky was blanketed with clouds. “I’m not sure,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders.

Turning your head back around, your eyes never failed to land on Shino. He was sitting on the couch across from you, and he was acting like his content self. Observing him for as long as you did, you realized how quiet and introverted Shino could be. He didn’t speak much, and whenever he did, you’d feel your heart race.

Shino had spoken to you a couple of times. A few of them were conversations about Kiba’s dumb antics, or awkwardly asking if you could scooch over so he could grab a drink.

Those occasions were small, yes, but you just couldn’t get the dark-haired guy out of your mind.

“Guys! Come in here and look at what Akamaru is doing!” Kiba called from the kitchen.

Your group of friends all exchanged looks with one another. You all knew if you guys didn’t get up and go see, Kiba would probably rip your heads off. He always had this habit of showing everyone what his dog could do; even if it was kind of stupid or random.

You trailed behind Hinata, she stood near the counter.

You chose to stand near the doorway of the kitchen. You saw Akamaru laying on his back, swinging his tail and barking at Kiba. You couldn’t help but smile at the pup. He always stole your heart whenever he was around.

You froze when you felt a presence beside you. It wasn’t just any presence, it was Shino.

You hadn’t been this close to him before. The sleeve of his jacket was touching your bare arm, and you felt a chill go down spine from the contact. You looked at him through the corners of your eyes for a good second. You hoped he didn’t see it. Shino was always known for having a good eye.

“Aw! Come on, boy, do it again! Ugh..” Kiba groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration.

You and Hinata let out small laughs. “Maybe he’s shy, Kiba..” Hinata said, leaning her cheek on her fist.

“He’s not shy! Are you crazy?! He would totally show you guys if you guys weren’t so damn intimidating!” Kiba exclaimed, turning to look at Hinata.

You faintly heard Shino laugh through his nose beside you. “Maybe you’re the intimidating one..” he replied, looking at his friend.

Kiba’s attention went to Shino. “No I’m not! Shino, you’re the scary one here!” he yelled, pointing his index finger at him.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the two and their disagreement. Whenever Kiba was acting some type of way, Shino was so quick to pick on him in such a nonchalant way. It always made you laugh whenever it happened.

“Hey.. wait a second..” Kiba said, looking over at you.

You paused in your laughter. “What?” you asked, nodding your head to the side.

A smirk suddenly formed on his face. He looked between you and Shino, which made your blood go cold. Was Kiba about to expose your secret? You would so beat his ass if that was case.

“Look up,” he said, pointing at the ceiling.

Confused, both you and Shino looked above you. Your eyes went wide you realized you were standing directly beneath the mistletoe. You vaguely remembered seeing it when you walked in, and the realization you were now standing under it with Shino made your stomach drop to the floor.

Shino didn’t seem too fazed by it. He looked at Kiba with a glare. “Is there something you want out of this, Kiba?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kiba started laughing his ass off. “How about you guys kiss? That’s what you’re supposed to do under a mistletoe!” he replied, shaking his head.

You gave him an annoyed expression. “We don’t have to kiss! We can easily move away,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Do you not want to kiss me, (Y/N)?”

Your eyes averted to Shino who had his head cocked to the side. He seemed to be waiting for your answer. Part of you was shocked that he asked that question. You always assumed Shino wasn’t into this kind of stuff.. but did he want to actually kiss you?

“I think she wants to!” Kiba shouted, leaning against the counter.

Your mouth went dry, and your cheeks burned with embarrassment. You didn’t know how to respond to his question, but who knows? Maybe if you kissed him he’d think it was just because you wanted to shut Kiba up.

“Actually.. I do want to kiss you, Shino,” you replied, rocking on your heels.

Hinata and Kiba both looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn’t believe that you actually admitted it out loud.

Shino’s eyebrows raised in surprise. You also swore you could see a blush on his cheeks. “Is that right? Well, let’s get this over with then,” he said, taking a few steps closer to you.

You couldn’t even look him in the eyes. You felt the tension between you both, and it was eating you up inside.

You felt his finger go beneath your chin where he lifted it up to meet your eyes. You couldn’t even speak, and you felt like you were going to pass out if this didn’t get taken care of.

Before you knew it, you felt his lips on yours.

The kiss was soft, gentle, you could taste the peppermint that lingered on his tongue. You placed your hands on his shoulders, and leaned into his touch. His hand found its way to your cheek where he cupped it.

You felt him pull away, which left you somewhat needy. You felt Hinata and Kiba staring directly at you two, and you ended up hiding your face away from them.

“Oh my god! That was so fucking crazy!” Kiba exclaimed, looking at Hinata with surprise.

She nodded her head in agreement. “I wasn’t expecting that!” she replied, placing her hands on her head.

You felt Shino grab your hand. He had this smile on his face, and his cheeks were slightly pink. “Don’t worry about them.. just know I didn’t regret this,” he said, rubbing your hand with his thumb.

Your eyes grew wide from his words. “Really?” you asked, nodding your head.

He let out a laugh, which actually shocked you. You really made the most stoic guy you’ve ever met laugh. “I don’t regret this..” he replied, “I actually want to see you again.”

You practically almost fell over from what he was telling you. For so long you believed that he’d never look your way, but he actually wanted to talk to you? It almost felt like it was all a dream.

“I want to see you too..” you replied, looking up at him.

“Maybe we got put under the mistletoe for a reason..” he said, smiling.

You felt your heart warm inside of your chest. “Yeah.. maybe we did,” you said, squeezing his hand.

“That’s corny!” Kiba exclaimed, giving the two of you a disgusted face.

You and Shino looked at each other before laughing at his reaction. The two of you then left the kitchen, leaving Hinata and Kiba by themselves to just gawk at you both.

“Who knew our plan would work?” Kiba said, looking at his friend.

[yamanaka-shin]

Wolf Wisdoms

Ship: Shino/Kiba

Rating: 18+

Time period: set around e15 of Boruto

Warning: werewolf sex (I rarely write porn so it's at attempt rather than a masterpiece)

Summary: maybe there's something to be gained from this long overdue date night beyond just the satisfaction of an orgasm and time spent with a teammate turned lover. Shino didn't go into it looking for the answer to his recent problems, but with Kiba as a lover anything is always possible.

"So what's the damage this time?" Kiba wastes no time in making a statement, not even giving his former teammate time to breathe as soon as he's off school grounds. The Inuzuka man was waiting for him, clearly, ready to interrogate. It's just his luck too. It's a harmless enough question that he can't justify declining to answer.

Shino doesn't answer immediately, though, sighing deeply and rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had built up over the day so he can answer as calmly as possible. He knows his boisterous companion is going to get impatient and probably make a scene for being made to wait but all worthwhile answers took time and patience was a valuable skill to learn. They would get on the same page eventually. The school day had just ended, all of the students heading home to trouble their families with their antics no doubt, and he wouldn't have to worry about seeing them again until the next morning. By that time he'd hopefully be well rested and prepared for another round of lessons with the most difficult class he'd ever had. Luck, though, was rarely on his side when these kids were concerned. Add to that the sudden intrusion by Kiba and all bets were off. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe, just maybe, spending a few hours with the Inuzuka man would clear up some of the stress. Just maybe.

"Are you listening? Hey!" With an indignant bark, Kiba upped his volume a notch in the hopes it would snap Shino out of whatever daze he was surely in. "Are you paying attention at all?"

Turning to him, the Aburame man looked him in the eyes before attempting to form an answer. "Yes, Kiba, I can hear you. You don't have to repeat yourself. This is because I needed a moment of silence as I have not been off the clock long enough to relax much and focus on anything except for my students. I promise I will give you my full attention."

Despite feeling like he may have just been brushed off a little bit there, Kiba throws his head back and laughs. It's a good way to snap himself out of a possible spiral of disappointment that was entirely unnecessary. Of course the well respected Academy teacher is still struggling to get out of work mode enough to have a casual conversation, or even just give his undivided attention. He settles again, thankfully quickly, and puts his arm around the shoulders of his still half uptight partner. Shino tenses up momentarily, reacting to the suddenness of the action more than the action itself, but quickly regains his cool and calm composure. It's almost amusing enough to bring another laugh out of his partner. Almost. Kiba refrains last second to keep from driving his best friend up the wall.

"What brings you around here anyway, Kiba?" Though it's hidden behind his visor, one of Shino's eyebrows cocks upward just a little. He cannot deny that it's curious that the Inuzuka has come to meet him right out of the gate.

"Are you saying you forgot?" With his free hand, Kiba slaps his forehead a little dramatically and groans. "I guess I can't be too mad, you've been busy with all this complicated shit after all. First your school gets half blown up to hell and then one of your kids in class has a meltdown."

"No, I haven't forgotten. I have just had to prioritize my students as they are still shaken after the Nue incident. I'm not permitted to tell them all of the details behind it so they have more questions than answers and a lot of them are frustrated. Suddenly losing Sumire like that didn't help matters either. In fact, I think it's the most difficult factor for them to adjust to."

It's impossible to fault the man for putting the kids first in the aftermath of such a disaster. There will be plenty more date nights in the future, and this one is still fully on the table even though it had to be postponed until tonight. A confident grin lights up Kiba's face as he thinks about how considerate his former teammate is of everyone in his life that needs his attention. His ability to alott his time to all of those asking for it goes unmatched by almost anyone else. One pushed back date for the sake of the safety of and peace of mind for the kids is a small price to pay. Tonight, now that Shino finally has the time, will be just for the two of them. The anticipation of it excites him immensely. So wrapped up in the thought of it is he that he barely processes when Shino asks something of him. It's his turn, then, to snap out of it last second.

"I've noticed that Akamaru isn't with you today. Why is that?"

"Sis told me she wanted to examine his back legs after she caught him limping the other day. I think someone may have accidentally stepped on him when he was laying in the sun, but I still trust her to do what she needs to. I'm gonna take him out to Senju Park in a couple days when he's feeling better for some exercise."

"I hope that nothing worrying is found during the examination and that he will recover from his injury quickly. What will you do in the meantime?"

"That all depends on what you have going on." Kiba shoots him a look, mischief glinting in his eyes. "Unless you're too busy, of course. I understand if you are." From anyone else that last statement would sound almost like a guilt trip but because it is the man he has known so well and for so long, Shino knows that there will be no hard feelings should he have other things going on that would prevent him from spending time with his boyfriend.

It takes him a moment to think, but beyond his obligations to his students, Shino cannot come up with anything else that was presently demanding his attention. On top of the already stressful ordeal of outside classes and trying not to further damage the school, the Ghost Incident could not have come at a worse time. The fact that said incident had one of his students at its epicenter only served to further fray his already shot nerves. Now the child behind the entire situation was safely in custody, her future uncertain, and he could bring his on-the-clock focus back to his remaining present students. That meant after work time was also freed up. Or at least it should have been. Though he knew nothing was immediately demanding his attention off the job, the topic of Sumire would continue to sit in his brain like a heavy rock. Not knowing her fate was going to cause him to lose sleep. Maybe it was for the best that he spent some good quality time with Kiba over the next few days now that he thought about it this way. The compounding worries as of late needed some kind of relief.

"I don't have anything important that needs tending to at the moment aside from our date that I have had to put off for over a week now. If you would like my company, I would be happy to spend the time with you after class each day." His tone is a little flat but Kiba knows damn well how to read between the lines by now. Besides, he can't fault the guy for sounding less than over the top enthused after everything that's happened.

"Sounds perfect to me." The Inuzuka grins wide again, canines on full and proud display. "And I want updates on what's going on with that student of yours anyway. You owe me that much. If you were gonna keep cancelling on me for this, the least I can ask is for the details."

