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insanescriptist · 5 years

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I've been wondering for awhile, but between you and Umei, how much of the worldbuilding and information on How Things Work in all the stories is stuff you knew already and stuff you spent a lot of time looking up and investigating? Because it's crazy how detailed all these fics are and its amazingly good

Hmm.. it varies by topic? Generally is it common knowledge (ie does it exist in that world/cannon), hobby knowledge, personal knowledge, inferred knowledge (ie if this is this then that implies that), specific knowledge and what’s needed to be known by the character/audience that determines it. There’s stuff that gets left out that we figure out and I’ll give an example of it later.

Some things we can’t get out of researching, like Umei had to research a lot of the historical customs. Who’s allowed to wear what (status symbols), levels of formality, appropriate behavior... That’s specific knowledge. Specific knowledge that has to be known by the characters even. Because you can’t hand wave everything. Plot says otherwise.

Umei probably didn’t have to do much research on the textile manufacturing -the basics are the same world over, get materia, spin thread etc- because she does knit and it’s not hard to find a book on it or more specific all kinds of sites. As an example, yesterday Iz went to Dollar Tree to buy bags to stick some already bought Christmas presents in and found a nice book called The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Silk by Sara Lamb. Which covers what silk is, varieties, properties, blends, how to spin, equipment to spin it on, dying, working with different dyes, weaving, knitting, other applications and how to care for silk in the first hundred pages. At the Dollar Tree. Where everything is a single dollar (and tax). As Umei knits, she might have already had a resource like that handy. That’s hobby knowledge.

As a different example, let’s see... Squalo. Squalo knows sword techniques. But sword techniques are made specific for each blade type. So his adapted longsword using a technique designed for a katana in KHR canon? There’s going to be a difference in effect because the blade length differs, the shape differs and he’s not even holding his sword technically. It’s common sense if you think about it as you can’t use a rapier like a greatsword but Izzy knew about it from personal knowledge. Iz likes her swords. Izzy may have beat various relatives with wooden mock-ups of different types of swords when she likes thirteen or so. To be fair, they had swords too. Personal knowledge.

Then we get to inferred knowledge, which is based on the common knowledge of the world. Like Fire Temple has Monks; Kakuzu kills one of Asuma’s fellow Guardians. So what religion? Well, Hashirama names his techniques off of Buddhist things and the Uchiha have the Shinto covered but Shinto has Priests. So he had to be Buddhist. Buddhism must exist in the Elemental Nations. That one is Easy. Umei may not have figured it out like that but it means that Buddhist philosophy exists.

Compared to ‘Uzumaki sealing affinity’ which has all kinds of doozy implications. This is Izzy’s thought process about it: We get told that it exists, they were great at it, it was their specialty. We don’t get told a single bit of How or Why. We see fuinjutsu used to store things, we see it used to heal, we see it used to mutilate, we see it used to protect, we see it used to contain, we see it break the boundaries of time and space. These examples we see are from Konoha -mostly- who gets their sealing knowledge from the Senju and thus the Uzumaki. So how did the Uzumaki get the knowledge to do all that? Well, clearly they built up on what previous seal masters had done like Minato with Tobirama’s hirashin. So obviously they have an archive, they have a system for that archive to be useful and the work within to be understood,so they have a bloody School! A school that is used from an early age! Not apprentices, but classes full of students learning fuinjutsu. Which still doesn’t tell you How or Why they learned fuinjutsu or continued with it to make it the Uzumaki clan’s signature. Until you realize that they live on an island -limited space- and so have to use ships -limit space- and that based on where they have to be -somewhere between Kiri and Kumo, the villages with the second and arguably third best seal masters (ask me later that is)- they’re geographically at risk of typhoons. How do I know that? Ame. Ame is practically always drowning in rain, so how is all that moisture in the air there? Air currents push clouds against the mountains, squeezing it out before it gets in Kaze no Kuni or even parts of whatever Earth Nation is. So the wind has to blow in from the ocean. If the world of the Elemental Nations is similar enough to ours then the paths the storms travel would be similar -planetary rotation happens at different speeds depending on location from equator- so assuming that the fucked up peninsula that Fire mostly dominates and Tea is on one end up are geographically similar enough for that to be like Florida turned sideways... Anyway, so weather patterns says typhoons exist and Uzu is at risk of them, which is a great reason to have barrier fuinjutsu. Because it’s not just the wind but the water. Uzu’s an island; they can’t risk what farming land they have so the crops and animals need protection. It’s not just the flooding risk but the salt making the land less arable. Food is a concern. Other goods are also a concern. They probably take a lot of mission pay in foodstuffs and things they just don’t have the land to farm. What would they get paid for regularly and in high demand that could potentially require fuinjutsu? Taking care of typhoons. How? Fuinjutsu. What makes the storm a typhoon/hurricane is the amount of energy gathered and moving; not how fast the storm moves but by how much energy it is blowing out. Containment seal to siphon off excess energy -natural chakra exists and heat is energy too- and reduce the Cat 5 to a Cat 1 or 2? Why yes, various island nations that exist south of Fire and Fire would pay much for that, annually. Also an economic reason that Kumo and Kiri later destroy Uzu because with Uzu saving Fire money by preventing massive storm damages, Fire has more money for its shinobi and other war endeavors and while it wasn’t a problem for the Uzumaki when everyone was still warring clans time, with the shinobi clans unified into villages competing on a national scale... sabotaging the enemy nations by making them have to pay for damages natural disasters could cause is a very valid tactic. Hence why fuinjutsu was also the downfall of the Uzumaki; blaming it on the existence of jinchuriki and the Uzumaki as a threat to them is just laziness.

Oh and all that past the ‘Uzumaki have a school of fuinjutsu’ is not needed to be known by the various characters in Direct Thee to Peace so probably won’t be mentioned ever in fic. But this does explain why the Uzumaki within the Senju have more formal experience and expect Hashirama and Tobirama to understand what ‘as formal as with the Daimyo’ means because the Uzumaki obviously have various Daimyo as clients seeing as how they’re protecting various islands and parts of Fire from typhoons. It also means that while the Uzumaki can’t feed themselves without said missions but that doesn’t mean that they’re poor. It is the Senju that are the poor cousins and it shows rather blatantly sometimes. Which Izzy tries not to laugh about too much. It’s mean to Tobirama.

#Izzy answers #worldbuilding #Naruto #an economical reason to destroy Uzu #because a threat to eight different shinobi #spread out over six villages #is not a reason for two major villages to band together #or at least not for me #not quite sure on the fuinjutsu mechanics of how it would work but some sort of absortion containment array powered by the user's chakra #sounds like a viable explanation to changing the weather by manipulating the amount of energy available #it sounds kinda like bullshit #but if Sasuke can pull a lightning bolt out of a storm #he started with fire jutsu while fighting Itachi #and dissipate the storm then why can't fuinjutsu fuck up a hurricane?

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oneyanderegirl · 4 years

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Your Voice Lingered in These Empty Halls

Genre: One-shot, Angst, Hurt/Comfort Rating: T Sasuhina Month 2020 Theme: Day 2 (Your Voice Lingered in These Empty Halls)

A/N: Got behind because of work, but here it is! This turned out longer than I thought. Some warnings: mentions of death.

@sasuhinamonth (in case this does’t show up in the tags)

Hinata woke up in sweat.

The white blanket that was supposed to cover her had fallen out of the bed and onto the wooden floors. Her bedsheets had been drenched with sweat as well, clinging to her skin. Her hair was a mess. Her dark strands were all over the place making her look like a corpse that had just come to life again. She turned to look at the clock sitting on the nightstand next to her bed.

3:07 am.

She groaned in annoyance.

Hinata knew she would not be able to sleep again for a while, so she decided to leave her bed. She quietly let her legs dangle on the edge before taking a gentle step onto the ground. A sharp chill from the floor stabbed her feet.

She shivered at its cold touch.

Still feeling groggy from having been woken up, Hinata sat there for a while looking around the room out of boredom. The room itself was simple. Four white walls with one window that had been covered with white curtains; one small tray table that sat to the right of her bed, which had a cup of water on it; one nightstand that sat to the left with a small lamp and clock on top; lastly, in the corner of the room were three brown chairs. There was also a white privacy curtain that was easily accessible that was found near the nightstand. It was plain to say the least. However, the room held the odor of antiseptics and rubbing alcohol, overpowering whatever fragrance was used in an attempt to mask the smell. Though she had become used to the smell, it still occasionally made her feel dizzy and uncomfortable.

Hinata really hated hospitals.

Every once and awhile, she would also examine her own arms and legs, noting all the scars and cuts that had marred itself onto her pale skin. Some were old while some were new, although she couldn’t really tell the difference. There were so many that she had lost count. It was to be expected though; it was just a part of being a shinobi. How many years had it been since she had started training to become one? From the time she was born, it was all she could remember. There was not a day that went by where she wasn’t training.

Yet now, she wasn’t sure if she could even return to her duties.

Hinata examined her arms and legs once more before resting both of her hands over her heart. She let out a soft sigh as she felt the stitches on her chest. She could feel the rough material that was used to close the open wound that had exposed her heart.

They told her it happened during a mission.

She had been fighting a group of enemies that had ambushed her and her teammates. It was supposed to be a rescue mission, but it turned out to be a trap targeting them. One of them had poisoned her with some sort of cursed jutsu right into her heart. She was on the brink of death by the time the medics had arrived. It was a miracle that she had survived. Unfortunately, they had only barely managed to save her body. She had ended up unconscious for a long time before she had finally woken up less than a week ago.

Hinata could feel the light shine on her eyes as she slowly opened them. She could instantly sense the presence of three bodies nearby. As she woke up, she could see it was her teammates, Kiba and Shino, as well as Ino. When they noticed her movement, the girl threw herself onto Hinata and hugged her very tightly. She noticed that her friend’s pale blonde hair had grown even longer than she had last remembered. Kiba and Shino had also changed as well. Kiba’s brown hair had become more wild while he himself had become more bulky in size. Shino’s dark hair had grown as well, although it was held back by a dark green bandana. Overwhelming her with their cries of joy and relief that she had finally woken up, Hinata could only sit there in confusion. However, they were soon shooed away by the presence of Tsunade, the current Hokage. -----

“ Hinata, I understand you must be feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything right now.. I know this is difficult to take in, but you’ll have everything explained to you as we move forward. Your memory is going to be hazy for a while,” The woman explained.

Hinata stared at her in disbelief. Had she really been asleep for eight months? What did she mean that she was attacked? Did the war not end less than a week ago? She didn’t understand. The current Hokage was Kakashi? The silver hair man that used to be the teacher and leader of team seven? Tsunade was no longer the Hokage but rather the head of the hospital?

Not only that, but it was Sasuke Uchiha who had saved her?

The last of his clan. The only man with black hair and black eyes that reminded her of obsidian and the midnight sky. The only man with an attitude that felt colder than the chills of winter, and the only one with enough power to match Naruto, the blonde boy who she had a crush on since childhood.