"I will discuss what I'm allowed to mention with you later. This is because it's for the privacy of Sumire so I do not need other people to listen in on business that is hers and hers alone, especially when I'm not allowed to tell you all of it." Shino relents, knowing that he does indeed owe Kiba an explanation to the best of his abilities, but makes his own terms clear right off the bat. It seems to check out with Kiba as no petulant whining or argument follows the statement. He can breathe a sigh of relief at this.

Finally pulling his arm back to his side, Kiba lets his partner go and turns in the direction he usually takes to get home. It's still only the late afternoon and that means plenty of daylight left to enjoy before the sun goes down and it's time to get dinner. Shino looks at him, expression blank but still unassuming, as if asking the shorter man about what sort of plan he has in mind. Having nothing to do after work made it easy to plan a date but it came at the price of feeling a little aimless in between the end of work and spending dinner with the partner he hadn't properly seen in over a week. He didn't want to get into an activity that might accidentally eat up all of his time left in the day and thus interfere with the date. Perhaps he'd let his duties as a teacher get to him s little deeper than he'd thought. In the past he used to be so content to have nothing to do for long periods of time. But after devoting hours every day to working with rowdy children to teach them Shinobi life skills and how the world worked, he found that moments that were too quiet and too still had become truly boring most of the time.

"You comin'? I was thinking we could go see my ma for a little before heading back to your place. She's been kinda lonely now that Kuromaru is gone."

Nodding his head once after making sure to fully hear the other man out, this time Shino didn't even hesitate, remembering how his own father had felt getting a visit from his now grown child for the first time in a while. He had to remember to go home and see Shibi more often. And maybe, with any luck, rope Torune into coming along as well. "Yes, I would enjoy going home to see Mrs. Inuzuka. Let's stop at the Yamanaka flower shop along the way and pick up some flowers."

"Keep sucking up to her and she's never gonna let me hear the end of when am I gonna make you her son in law." He sighs through his nose, a good natured gesture despite sounding exasperated, and runs a hand through his hair and keeps that trademark grin in place. "Maybe one of these days I'll have an answer for her."

~~~~~~

There is, initially, a pleasant sort of silence that settles between the two of them after they've set their chopsticks down following the meal. Kiba seems a little spaced out, stomach full and mind at ease in the comfortable presence of the man he's known so well since they were both young. Shino, too, seems content enough outwardly for the first few minutes after he's finished eating. But something begins to bother him and morph his neutral expression into an unhappy frown little by little. His shoulders go more slack, his hands seem to fidget, and he looks like he wants to say something but can't find the words. None of this escapes Kiba's gaze the minute he locks onto the way his lover has shifted moods.

"What's troubling you so much huh?" Kiba keeps his voice low even though his hackles are up. Something is wrong and seeing his partner on edge has gotten him equally on edge. He just wishes he knew what was causing the upset without having to ask.

Though his visor is still on and prevents direct eye contact, he still tears his would-be line of sight away from the Inuzuka sitting across from him before daring to speak. "All of the kids have been talking about Sumire. Boruto is trying to make sure they don't say things too loud, but I can tell it's on all of their minds. They don't know what's going to happen to her." He lets out a saddened sigh. "And neither do I. I don't like not having answers for them, let alone for myself."

Placing his palms on the table firmly, Kiba hunches his shoulders forward and uses a very stern voice to address his companion. "If you don't know what's going to happen, then go find out. Don't wait for them to tell you. You care about that kid? Go ask about her. If you don't even know what's going on, do you think she does? She damn well deserves to."

"I don't think I'm entitled to all of that information even if I would like to know."

"You're her teacher, the closest thing that kid has to a parent at this point. You look after her more than anyone else. So you need to go and tell whoever is in charge to tell you everything."

The no-nonsense string of words, almost like a command, Shino thinks, makes a lot of sense as he mulls them over internally. The second that it became clear that Root was involved in this mess he knew it was way over his head technically. But he could not find it in himself to fully detach from the entire situation and cease to worry after the girl. She was entrenched in something no child her age should ever have to be and now her fate was uncertain following actions that had been taken under extreme duress. If no one stepped up onto her side, who knew when it would get resolved. Or if the outcome would be kind to her at all. And because she didn't even have parents to go to for reassurance or comfort in this difficult time, she should at least be able to rely on her teacher. Kiba put it fairly bluntly but he wasn't wrong in the least

"I know you have to make sure you're there to teach class and all. But worrying about the kid while trying to focus on the others won't work. Ask someone else to sub for you for the day tomorrow and go get answers. If they give you the run around, tell them you're not leaving until somebody squeals. Put your goddamn foot down."

There was that bluntness again. However, it still hit every correct note just as before, and only motivated him further. Anko could take over for one lesson if he asked her to. She'd probably give him a half hearted earful later, but it was a sacrifice that had to be made. And he could probably bribe her with sweets if it came to that. The burning drive Shino felt in his gut then, after lining up his plans in his head, was stronger than almost any instance in the past and he knew he had to take this straight to Lord Hokage in the morning. As soon as he made the request of Anko he would head to the Hokage's office and have a nice serious conversation with Naruto and not back down no matter what. Sumire deserved at least that much. Leave it to an Inuzuka to inspire motivation even when the situation looked bleak.

"Thank you, Kiba." Shino bowed his head a little towards the man sitting opposite of him. "Tomorrow I'm going to take steps to figure out what is going to happen to my student."

"That's what I like to hear." A throaty growl of support echos from deep in Kiba's chest  He smiles wide, showing off those impressive teeth again, and feels confident that something good has got to come out of this mess. "Lemme know if you want me to come with you and rough Naruto up if he tries to talk you in circles. Or if anyone else is there that doesn't wanna budge."

The Aburame man holds up one hand to placate his companion, the slightest hint of humor buried in his voice just then. "That won't be necessary I don't think, but I will call you if I need you."

And with that, Kiba leaves his spot at the low table to scoot over and sidle up next to his former teammate. A little confused but not unnerved, Shino opts to remain silent and just watch as the canine inclined nin makes his move. He's surprised in the next moment as one of those rough hands with their sharp nails comes up to rest on the back of his visor. It's then that he hears Kiba make a request.

"Are you okay if I take this off of you?"

Surprised a little by the show of courtesy but grateful for it regardless, Shino nods before replying. "You may. Please be careful with those claws though."

True to form, Kiba makes sure not to dig in his nails as he lifts the visor off of his partner's face before setting it down on the table beside them. Dark brown eyes almost always hidden from view are revealed to him then, squinting a little to adjust to the lighting of the room after being covered so long, beautiful all the same. The same hand that had taken off his eyewear now moves to place two fingers under his chin, rough thumb lightly caressing the cheek of the insect specialist, and neither of them dares to speak for several moments. Shino relaxes ever so slightly under the touch of his teammate turned lover and it seems to spur Kiba on further. In that next moment, he closes the gap between them a little more, hand moving up to cup one cheek. Brown eyes and black eyes meet and it is Kiba who asks the next question.

"Can I kiss you?"

Again it takes Shino by surprise that the impulsive, rowdy man before him is taking the time to ask permission. But he cannot say a bad thing about it. Instead of arguing, he gives him the go ahead. "Yes, I would like that."

Kiba's hand once again migrates to the back of his partner's head and pulls him in close as their lips lock. The sweet taste of winter melon lingers on Shino's lips and when the two finally pull away from each other Kiba finds himself licking his own to savor that taste. He's never been partial to greenery, but something about it on his lover's breath drives him a little wild. It is a flavor that he never would have imagined Shino tasting of in all the years they spent working together, all of the light hearted bickering that went on between the two giving him the feel of someone who would be almost bitter on the tongue. He finds that he loves being surprised at every turn when it is a surprise linked to the Aburame man he loved. The promise of such surprises keeps him coming back again and again for more.

"Kiba, are you all right?" This time it is Shino's turn to snap his companion back to the present as the Inuzuka's mind had wandered off imagining the things he wanted to do to his lover. But it's hard not to let his thoughts wander when he had such an intriguing partner. "You seem a little distracted."

Before giving him a verbal response, Kiba quickly stands up to his full height and offers a hand down to the still seated man. Shino takes it, curious internally but without questioning it out loud, and is brought up to his own full height before Kiba makes to speak. The words come out as a possessive low growl. "I want you."

It's forward for sure, Shino will give him that, but Kiba has always been shameless and doesn't seem to even know the definition of hesitation. He also can't argue that the feeling is mutual. Still, he asks anyway, just for the sake of clarity. "Would you like to join me in my bedroom?"

That's all the invitation the canine inclined Shinobi needs. In one fluid display of swiftness and strength, he scoops up his partner and makes a dash for the room down the hallway. It's a whirlwind of motion that barely gives the Aburame time to process what's going on. When the two are once again stationary, now together in the bedroom instead of the kitchen, Shino is let down on the bed, a little rough but not on purpose, while Kiba pants to catch his breath and recenter his focus. He can't fuck this up by rushing it even though he wants to so badly. The more he thinks about the oddly sweet taste of his lover's lips the more his desire grows. It's made worse when he thinks about how long it's been, how Shino has been working so hard and has had little time to relax and focus on his personal life. The man deserves this. And he badly wants to give it to him. He has to take several deep breaths to recover his wits enough to even think about talking lest his words come out a half garbled mess. At that point an actual dog would probably sound more comprehensible.

"Are you...sure this is okay with you?" He's still panting, having to swallow hard in the middle of his sentence as he's gotten himself all worked up on so little. It's shockingly easy to wind up his own metaphorical spring as tight as it can get. "Tell me...if it isn't."

"I am telling you it's fine and I mean it. I put off date night for too long and it wasn't fair to you." Shino looks up at the other man, sincerity laced in his voice and evident in his eyes though to anyone else he would sound too monotone to get any real point across. "You have my permission to do as you please tonight. I would not be here if I didn't want to be."

"I want it to be fair to you too, ya know."

"I promise that I consider it fair to me." He makes sure to sound sincere because he is and wants his partner to have zero doubts. "Now if you're not going to strike first, I will.

Though it was Kiba who initiated the scene, Shino makes good on his statement and makes the first real move. He brings one hand up to rest gingerly on the waistband of Kiba's pants and it seems to flip a switch in the Inuzuka that had been halted momentarily just a moment ago. A half whine tumbles from his throat as his sense of desire comes back to him. However, just as soon as Kiba seems to get the wind back in his sails, a lightbulb goes off over his head and he has to halt the scene once more, holding up one hand. "Just a moment, babe cuz I just had a thought. There's something I've been wanting to try so fucking bad. Please tell me if it's too much." He takes a few steps back from the bed just then and closes his eyes. Shino can feel the other man gathering chakra into his core, the aura of it similar to a spring coiling tighter, before a couple of hand signs are woven to accompany a Jutsu name. "Man Beast Transformation: Lycanthropy!"

In only the time it takes Shino to blink, Kiba changes. One moment it is a man that stands before him at the end of the bed and in the next moment he's looking into the dark eyes of something wholly lupine. If he hadn't been watching intently the entire time he might have believed the creature in his most personal space now was a monster from the dense woods surrounding the Hidden Leaf. Thankfully he knows intrinsically there is nothing to worry about and his heart picks up in pace, not in fear but in desire. Kiba had mentioned in passing several times in the recent past that he'd been working to train and perfect this technique but up until this very moment he'd not seen the results of such training. Now that the proof was standing before him, calling it impressive and perhaps even enticing was putting it lightly.

Where before there was a man now stands a bipedal canid, one that could be described with no other word better than werewolf. Lycanthrope, just as the Jutsu name described. Something straight out of myths and storybook tales meant to teach lessons to those who could use more caution and discrepancy in their lives. Kiba, the beast he'd changed into, sported a coat of shaggy medium brown fur. The shape of his head had changed just enough to support triangular ears situated up top as well as a muzzle where previously his face had been much flatter. His limbs were longer and sturdier, strong enough to support his now heavier build, and from his position laying on the bed Shino could see a tail peeking out from the pants his lover still wore. Pants, as it turned out, that definitely appeared a little too tight to properly fit on a lupine frame. The same could be said for the rest of his clothes. It gave off a feeling of imagines discomfort since everything seemed so tight. But Kiba didn't seem to be on a hurry to discard them just yet.

"Have you been practicing this just for tonight?" Shino keeps his voice small, curious but not exactly sure how to ask without sounding invasive. He opts for a simple statement and hopes it will get the job done.

Before he says anything, the newly lycanthropic Inuzuka nods his furry head and bears those wicked teeth, now much more pointed than before, in what is probably meant to be a smile. There is a hunger glinting in his eyes, still dark and confident, predatory and unafraid. "You betcha. Now let me show you the results of my training."

Leaning forward, Kiba places his large hand paws on the bed in a wide stance. His tongue lolls out of the end of his elongated muzzle and he licks his lips hungrily. It gets Shino's heart beating faster and faster by the moment, images of what that tongue might do to him flashing through his mind, and he scoots a little farther back on the bed to allow his larger lover to join him. However, as Kiba puts more of his weight on the bed and begins to stalk forth on his hands and knees, the bed dipping appropriately under the new weight, a thought occurs to the entranced Aburame. Something in his bedside drawer they have made use of before might become useful once again. They'll have to open that drawer later anyway when they need the lube, so he can use the excuse of grabbing it to fetch the other thing at the same time. And as soon as the werewolf is looming over the man, that hot breath on his neck when the head of the wolf dips low to nip at his collarbone through the fabric of his bodysuit, Shino has to fight with his own urges to keep his idea secure and clear in his head. Suddenly his own clothing feels too tight, too restrictive, too hot all over his body as he dwells on his idea and shares personal space with the were-Inuzuka. He begins to fidget in a way that suggests he wants to begin removing each piece and give his lover better access to his body. Kiba watches him, those dark eyes taking in the sight beneath him, and seems to catch on slowly but surely.

"Would you like help, babe?" His words are rough, perhaps he's still getting used to speaking in such a different form, but he's sincere. His offer is also music to his partner's ears.

Shino takes a deep breath and looks up at the beast version of the man he knew so well. "Perhaps I could help you out of yours and then you can worry about helping me."

"Ahh, hadn't even thought about that. Good point." A bark of laughter, again just as genuine, suggesting that it really had slipped his mind. "Was wondering why I felt so stiff."