Wasn’t he supposed to have left Konoha already? Why was he still here? What about Neji? She could feel the pain of his death like it was yesterday. She was still in mourning for him. She was supposed to help prepare for his funeral.

Her cousin, protector, mentor, and friend.

The one she had called brother.

The one who had died because of her.

“ It seemed that whatever had poisoned you with the cursed jutsu also made a side effect of memory loss. The most possible situation that we have concluded was that the preparators were most likely trying to erase your memory so that you could be controlled and used as a threat against Konoha, if you didn’t die from the curse first,”

Hinata stared at her own hands. She was still trying to process everything. She could feel the pain in her chest where she had been stabbed. The confusion of everything that she had just learned about overwhelmed her. She could hear her own shallow breathing as she tried to calm herself down.

“ H-how long have I been asleep?” she finally managed to ask.

Tsunade looked at her with a seriousness that Hinata knew was meant to warn her of the bad news.

“ Eight months.”

She had been asleep for eight months.

And within that eight months, the poison had taken away eight years of memory.

Eight years of memory. Hinata was essentially a seventeen year old trapped in a twenty five year old body. She had attempted several times over the past week to regain them with no luck. It frustrated her to no end at how her efforts had been futile. How could she just lose eight years of memory? It was as if she had been set back square one. Every time she tried to recall them, she would go blank as if someone had erased everything and left only an empty canvas in her mind.

Deciding it was time for her to get out of the room, Hinata quietly stepped into the hallway. She looked at the signed plate hanging in the front of her room. It read the numbers seven-zero-nine. The Konoha Hospital was a large one, enough to have seven floors. Her room had been located at the end of the hallway so she decided to take a slow walk to help calm her mind down.

The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, although she knew it was just because it was still late into the night. There were large windows that allowed for the moon and the stars to shine brightly into the hallway, creating a peaceful scenery. She could hear the rustling of footsteps and chattering amongst the patients and staff coming from the floor below her and the scent of medicine could be inhaled everywhere. Compared to the sixth floor, the seventh floor where she currently resided was empty with an almost eerie silence.

Although Hinata wasn’t surprised.

The seventh floor was where they had treated Sasuke Uchiha after the war had ended. After the man had left Konoha, there were rumors that the spirits of the people he had killed during his rogue years haunted the floor. Many people had refused to stay on the floor and even attempted to run away if they were made to stay. In the end, they decided to make the floor a private space for Sasuke Uchiha to be treated in, if he ever came back. It was also where they kept a lot of emergency supplies since the rumors were enough to dissuade even the criminals that would try to rob them of supplies.

Now she was staying in it.

Although she didn’t mind nor did she believe in the rumors, she questioned why she of all people was allowed to stay here. Then again, she was basing off of what had happened when she was seventeen. Eight years had already passed, things were different now.

She sighed.

Before she knew it, Hinata had found herself in front of a particular room. She looked at the signed plate hanging on top.

Room 700.

The room where Sasuke Uchiha stayed.

Although eight years had already passed, for Hinata, it was only a few days ago where she had found herself in the very same spot. The pain of her cousin’s death was still very raw to her, but now she found herself feeling a mix of emotions knowing that it was something of the past. She did not feel as painful as when she had first woken up, yet the lingering pain from those memories still kept her up several nights.

Hinata felt her hands grab the doorknob. A small part of her hoped that he would be there. Perhaps this was all just a dream, a nightmare that she would wake up from.

However, when she opened the door, the only greeting she had received was the emptiness of the hospital room.

She felt her body give out as soon as she stepped inside.

Of course he wouldn’t have been there. It had been eight years after all. This wasn’t a dream but rather it was reality. Although they had never spoken much during childhood and after he became rogue, the words he had said to her during his last night here before leaving Konoha again resonated with her.

Hinata had come on a whim to visit Sasuke.

Perhap it was because he too had lost a brother that she felt like coming here. Everyone else had expressed their condolences and sympathy towards her. Yet all she could feel was mostly pity. None of them seemed to understand the suffering that she was feeling. She wanted to cry and scream at the heartache that she was feeling. Her bitter thoughts still lingered despite the celebrations that the people were already having. Wasn’t it too soon to celebrate? The war had just ended a few days ago, why were people not mourning? Did they not have loved ones that died? Shouldn’t there be a mourning service being prepared? It was unfair. Why was she the only one that seemed to be suffering from the pain of living without a loved one?

Why was Neji the one who had to die?

She found herself hesitating to knock on his door. She had no reason to come in the first place. She was only driven by a selfish desire to be comforted, something that this man had no reason to be doing. They weren’t friends nor even comrades. They had no past other than the occasional visits between their two clans, although that had long ceased since the Uchiha were wiped out. However, she felt that this was the only place where she could truly mourn without the pitiful eyes from strangers and people she knew staring at her. It wasn’t a rational thought by all means, but Hinata didn’t care at the moment.

“ If you’re going to come in, then just do it already, it’s already late.”

Surprised that he had felt her presence, Hinata slowly came into the room. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. She noticed a bit of blood that still lingered in some places, but overall he seemed fine. As fine as an injured man could be at least.

“ I never expected you, of all people, would come and visit.” He said.

His words held no malice nor its usual coldness. Rather, it sounded tired and detached from the world. Hinata didn’t know how to respond nor what to say. She had come on a whim after all. She could only sit on the floor and bury herself into her hands and knees. Perhaps she too was tired.

Tired of living that is.

“D-do you think I’m being s-silly right now?” She suddenly asked.

Rather than saying anything, Sasuke stared out the window to look at the moon. It was to be expected though. He didn’t have an idea of what she was even talking about. He must have thought she was crazy at this point.

“ A-ah...Sorry. I know I sound a little strange right now. I apologize for disturbing you. I just had a lot on my mind lately. I’m sure you’ve heard that my...cousin had died.” Hinata tried to explain.

“ I know. I heard.”

This was very irritational of her. To seek comfort from the man that had once sought to destroy her very home was indeed out of character for her. They were at most acquaintances, though more like strangers at this point. They haven’t spoken to each other in years. She had only heard about him through his former teammates. It wasn’t as if he had an obligation to do anything with her. She was a lunatic. A lunatic that was trying to talk with a stranger for some comfort.

Yet, Hinata felt that out of everyone she knew, it was Sasuke Uchiha who would understand her the most at the moment. The bitterness over other people’s happiness, the regrets of not being able to save one of the most important people she loved, and the guilt of being alive instead of facing death plagued her mind and shook her very soul. She felt that he was the only one who understood those feelings and that was why she had decided to do what she did.

Hinata stared at her own hands as they gripped her pants in frustration and pain. She just couldn’t get over the fact that Neji was dead. He had a future. They were supposed to progress the Hyugas forward. They were supposed to break down traditions and start anew.

They were supposed to change the future together.

“ How do you deal with the pain of losing a loved one?” She quietly asked.

Sasuke kept staring out the window for what felt like an eternity before turning to face her. Although she kept her eyes on her hands, she could feel his aura as she felt his gaze. It made her feel small and insignificant. She wondered if he was angry at her for asking. Afterall, how could the death of one person compare to the death of an entire clan?

“ We move forward. We have to live. We have to strive to protect them. If we can’t protect their physical bodies, then the least we can do is protect their ideals. It doesn’t matter how much you cry or suffer, you have to live anyways. If you don’t, then it just means their deaths were in vain. Don’t waste the life they gave you.”

Hinata looked at Sasuke in surprise. She wasn’t expecting him to say so much to her. But she felt a sense of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. They weren’t words of sympathy or pity. There were no apologies nor were there empty condolences within the words he had spoken.

They were words from a person who understood her pain.

For the first time ever since the war ended, Hinata cried.

She cried for Neji. She cried and cried until there were no tears left. When the last of her tears were wiped, Hinata knew it was time for her to go. Her voice felt hoarse from the crying, so she instead opted to bow to Sasuke instead. However, just before she stepped out the door, Hinata heard the Uchiha call out to her.

The moment her pale grey eyes met his dark ones, she felt a sense of mutual understanding between them. An unspoken connection that she had never felt before.

“ You’re not silly for feeling what you feel. Remember that.”

Hinata could only give him a slight smile before leaving.

“ Thank you, Sasuke-kun.” She softly whispered.

It was already four am. It was time for her to head back to her room. Closing the door behind her, Hinata walked through the hallway once more. The hallway was still empty, yet his words kept echoing in her mind. Although it was a memory from long ago, she recalled it as if it had happened yesterday.

Well in truth, for her, it did just happen a bit ago. She may not have been able to recall the past eight years, but she was glad this memory was still intact. It gave her the reassurance that she desperately needed. And although she was uncertain what the future would hold, his words were enough for now.

We move forward.

We have to live.

When she finally reached her bed, Hinata collapsed in exhaustion. As sleep finally took her, she recalled Sasuke’s words one last time before finally succumbing to sleep. As his words made its way into her mind, she couldn’t help but feel a new emotion surface its way into her heart. An unfamiliar emotion that she never thought she would feel yet it felt too familiar at the same time.

Yearning.

She was yearning to see Sasuke Uchiha again.

#sasuhina #sasuhina month #shmonth2020 #sasuhinamonth2020 #personal #writing #AL #fanfiction #fanfics

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fox-mother · 4 years

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Kushina has two roads that her path as an Edo Tensei could follow. She could be summoned by the allies but severely restricted due to their limited knowledge of the jutsu or she could be summoned by Kabuto in cahoots with Madara and Obito, granting her all but full use of her abilities again. It depends on the circumstances surrounding her summoning. Before I go more in-depth with that, I would like to discuss her abilities as a whole so we can get an idea of what she gets back as an Edo Tensei.

Abilities:

Sealing

Kushina boasts many tantalising abilities for both sides. The most obvious is her prowess with sealing. She has more knowledge than the entire Sealing Corps of the Allied Shinobi Forces (hereby known as the ASF) combined. She can neutralise pretty much every single seal they could possibly formulate, she can remove Minato's hiraishin seals and, thanks to her research, she can remove or alter Tobirama's hiraishin seals.

Taijutsu

She has some of the best taijutsu skills outside of those who use the Eight Inner Gates. Kushina could go mano a mano against a fully-powered Gai and come out victorious. Of course, she also has the advantage of being exceptionally strong and quick of her own volition. She could- potentially- take on the ASF on her own or with maybe the help of a clone. This would be a useful tool for either side.

Kurama (Yin Half Only)

If Kushina's death was due to the Kyūbi after she sealed him within herself and her son- upon Minato's request- she would be reanimated with the ability to form the chakra cloak like is observed with Minato in canon. However, due to her intimate knowledge of the fox and how he worked, Kushina would be able to use his abilities far easier than Minato and with more success.

Sage Mode

One of the few abilities that go unknown by the ASF and Madara, Obito and Kabuto, Kushina would be able to use her Sage Mode to enhance her already powerful abilities. Activating this again for the first time in 17 years would also reactivate her summoning contract with the toads. This would allow her to summon Gamaton- her toad summon- for the first time in that same period. The number of unique abilities that Kushina displays would also ensure that she's a hard opponent to predict.