Without much pretense, Shino reaches up and grips the sides of the jacket his lover is still wearing and peels it away, working it off arms that are just a little too long now as best he can, tossing it off to the side. The next piece of clothing will take more dexterity though so he expends a good amount of effort in order to sit up better. He then wasted little time in getting his fingers under the bottom edge of Kiba's shirt, pulling it up little by little over the chest and head of the wolfman, thankful that it had lacked sleeves, until it finally clears his triangular ears atop his brown furred head. The shirt joins the jacket without ceremony and is quickly forgotten. Before he can make any other moves, though, it is now Kiba's turn to help his partner out of something. Shino can feel two claws grasp as carefully as can be managed with the lessened dexterity this new form gives to the wolfman the topknot that his hair is kept in. He slides the clip free of it and tosses it haphazardly onto the nightstand. It overshoots the landing and ends up on the floor beside it with a small clang of metal on wood but neither of them can be assed to care.

"Sorry bout that." Kiba says, but he doesn't seem all that sorry. The apology is still nice though.

"I'll get it later. Don't worry about it too much." Even if Shino himself forgets that the clip is lying there, he knows he has plenty more to replace it later.

There is no time to spend fussing over a relatively cheap clip that is so easily replaced. Instead, the insect user focuses on the fact that he's now feeling slightly less restricted. It is nowhere near enough but at least it's a start. Luckily his lover is quick on the follow up and grabs at the fabric of his fancy jacket a little roughly and begins to pull it away from his body. Shino has to shrug his shoulders to get it off but eventually it works and that marks another tether free. There is a split second where he wonders if it has taken any tears or damage on the removal process but he quickly shoves that thought down as it is another item that is not one of a kind and is as such replaceable. As soon as the jacket is cast aside, he is left to wonder if Kiba will make the next move or if it his turn again. The only thing the lupine Inuzuka is still wearing is that pair of pants that somehow still had enough room in them to stay on when man became wolf. It's a marvel, really, given that he now has an extra limb in the form of a tail stuffed in the fabric but maybe they're just that well made. His eyes examine the pants in question, shamelessly drifting to the crotch section while forgetting his contemplations on the make of the fabric and wondering if perhaps his mounting eagerness is making the matter of the fit even worse. He's winding up his own curiosity by the minute and finds than he wants an answer more than he wants to wait for Kiba to help him out of more of his clothes. In the next second, his deft hands finally make it back to the waistline of those impressive fitting pants and it seems to get the attention of the wolf.

"Can't wait, huh?" The expression he wears now can only be described as his best attempt at a smirk since having a muzzle made human expressions a little awkward. "Can't say I blame you." Ahh, so his ego had been shamelessly stroked just then.

That only drove his early curiosity on further. Sure he'd seen Kiba's dick several times in the past, could never forget the feel of it and the sight of it and the skill with which he used it, but he'd never seen this new and definitely improved version of it. What did it look like now that the man before him looked and sounded just like a werewolf right out of mythology? The only way to find out was to get those troublesome pants off and see for himself. Thankfully Kiba seemed to be content to play along nicely and allowed his boyfriend to tug the restrictive pants down his hips inch by inch, putting in the effort to work the tight article of clothing down over fur that did not seem to want to make the process any easier. Thankfully it only took a few good pulls for that novel dick of his to come into view. The length of it seemed to be about the same, a respectable five inches limp, but the girth of it had definitely bulked up. And even more curious...it seemed to have a knot-capable section at the base. That got his heart racing again. Would be be able to handle something like that? Would his lover be willing to try using that on him in the first place? Sure Kiba was impulsive and brazen but he knew what the word restraint meant, especially when it came to his loved ones.

"You okay, babe? Looks like you're zoning out again." Kiba waved a clawed hand paw in front of his eyes to see if he could get Shino to come back down to earth. Thankfully, it worked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Shino shook his head to clear it and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I think I just need a bit to get used to this."

"We have all night. Just tell me if you wanna stop at any point."

For as much as he wanted to be fully confident in himself that he could handle it, something about being told it's okay to let the other man know if he didn't think he could continue reminded him not to push himself too far. He was silently thankful for that reminder and felt the haze that settled in his head at the sight of that fascinating dick clear up a little, allowing his common sense to come back out on top. The two of them would find a way to make this work somehow. Even if in the end they had to try again another day to go as far as they'd like to. Maybe it would just be one of those things they had to build up to. In fact, it might even be more fun that way, the day it being achievable acting like a reward after a long and hard campaign of effort and diligence. It was starting to sound like a net positive the more he thought it over.

Kiba, sensing that his partner was still getting his bearings back, took the time then to work his pants off of himself the rest of the way and add them to the growing pile across the floor. He now stood before the man who used to be his teammate laying on the bed, looking for a sign to continue undressing said man so no more barriers existed between them. It only took a moment for him to get the permission he sought and then he leaned in close again to get his hand paws on the pants his lover wore. Thankfully those came off far easier than his own had as they were not stretched to their limit trying to accommodate a body that was not designed to be wearing them. The button was a little rough to undo with his longer claws in the way but he managed in the end, not letting himself be bested by one small object made to hold up a pair of pants. All of this waiting was driving him a little crazy the more he was thinking about it and he may have torn off those pants a little more roughly and with less tact then he should have. Shino didn't seem to mind though. Rather, there were only a couple barriers left between them and both men seemed very much eager to discard them so that they could stop wasting time and have at each other.

Clearing his throat then, Shino spoke up first. "It is okay if you want to tear the bodysuit off. It's going to be a pain in the ass to get off otherwise. So if you want to rip it, I give you my express permission."

Though he was meant to be a werewolf instead of an excitable pet, Kiba's tail got to wagging like a happy dog at the verbal permission. He watched for a moment as Shino peeled the top down enough away from his face so it wouldn't cause any problems or injuries and then reached forward with one clawed hand paw and dug said claws into the fabric of one shoulder, yanking the fabric away from the skin. The material gave way easily, no match for such a sharp object literally designed to rend flesh, tearing as Kiba moved his hand paw along, revealing inch after inch of fairly pale skin that spent most of its time under several layers of clothing. Skin that only Kiba got the pleasure of seeing so bare. Just the thought of that was working him up as he worked on breaking the fabric, and he could feel the first serious twinges of activity between his legs. He'd already been slowly hardening before now but something about being allowed to go wild in ripping clothing off of his lover spoke to the most feral parts of him.

As the tears in the bodysuit grew enough to finally pull the whole thing off, the men worked in tandem to separate it from its wearer. It was tossed at the trash can in the opposite corner from the rest of the clothes and actually managed to get to its destination perfectly. As if celebrating his aim, Kiba let loose a satisfied bark and further drove himself to an erect state over one job well done. His eyes now traveled down to the final barrier between their bodies: an impressive pair of underwear, dark forest green in color and just loose enough to leave plenty to the imagination. He had to remind himself not to rip that off too while still riding the little high of tearing apart the bodysuit. Shino tilted his hips up without hesitation and began to slide the underwear off, Kiba taking over for him after a moment so they didn't have to wait much longer. As soon as they were yanked down far enough his erection sprang free, already almost fully hard compared to the half mast Kiba was sporting. The level of eager desire present within the Aburame was impossible to hide in that moment.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were more excited for this than me." There was that barking laughter again. However, he was indeed correct. But that wasn't to say Kiba wasn't excited, rather that Shino had him beat in sheer readiness just from their mutual stripping alone.

"Something about seeing you like this is doing something to me I cannot explain. This is because it's still novel and also I did not expect it to be employed this evening." Though he tried to sound level headed, it was clear Shino was fighting to keep the lust out of his voice. Thankfully his dick spoke for him and made it impossible to mistake his eagerness to see this new jutsu in action, even if the use for it tonight was less than conventional.

"So what I'm hearing is you want to be fucked by a big, strong beast. Is that it? You want to be manhandled and fucked until you're howling as loud as I am? Should I rail you so hard you can't make it to work on time tomorrow?"

Now the stiffness in his groin was getting almost painful as Kiba hit all the right notes with that assessment. Shino brought one hand up to cover his eyes so his partner couldn't read him for filth before speaking. "Yes...I want you to mark your territory. I need you to fuck me until I can't walk." His common sense was yelling at him that he had to be able to make it to work so he could ask Anko to cover for him while he went to talk to Lord Hokage, but he chose not to listen to it because it was a problem for next morning Shino instead of right here right now Shino.

"That's what I like to hear." His already gruff tone was deeper now, sultry, full of want. He put his full weight onto the bed and guided his lover down to a laying position once more, dipping his large furry head back down to lick at his neck and collarbone. The warmth of that skillful tongue sent shivers all through Shino and he reached up with one hand to grasp at whatever he could get ahold of as an anchor. He settled on gripping the side of the wolfman, fist balled up in shaggy fur, holding on for dear life as that warm tongue trailed down his chest methodically. Kiba was teasing him with such a move. Lower and lower he dove, and before he knew it, something warm and wet made contact with his painfully erect dick, flicking at the head and lapping up the little bead of precum that had already accumulated there, getting a taste of him before continuing the ministrations with the rest of his muzzle. Sensations of sharp teeth grazing just lightly over sensitive flesh only added to the stimulation. The contact lasted for several seconds but seemed to leave almost as soon as it had come. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long for a new form of contact, this time rough but warm pads on equally rough digits wrapping themselves around the impressive length of his dick, beginning to stroke soft and slow. Shino arched into the touch, mentally begging for Kiba to keep moving those hand paws of his just like he was. But that was just when the Inuzuka werewolf stopped in his tracks. This brought a moan out of his partner, already missing the friction, begging in his own way to have it back.

"You're gonna have to be louder than that, babe. I can't hear you. You wanted me to fuck you silly but I wanna be able to hear you while I'm doing it."

It took a second for Shino to center himself enough to reply but he did the best he could. "I'm s-sorry about that, p-please continue. I promise I'll be louder..."

"There's a good boy. Knew you had it in you."

As he internally chuckled at the irony of the canine calling the human a good boy, Kiba wrapped his hand paw back around the large dick belonging to his one and only lover and began pumping up and down once more. He had Shino pinned beneath him, one knee bent on either side of him on the bed, tail trailing behind him and sticking off the end of the bed just a little, other hand placed next to his shoulder as the one holding his dick worked it's magic. For now he wanted to make this man feel good, get him ready, for once he was warmed up it would be time for the predator to claim his prey. Not yet though. Soon, but not just yet. For the moment he was content to keep stroking the dick in his hands, honestly impressed even after all this time at the sheer size of it. No wonder Shino was such a confident man.

That's when the moaning began in earnest. Finally, there it was, the sound Kiba had wanted to hear. He picked up the speed of his strokes and felt his partner once again arch into the touch, desperate for the feel of rough skin on skin. This combination of beautiful sounds and confident motions made his own erection harder by the minute. He was almost fully hard and would soon be ready to mark the territory that belonged to him and only him. Shino better be ready for that, his boyfriend had plans to make it one hell of a ride. Sure the man spoke like nothing phased him but they would both see what happened when he had a thick werewolf dick shoved deep in his ass. Just thinking about that moment got the Inuzuka drooling, his tongue lolled out again to the side. The temptation to grab his own hardening dick and give it a few good strokes was almost too much to bear. But he had to control the urge as he wanted to last as long as possible when inside of his lover. Self control was a war he just had to win.

The longer the touching went on, the louder the Aburame got. His moans and his panting at this point, coupled with the arch of his back and the grip he had on both the bed and the fur of his lover, gave him away as being close to the edge. Kiba, sensing that Shino was close, moved his body back a little so he could position his head just right. In the next moment, he pulled his hand away and replaced it with his entire muzzle, quickly savoring the taste of the extra precum that had dribbled out in replacement of the small bead that had been licked up earlier before almost the entire length of Shino's dick was snuggly fit in the muzzle of his partner. The wet heat of werewolf mouth and tongue all over his dick damn near sent Shino over the edge immediately. It only got more intense when he felt those imposingly sharp teeth graze over the length of his shaft every few seconds. His breathing pace picked up and he was already seeing stars behind the eyes he couldn't help but close as he was lost in the sheer pleasure of it all. In his ears he could hear the faint, frantic buzzing of his insects reacting to his frantically swirling chakra. Kiba bobbed his large furry head up and down over the dick in his mouth, taking it in as far as he could and even gagging a little as it grazed his throat but refusing to give in. His hand paw, now free to roam, moved to cup Shino's balls and the roughness of his pads against the skin of them only made the friction insane. It only took a minute of that muzzle on his dick and those digits kneading his balls for Shino to come undone. Without warning, that familiar warmth shot to the back of the werewolf's throat, nearly choking him for a split second. Kiba took it in stride, though, managing to swallow a good half of the thick spray of cum. The other half dribbled out the side of his muzzle and dripped onto the bed below. He swiped at the side of said muzzle to clean off the rest before looking down, panting and heart racing, with satisfaction. Shino was panting too, dick finally going soft little by little, both hands now resting on top of the bed. It was a glorious site. The uptight teacher had come undone for the big, imposing wolfman. Kiba felt his dick, fully hard, begining to ache and throb something fierce, with his own precum seeping from the head now, and knew it was almost time for the hunt to commence.

As the two gave each other a moment to catch their breaths and come back down to earth, Kiba ran the back of his furry arm over his face again to try and clean off the remaining cum he'd missed the first time. He swiped a streak of it away from where it had settled into his fur, right on top of the red fang mark still present on his cheek, and then pulled the digit away to inspect it for a moment. It probably wasn't quite sweet like the taste lingering on his lover's lips earlier but it also wasn't likely to he as salty as cum usually was known to be. With this in mind, he brought the sticky white-covered digit up to his snout and licked it with that incredibly skilled tongue of his. In one shot the little bit of jizz was gone, slurped up by the lycanthrope and swallowed down like it was nothing. He almost wished his lover had seen him do this but was quite aware that the man in question was probably still trying to get the stars out of his eyes after being sucked off by a wild beast. It was understandable for him to have missed this sight just this one time.

After enough time had passed and Kiba was satisfied with how he had cleaned what he could off of his face, still painfully aware of the aching in his crotch and the trickle of precum that had begun to leak down the side of his shaft in anticipation, he chanced speaking to his recovering partner. "Are you still up for another round or are ya spent?"

Shino sat up finally and ran a hand through his hair before looking over at the wolfman. "Sorry, I just needed a moment to ride that out. This is because it has been an awful long while since the last time we did this and this time was the most intense time yet. Yes I am up for another round. This time I want you to get your satisfaction."

"Sheesh, you're awfully wordy." Kiba shot him an exasperated but happy look, accompanying smirk pairing well with his tone of voice, and continued. "Just let me know when we can get back at it. I don't wanna rush ya into it."

Something about the restraint that Kiba was showing was touching. Usually he was far too eager to get down and into it without much conversation beforehand. He'd have to do something for the Inuzuka man later to show his gratitude for his show of unusual patience during such a stressful time. "Let me just get a couple of things out of that drawer and then we are free to continue."

And with that the Aburame swiveled his body just enough so that he was able to open the drawer beside his bed and reach into it. Fishing around to the best of his ability, the first thing he grabbed and set on the bed was a half empty bottle of lube that the two of them had made great use of several times in the past. Tonight would probably be its final performance. The other thing, however, had Kiba's ears perked up the moment that flash of red came into view. A slight jingle of metal caught his attention even further as Shino now had on full display the item he had remembered before their session began. It was a strong and comfortable leather collar with silver hardware and a matching red leather leash bearing a good ten feet of length. Oh, so it was like that was it? Was the uptight Academy teacher trying to flip the script and make an obedient dog out of his Inuzuka lover after he'd been sucked off so generously not ten minutes ago, before the Inuzuka in question had even considered his own needs? Immediately Kiba had his hackles up, not in anger but in competition, and he let out a growl as if to instigate a challenge.

"Oh you want to be the one calling the shots huh? I hope you're ready for this. I'm not going easy on ya."

Now it was Shino's turn to smirk back at him. "I'd never expect you to just lie back and behave like a good dog. Go ahead and give me all that you have. I can handle a little rowdy, boisterous posturing."

"Guess you'd be a shit teacher otherwise." He shrugged before pointing a clawed finger at his sitting partner. "Okay then, challenge accepted tough guy. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Tossing the bottle of lube gently to Kiba, Shino picked up the collar next and undid the strap. They had made good use of it in previous encounters but this time it would need to be adjusted to fit a neck that was now larger as it would be adorning a wolfman instead of a fairly average human being. Kiba was busy dabbing a generous helping of the lube onto the tips of his pawpads in preparation to slather it all over his dick so that in combination with his still slowly dripping precum the initial thrust would not cause his partner any pain so they could both enjoy the experience equally. Shino gave him plenty of time and space to accomplish this task before sliding closer to the werewolf, who was now standing in front of the bed instead of kneeling on top of it, and held up the collar so both of them could acknowledge that it was time to put it on. When Kiba gave a mocking snort and a petulant nod, he bent his head just low enough for Shino to access his furry neck. The leather slid around the perimeter of it smoothly and was fastened into place, this time being set on the second to last hole instead of the second smallest to account for the size change that came with the jutsu. Once it was all secured, the leash was clipped to the hanging d ring. As he pulled away from the wolfman, he lightly brushed against the rigid monstrous dick that still had yet to be put to good use and Kiba whined in the back of his throat.

"Easy, boy. It's almost time. Just wait a little longer."

"That's easy for you to say." Replied the wolf, indignant and half desperate. "Hurry up and flip over so I can get you too and we can get down to business."

"And here I thought you were getting this patience thing down finally."

"Shut up and hurry up, you're driving me crazy. I can't take much more of this."

The Aburame figured it was time to relent a little and give his partner what he wanted so he quickly rolled onto his front and carefully lifted his ass in the air. Looking down at the sight before him, Kiba licked his lips and began to imagine the feel of his dick buried deep inside the smartass laid out just for him. Just those thoughts alone got his motor revving and he had to hold on an embarrassing yelp of excitement lest he look ridiculous. So he picked up the bottle of lube again and poured out more on his pads this time than he had poured for himself. The hand paw that was clean and dry was placed firmly on one of Shino's ass cheeks and the other hovered right up close to his waiting hole. But before making to slather the slippery liquid over his beloved, Kiba made one last check in.

"Are you okay with me putting this on you now?" Though he was nearly jumping out of his skin in anticipation, he just had to make sure his partner was on the same page.

"Yes, you have my permission. Just mind the claws again please." Those words were exactly what Kiba was hoping to hear.

"Gotcha, can do." He may have nodded a little too enthusiastically at that but Shino was turned away so he couldn't see and he probably wouldn't have cared anyway.

That was all the go ahead he needed to go to town prepping his lover for what was to come. Careful not to insert claws into delicate spots and nick delicate anatomy, Kiba worked the lube into the Aburame's hole thoroughly with a sense of expertise that only came from doing this several times in the past. Shino shivered at that ministrations but kept himself fairly well under control so he'd not throw off the groove his lupine lover had settled into too much. To distract himself momentarily, he stopped to think about the state of his currently limp dick that had already experienced one wild display of passion. Thankfully enough time had passed since his own previous orgasm that it probably wouldn't take long for him to get hard enough again to enjoy a second coming. As long as Kiba got off, however, that was what mattered. Kiba had put Shino first in priority from the get go and now it was his turn to receive the same level of pleasure he assured his partner had gotten. If the insect user failed to get off a second time it wasn't the end of the world. There would be plenty of future encounters and chances for him to experience that highly sought after breaking point.

It only took a good thirty seconds of prep work before Kiba was satisfied with the job he had done. The bottle was now reduced to being nearly empty and he figured that that meant it wouldn't be worth keeping. Chucking it idly into the trash, he brought his focus back to the task at hand and licked his lips again, salivating at the thoughts still running through his brain of all that he wanted to do to the man beneath him. All of the sounds coming from behind him signaled to Shino that his lover was probably ready to begin so he wound the leash once around his hand, not too tight so as to kill his circulation though, and gave an exploratory tug. This light pulling sensation got Kiba moving for real and he placed his other hand paw on the other ass cheek of his partner and did his best to line up his throbbing, wet dick with his target. The waiting hole beckoned him, enticed him, had him go into tunnel vision mode. Nothing else mattered now except the hunt and the victory. Another tug on the leash, slightly rougher this time, and the brief countdown had begun in his head.

"Ready for this?"

"Go ahead and do it."

At last he thrust his hips forward a little and inserted the head of his quivering dick into the ass of the man in front of him. Little by little he eased into him, making sure not to rush the first thrust so no pain would follow even though they'd used plenty of lubricant, until he had buried that thick weapon of his all the way down to his shaggy balls. For a moment the pair stayed just like that as a shiver ran down Shino's back and he adjusted to the feel of the werewolf dick inside of him all the way up to the hilt. He fisted his free hand in the sheet beneath him and with his occupied hand pulled the leash down further to indicate to Kiba that he should begin moving and settle into a comfortable pace. Kiba didn't have to be told twice. Pulling back just as slowly as he had thrust in, his lubed up dick emerged inch by inch until just the head was still inside Shino's ass, teasing his inner walls with the contact. And just like that, he had thrust it back in with a little more force than last time, accompanying the motion with a very short lived little howl. He was getting into it for real now and didn't ever want to stop. Back and forth Kiba began to move at a comfortable speed. His claws dug in to the sensitive skin of Shino's backside and Shino responded each time with a pull on the leather leash in order to make sure the two would not separate from each other just yet.

As the two found a good rhythm, Kiba began to whine more and more as the friction of the movement made him feel amazing. He got so lost in the moment he didn't hear his partner encouraging him at first. "Fuck, Kiba, that feels so good. You're a good boy, I need you to fuck me harder. Show me what your jutsu can really do."

That second fuck finally registered with the canine inclined nin and his whines switched to a throaty growl. If that's what Shino wanted, it was what he would certainly get. Moving one hand paw from the ass of the Aburame man to his mid back, those claws dug in again and Kiba picked up his pace. It may not have been possible to penetrate any more deeply but Kiba sure fucked like he was trying to. All of the friction and the motion and the vocalizations from his Inuzuka lover had stirred Shino's libido again and he could feel his dick hardening beneath him with every thrust. So in an effort to help himself along, he migrated his non-leash holding hand down and began to stroke himself with just the right amount of pressure he had been missing. The combination of claws in his back and ass, the speed Kiba was thrusting with, and his own touching of himself managed to get Shino just as hard as he was before in little time. For not having done this in a while the two sure had their combination down perfectly for maximum pleasure and efficiency. All of that stimulation began to unravel him as it continued and he moaned in time with Kiba's growls. Soon it was nearly impossible to hear any words in between the nonhuman sounds.

"Just like that, I need you to continue just like that." Shino barely managed to croak out as his mind was fuzzy with ecstasy. Kiba was even more lost in the moment as all he could respond with were grunts. He dragged those claws down Shino's back, not so hard that it would leave deep gouges at least, and grabbed a hold of his ass cheek again to use as leverage so he could get his thrusts extra deep every single time.

Time got away from them as they spiraled into a state of pure pleasure and before either really were aware each could feel an orgasm building. Perhaps it was coming on a little sooner than either would have liked but not every session was built to be a marathon after all. There was no doubt Kiba would break first, he was holding on for dear life now and being pulled forward hard to encourage him to keep up just like he was doing. And once Kiba broke it would only be a matter of time before Shino also flew over that edge. The Inuzuka kept ramming his former teammate from behind, feeling the coiling knot in his core tighten by the second, like a spring pushed to its very limits about to snap, close to jumping off that edge and blowing his load and marking his territory once again. And without realizing it he had felt the knot at the base of his dick begin to inflate. When he noticed the slight resistance to balls deep thrusting that had built up, he snapped out of his tunnel vision haze enough to eek out a question.

"Babe...do you think...you can take it all the way?" Kiba spoke in between pants, unsure if his message got across clearly.

Shino had to fight his own heavy breathing and clouded thoughts in order to respond. "I don't...know. I think we should wait...until next time at least. I don't think we should do this on the first attempt..."

"Got it, I won't go that far."

Regardless of the fact that the knot was there, his thrusts were still deep and strong and quick enough to hit just right. When the knot itself rammed against Shino's asshole it sent another round of shivers up his spine as his body so badly wanted to take in the entire inflated base of the half lupine dick. Next time, next time, he just had to tell himself. The thought of it spurred him on to stroke his own dick faster and rougher as he imagined when he would next be able to see Kiba again like this. There was just so much to look forward to. Meanwhile Kiba himself, in his attempts not to thrust the knot up into his lover, had gotten himself dangerously close to the edge. Maybe it was the fact that he had to get creative to make up for the couple inches that no longer were going and and out of Shino, or maybe he had just done that good of a job in railing his best friend. Just a few more good rams and he'd be swan diving off that wonderful cliff without remorse. Just a few more. Just a few more. He held on for dear life and angled his last few thrusts just right and then that knot in his gut unwound all at once. His balls clenched tightly and his thick stream of sticky cum shot its way up into his lover. When his orgasm let loose, so did his vocal chords, the howl that reverberated in his chest and out of his mouth would have woken up any neighbors nearby if Shino had had them. Both of them were thankful for the lack of anyone living next door in times like these. As Kiba slowed his railing down to a stop following his orgasm, quieting down his sounds of ecstatic release with them, he could feel Shino still stroking diligently at his own dick in an effort to reach his second climax of the night and end on a high note. Though his arms felt like jello, Kiba reached up with the strength he could gather and wrapped his hand paw around Shino's dick and began to pump up and down in tandem with the work Shino was already doing himself. There were those rough pads again. Oh gods. Oh fuck. He wasn't going to last. What a considerate and generous lover the Inuzuka was, he could not repay him enough for this.