Chakra Chains

The last major ability I will focus on, her chakra chains could prove to be a help to either side. Considering that they can seal, defend, attack and neutralise without ever really needing to change forms. Strong enough to withstand a full-strength Tailed Beast Bomb from even the Ten-Tails, she could use them to protect the ASF or protect Madara and Obito on the battlefield from the ASF and their attacks. With her infinite chakra reserves, Kushina could have these active indefinitely and she could have as many as she wanted to have active due to there being no real risk to her if she did so.

Now, with that out of the way, let us move on to discussing the two paths I mentioned earlier.

Path 1

A pawn of the ASF, Kushina is revived by Orochimaru after being cut from the stomach of the shinigami alongside the First, Second and Third Hokages. After questioning Orochimaru, Kushina and the Hokage all depart to the battlefield, Kushina utilising her husbands hiraishin network as she does. She arrives first and observes the battlefield from afar before making an entrance alongside the other Hokage, who have caught up at this point. Kushina is the one who protects the allies with her chakra chains, rebounding the Tailed Beast Bomb back at the Ten-Tails. Upon reuniting with her husband and son, Kushina is immediately thrust into the role of protector once more as she single-handedly forms the Four Red Yang Formation using pre-placed seals.

Using her chakra chains, Kushina helps Hashirama pin down the Ten-Tails. She also manages to neutralise the Truth-Seeking Balls, being the one to jump in the way of Gai to protect him. She was able to bypass the Truth-Seeking Orbs by pumping herself full of Sage Chakra beforehand. Pretty much everything plays out the same, except Minato is taken with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Obito and Kakashi when they dimension hop while Kushina stays with the other Hokage. Kushina helps resummon them back to the planet again and is allowed to finally have a proper talk with them.

Hagoromo takes her aside and tells her that- while he cannot restore her to life- he can allow her to stick around if she wants to. She takes him up on this offer and is allowed to remain behind with Minato and Naruto, preventing Minato from following Naruto and Sasuke when their fight breaks out. She also protects the Yin half of Kurama that she was still holding onto- having prevented the extraction of the Yang half from Naruto. They reunite with their son again after the battle and continue to stay with him until Minato steps down and they go travelling.

This is the ideal path that is taken but it isn't the only one.

Path 2

The second path sees her being summoned by Kabuto before Itachi and Sasuke visit him. She is promptly thrust onto the battlefield, armed with one of the many Uzumaki Fūinjutsu scrolls that could be salvaged from the Uzumaki Storage Temples. At this time, she is under mostly Kabuto's control with a lot of her abilities being ignored or just not used, instead, he uses her to release the seals that are placed on his other Edo Tensei pawns. She just accepts this because what good is it going to do to fight back? It isn't like she could even if she wanted to.

Meanwhile, Madara is engaging in combat with the Kage. Kabuto sends her to back him up, even if the Uchiha tells him that backup is not needed. Kabuto manages to force Kushina into activating her chakra chains to stop Tsunade from breaking Madara's Susanoo ribcage. The chains wrap around the Susanoo just in time to prevent it from breaking and then retreat when there is no more threat, alerting the Kage to her presence. Madara swiftly deals with them while they're distracted by Kushina.

When Kabuto is forced into releasing the Edo Tensei, Madara forces Kushina to release herself from his control- much like Madara does- so that she can continue being of use to him. An Uzumaki is a good ally to have, especially one who seems to be especially talented with Fūinjutsu. They continue onto the main battlefield, facing off against the ASF with little trouble. Meeting up with Obito, who Kushina punches in the face almost at once, they continue with their plan. However, the plan changes drastically when Kushina senses her husband and son on the battlefield. She knows that Minato has probably sensed her by now and the fox would have given Naruto a heads up about her as well. Kushinas immediate reaction is to stiffen up in surprise before staring right at them from where she is atop the Ten-Tails. Taking note of this, the two Uchiha try eliminating the threat of them both but Kushina- being a devoted wife and mother first and foremost- stops them. She decides to join the ASF after much deliberation but not after severely wounding the Ten-Tails with a well-aimed landing on its head.

(For context: Kushina would leap from the Ten-Tails into the air before rocketing back to the ground fast enough to slam into the Ten-Tails. This causes it to hit the ground with enough force to shatter the land for miles around it. This would have temporarily disabled the Ten-Tails long enough for the ASF to mobilise and contain it. They are not able to seal it away but they can put their plan into action while Madara and Obito are getting the Ten-Tails back in working order.)

No matter what they do, they're unsuccessful and Project Tsuki no Me is put into full effect. The only difference is that Kushina joins them and saves Obitos life. A bit of Talk no Jutsu from everyone's favourite fox mama would help convince Obito and Kakashi to join forces, allowing them to use the Susanoo in a similar way Kakashi does in canon. Everything with Kaguya plays out pretty much the same way from there, except Sakura plays a slightly bigger role in her defeat than she does in canon. They're brought back to the normal world and Kushina gets to speak with Minato and Naruto. They both stick around and Kushina helps reinstate Minatos regenerative abilities while Naruto goes off to fight Sasuke.

So, as you can see, Kushina ends up following a similar path towards the end no matter what. However, the experiences of being on both sides have changes and consequences on the story as a whole. This is especially true in the case of Path 2, in which the most changes occur.

#(Ya See: Headcanon)#(Dead Girl Walking: Reanimation!Verse)#[I am so tired]#[I have spent about 5 or 6 hours on this]#[This is 5x the length of your average essay]#[It sits at 1508 words]#[Dat's a lotta words]

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thevoicesunspoken-blog · 5 years

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Saving A Dumb Blond Chapter 1

A Naruto Reincarnated SI Fanfiction.

(SIX)

The only thing that makes her feel anymore, are her dreams (memories). An escape to a different world where she isn’t anyone’s toy. At first she is resentful towards the woman she dreams of (her past self). One who didn’t know the pain of almost starving to death, only to have to fight against others for the privilege of eating. When she knows only the life of surviving and fighting, the real torture begins.

There's an itch under her skin, she’s always known it was there. Now it’s a burning fire as the man with eyes like gold (snake he’s a snake) constantly pokes and prods at it, until she pushes back. The World lights up in a blinding array of colors and feelings, enough to make her pass out from it all. When she awakes, it’s from a dream that made her cry with emotions not her own. The girl of her dreams had her family broken by one she loved.

She forgets the dream (memory) as survival once again becomes all too important. By managing to pick up words and learn, she knows she is six out of eight other children. That is what they are, isn’t it? She knows the word, knows the meaning, but it somehow doesn’t feel right. The word she remembers presents an image of innocence she knows she cannot claim as her own. They call her Roku and command her to be the last one alive.

All eight children (so young really), an uneven mixture of males and females, are thrown into a cement pit with several inches of brown, murky water. Roku refuses to think on it, but her traitorous mind whispers that the coppery smell burned in her nose is not a coincidence (blood of those before). She takes up a defensive position, and moves away from the pile of animals (babies forced to kill) biting and clawing each other on the hope that they may be the one to live.

Until there is only one left, the biggest and strongest of the eight (no older than five). He was the one dubbed Shi, and Roku waits until he turns to her. Some deep part of her screams, that if she is truly going to go through with this, his face must be scarred into her mind until she can make it right in the after life. There's no savage look like she was expecting, in fact, there's just nothing behind his dark brown eyes. As if he had died long before now.

His fist lands against her right cheek and she becomes truly acquainted with the vile liquid her bare feet were soaking in. Maybe he would have had a chance against her, if that had been the first hit she had received in this world, it would have stunned her. As it is, he seals his fate when he slams his bigger body onto her smaller one, and snakes his hands around her throat. Roku ignores the nausea and pain, (she will earn the pain shortly) she had been waiting for the perfect moment.

Dead inside or not, every man (boy he was just a boy) reacts to a knee to the groin in the same way. The boy was no different. His hands lost their grip as he automatically went to hold the pain, and she moved. The woman in her dreams, had known many different ways to take a life, but lacked the experience. Using the knowledge she had, Roku wrapped her legs around his face, keeping her hands free to hold his (smothering sheds no blood). After he stopped struggling, she still held tight (unconsciousness comes before the end). Death would be the only kindness she would be able to give in this world.

Her reward for being the last alive, was to be given to a man with one eye. He commanded absolute loyalty from her, (he can’t be trusted) and she was willing to obey. His mark (seal) underneath her tongue burned her constantly, but at least the itch under her skin (chakra) began to feel natural. As natural as the blade she was given, along with a set of clothes that tickled her memory. She was to be his tool (pawn), and as such, he needed to sharpen her.

Part of her training was to be put up against more and more opponents (only kids), for each one she failed to best, she was punished (abused). Roku collected several scars, but at least the one eyed man was making her stronger. Fiercer (angrier). She had no idea how long she had been in the dark tunnels, before he sent her off to take a life. No words were given, just a picture with a name on it. That’s how it went. A picture, a name, then blood on her hands.

Roku had no sense of time, no idea how old she was (twenty-one). How long she had survived the world so far. Until one of her targets (victims) had a mirror in their room. Because her body was still so small (it was a mercy to die in your sleep), she preferred to end them while they slept. Movement caught her eye and she found herself locking eyes with a ghost (she’s just a little girl), deep blue eyes and hair like the night.

Something was happening to her mind, she was fighting something from the inside (past memories). Something just under the surface of her own mind (her real self). It was suffocating, there were words she knew, but she’d never learned them (not in this life). She knew she was panicking, but she’d never done so before. Roku (not Roku, never Roku) found herself struggling to keep her own mind.

In a daze, she wandered into a forest. It was in no way recognizable, but somehow, it made her feel peaceful. Until she started hyperventilating as flashes of memories not her own stated playing in her mind. The taste registered first, before she belatedly realized she had vomited on the base of a tree. (That always happened after her panic attacks). Roku had never had a panic attack before.

She felt them on the edge of her senses, before spotting the young boy and the deer. The kunai slipped into her hand before she consciously decided to grab it. (Just a boy, not a threat). Roku put it back only a second after she pulled it out of her back pouch. He was confused, she could tell by the way his spirit flickered (chakra sensing emotions). Then, he actually noticed her and she could see his surprise on both his face and his aura (chakra).

He had to have been around the same age as her (so painfully young), but his eyes had something in them she’d never seen before. (Innocence.) It was so pure and untouched by the darkness that surrounded and filled her. The late afternoon sun made his brown eyes practically shine with life. Time froze as both children regarded each other, as soon as his lips started to lift into a sleepy smile (she didn’t deserve to be seen as a child), she left.

Fear was coursing through her as she ran out of the forest she had stumbled into. It took a moment to realize she wasn’t afraid for herself, but for the boy. (She was too far into the darkness to be near something so pure.) Pureness stood no chance in this World. Roku (NOT Roku NEVER Roku) knew this. (Kindness is stronger than terror) Terror made this world, (No) she had to (change can happen) stay away from innocents. That’s why she ran away from the strange (familiar) boy (he was so familiar) with shining eyes (the hair, the eyes, the deer he walked with).

“Shikamaru.” His name left her lips without thought and suddenly she was falling to the ground. The pain didn’t register in her mind as she stared up through the trees she had been running on and into the sky. How did she know the boys name? Why was she so sure his name was Shikamaru Nara. “This world shouldn’t exist.” Her voice sounded wrong. It was too young, too empty. She slowly flexed her body, part by part, and it was too small. Everything was wrong.

After laying on the ground until the sun disappeared, thinking of nothing in particular, she felt the seal on the bottom of her tongue burn. A call to return to her master. The longer she prolonged returning, the more painful the seal would become. Danzo Shimura was waiting for her, she had to shut down thoughts of killing him. “Master.” Her mind wasn’t fully reconnected, but by the second she was remembering things. Pieces of the future she should not have.

“Roku, you were late returning to me.” His voice contained a false note of concern, as if he cared if she struggled. But Roku was not her name and she knew him for the liar he was. No fake sincerity would sway her. “I apologise Master. I completed my mission without fail. As far as anyone will be able to tell, the target was murdered for his riches.” Danzo hummed at her, a deep gravelly noise that made her stomach tighten.

“What delayed you.” Her tongue burned, a careful reminder that she was unable to lie to him. “I was seen by a boy and a stag in an unfamiliar forest.” She waited to see if he wanted more, or if this was all he wanted. He waved his hand for her to continue. “The forest had a chakra like I had never experienced before, Master. It was alive, and didn’t want me to leave.” That was mostly the truth.

The Nara forest did indeed have it’s own chakra, that had felt alive and as if it wanted her to stay. But it had been easily ignored as she had laid on the soft moss flooring. She didn’t dare meet his eyes, but she could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, you would be wise to avoid the forest from now on, Roku.” There was no dismissal in his voice, so kneeling on the cold stone is where she stayed. Once, he had her kneel there until she was sure she would pass out, only then did Danzo allow her to leave.

She was conditioned to keep her mind empty and only focus on the next order he would give her, but she couldn’t help but think about how she had killed for this man. The blood of seven people were on her hands because he had commanded it. Four were ninjas whose crime she didn’t know, and three were merchants who had been Danzo’s spies, but he feared betrayal.

While she had done all of the merchants in their sleep, two of them had looked like they had died naturally in their sleep, and the last one looked like a robbery. Of course, a shinobi with a healthy dose of suspicion would look closer and see foul play. She knew the Military Police wouldn’t look that closely at a civilian death, so she was perfectly in the clear. She wished she wasn’t.

Danzo was still having some kind of power play, so to punish herself further, to keep the fire burning, she re-lived the deaths of the shinobi as well. One had been a novice poison user, so it was easy to nick him without him knowing, of course the idiot hadn’t carried an antidote on him. The most deadly mistake a poison user could make, and she had taken full advantage.

The other two didn’t make her as guilty as they should have, but still, she would own their deaths. One day, if there was a God, she will reap what she has sown. Death would come for her in the most painful manner imaginable, then perhaps she would have suffered enough to be able to glimpse her lost loved ones beyond the veil of life.

He struck while she was reminiscing, a hard blow dealt with the cane he carried but had no real need for. It took all the training she had survived, not to react. To allow him his anger and disappointment. Each blow was exactly the same as the one before, controlled and precise. Afterwards, when she was bloody and barely conscious, he stopped. Her reaction to pain was anger, the lethal kind. A calm, controlled rage. “Don’t be late again, Roku.”

As soon as he left, hands came to lift her away to be healed. It hurt all over, and she was certain a rib or two were broken. Danzo didn’t punish her, just to teach her a lesson, the lesson was for all of his little shadows. The other children he was training to die for him and the Hidden Leaf. As she fought to stay awake, a stray image floated into her head. A pale boy who was a painter.

So, as she drifted into unconsciousness, she decided Danzo needed to die sooner rather than later. When she woke up, it was to the realization that she would need to heal before doing anything. The medic, not the one with gray hair and glasses she was dreading to meet, but a woman with pale hair, confirmed that two of her ribs were broken. With chakra, she would be able to help the healing process, however, if most of the healing wasn’t done naturally, her ribs would forever be weaker than the rest.

Every breath hurt, but she wasn’t given any pain medication, not that she asked for any. Her only respite from the crackling pain, was unconsciousness. As her mind drifted to escape the pain of the real world, she saw more of what her soul had previously gone through. Memories revolving around a life she can no longer claim. Images of the boy she saw in the woods make it obvious she had knowledge of the world she’s now in. She's given a week to recover, after all, a broken tool is useless. Still, when she escapes from the pain into unconsciousness, her soul slowly shifts into place in this new body.

#unspoken #naruto fanfiction #saving a dumb blond #self insert fanfiction

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fifi-uchiha · 6 years

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Born to Live (3/?)

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“Konoha-gakure declared war on Timea.” . .

Kakashi’s words echoed in everyone’s ears, seeming louder than he actually intended. To Sakura, it felt like a harsh kick in the gut she just couldn’t ignore. Without warning, her head started pounding like crazy, her breathing hitched and dizziness was clouding her mind. Her throat clenched and breathing suddenly was a challenge for the leader. Every single ninja was taken over by pure, raw shock because no one could’ve ever dreamed to expect something like this. Konoha wanted a war. They actually declared war.

Why? What did Timea do to them? There was no connection between Konoha and Timea, so why would they voluntarily want to declare war? They have never been enemies, so what the hell happened?! It didn’t make any sense!

“Could that be… a joke or something, Kakashi Sensei..?”, Naruto finally broke the heavy silence.

“No, Naruto. I know the signature and checked the scroll with my sharingan to the smallest detail. It is true. Konoha-gakure does want to fight us.” The bitter answer angered the blond jinchuuriki who clenched his teeth behind his closed mouth, trying to hide his nervousness. “But why? What do they want from us, we never did anything to them, dattebayo!” The jounin closed his eyes and knew that there wasn’t an answer in this world that would satisfy the fox ninja. “My theory is that they found out about Timea’s growing power. As it seems, we’re not only concurring them, Konoha probably sees us as some kind of threat or something.” “And just because of this ridiculous reason they want a death battle?!”, Tenten hissed upset whereas Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders. “That’s how it looks like to me.” “We have ten days.”, the kunoichi breathed. Sakura didn’t even want to think about it and swallowed the thick lump in her too tight throat, so many wild thoughts were hammering against her skull that she almost lost consciousness. The mere imagination of the upcoming fight made her insides clench painfully. Konoha-gakure was a corrupt, calculating, horrible and well experienced opponent. Not only had this land won every battle they ever faced, no, they also barely lost any ninja during those. It was like their entire army was a collection of the best of the best. Every fighter possessed deadly abilities and dangerous kekkei genkais… Now, Timea had to face this blood thirsty army. Timea was forced to fight their most brutal battle and Sakura could not lie here… She was scared. But scared or not, there was nothing they could do to change their critical situation and that’s why she took a deep breath and slammed the offending scroll against a near tree. “I won’t run.”, she declared with her strong, determined voice. “After everything we accomplished… After all those battles we survived, I’m not gonna give up and let Konoha-gakure take over my homeland. Shannaro, if there is one village beside Hermos who could compete with Konoha, it’s Timea.” The soldiers looked at the upset kunoichi who indeed was afraid, however, fear had never stopped her before and it would definitely not start today. Ino, Naruto, Tenten and Kakashi were proud of her and already knew that they wouldn’t turn their backs on the pinkette. “We are all ninjas from Timea-gakure and it is our responsibility to protect our home at any cost! I will not judge anyone who would leave but I made my decision. Uchiha Sasuke and his army can take over lands but we have the will of fire burning in our hearts! Is was us who rebuilt Timea from it’s grounds to a proud land and no matter what, I will protect my home!” Haruno Sakura represented the perfect picture of a great leader even though she hid the truth from her comrades. The army was silent and obviously needed a moment to think about the new situation that would probably change everything. It would be a gruesome, horrible battle. Konoha was incredibly experienced. The army contains only the strongest fighters and Uchiha Sasuke was known to be an absolute deadly shinobi. And Sakura would have to face this shinobi as the leader of Timea… . . . “I’m in!” Yamanaka Ino and Nohara Rin were the first ones to break the silence, smiling at the leader with the pink hair. “Me too!”, Tenten added which didn’t really surprise Sakura. “Hey, I’m totally in, datttebayo!” “Don’t forget about me.”, Kiba grinned and Kakashi looked more than pleased for more and more ninjas raised their hands to voice out their vows. “Count me in!” “I’ll fight with you guys!” “It’s about time we kick some boss ass!” “No way are we gonna lose to Konoha!” “We’re gonna make them feel sorry for challenging us!” A bright smile touched Sakura’s lips while she was watching all her comrades looking confident and determined. Yes, they would have to fight again. Yes, it would be hard for them. Yes, she wanted to cry. But it wouldn’t change anything about her situation and Sakura knew that there weren’t many options to consider. If they wanted Timea to keep it’s freedom and safety, there was no other way around. They literally had no choice. “Guys, we need to see our leader!”, one shinobi suddenly said. “Yeah, he’s right. Why doesn’t he show himself?” Naruto threw Sakura an alarmed look and saw the nervousness in her green eyes. Because yes, she knew what she actually had to do. The army needed to know the truth about the identity of their leader… “He will show up two days before the fight.”, she then promised. “Eight days. And then, we will fight together and win!” The ninjas nodded as everyone rose their fists to show how determined and serious they now were. “YES!” . . . “SASUKE!” Konoha’s most powerful hokage found himself in a dark world in the middle of an empty, fog filled battlefield. He didn’t know where he was nor did he understand how he got here and for some reason, he couldn’t find the will to care. “SASUKE, HELP ME!” It was the horrified voice of a woman that caught his attention and forced him to feel something he never had even begun to think about. The person calling him was definitely a female and didn’t only sound frightened, no, she seemed to be in absolute panic. She was definitely panicking, calling him in dark despair as if she was suffering from the most horrible torture which made him feel bitter, shocking sorrow inside his heart. He was afraid. Sasuke was worried about this woman. “SASUKEEEE!” Her last scream made his insides freeze and his heart clench. That’s when he started running. Sasuke started running and tried to look for her in this dark, unknown world. However, he wasn’t sure who he was trying to find, who he was so worried about that he actually felt physical pain at the mere thought of… being too late. After all, there were no women in his life that mattered enough to make him act like a crying fool, there were no women he actually… loved.