"Kiba!" Shino yelled, a little garbled as his hazy brain was too lost in the feel of those pads stroking him. For the second time that night he came hard. But this time all of it had shot all over the sheets and would need to be immediately washed out as soon as the two had their wits about them again.

Breathing hard and feeling hot from all the effort, Kiba let his tongue loll out again as he tried to come back down fully from that incredible session. His dick finally went fully limp once more, the knot deflating, so he backed up slowly and removed it from Shino's ass. All of the excess cum that had been shot up in there dripped out and got all over the floor. Some stain remover would be a good idea to grab as soon as the two of them were off of cloud nine and properly dressed again. He'd have to remember to grab it after sticking these sheets in the wash. Shino collapsed on the bed just then to give his muscles a minute to go slack. He'd worry about the mess shortly, just as soon as his motor control came back to him fully and his limbs felt fully solid. Behind him his lover was finally calming down his own breathing and heartbeat as the fog in his brain lifted so his cognition returned to its natural boisterous and loud state bit by bit.

"That was incredible. I can't believe we had to put that off so long."

Flipping over onto his back, Shino glanced up at Kiba. "Maybe it was that good because we put it off. The mounting tension finally had a release after several weeks and that is why it felt better than it ever has before."

"Or maybe I'm just that good." Without a care to the state of the bed, Kiba hoisted himself onto it and slid up next to Shino to lie beside him. Brown eyes once again met black as Shino turned on his side to be face to face with the man he loved.

"I'd like to think it's both."

"Babe, you flatter me." He grinned. And a moment later, his tone of voice changed. "Okay, I think it's time to undo this Jutsu so I don't pass out from chakra exhaustion. Release!"

In another blink, the werewolf goes back to being a man. And the returned man who now lies happily next to the satisfied teacher is the most beautiful man in the world to him then. That wide, bright grin that shows off his pointed canines is the most reassuring sight to him now and always. Shino reaches up with both hands and undoes the collar around Kiba's neck, placing it on the table the best he can, before focusing all of his attention back on Kiba. The leather would get a nice oil treatment later to keep it pristine for future use. In turn, Kiba places two fingers under Shino's chin and brings him in for another quick kiss. The sweet taste is almost gone from his lips but he has not forgotten it, would never forget it. That unexpected flavor that he had found in their earlier kiss would forever be embedded in his mind.

"Thank you, for tonight." Shino speaks first. "I didn't realize how badly I needed this."

Kiba adjusts his posture to prop up his head with one folded arm. "You really needed it, babe. I don't know all of what's going on in that class of yours but I could tell you needed it even more than I did."

There is a far off look just then in those deep brown eyes of Shino's. "I just hope that I can get some answers tomorrow. For her sake, for all of their sakes."

"You will, babe, you will." Kiba looks at him seriously. "And after you do, don't let anyone hurt that kid ever again. Or any of the others. You watch over them until they graduate and even then make sure they know they can always come to you for help."

Shino lets those surprisingly wise words sink in deeply and then moves to sit up, feet dangling off the edge of the bed as if he's considering actually getting up. Kiba watches him intently but only makes to move himself when he sees his lover eyeing the clothing scattered on the floor. There is work to be done and soon. He's got a lot to think about and it must be weighing on him more than he's letting on. The Inuzuka hurts for him, but more than anything he wishes there were more he could do to help. He sighs deeply and rolls his shoulders before springing to his feet so he can look down at Shino who is still seated.

"Tell ya what. There's a good way to make sure this can never happen again. Ya wanna know what it is?"

Eyebrow raised a little in unsure curiosity, Shino responds. "What might that be?"

"Well she doesn't have parents anymore right? And she lives on her own? So no one is looking after her and making sure everything is okay." Kiba doesn't break eye contact with him. "You should take her in. No one is safer for a kid with no folks to go home to than their teacher. And I know you care about all your students so fucking much. Think about it."

The statement hits him like a solid brick to the head and stuns him for several minutes. He thinks it over, wants badly to find a way to say he can't, that he's not the fatherly type, but cannot find anything that he knows Kiba would accept as a valid excuse. Kiba was the master of convincing someone to do something impulsive. Maybe he COULD adopt Sumire...what would be the harm in it? That way he could assure that she wouldn't be sent out of Konoha and away from her friends so she'd never have to feel all alone like she did carrying the burden of being her father's weapon but not being able to tell anyone. And she wouldn't spend her days in police custody either, equally as isolated, a fate no child deserved. Maybe, if he asked, Kiba would even be willing to help out with the child rearing duties he was less prepared for. Leave it to the pack animal to be able to handle all the hurdles of caring for those who needed it most. It all was coming together just a little too well in his head and he knew there was no way he could say no at that point. So when he made to finally respond to Kiba, he sounded sincere even with a little hesitation present in his tone that he couldn't seem to shake. Somehow. Some way. The two of them would make it work.

"I think that would be an excellent idea."

"Great! Knew you'd see it my way!" Kiba beamed at him. If he'd still had a tail it would be wagging right then. "Now I think I can use a good shower."

[ace-shikamaru-quotes]

Hey, this is the first time that I’ve ever asked anyone anything, so I’m sorry if I’m not doing it right. I was just wondering if you see any of the other clans in Naruto doing cryptid things like the Nara fam? Like, everyone in canon seem to react weirdly to the Aburame clan. Btw, I absolutely love all of your headcanons and art, your portrayal of Shikamaru especially never fails to make me smile.

there are a couple reasons that people are weird around the aburame, and it boils down to

-lots of people think bugs are unsettling

-the beetles the aburame host make the aburame incredibly powerful, and they master the beetles from such a young age. cash reread shino’s prelim battle in the chuunin exam and his battle with kankuro

-the aburame are not that good at socializing. they are very awkward and as a result other people are awkward around them too

so no, i don’t think they do cryptid things. but i do think they are the only clan completely unfazed by nara antics

[lexpressobean]

More ClanSwapAU! Ft. Team 8

Very briefly, Shino and Kiba swapped Clans, but Hinata (now named Nenza) was swapped from Main to Branch Family. More info under the cut but I'm just happy to have a neater doodle out, finally!

•••

Shino Inuzuka

This Shino is still quite smart but it tends to be overshadowed by how much more openly and stubbornly proud he is. He's also louder with a much shorter fuse due to a lack of tolerance for idiocy. As such, he considers his world's Kiba an absolutely infuriating weirdo sometimes... but like, he's still respectable since he really cares about his insects and the team unabashedly, despite how often Shino blatantly rejects his attempts at deeper friendship. So, Shino "deins" to let him usually lead the team around, at least until Kiba tries to stir things up with others for fun because he's Like That. He also has an obvious soft spot for Nenza as she is quite the fighter and actually tolerable, even if she's pretty aloof. She doesn't open up much but it just makes him want to help her out. The reason he has a difficult time being on the receiving end of a team is because Shino Inuzuka has a not so hidden "Lone Wolf" mentality that makes gaining his trust a VERY long and difficult process, but he naturally cares too much and acts altruisticly despite, especially when it comes to children. He can act very annoyed and bothered, but he always offers help where he can. Yet he absolutely REFUSES to be helped. He has a really hard time accepting people's kindness and is quite the cynic.

Niaka

Akamaru is still part of Team 8, but is Shino's dog named Niaka instead. Mostly because as funny as the Akamaru/Shiromaru conversation was, the actual Original Shino Inuzuka named his dog Yoshiro, and I'm just following that pattern with Akamaru. Niaka, under this Shino's care, has the temperament and character of a trained K-9. Do not touch him. Do not pet him. Do not do it. He doesn't fuck with anyone who isn't Shino until Shino gives the okay. And even then, he just doesn't like unfamiliar people or people who Shino seems to become more annoyed/angry with. He is Shino's VALUED partner (and so deserves your utmost respect) first, a trained Ninken second, and hardly "just a pet". So. Do. Not. Pet.

Nenza Hyuuga

ClanSwapAU!Hinata had a name change, like Menma from RTN. She is a very quiet but mostly because she's thinking. Otherwise she actually has a lot to say at any given time and will let you know. She is full of resentment for the Main House due to the death of her father Hiashi for the sake of the clan. She knows she's always been weaker then the son of the Main House, Hinote, her first cousin and father's nephew, but after the death of her father for his sake as a child, and the way he's spoken of by her Uncle and Grandfather, she makes it her life mission to become stronger for Hiashi's sake and show the Main House what a Branch Member is REALLY capable of. She soon loses her natural sweetness and shuts Hinote out. She becomes much more wraithlike like as she gets older, and people mistake this for weakness and passiveness, but once it's called for or if she's provoked, she gets down and dirty and is quick about it too, which throws everyone for a loop if they don't actually know her. She shows no fucking mercy. Her tongue is sharp, her minds on the money, and you best pray her eyes don't make you her next target. Yeah, she might look tired, but she's just tired of everyone else's bullshit. Luckily, even with Hiashi gone, her family member Ko looks out for her.

Kiba Aburame

Kiba isn't the most... self-restrained Aburame that you'd meet. And as a result, he comes off very unprofessional by Aburame standards. But by normal Shinobi standards, he's just young. This Kiba still indulges in antics but isn't so much a feral troublemaker as much as a self-assured weirdo who loves to debate things as devil's adovate and make people squirm. He's a lot more conscious of himself and his actions and so is more calculating about what he actually says and does, but it still comes out in a very Kiba fashion when he speaks his mind freely. He can be cooly logical about the most absurd things and so comes off immature and infuriating because THIS IS STUPID BUT, LIKE, HE *DOES* HAVE A POINT??? He trusts Shino, but won't admit he's kind of cool and isn't afraid to literally knock him off his figurative high horse. He trusts Nenza, and always tries to keep Shino's temper under control so she doesn't have to. Kiba is also fond of Niaka but Niaka does take a while to warm up to Kiba. He's the one constantly playing mediator when his teammates cause trouble that Kiba himself didn't actually cause.

•••

I think the best part of this is that Hinata in canon in most languages as her voice go through many different emotions thanks to RTN but I couldn't quite hear Shino and Kiba until I realized that Uryu Ishida would constantly be yelling at Sosuke Aizen who would just keep pushing his buttons as far as English dub goes I think that's just great.

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 66 Rundown

Code Geass: Lelouch has to stop the execution of all his side characters while dealing with his Fake Za Warudo little brother. Eventually he hacks his way into Rolo’s tragic backstory and plans out a cheesy sitcom character arc for him where found family wins out even though they’re enemies which someone as lovestarved as Rolo can’t help but eat up. It’s almost like sending someone who does exclusively assassinations and has never been in social situations long enough to form a personality and stops time to murder people at the drop of a hat to do a deep cover year long infiltration mission where he has to get emotionally close to the target was a terrible idea. Anyway Lelouch has Rolo on his side now and I’m sure that won’t backfire in any way.

Inuyasha: Muso continues to try and capture Kagome before getting Wind Scar’d into an existential crisis and going back to Onigumo’s cave to remember his shit. Kaede immediately puts together who Muso is and leads Kagome there but Inuyasha and co. are too stupid to figure it out so Naraku straight up takes Kagura out of gay baby jail for betraying him to send her to go tell them the answer. Naraku goes to brag about being able to go kill Kikyo like Voldermort touching Harry in Goblet of Fire but it backfires since apparently simping for Kikyo is engraved in his soul and he still can’t hurt her which makes his attempt at bragging really awkward and he has to go get Muso back. Meanwhile Muso’s turned into a demon scorpion, and stabs Inuyasha through the gut, as you do.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Kuwabara starts up his fight with Byakko, the beast that chases Botan and Keiko in the opening even though they’re barely in this arc. Weirdly enough he shows off his new powers BEFORE the fight so there’s no suspense to getting his new move when he finally pulls it out. Not sure if this is cool or not, on the one hand it means that Kuwabara has to do more than just show a new technique to be cool enough to finish on, on the other hand the fight is still basically using that technique and slightly altering it, and knowing that his sword can get long now takes some of the punch out of it, kinda mixed on this one.

Fate Zero: Okay so this first episode is long so I’mma try to cliffnotes this shit. Basically the Grail War starts up ad we have our combatants, a high schooler because every anime needs one of those, male Homura Akemi, Priest Alucard who’s acting more like Father Anderson in this role, Rin’s dad Miles Edgeworth, the current host of the Aburame Clan’s secret bug jutsu who’s just trying to save a child and must be punished for it, and that one racist teacher you had in high school that everyone has to pretend to respect. Last person’s still unaccounted for but this seems fun so far, the fucking lore is still dense as stone but the premise is ‘bunch of assholes want fight for big wish’ so I can get around that part.