But still. He still felt his blood boil when he heard her piercing scream again. Sasuke was sure that he had never heard such a pain filled, tortured voice, that so much horror and suffering could be even voiced out like that. He always thought that even the most gruesome pain and suffering had certain limits- But he was so awfully wrong. He didn’t want this. Whoever she was, Sasuke did not want her to feel any kind of pain. This beautiful sounding voice shouldn’t scream so damaged and suffering, this stranger shouldn’t be hurt or tortured because… even thinking about it dulled Sasuke’s entire life. “Where are you?!”, he howled. “I’m coming for you, so tell me where you are!” It felt natural talking to her like, as if he actually knew her... “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” His eyes twitched in shock, his shaking hands were turned into fists and his jaw hardened as Sasuke ran faster, flashing like lightning to save her while feeling rage burning his blood. “DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!”, the black haired hokage screamed who wanted to murder the bastard who dared hurting her. “Let her go or I swear to God, I will rip you to shreds!” His deep voice was burning from hatred and blood thirst, which too wasn’t common for the hokage, but he couldn’t help it and didn’t care either. Every pained scream felt like a kunai being rammed inside his pulsating heart and dammit, he wanted it to stop. He wanted to stop her suffering and save her! “SASUKE! PLEASE, I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” She cried and for a second, Sasuke thought he was burning alive. Those unusual, intense feelings were squeezing him and after hearing that piercing, shrill scream, he knew it would be the last one. Sasuke’s body and soul felt her life ending just like that. And then, at this moment… He lost himself. “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” . .. … “No!” Sweat covered and breathless, Sasuke rose up and found himself in his own bedroom again. He felt dizzy, the word around seemed to be vibrating and it took awfully long for him to understand that this horrible scenario ended. For the first time, he was happy to be in his bedroom, really. It was a dream. A horrible, gruesome, too real nightmare. Those really started to get on Sasuke’s nerves..!. . . Sasuke’s day had been kind of boring for nothing special happened. Training, annoying paper work and making sure to prepare the army for the upcoming battle filled his day, but the difference was that the hokage couldn’t quite focus on anything. “You seem distracted, Sasuke-sama.” Neji’s voice brought him back from his depressing thoughts before Sasuke looked to the Hyuuga who -of course- saw right through the hokage. “It’s nothing, Neji.”, he simply brushed off and sighed quietly. “There is nothing do do here for you. You should go home and rest.” Neji nodded understandingly and left the black haired ninja who was really thankful to the gods that the Hyuuga was such an uncomplicated and loyal man. His thoughts drifted off again and Sasuke remembered that godforsaken dream. He really couldn’t understand. Why did he dream about a person he obviously had never seen in his life? Why did he feel such panic and why did it feel so real? Why did he even care if she was hurt or not? As far as he knew, there weren’t many people he would try to save that desperately and those were not women. No woman was that important to him. …. Those dreams had started annoying him approximately two years ago, right after his 21 birthday. At first, he was only able to see the silhouette of a woman who looked graceful and soft while the shadow ofher hair danced in the wind. The woman possessed no colors and seemed like a shadow that had burned itself in his brain. Soft nothings were whispered in his ear by a gentle, beautiful voice that felt so familiar and yet so strange because Sasuke was absolutely sure that he didn’t know a woman who was this close to him. However, those dreams didn’t want to stay nice and soft and turned into horrible nightmares months later. Her voice changed with despair and pain and she started crying and screaming which maddened the black haired hokage who never stopped looking and running for her. Sasuke tried to ignore those nightmares but this task was really far easier said than done because this girl… this woman felt so real. Not only would he never stop trying to save her, Sasuke even… missed her presence… And this is not how the hokage actually was. “Tche. Ridiculous.” Why was he even worrying about such childish dreams? He said it himself, didn’t he? Those nightmares were nothing but ridiculous dreams and Sasuke felt even more ridiculous for worrying about this non existent woman so much. Well, he probably just needed a little training session with Shisui to distract him. Hopefully, those dreams would stop bothering him one day. . . . ……………………………………..…………………………………. “SHANNARO!” A hard punch thundered in the middle of the warm, quiet woods. “Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!” Sakura hated Konoha-gakure and this goddamn bastard Uchiha Sasuke from the deepest bottoms of her heart! Bastard, asshole, fucker, son of a bitch! What kind of person would declare war?! How fucked up in the head must he be to actually declare war for basically no goddamn reason whatsoever?! What the hell was wrong with that bastard?! Sakura was panting, feeling that familiar clench inside her throat while she punished the tree for Uchiha Sasuke’s decision. Breathing became harder, the air had trouble to reach her lungs which Sakura tried to control as calmly as she could… God, she was so angry… For so many years she worked hard and did everything to save her homeland from its own downfall, trying to build a new structure for all the villagers to have a normal life again- After all her efforts, this man showed up and destroyed everything with one, single message. Just to… to fucking prove he’s superior..?! “Oh Sakura, stop torturing the poor tree.” It were Ino and Naruto who finally found the pinkette. “Ino’s right. It didn’t do anything to you, dattebayo.” The blond shinobis knew how devastated their pink haired friend was and tried to cheer her up even if they knew their efforts would be useless. Sakura was good at holding the best speeches and boosting everyone’s confidence, but still, she failed at trying to fight back her own fears. There was no doubt that the Haruno was shaking of fear. “I HATE Konoha!”, she hissed hatefully. “And I HATE that Uchiha-bastard!” Her hand touched her head, fingers pulling at her own braid of desperation. “Get a grip, Sakura, you’re making a scene.”, Ino ordered. “You’re not being yourself.” “How am I supposed to get a grip, Ino? If Timea loses, we will either die or be enslaved!” Just thinking about his made her insides burn and Sakura felt the desire to choke that old bastard for being such an arrogant, blood thirsty son of a bitch! “And let’s not forget that this old asshole is an Uchiha! So not only is his army fucking insane, he too is an exceptional fighter with basically no weaknesses!” Sakura didn’t realize she was walking in circles while she got lost in her own thoughts, talking about her fears without thinking about Ino and Naruto. “Our army is nothing compared to them! Their fighters are perfect and I don’t want to even think about all those kekkei genkais. We are not half as experienced either! And now I even have to tell them the truth about me! What if they lose hope and leave the army? What if they start hating me? What if-” “Come on, no one’s gonna hate you, dattebayo. Especially not now-” “Even IF we can compete with their army...” Sakura continued talking without acknowledging her friend’s efforts to talk to her. “How am I supposed to fight their leader? How can I, a woman without nin- and gen-jutsu, compete with an Uchiha who possesses the sharingan?!” “Sakura, you are a chakra-blocker. You will be able to whop that bastards ass-” “I won’t be able to do shit if he uses his sharingan on me, shannaro!” Sure, Kakashi-sensei always made sure to train with her so she can get used to the sharingan’s powerful abilities, however, Sakura was afraid of the even more dangerous mangekyou sharingan. Because no matter how much she trained with Kakashi, the mangekyou sharingan scared her the most. There was no way Kakashi could prepare her for this because he once told her that the mangekyou is an individual power and every Uchiha possesses different abilities. So, how could she possibly fight someone with such great powers? Sakura wasn’t born with a kekkei genkai or any special powers at all, for God’s sake, that bastard would probably laugh at her for attempting to challenge him. “He’s going to win. That guy will kill me first and then-” “Okay, that’s IT!” A loud slap echoed through the woods and silenced the kunoichi immediately. Naruto’s eyes were widened when Ino looked at Sakura sharply who simply rose her hand and touched her reddened cheek, looking almost paralyzed by her blonde friend’s slap. “Get a fucking grip, Sakura! The whole army is ready to fight and didn’t lose hope at all! So stop mourning us all because we’re not dead yet, you hear me? Don’t you ever forget that this army is not weak!” Naruto felt a little lost, looking back and forth to assess the situation between the hotheaded kunoichis. “How can it be that you are able to cheer everyone up but fail to believe your own words? Believe in our army like you did a dozen times before and act like the leader you fucking are, Haruno Sakura!” Sakura’s jaw dropped and eyes widened after hearing those words. Yamanaka Ino was a woman full of self confidence and possessed high temper and belonged to those people who were able to reach others with bare words. She understood her friend of course, but showing sympathy wouldn’t help her, so being harsh was the only option for the blonde. “Ino’s right, you know.”, Naruto said, planting one hand on her shoulder. “You are our leader and everyone trusts you. You will be accepted and no one is gonna leave the army just because you’re a woman.”, he assured and looked like he really believed what he said. “We should just enjoy our life for a few days. Let’s just stop worrying for a while and use this time to recover from the last battle. We can do it, Sakura, like we always do.” The grin on his face was honest and comforting and Sakura felt hope shining inside her again after realizing that Ino and Naruto really believed they could win. So… She did, too. Sakura wanted to believe in her army and smiled for being depressed wouldn’t do any good and probably have more negative effects on her. “You’re right...”, she then said before she dried her tears with the back of her hand. “I believe in our army, shannaro.”

. . . In all her happiness, the group didn’t realize the purple-eyed observer whose eyes were fixated on the three ninjas. A wide, sinister smirk tucked at his lips after hearing the more than shocking information he gladly gained. Who would have thought that the mysterious leader was actually a woman..? “Well, that’s really interesting...” ……………………………………………………………………………………… “Come on, wildcat. Give it to me, dattebayo...” Ino rolled her blues eyes in bemused annoyance while training with Naruto and threw several kunais at the fox ninja who expertly dodged them. She blocked one of his punches, flipped back to gain some distance and threw three shuriken which Naruto -again- blocked with his kunai. Both ninjas trained for hours now, both of them didn’t really give it their all for this match was just a little distraction to them after having so much stress lately. “Baby, we both know you can do better than this.”, Naruto grinned smugly. “Call me that one more time and I will feed you with your intestines.” Naruto laughed a little troubled and wondered where the Yamanaka learned to use such amusing threats. The blonde was one hell of a hot challenge with a temper that was on the same level as Sakura’s which actually said a lot. Speaking of- Sakura had accompanied Kiba and Tenten who wanted to get something to eat while Kakashi Sensei and Rin Sensei were looking for more recruits that would join their army. So that’s why Ino and Naruto had decided to have a little match and of course, the jinchuuriki made sure to drive her crazy. Naruto admitted… that he had a thing for Ino. Her sharp tongue, her exceptional skills as a kunoichi combined with her caring nature she tried to hide to bad was appealing to him for Naruto found this interesting mixture absolutely amazing. Probably too much for is own good, really… “You let your guard open, Baby.” Before Naruto could even blink, he was tackled and found himself fall to the ground with a warm body above him. She pushed him to the ground and had this little, sexy smirk on her lips which somehow excited the shinobi who grinned at her confidence. “I win.” His heartbeat quickened when he felt her hips dangerously near his crotch and swallowed because -damn- she felt good. Dangerously good. Almost too good for his and her own good. But then, out of nowhere, the unthinkable happened. Naruto heard a quite noise and acted immediately by flipping her body around and pressing her to the ground to shield her from three kunais that were thrown in their direction. “What the hell..?!” The ninjas got up quickly and waited for more attacks while looking for the attackers, backs touching and bodies alarmed. Dozens of weapons were flying at their direction, obviously trying to kill them fast as Naruto and Ino blocked every single weapon with their kunais. They actually wanted to capture the strangers to investigate them, however, their enemies didn’t stop with their assaults so they didn’t really have a choice. “Okay, I don’t have time for this bullshit!” Ino reached out with both her arms and formed her strongest hand seal to use the kekkei genkai she mastered thanks to some intense training with the Yamanaka Clan. “I’ll cover you, Ino!”, Naruto assured whom she trusted without any concern. Ino closed her eyes to take a few minutes to concentrate and detect the chakra sources which really took a while for the blonde because whoever attacked them knew well to cover their chakra excellently. The veins around her eyes pulsated, her heart beat strongly against her chest as she breathed calmly, before she finally opened her glowing eyes. “Mind destruction!” Within five seconds Ino felt how she controlled four ninjas and Naruto blinked unsure about the way how Ino’s hands were violently shaking, as if she was carrying the world with them. “Holy fuck, they’re tough..!”, she grunted. “Come on, Naruto… URGH-… Finish them off now!” Nodding, Naruto obeyed to her command and didn’t need long to find the attackers and end their life quickly. It was really shocking to him that some robbers managed to get that close to their place. “Ino? Are you okay?”, the worried ninja asked and saw her nod, even though she was sweating from exhaustion. “Yeah, I’m okay.”, she panted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Those were some tough bastards. Really gotta hand it to them...” The Yamanaka actually gave it her all and wasted a lot of chakra which didn’t happen that often. She want to Naruto to inspect the dead bodies whereas the Yamanaka tilted her head in confusion. Those guys didn’t look like typical robbers to her for all of them wore headbands like every other ninja in this world. However, there was nothing carved into their headbands, making it impossible to find out which village had sent them. The piece of metal was just blank and it didn’t take long for Ino to know who those guys were. “Naruto, these bastards aren’t just average robbers...” “WHAT?” But this couldn’t be...- “Hey! Naruto, Ino!” The two blond shinobis turned around and saw Sakura, Tenten and Kiba who all looked riled up and exhausted. “Thank God, you’re okay!”, Kiba said relieved when he saw them, confusing the ninjas even more. Their clothes were dirty and torn, their chakra depleted and their faced more than troubled which only leaded to one conclusion… A fight. “Okay, what the fuck just happened?!”, Naruto demanded angrily, looking at the pink haired leader who was still upset and exhausted. “We were attacked...”, Tenten panted, still trying to calm down after the last incident. “And the attackers came from another village..!” . . . ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Well hellooooo and thank you for reading the third chapter of my unfortunately not too spectacular fanfic. Sorry about that, but I need to build up the plot but I promise, even if my English isn’t perfect, you’re gonna love it! Also, as you can see, my version of Ino and co and their abilities are a little different :D I did that on purpose because… I dunno, it’s a fanfic and I like their new powers lol Guys, I’m so exhausted. I became a Zumba Instructor a few months ago and now, I give Zumba lessons 7 times every week! I’m so happy, but damn, my legs are still shaking :,D Well, I hope you liked this chapter and forgive me my typos hehe

with love Fifi-Uchiha <3

#sasusaku #naruino #born to live 3 #naruto

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artlessictoan · 7 years

Text

Day 5 - Family

you’d think that just rehashing the exact same format that I used for the family theme of temari week last year would’ve meant I got this out on time, but no. well… at least it’s p long?

I guess this is just a thing now.. if kank week rolls around and ‘family’ isn’t a theme I’m kinda screwed

hope you enjoy!

AO3 version

---

Age three and he first knows that he is different, though he’s not sure how.

Adults talk above him, quiet and distant and utterly incomprehensible, but their stares weigh heavy on him, pulled down by the indistinct whispers that always lingered just behind him, no matter how far he turned. He tugs on his keeper’s apron, holds himself up against stiff legs, but will not lift his head to look at him, nor will the man look down.

Family is just a word; he’s told it’s what Yashamaru and father are, though he doesn’t understand why other adults are not, or why it’s so important he remember it.

---

Age five and the feeling is growing worse every day.

He knows why everyone stares, knows why they whisper behind cupped hands, knows why they run. Father tells him that it is because he is valuable, he will become the salvation of the village, he does not need to interact with anyone but him and his uncle, stop causing trouble, just stay inside and behave. Yashamaru tries to hide himself from the truth, ignores him when he insists that Shukaku is being mean to him again, just pats the air just above his head – always the air, never his thick and unruly locks – and asks if he wouldn’t rather play with his toys.

Family is expectation and purpose, it is the long lectures on the state of the world and what he will do to change it; it is the siblings he’s heard about, but rarely sees, little more than ghosts at the edges of his mind; it is not-quite-meeting eyes and unfathomable sighs hidden beneath tight smiles.

---

Age six and blood runs thickly into his eye.

The truth has finally released him; he is not loved and he never had been, nothing will change it… but he no longer wants to.

Family is hate and fear and pain, it is the assassin in the night and the rage of a mother carrying out her final, terrible vengeance.

If no one else would love him, then he will just do it himself.

---

Age eight and he hardly notices anything anymore.

A knife cuts the air with barely a hiss, but the woman’s scream sings in the night. Sand crawls across his spoon before it can even reach his mouth, the way the poison splits the skin of its practitioner fascinates him for hours. Through his shield, he can feel the heat of the fire jutsu, it isn’t hot enough. Shadows move too quickly in the periphery of his vision, he drags the assailant out of them and watches the light die in his eyes. The girl had no weapon on her corpse, nor poison or scrolls, the blood spattered on his face dries quickly in the blazing sun.

Family is the rush of his heart as another body falls around him, it is the warmth and love that flows through him like blood flows from a split stomach, it is sand that wraps just slightly too-tight tendrils around his ankles when his demon needs to remind him what it wants.

---

Age twelve and his siblings immediately tense when he enters the room.

Baki’s explanation doesn’t interest him, nor does the prospect of doing anything that would benefit the village whose existence he only tolerates because its fear is on occasion mildly amusing. But the opportunity to leave this dead and empty place, go further into the world than he ever had before and tear away its foundations, announce his existence to it before the whole thing crumbled at his feet… that prospect is all-too enticing, even after father drags him aside one night and tells him that this mission will decide his fate, that if he doesn’t play along like a good child, then he will not be returning.

Family is more trouble than it’s worth. He agrees to the terms, not because of the threat – father doesn’t have the guts, doesn’t have the strength; why else would he leave the insulting attempts on his life to others? – but because of Mother’s whispers of all the games they could play in Konoha, he’d take her there wouldn’t he? Such a good boy.

---

Age thirteen and he is trying so very hard to be human.

His words and actions are clumsy, mimicking what he sees in others, without understanding any of it. Kankuro can’t relax near him, Temari’s words are carefully considered and placed, he watches them through his third eye one night, nursing warm drinks as they speak of a book Temari is reading, of Kankuro’s latest project, pushing and shoving and falling to the floor in breathless laughter and he wonders; is that what it means to a sibling? To be human?

Family is spying and learning and feeling a tight, burning sensation in his dry eyes as Kankuro’s hand brushes his shoulder, even as he brushes it away before the gentle touch can break him. It is the confusion when Temari offers him a novel, her tight-lipped smile as she says she thinks that he would enjoy it.

---

Age fifteen and the stiffness still lingers in his fingers and toes.

He has not been left alone for over a month now – not truly alone, even if they keep their presences hidden, he is aware of the eyes always nearby – shinobi wander into his office without an appointment almost eight times a day, Baki insists upon walking with him to and from council meetings and Matsuri has taken to leaving snacks and fresh cups of tea in his most-frequented rooms, with short notes written in bright ink reminding him of the medics’ advice to stay nourished, He doesn’t want to resent the attention, he’d spent half his life begging to experience it, but the acts fuel his old, comfortable paranoias and the effort to restrain his worst impulses at every friendly greeting exhausts him more than even death had.

Family is the respect and devotion of a community and realising that protection goes both ways. He still asks his siblings to help stem the tide; they agree, but with every delicate chiding by his sister, every sincere inquiry into his health by his brother, the guilt remains.

---

Age twenty and he finally has time to stop and think.

The war had long been over and peace returned, there is still much work to be done, many bridges to be built, many agreements to be made. Even so, he also finds himself for the first time with friendships both intense and casual, and he actually has the free time to pursue them, he talks with Naruto every chance they get, Sakura sends him letters updating him on Konoha’s progress, Shikamaru regularly challenges him to games of shogi, Matsuri gushes to him about her new girlfriend, old lady Ohno makes him promise to keep her funeral small and humble, Baki cries whenever he reaches a new milestone in his career.

Family is learning that grand displays and solemn promises aren’t all that’s needed in a strong relationship, it’s also small gestures and simple understanding.

---

Age twenty-six and, for the first time since his turn, impulse takes him.

The three children look around his home with suspicious eyes, they move with the same care and uncertainty that he once had, as though terrified that a single step out of place will have them thrown back onto the streets. He doesn’t know how to reassure them, but he remembers what his siblings did for him when they first started living together – a pantry always stocked with favoured meals, a space entirely yours to retreat to when the paranoia proved too much, unspoken invitations to join in family activities only when ready – he’s not sure that he is doing it right, but when Araya first calls him ‘dad’ he smiles for what feels like hours.

Family is terror and panic and constant uncertainty, but it is also pride and caring and joy and an indescribable love filling the soul until it was lighter than air.

---

Age fifty-two and Baki’s death destabilises him more than he could have ever imagined.

He and his siblings trudge through the funeral preparations on memory alone, none of them quite present in the room, even as they perform the expected motions and speak of all that their sensei had done for them. Once his children retreat to their old bedroom – still with red eyes for the man they’d called ‘grandpa’ even now that they were all adults, already off starting families of their own – he, Kankuro and Temari huddle together under a blanket, under the stars. They talk of memories, of fathers, both unofficial and blood, of mothers and uncles and the pain of losing each and every one.

Family is looking back and looking forwards at the same time, sharing the loss of loved ones to make the pain just a little more bearable and hoping that when you go, those who live on won’t ever feel such grief for one so undeserving.

---

Age Seventy-nine and there is still so much left to learn.

Life continues, the world running around him, even after he has decided that he no longer has a place in driving it.

Family is something he’s sought his entire life, knowingly or not, but he’s sure he’s found it now; in the friendship of those who found a way to believe in a boy’s humanity when he himself could not, in the respect of a community that had willingly taken him into its arms, despite every hurt he’d brought it, in the smiles and adoration of three children he’d saved from mistakes of the past, in the sensei who had filled a void he’d not even known was there, in the siblings who had pulled him into a bond stronger than any force of nature, in the faint memories of sandy hair and the bitter taste of iron, in the embrace of sand that had never once left him, not even in his darkest moments.

Despite everything, it was more than worth it.