Konosuba: Kazuma is run over by a car and… BECOMES A SPIRIT DECTIVE, FIGHTING GHOSTS AND DEMONS WITH HIS FINGERTIP LASERS! Wait, wrong anime, still kinda makes me laugh though out of all the weird isekai premises that kill off the main character, Konosuba ups the anty on the whole “Oh no, the person you saved would’ve been better off if you left them alone” thing from Yu Yu Hakusho. Anyway I’m pretty sure you guys all know the story of Konosuba by now, useless goddesses, RPG worlds, isekai shenanigans. I kind of really like how even though it’s cynical and sarcastic, it’s not a dour hopeless affair, there’s this odd upbeat charm that even though nothing’s going our heroes’ way that they’ll still be okay and find happiness where they can. This very easily could’ve become an Everybody Hates Chris thing where the world’s just shitting on them all the time and the story becomes predictable because you know nothing will every work out for them but this does a good job of making them underdogs while still throwing them bones every now and them, underbones for underdogs.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Usagi is an average kid, that no one understands… actually she’s quite a bit below average, she kinda gives Aqua a run for her money in uselessness, she’s essentially High School Dropout Barbie in this episode which is weird but I also know it’s to give her room to grow and also that she’s not meant to carry the whole show by herself. It’s just kinda amusing how the whole episode paints Usagi as not particularly good at anything or even all that nice, even after she gets her powers they essentially run on autopilot and beat the monster for her. Still it is a good spot that she wants to help her friend and I like how they keep Tuxedo Mask’s involvement to a minimum, like he doesn’t actually do anything (memes) and is just like “you got this” which is not necessarily the reaction you’d have to someone who literally beat a crowd into submission by crying at them but it’s nice to have him in an emotionally supportive role for this first outing. I’m not quite sure how this series will sit with me overall but I feel like I’ll get a better feel for it once we have the ensemble gathered and hit our stride here.

Durarara!!: The Human traffickers from Episode 1 screw up and take a totally legit Japanese man who’s definitely not an Italian illegal immigrant for Seiji’s sister’s fucked up pharmaceuticals experiments. Unfortunately said totally legit Japanese man is a tertiary friend of Dotachin’s group and they hunt their asses down. Celty’s also on the case but by the time she gets there they’ve already found them and given them manga-based torture sessions to find out their secrets so everything’s cool. Man these guys ride or die like nobody’s business, they freaking love this Italian dude for getting their friend tickets to an Idol show and giving language-based malapropisms, what bros they are.

Overall the three new shows worked out pretty well this week, Sailor Moon’s a bit of a rocky start but I knew that getting into it. I like the setup for Fate Zero a lot better than the start of Unlimited Blade Works so I’m excited for where that’ll go. And Konosuba did put a big dumb smile on my face with its hard luck lighthearted antics so I’m looking forward to the future of the block for the next few weeks.

[thefreckledone]

Satori (Between the Lines) - Part 11

“What are you doing, kid?”

Sakura startles, nearly dropping the scroll she is reading. Anko catches it with deft fingers, quickly surveying its contents.

“Reading up on ways to break grabs,” Anko says flatly, expression unreadable. “Y’know, these ordinary defensive maneuvers won’t protect you against the Nara hiden,” Anko continues dryly.

Sakura flinches slightly, shoulders hunching inward in an attempt to protect herself.

Anko crouches beside her, eyes gentling even though her voice remains hard. “Yeah kid, I heard. Hell, I think the whole gossip mill of Konoha heard. That shit gets churned out pretty quickly. Konoha would collapse without the steady, ever-present heartbeat of gossip.”

“Oh,” Sakura says in a small voice, keeping her gaze on her hands fisted in her lap.

“Hey it’s—I’m not attempting to make you feel bad,” Anko says, clearing her throat. Sakura sees Anko’s hands flutter awkwardly in her periphery before Anko fists them against her sides. “It’s smart.”

Sakura finally looks up, meeting Anko’s gaze. “Really?”

Anko nods, leveraging herself down into a seated position beside Sakura. She clears her throat, directing her eyes to the far wall. This part never gets easier for her over the years; still tightening her throat in that awful, prickling way. “You were hurt—betrayed.” Anko's face twitches for a moment, an old, personal pain showing before it settles once more into a placid expression. “It is not an unusual experience, especially as one of the few kuniochi of Konoha.”

Sakura swallows at Anko’s words, something about them ringing strangely true. She thinks about the makeup of her class; the proportion skewing male by far majority. In fact, very few of the shinobi that Sakura has encountered in her daily life or even at the Academy are women. As she contemplates further, she lingers on the history forged by Konoha in blood and iron.

Only a handful of the named individuals were women.

Yet, Sakura knows, she knows, deep in her marrow that this country runs on the backs of women as well as men; women like her mother, like Sarasa, like Aiko, like Anko herself. And somehow, their stories, their legends, their burdens, go unsung.

Something wells in Sakura’s eyes as a bitter sense of unfairness settles into her. “Is it?”

Anko glances at Sakura in her periphery. She sighs at the sheen in Sakura’s eyes, forcing her body to relax, hands unfurling palm up. “There are far too many monsters within this world, seeking to prey on those that they see as easy victims. Yes, you fell victim this time but you survived. You’ve survived and you’re training to become a monster all your own.”

Sakura squeezes her hands tight, the sting keeping her tears at bay. “I don’t know if I want to be a monster.”

“You won’t be a monster like them. A monster is strong; it can protect itself. It can protect others should it choose. You can make yourself into a monster who can protect those who are seen as prey.”

“What if I become the other type of monster?” Sakura asks, staring hard at her clenched hands. She is reminded of Shikamaru, of the shocked horror in his face during and after the incident. She thinks of Shikaku, of his stilted but seemingly heartfelt apology regarding the circumstances his machinations wrought. They didn’t intend to hurt her, but they did. It doesn’t change the fact that she still bolts upright, chest heaving, in the middle of the night from lurking nightmares. She still cannot bring herself to forgive either of them, the trauma of the incident still too raw. “What if I do not mean to, but I do?”

Anko shrugs. “You realize it and make a conscious decision about it. You either decide to continue to prey on the weak or you own up to your mistake and make reparations for it. You grow and continue to learn.” Anko inclines her head toward the scroll beside them. “You’re already seeking to prevent it from ever happening again.” Her mouth stretches into a dangerous smile, one with a sharp knife’s edge. “You’re already on the right track.”

Sakura mulls this over in silence for several long moments, considering the weight of Anko’s words. She glances askance at Anko for a moment, wondering at the jagged, festering wound that she still carries. Reading between the lines, Sakura thinks that Anko perhaps considers herself a monster of the second order. Finally, her shoulders straighten out of her slump as she considers the mantle that Anko offers to share with her. Sakura smiles and places her hand in Anko’s palm. Sakura can feel the way Anko twitches beneath her touch before stilling eerily. Sakura isn’t sure if Anko is even breathing. “I’ve got a lot of work to do, if I want to be big and strong enough to become a monster that eats monsters.”

Anko laughs her wild, raucous crow’s laugh, intertwining her callused fingers with Sakura’s in a tight squeeze as she begins to breathe once more. “Oh yes. I think you’ll be just fine.”

“My, oh my, something smells amazing!”

Sakura continues to whisk the sauce as she glances up at her father’s booming voice, grinning. “Welcome home, otou-sama!” she chimes, returning her attention to her cooking. “How was your guild meeting?”

“Ah, it went well enough,” Kizashi says, moving around the island of the kitchen to ruffle Sakura’s unbound hair. “I wish your mother was present; she has a unique ability to get all of these pompous artisan guild leaders to shut up.”

“Oka-sama is terrifying,” Sakura says sagely. No one, not even Anko or Ibiki before she got to know them, is as scary as Mebuki when she chooses to be. Sakura has never had that terrifying presence directed her way, but she has seen it emerge sometimes with obstinate family members and difficult clients.

“She is,” Kizashi drawls in a lovesick sigh.

Sakura wrinkles her nose a bit at that, shaking her head. Her parents are strange, but she loves them nevertheless. She guesses that maybe love makes you a little bit odd to those who are on the outside looking in. She doesn’t quite understand it, but the sight of her tall, powerful father acting so lovelorn over her mother warms her through to her toes.

“You’re making quite a spread here,” Kizashi says with a low whistle. There are multiple platters of already prepared food and he inhales the scents of spice. “You’re using those spices we brought back from Suna? I’m not certain most Konoha palates can handle that sort of heat.”

Sakura smiles up at her father a little mischievously. “Well, they’re all shinobi-in-training or certified shinobi; it’ll be a practice in managing pain.”

Kizashi laughs outright, patting Sakura on the shoulder. “You sure Morino-san and Mitarashi-san aren’t training you in any torture techniques? Because you are downright devious.”

“I get it from you, otou-sama,” Sakura replies.

Kizashi chucks her under her chin, smile softening. “You sure do. I’m going to wash up; holler if you need anything at all.”

“I will,” Sakura says, shifting to remove the saucepan from the stovetop and place it to the side to cool slightly. “I think everything is almost ready. If I know anything about the Aburame, they will be frustratingly punctual.”

Kizashi huffs a slight laugh. “In that case, they’ll probably arrive before your mother. That Council meeting is bound to run long.”

There’s something unusual in his usually steady voice, a threadiness or lilt that snags Sakura’s attention. “What is the Council convening on today?”

Kizashi clears his throat, gaze skittering away for a moment before returning to Sakura. His background as a samurai-in-training in Iron serves him ill here; as his straightforward, honest manner fights the subterfuge he attempts to commit. “Uh...that is...I don’t know?”

Sakura channels the posture of people in the Intelligence Division, keeping her stance solid as she arches an unimpressed brow. Her father actually fidgets beneath her stare before wilting slightly.

“Ah, Sakura-chan,” he says, almost whining.

“Otou-sama,” Sakura replies evenly.

Kizashi cracks beneath her steady questioning, scrubbing his hand across his mouth. “They’re discussing the introduction of new legislation regarding civilian-born students at the Academy; new protections as it were.” He raises his hands as he notices the curiosity sparking in her eyes. “I don’t know any more than that. This is all in the early stages of development. You can speak with your mother about it after the dinner.”

Sakura nods, tamping down on the questions that brim and nearly bubble over the surface. She manages to restrain herself, lifting her arms to her father. He picks her up in a hug and she busses a kiss across his cheek. “Thank you, otou-sama.”

“You’re welcome, Sakura-chan,” Kizashi says, twirling her around once. No matter how amazing tree walking is, it still does not compare to the giddiness that fills her when her father spins with her. He sets her down. “You are just too smart for your own good.”

Sakura doesn’t argue with him, his words ringing true.

She hums to herself as Kizashi heads upstairs. Sakura looks up and around briefly before moving to one of high cupboards. She shimmies up onto the counter, utilizing a bit of her chakra to stick firmly as she opens the cupboard and starts drawing out plates for the dinner. Her chakra-laced feet assist her in staying balanced even as she piles more plates onto a tall stack. She places one hand firmly over the stack of plates as she climbs back down and sets the table for dinner.

A strict pattern of knocks on the door draws Sakura attention and she leaps toward it, throwing the door open without hesitation. After all, she knows full well who knocks like that.

“Shino!” she exclaims with a ebullient smile. She notices that both Torune and Shino look a bit surprised, but she isn’t sure why. “Torune, Shibi-oji! Welcome to my house. Please, come in!”

“Thank you Sakura,” Shibi says, smoothly stepping between his stunned wards to enter her home. He smirks slightly at the antics of his children, amused by the fumbling of their youth. He peers around with a soft lilt to his mouth. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Otou-sama has impeccable taste,” Sakura replies with a giggle. “Oka-sama says that’s why she married him.”

“Revealing all my secrets, Sakura?” Kizashi asks drily, coming down the stairs. “You are a sly one.” He turns his attention to the Aburame clan, a more serious mien overtaking him. “Aburame-sama,” he greets, grasping Shibi’s hand without hesitation. “It is wonderful to see you again.”

“I am glad you seem in good health,” Shibi says, impressed by the fact that Kizashi displays no fear in making skin-to-skin contact with an Aburame. Most people, civilians and shinobi alike, display fear and distrust of the Aburame, perhaps based out of the very base fear of insects. It seems that Sakura is not the only Haruno with a spine of steel. Shibi cannot help but find his respect for Kizashi grow. “Thank you for inviting us into your home.”

“Of course,” Kizashi says, releasing Shibi’s hand and looking to the Aburame children. “I wanted the opportunity to meet all of Sakura’s friends.” Shino and Torune fidget a little bit but hold fast beneath the weight of Kizashi’s stare, keeping their expressions open and earnest. “Besides, this was all Sakura’s idea; she wanted to cook for you all.”

“Otou-sama,” Sakura says, catching his hand as her cheeks flush.

“You cooked for us?” Torune asks, looking dumbfounded for a short moment as he processes this information. He directs a dazzling smile to Sakura as he quickly draws her into an embrace. “I know it will be delicious.”

“I hope so,” Sakura replies softly.

“It will be good,” Shino says. “How do I know this? You are dedicated, meticulous, and methodical; you are more than capable of preparing a successful meal.”

Laughter bubbles out of Sakura as she claps her hands together. “Thank you Shino!”

“You are welcome,” Shino replies.

Shibi notices something in Kizashi’s face softening toward the Aburame children at their visible show of support to his daughter. Truthfully, the clear display of the bond among the three of them melts something within Shibi himself.

Uncertain times linger ahead, especially for Sakura, Shibi knows this well. There are storms in her future and some of them are already darkening their horizon. Yet, some of the tension and heaviness in his heart eases because he knows that the union among Sakura, Shino, and Torune will serve them well.

“Lead on, Sakura,” Shibi says. “I look forward to tasting this dinner you’ve prepared.”

Sakura gingerly turns through the pages of the tome, tracing over the curling characters. She’s read lots of handwritten reports and scrolls, but this is her first time reading through a handwritten bound book like this. It’s quite a deal different from the plain but legible writing in the reports. The author of this book, who writes under an apparent pseudonym, clearly has an artistic hand. The letters are written with a flourish, a whimsical lilt to them that immediately engages her.

She found this book among the historical archives of the Intelligence Division and it immediately caught her attention. All of the other documents available in the archive are nonfiction; yet this text…