---

#ictoan writes #gaarabday #gaara #temari #kankuro #sand siblings #naruto #also mentions of several other characters #sorry it's late but hopefully it's worth it!#oh uh..#violence tw #i mean it's baby gaara so of course but just in case

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naruto-oc-critiques · 7 years

Text

Uzumaki Sōha

Hi there! I would really love to have my timeline Naruto OC critiqued so I can try and develop him better. Right now, here’s just the first part of his bio. ^^ Hopefully, I can have the second part finished when you guys open submissions again. ^^ Thanks and have a great day! *.*

http://dreamchaser21.deviantart.com/art/Naruto-OC-Soha-Uzumaki-Full-Bio-Part-I-624184850

THIS CHARACTER IS ONLY AN “FAN CHARACTER” FOR THE MANGA / ANIME SERIES, “NARUTO”. HE DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE OFFICIAL MANGA OR ANIME AND HE IS ONLY USED IN FANFICTION AND FANDOM PURPOSES. MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING, SO YOU WON’T MISS ANY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Sōha Uzumaki (うずまき・ソウハ, Uzumaki Sōha) is a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a member of Team Hosaki, and a paternal descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. After becoming a resident in the village and learning the truth behind his father’s absence, Sōha makes a vow to find his long-lost father and make his family whole again by becoming a shinobi. In turn, he would go through challenges in his life that would test his mentality and creates bonds with many allies within the village.

:: PERSONAL :: Name: Sōha Uzumaki (うずまき・ソウハ) Birthday: ♓ March 12th [Pisces] Gender: ♂ Male Age: 13-14 [Part I] Status: Alive Height: 147.23 cm (4 ft. 8 in.) - 149.62 cm (4 ft. 9 in.) Weight: 42.2 kg (93 lbs) - 44.5 kg (97 lbs) Blood Type: A Occupation: Shinobi | Waiter [On Call] Affiliation: Konohagakure Team: Team 5 :: RANK :: Ninja Rank: Genin Ninja Registration: #010689 Academy Graduation Age: 13 :: LOYALTY/CLAN :: Uzumaki Clan :: FAMILY :: Kanu Uzumaki [Father - Presumed Deceased] Izumi Uzumaki née Hada [Mother - Jōnin Kunoichi/Botanist] :: NATURE RELEASE :: Water Release (水遁, Suiton) - Affinity :: JUTSU :: Water Release: Azure Sphere Water Release: Bubble Crush Water Release: Pressure Bullets Water Release: Rhapsody Wave Water Release: Waning Moon Flip Uzumaki Trademark Jutsu: Latent Ripples :: TOOLS :: Scrolls :: VOICE ACTOR :: Mitsuki Saiga (JP) Brad Swaile (EN) :: BACKGROUND STORY :: Sōha was born to his parents, Kanu and Izumi Uzumaki on the night of March 12th at a local hospital near the outer borders of an unnamed country. Kanu was a shinobi from the renowned Uzumaki clan and Izumi was a kunoichi who lived in Kusagakure and studied botany for a side-occupation. During the Third Shinobi World War, Kanu had decided to have his wife take their newborn son and leave the country so they can take refuge in another village. Even though Izumi knew that her husband was a powerful shinobi in his own right, she knew that trying to sway him from the continuous fighting would be rather difficult for her to do. Kanu had promised Izumi that he would find her and his son when the war was over. Soon after the declaration, the couple had shared a passionate kiss before departing and Izumi quickly fled the country with her newborn son.

The Third Shinobi War was over before Naruto’s birth, so that can’t be a reason…but you can say instead border skirmishes that were a result of the Third War, or make up regional conflicts.

For a protracted period of time, Izumi and Sōha had traveled to many of the smaller countries and the highly trained kunoichi realized that she wanted her son to have a stable, normal life. After recalling that her unknown country and the Land of Fire were allies, Izumi figured it would best for her and Sōha to become citizens in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Around this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently reinstated as the Third Hokage and Izumi had to go through the arduous process of obtaining residency there within the village. During that time, Izumi and Sōha were heavily surveillanced and it took nearly six months for the paperwork to be processed and submitted. After the seventh month, Izumi and her son had been successfully approved by the system and the two of them could live peacefully as citizens.

very good! only, did they keep the name ‘Uzumaki’? If they did, were there any complications, did it turn any heads?

Even though Izumi had completed her task of finding a permanent home for her son, growing up was rather difficult for Sōha without his father being around. Not only that, Izumi had to work a part-time job as a botanist and take B-Rank missions in order for her family to have a steady income. Their financial binds wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either and it really put a strain on Izumi to carry the financial support on her own. Over the years, things gradually got a little better for Sōha and his mother and at the age of eight, Sōha was enrolled into the Academy and he became friends with Kiba Inuzuka - after helping him find Akamaru when the latter snuck out of class to go to the practice hall (to not practice, of course). At first, Sōha was a bit put off by Kiba’s wild and egotistic behavior, but he slowly grew accustomed to it after hanging around him and he was grateful that he had someone to keep him company. Izumi was happy that her son made a friend and was starting to get accustomed to the village, but after eight years of not hearing anything from her husband, she was losing hope and her heart was breaking with coming to terms that her husband might no longer be alive. Even so, she refused to believed in her own dubiety and prayed for her husband’s return. It was one day when Sōha had came home from the Academy and Izumi was looking through one of her photo albums. Izumi had took one good look at him and she momentarily saw Kanu through her son, resulting in her breaking down crying in front of Sōha. At that point, he didn’t understand what had caused his mother so much pain and Sōha told her that until that day come, he would be the man of the house and protect his mother and her heart until Kanu had returned. Even after so many years, Sōha had never gave up on his father coming home - especially since his mother had told him so many good stories about Kanu’s exploits as a shinobi. Unfortunately, this had caused Sōha to slowly start resenting his father because of his mother having to deal with such an unbearable burden and pain. After making the earlier declaration to protect his mother, Sōha decided to become a shinobi that would put his life on the line to keep the bonds of family intact and protect those closest to him. With Sōha wanting to become the best shinobi, it would come with serious consequences and setbacks. During the last year of his Academy training, Sōha had became stress to the point where his shinobi performance and academics were declining from the result of him trying too hard. This in turn caused him to be retained in the Academy and it would be another year before he was able to graduate. During the Academy graduation ceremony, Sōha had showed up to congratulate Kiba on becoming a genin. Kiba had wondered was he okay about not being able to graduate with his class but Sōha told him that he would be fine. To Sōha, he still had enough time to become a great shinobi just as long as he believed in himself and continued to work hard. After talking for a little while longer, Sōha told Kiba to not get hurt or worse before he could become a genin himself. With that statement, Kiba laughed it off by letting him know that no such thing would happen and he would wish Sōha the best of luck on his extra year of training. :: PERSONALITY ::As a person who lives by his own quote, Sōha is an interesting individual who lives his life to the swaying of the ocean waves, which makes his personality really hard to pin down. He is mysterious and elusive and Sōha’s personality is somewhat molded by different surroundings. Sōha is willing to help another person and put their needs before his own in a heartbeat. He is very compassionate and sensitive and he feels the pain of others, especially if he could relate to them from personal experiences. He may be sensitive, but he isn’t a pushover, either. Sōha also has a bad side and it’s extremely hard to get off if you were to ever anger him in the slightest way. The only way that won’t happen is if you known him long enough to completely understand his personality. He also has an intuitive feeling than most people don’t give him enough credit for. His gut feeling about sensing certain people and corrupted hearts in general has never failed him because his instinct is usually accurate. In battle, Sōha believes in taking down an opponent quickly with or without a plan if they pose a threat. He can predict a person’s thoughts and what their true intentions may lie after a simple bout with them. Deep inside, Sōha struggles with an inner conflict with himself: trying to bring his family back together and feeling as if his motives would never come to fruition. Because of this, sometimes he will seclude himself away from reality as a way to escape that negative feeling. Despite that, Sōha does have great strength and character and he will fight for what he believes in. :: APPEARANCE ::Sōha Uzumaki has short, dark red hair - a common trait from the Uzumaki clan - with a large fringe that covers his left eye, jordy blue eyes, and a pale coral skin complexion. During Part I, he wears a cerulean blue jacket with a light copper hood and matching swirl designs on the short sleeves, a meshed armor undershirt, nero black trousers, and fingerless gloves with the backhand partially exposed. He also dons a licorice grey forehead protector in the traditional fashion and shinobi sandals of the same color with a kunai holster bandaged on his right leg. :: ABILITIES ::Sōha has been praised by his sensei, Hosaki Sekimoto that he has a natural prowess for water ninjutsu. However, with his weakness in speed and seals, he falls short when it comes to executing his jutsus at a timely manner. Despite his lacking skills, his greater strength lies within his taijutsu and stamina. :: Ninjutsu :: Fūinjutsu and Water NinjutsuSōha Uzumaki has a unique fighting style with sealing scrolls and water ninjutsu. He combines these two types of techniques and fights with long range and concentrated attacks. Because of his mediocre skills with performing basic ninjutsu through normal means, this tactic helps him a lot during a battle. Before going on a mission, he would check out and practice different water techniques and seal their abilities in scrolls so they can be ready for use on the battlefield. In Part I, Sōha is only capable of using up to five water ninjutsu techniques that he sealed in scrolls because it consumes a lot of his chakra from constant use. Life Force and Stamina ProwessAs a direct descendant from the Uzumaki clan, Sōha has a powerful life-force and immense longevity, giving him an edge in battle. Because of this, he is able to last longer in battle than most genin his age and can push himself past physical limits with his vitality. A good example of this is that Sōha can use his own life force as a second source of chakra to use proper ninjutsu temporary through his own technique: Latent Ripples. However, using that ability drains his chakra immensely and can result in dreadful consequences.

good that you are thinking of drawbacks! however, the crafting of a technique is generally regarded as something extremely complex and dangerous, and only the best of the best attempts it, because everyone else is busy practicing with what’s already out there. Minato did it because he was at the crux of the shinobi arts. Kakashi did it ‘cause he’s a pompous brat. Maybe Sōha can simply modify an existing technique with the help of his teacher, or simply overpower a technique enough to create his own unique version of it, since he’s an Uzumaki and they do stuff like that.

:: Stats ::

:: PART I :: Adapting To Life in Konoha Around this time, Sōha noticed that his mother was putting in more hours at the botanical gardens. Not liking the idea of his mother working herself to the bone in order to support them, Sōha had decided to to go hunting for a on-call job that he could work in between missions in order to have his own financial support and give his mother some days at home to relax. During the job hunt, Sōha was striking out with some of the local places, but he had his eyes set on working at the Yakiniku Q restaurant. When he was younger, Sōha and his mother were regular customers during the bustling Friday evening crowds and he got to know the owner well after being serviced from him almost every week. After thinking it over, he went to the restaurant to talk to him about a job.

Fortunately, the owner was looking for someone who could do on-call work, but he was afraid that the workload would be too much for such a young man to handle. Of course, this didn’t discourage Sōha to give up on wanting the job and he wanted to prove to the owner that he can indeed juggle between his career as a shinobi and this new opportunity. Moved by the boy’s enthusiasm, he gave Sōha the job of being the new waiter at the Yakiniku Q restaurant. That following afternoon, Sōha had came in for work on his first night and he was nervous about the whole ordeal. When he went to serve his very first table, he had no idea that he would serve his childhood friend, Kiba along with his teammate, Hinata Hyuga.