It is entitled the Journey to the West.

Sakura knows the general story, but she has never read it through in its entirety. Yet, as she began to delve into this handwritten text, she noticed there are some glaring inconsistencies with the actual story.

Which is what brings her here, doing something of an informal text analysis as she compares the handwritten book to a copy of Journey to the West that she was able to check out from the library.

The handwritten book picks up after Tang Sanzang, the travelling monk, has gathered together his disciples Monkey King, Pigsy, and Sandy. The dynamics of the traveling group are slightly off compared to the actual tale, as there is even stronger animosity between Monkey King and Pigsy. Pigsy is characterized as much more taciturn, severe individual, very focused on their mission. He clashes with Monkey King, not because of Pigsy’s laziness as in the original story, but seemingly from jealousy.

The handwritten story is much shorter than the other and written almost in episodic format, following the misadventures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Sakura finds herself engaged in the story, especially interested in the character of Sandy who provides some much needed levity throughout as tensions continue to mount between Tang Sanzang and his numerous opponents.

Another point of deviation from the original is the fact that this story is woven from the perspective of Yulong, the steed of Tang Sanzang. Yulong offers further insight into the characters of the story, bringing them more to life for Sakura than the original tale does. She appreciates Yulong’s voice as it draws her into the plight of the characters. She loses herself for hours on end in the story as the struggles and triumphs of Tang Sanzang’s group unfurl as they face off with uncountable enemies.

Yet, it all comes to a head abruptly with the deaths of Tang Sanzang and Sandy in an ambush from twin dragons. The details of this battle are scarce at best, but the scene that follows leaves Sakura feeling unsatisfied and even a little uncomfortable.

Monkey King and Pigsy are the only two of the original four left and they take to the task of burying their fallen comrades. A heavy silence lingers between them throughout the grueling job of digging the grave, but, as they cover the bodies once more, a new bond is forged in blood between Monkey King and Pigsy.

They swear upon their lives and the honor of their fallen friends that they will have vengeance upon the dragons, even if they have to sunder the heavens apart to make it happen.

Sakura flips through the next few pages, a chill passing through her as she realizes that they are perfectly blank, leaving their story unfinished.

Sakura checks the rest of the book, finding it empty before closing it. She drums her fingers across the surface of the tome as she thinks about everything she just read, left with more questions than when she first began.

Why is this book here?

Why is it the only fictional book in the historical archives?

Why is the story different from the original tale?

Why are the characters so changed from the original?

Why do Tang Sanzang and Sandy die?

Sakura frowns at the cover of the book before shaking her head and standing. Her legs are shaky after being seated so long in an odd position. She stretches, deciding to head over to the Academy to train a bit on the training grounds to exercise her physical capabilities rather than her replete mental facilities.

She places the book back on the shelf, leaving behind the historical archives room and all of her unanswered questions.

For now at least.

“Sakura-chan!”

“Good morning, Naruto,” Sakura greets, startled to find him in the classroom. It’s odd for anyone to arrive before her and Naruto does not have the most stellar record for class attendance besides. “You’re here pretty early. How are you this morning?”

“Fine, fine,” Naruto replies, brimming with energy. “I wanted to make sure I got here in time.”

“In time for what?” Sakura asks.

“To make sure I could sit beside you today,” Naruto says guilelessly. “You’re always sitting with Ino and Shino in the back before I get here.”

“You usually arrive around third period,” Sakura cannot help but point out, charmed though she is by the simple request.

Embarrassment filters across Naruto’s face for a moment as he scratches his cheek. “School’s pretty boring; I like exploring the village more! Chōza-oji made me promise to come to class more often though.”

“That’s good!” Sakura says, making her way to one of the tables in the middle of the room. This way she can sit with all of her friends. Her heart sings at the thought of even having to consider such seating logistics when it comes to her friends. The memories of her friendless days are still fresh and painful in her mind.

“Lessons are so interesting,” Sakura continues, unable to hide the excitement in her voice as she chooses a seat. “Learning all the aspects that encompass becoming a shinobi; the skills, the knowledge, the tools, and the history necessary to be a good shinobi. Did you know that Konoha consistently lowers the age of graduation from the Academy in the two to three years before a War begins? And we haven’t had a war in decades because the chunin exams took their place. The exams make for greater profit and entertainment for the nations; there’s a severe uptick in tourism and wealth within the village that hosts the exams.”

Naruto’s eyes go wide and he plops down into the chair beside her. “How’d you learn all of that Sakura-chan? Chōza-oji only recently told me about the fact that the chunin exams have shinobi from all of the villages competing together.”

“I’ve read about it,” Sakura replies, purposefully keeping her answer a bit bland. She learned most of the information that she has in coded documents from the Intelligence Division. The resources on the exams available in the public library are frustratingly vague. Truthfully, some of her knowledge is drawn from conversations she overhears among her extended family; each branch is excited when the exams are announced to be held within their nation. “There are some amazing books that can supplement the lessons we receive here.”

“Yeah,” Naruto drawls, rubbing the back of his neck. His brows pucker in a crestfallen expression.

“What’s wrong?” Sakura asks, catching the noticeable change. Naruto’s cheeks flush a bright red. Sakura reaches out and places her hand over Naruto’s. “Naruto?”

Naruto turns toward her, looking so ashamed that Sakura immediately wants to comfort him and take away all of his problems. “I’m not very good at reading. I haven’t read a book in over a year.”

Sakura restrains herself from reacting, trying to put herself into his shoes. She cannot imagine a world without reading. However, Naruto is an orphan; his parents did not foster and encourage a love of reading in him. He’s never had his father read him a bedtime story or his mother weave a tale with the most fantastic voice acting. Sakura’s throat tightens a moment with that realization and she squeezes Naruto’s hand.

“Books are pretty great,” Sakura confides. “Before Ino, they were my only friends.” She pauses, watching Naruto beneath her lashes. “Would you like to practice reading with me? If you don’t like it we can stop but-”

“Are you serious?” Naruto interrupts. “You’ll teach me to read?”

Sakura nods, not even given a chance to be nervous as Naruto throws his arms around her, drawing her into an uncoordinated hug. “Thank you, thank you!” Naruto says, breath tickling Sakura’s ear. “I won’t let you down. I’ll be here early every day! You won’t regret choosing to help me.”

Sakura laughs into Naruto’s hair, embracing him in turn. “I won’t ever regret it.”

“I knew you were the right choice,” Naruto says, almost to himself.

“Right choice?” Sakura repeats.

“For my first friend,” Naruto says, pulling away and grinning pure sunshine at her.

And then nothing will do but to pull Naruto into another hug, if only to hide her misty eyes.

[discoabc]

Ch 22 Deleted Scene: Ninja Info Cards

A/N: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbjXmBmHAdk ur welcome ; )

ANYWAY I didn’t use this scene because it was waaay too canon compliant and also would’ve probably had to have the rookie nine’s reaction to Sakura which I’m still hanging onto. Cuts off suddenly bc I realized I didn’t want to use the scene but I still think it’s pretty good. 

Crowded was a word. A very good word, describing what it was like when lots of people were in one place.

It did not describe how packed room 301 was.

A lot of people had turned at the sound of the doors opening, Naruto flinching at how many stares had suddenly latched onto him. But Sasuke simply glowered back, unpeturbed by the attention. The tension felt thick, choking, and I wanted nothing else than to turn on my heel and walk out.

That is until a familiar girl came flying out of nowhere towards Sasuke.

Sasuke’s hands shot out of his pockets, starting to move into a defensive stance, but his ‘attacker’ was not, in fact, hostile and, after realizing this, he clearly didn’t know what to do. So he allowed the purple blur to crash into him, stumbling backwards.

“Sasuke-kun! It’s been far too long, I missed you~!” Ino lathered on the sickly sweet tone as she caught Sasuke in a tight hug, the Uchiha barely able to keep his balance. He shot a look over at me that was something in between confusion, horror and a begrudging request for help.

No, fuck that.

“And there she goes.” Another familiar voice sounded as Sasuke’s eyes narrowed into a glare at my obvious refusal to free him from Ino’s clutches, the Uchiha having to instead attempt to slowly pry the girl off of him but to little avail. I turned to see Shikamaru and Chōji approaching, the former shooting a look of mild exasperation at Ino’s antics but clearly not wishing to get involved either.

“Oh, it’s you guys!” Any kind of apprehension Naruto could’ve been feeling melted away fast and he grinned over at the two members of team ten.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “Huh, you actually got nominated for this dumb exam too?” It was said in a tone of slight disbelief. Naruto had been dead last in class after all so it was no wonder his nomination for the chūnin exams was surprising.

The blonde caught the insinuation and scowled. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” He might’ve shown a falter in his confidence to team seven yesterday but there was no way in hell he was going to be anything but self-assured in front of anyone else.

“Geez, relax a bit will ya?” Shikamaru rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His gaze briefly flicked to me and on reflex, I shifted my stare away only to see team eight approaching too.

“Look’s like we all made it,” Kiba smirked, shooting Sasuke a challenging look that the Uchiha was more than happy to return. “The nine rookies all here together, huh?”

Bad.

We were quickly becoming more and more of a focal point for everyone else. Standing right by the exit and talking loudly amongst ourselves was a sure fire way to get everyone’s attention. But I couldn’t exactly break away from the group now without my team. Everyone in the room was in threes and being on your own was like asking for the whole room to stare-

It was for that exact reason my eyes found Kabuto almost instantaneously.

He was moving towards us slowly, expression the perfect image of mild exasperation. Everything twisted inside me, less from fear at his presence and more in despair at what him approaching us actually meant. I’d been hoping in miserable vain that because Sasuke didn’t have his sharingan Orochimaru wouldn’t be interested in him yet. But the snake wanted a Uchiha and a Uchiha he was going to get, even if he had to wait a little while to get the famed dōjutsu. Kabuto going out of his way to interact with us heavily indicated Orochimaru had latched his eyes onto my teammate.

Damn it. Damn it.

Stay calm.

I turned out to not be the only one to notice the boy’s approach. Shino had twisted around a little, expression as unreadable as ever but clearly tensing up. Shikamaru’s eyes darted between both me and the Aburame, obviously seeing both of our reactions and tilting his head to see what we’d seen too. Sasuke was next and he set his jaw, gaze flicking briefly to me in question as to whether I knew who the guy was.

“You newbies should settle down a little. This isn’t some school trip y’know.”

All of my ex-classmates stopped talking. Ino’s arms retracted from around Sasuke’s shoulders, gaze suspicious, but it was Kiba who bit first, eyes narrowing. “Who the hell are you?” He demanded to know, joking, amused tone from earlier having vanished abruptly.

Kabuto hadn’t exactly won points by patronising us. Then again, he had every reason to think of us as children compared to him. I might not have been absolutely terrified of the boy because I knew he wasn’t going to outright attack me and his power level paled when compared to Orochimaru, but he wasn’t a pushover by any stretch of the word. He could kill us all without even breaking a sweat.

“I’m Kabuto,” he introduced himself, placing his hand on his hip and offering a rather condescending smile. “But I think you should worry less about who I am, more about how much attention you’re all drawing to yourselves. Honestly, it’s painfully obvious this is your first time at the exams.”

“Maybe we just don’t shy away from a little attention.” It was Ino’s turn to bite back, gaze darting around the room however and taking in the fact a lot of people were staring at us. “What’s it to you, anyway?”

Kabuto put his hands up in a display of surrender. “Just trying to give a bit of friendly advice to the rookies. Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off like I was criticising you.”

That was a bold-faced lie if I’d ever heard one. Even Naruto seemed to have caught on Kabuto wasn’t exactly presenting himself as our greatest ally, eyes darting to me in a similar questioning gesture to Sasuke’s earlier. What was Kabuto’s game here? If he was trying to integrate himself with us then he was doing a pretty awful job at it. Was he just trying to make himself a familiar face? This was certainly a way to get us to remember him if nothing else.

“Look, how about I make it up to you. I’ve been in a lot of these exams and have acquired a lot of information over the years. I can spare to show you guys some of my ninja-info cards if you want.”

I couldn’t believe the name was supposed to be anything but purposefully childish. There was a specific image Kabuto was attempting to present to us of himself and he was succeeding magnificently at it. Through the utter distrust and terror that squirmed underneath the surface, I was in morbid awe of his ability to do this.

Watching as he demonstrated how to reveal the information, Kabuto then shot us another smile, this time with a smug edge to it. “So, have anything you want to find out? I have information on participants too - of course, you lot included.”

Something dropped in the pit of my stomach at the thought. How much did Kabuto know about me personally? How had he managed to acquire it? No, there was no point thinking about that. This was Kabuto. All thinking about it would do was set off a chain of growing terror and now really wasn’t the time to acquire a deafening fear of him.

“Then show me what you have on my team.”

I snapped my gaze to Sasuke, surprise bubbling up inside me at the request. It was a good choice.

A/N: It’s been a while since I wrote this but I think the reasoning behind why this was a good choice was so that team 7 would know ‘everything’ Kabuto knew about them and therefore Kabuto wouldn’t have the upper hand on them anymore if they had to face off in any way. It would also confirm the validity of Kabuto’s findings since if his stats on them were right then presumably his other info cards would be accurate too. And to top it all off, Sasuke’s kinda telling Kabuto straight to his face that he doesn’t trust him one bit in a way that would probably piss someone off jfjfjf