At first sight, Sōha thought that Hinata was a very pretty girl and even blushed around her, but when he shook her hand, he felt something unusual. He sensed that she was unconsciously harboring detrimental intentions and he couldn’t understand why. Despite his initial thoughts, Sōha considered her to be nice and kind-hearted. Kiba had also brought his classmates, Sakura Haruno and the hyper knucklehead ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. Sōha found it weird for Naruto to have the same last name as his, but he had introduced himself by only his first name to take their order and to avoid an awkward situation that could lead to some uncomfortable questions. After a few moments of Kiba and Sōha catching up and updating each other with what’s being going on in their lives, Sakura had cut in rudely ask for Sōha to take their order, which was something that Sōha didn’t appreciate and he let it be known to her by retorting back in a equally rude manner. Naruto easily got upset at Sōha and demanded that he apologize to her. Sadly, Sōha didn’t apologize to her and called him an idiot for defending someone who didn’t know how to be respectful. This made Naruto even more upset and because he was causing a scene, he had to leave the place. Sakura on the other hand had told Sōha that he you should be more respectful to his customers. But Sōha told her that in order to earn respect, you have to give respect. Kiba didn’t say anything, because he had agreed with him and shared the same values as well. After that little verbal scuffle, it was made clear that Souha was not taken with Sakura Haruno and her attitude. Genin Training Years In the early summer when Sōha had graduated from the Academy, he was assigned on Team 5 with two other shinobi, Heizen Ikutama and Kotomi Niwasaki. Their jōnin sensei would be Hosaki Shikuma, an above average shinobi with a prowess with Fire Ninjutsu. The newly formed team would have to go through a series of tests before actually becoming genin. At first, their camaraderie had caused many failed attempts at trying to complete their first mission – defeating their teacher with a collaboration technique. After several more attempts, the group finally came together as a functional team and completed all the requirements they needed to pass as genin. Since Sōha’s team got a late start in the Academy, they were left with doing various D and C-Rank missions in order to gain training and experience. Normally, genin in training would try to rest during the hottest months in Konoha, but Hosaki only had several months to mold them into capable shinobi. Over the course of training, Hosaki was seeing progress but it was mostly between Heizen and Kotomi. Sōha on the other hand was still struggling with some of the basics, which made him get frustrated easily. Hosaki saw this and decided to help him out by visually explaining to him and his teammates how the basics work. At the last month of training, Hosaki decided to see what affinity that each of them had. Sōha had discovered that he had an affinity for Water Release, which he didn’t like at first and called it a lame element. But after seeing how powerful water can be and how it can act as both an offensive and defensive weapon, Sōha had accepted his new affinity with appreciation and gratitude. Together, the four of them would be a team that specializes in chakra element attacks. After the chakra affinity training, Team 5 would continue to go on more missions and come up with their own jutsu to build up their arsenal for the next three years. It would be a tough run for them, but Hosaki couldn’t be happier for the team that he was assigned with. :: TRIVIA ::• Sōha (蒼波) means “Blue Waves” and it’s a reference to his nature transformation. His family name “Uzumaki” can either mean “whirlpool” or “maelstrom”.

place these in the beginning w/ his name, it’d be clearer for yourself and anyone reading it.

• Sōha’s closest friend is Kiba Inuzuka, one of the members of Konoha 12. • When meeting someone new, he never introduces himself by his full name on account of not wanting his heritage of the Uzumaki clan being known throughout the village – especially around Naruto Uzumaki since they both share the same surname and not wanting to bring about complications and awkward questions. • Sōha has a soft spot for animals, especially reptiles in general. This is evident whenever he’s around Akamaru and even gives him homemade dog treats from time to time. • According to the databook(s): • Sōha’s hobbies are playing waboba and swimming. • Sōha’s wishes to fight the underdogs of Konoha: his close friend, Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki. • Sōha’s favorite foods are Nikujaga, Korokke, and Tonjiru Soup while his least favorite food is Ikura. • He has completed 42 missions in total: 24 D-Rank, 17 C-Rank, 1 B-Rank, 0 A-Rank, and 0 S-Rank. • Sōha’s favorite phrase is “The ground becomes firm after rain!” (雨降って地固まる, Ame futte ji katamaru!) which refers to ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’, or ‘adversity builds character’ and his favorite word is “respect” (尊重, sonchō).

:: QUOTES ::

• (To his mother, Izumi) “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll become a proud shinobi and bring Dad back for you. I promise that we’ll be a family again.” • (To Heizen about his lifestyle) “How can you possibly understand? How can the son of a wealthy family possibly understand someone who struggled financially all their life!? That kind of hardship is not something glamorous, you know!” • (To Hosaki about his nature transformation) “Water Release? I’m the strongest out the three of us and I get the weakest element? Fate is being a real bitch to me right about now.” • (To Kiba) “You may be a wild, dog-loving shinobi, but I couldn’t have asked for a better friend than you. Thanks for always being there for me…” • (To Naruto about respect) “I’m pretty sure that you know this already, but in order to get respect, you have to give it. Plain and simple.”

In general, this is a well-fleshed out character. he has great motivation and drive, and his backstory and his involvement with canon characters are all well-thought out.

I suggest you look into writing a list of his likes, dislikes, favorites, personality traits, just for yourself. Right now, he is still feeling somewhat hollow, because I can’t help but think there’s more to him, and wonder how he fares under the kind of traumatic conditions of the world’s cruelty. What does he think of shinobi as tools? What does he think of himself, as such a tool?

Plot-wise, since you’re already writing him as existing somewhat parallel to the main plot of Naruto, write more of it. The coming-of-age story with him setting off to find his father is going to unearth more of Sōha as a character. It will also give credibility to his thoughts that his dream will never come to fruition.

Focus more on the relationship between his teammates and him, along with his teacher. How did his teammates affect his growth, did they help, did they hinder him, what did they do, what do they think of each other? Does he like his teammates? etc. And his teacher’s backstory is worth considering, too, since it might affect the way he teaches the kids. What’s their relationship? Basically, cast the net of your cast (haha) wider. One person’s actions can have far-reaching consequences that are interesting to explore!

This is a good start, and I hope you continue working on Sōha! I look forward to the second installment of his adventures!

- mod Ln

#Naruto OC #submission #mod Ln

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setaripendragon · 8 years

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Familiar Strangers - Six: Genma

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Eight - Nine - Ten Bonus scenes: Five-Point-Five - Seven-Point-Five Okay, this is the part I’ve been looking forward to since I started this self-indulgent story of mine. (-whispers- The Life and Times of a Shinobi Den Mother by @blackkatmagic has absolutely nothing to do with how much I adore Genma. Nup, not a thing. -shifty eyes-)

The first sign Genma got that something was wrong was the two sets of shoes sitting innocently in his front hall. He stopped on the threshold, staring at the footwear. Almost all of his friends wore the standard blue shinobi sandals, not kunoichi heels or black shinobi boots. But what sort of intruder just left their shoes in the hall like a guest?

The second sign he got was the sound of unfamiliar voices coming from his living room. They were quiet enough that he had to strain to pick out the words, but they weren’t trying to hide their presence. So Genma did what any good shinobi would do. He shut the front door silently, then leaned back against it to listen in.

“-wrong. The world cannot change this much in the space of one day.” Female, young, probably a teenager, by Genma’s best guess. She would be the owner of the kunoichi heels, most likely, although girls her age didn’t tend to go for them, as they were favoured by village-bound and retired kunoichi. Pride usually stopped the young, up-and-coming, active kunoichi from wearing them. And this one sounded like she had a lot of pride. She sounded controlled and in control, in a way that suggested there was a lot of anger she very carefully wasn’t showing. “Dead clans and people going rogue and a different Hokage don’t just happen overnight. So someone did something to make the world this messed up, and when I find them, they’re going to bleed until they fix it, and then they’re going to burn.”

Well, Genma thought through the alarm bells suddenly making a racket in the back of his mind, this is one very dangerous kunoichi. She had delivered the threat – the promise – with a quiet, cold certainty that usually characterised the torture half of Torture and Interrogations. She had experience in making people hurt, and she was more than willing use those skills if she needed to.

“Seconded.” Male, also teenaged, with a quiet, rich voice with the careful pronunciation that Genma associated with Elders and the more insular and proud Clans. He also sounded darkly amused by his ally’s bloodlust, which wasn’t encouraging.

“Okay-” A third voice, which startled Genma, but he catalogued and assessed it just like he had the others. “-but who did what, and why?” Male, teenaged, boisterous even in his exasperation with his allies. He sounded familiar to Genma, although he couldn’t place him. “More importantly, how do we find them in order to make them fix it?”

A pause, and then the girl spoke again. “We need to assess the events leading up to the attack.” She said, brisk and matter-of-fact, her anger almost inaudible under her professionalism. “What was everyone doing before we woke up in that ruined lab? I was on shift in T&I, working wet to Ino’s dry on an Iwa-nin Kotetsu-san caught.” Genma stiffened slightly. He might not be particularly familiar with Konoha’s up-and-coming teenage ninja, but he at least recognised the name of the Yamanaka princess. He also didn’t think Inoichi would let his sixteen year old daughter take point in a wet-and-dry interrogation. Yamanaka or not, that required keeping a straight face and a mild tone while your partner pulled apart a human body right in front of you. “Anko-senpai was there, too, to spot us.” Well, at least T&I hadn’t let two teenaged girls run an interrogation by themselves, although leaving Mitarashi Anko in charge of them wasn’t what Genma would have done. That was, he admitted to himself, probably why he wasn’t working in T&I.

“Training.” The eerily familiar boy interjected, with an oddly rueful sort of cheer. “Me and Gaara wanted to see if we could use the shared mindscape under battle conditions, so Kaka-nii and Tobi-nii were kicking the crap out of us on… Training Ground Seventeen, I think? The one with all the big rocks.” Genma closed his eyes for a moment, because unknown people dropping the Kazekage’s name so easily was unnerving, but it also put the voice into context. Uzumaki Naruto, which meant that the girl was probably Haruno Sakura and the other boy… Genma didn’t want to think that Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in his living room, but he couldn’t think of anyone else that fit. All of that put together meant that ‘Kaka-nii’ was probably Hatake Kakashi.

Genma knew, though, that Naruto was not that familiar with his jounin-sensei. He wasn’t that familiar with Iruka, who was like an older brother to him. Just like he knew the Kazekage was not in Konoha, and had not been training with any of Konoha’s ninja in the last few days. Just like he was pretty damn sure Yamanaka Ino wasn’t experienced enough to lead interrogations, Sakura didn’t work for T&I, and wasn’t any sort of torture expert.

He was drawn out of his spiralling thoughts by Sasuke’s voice. “I was meeting with Hinata at the White Lotus to discuss the possibility of trying for ANBU.” The missing nin declared simply. Genma allowed his jaw to go slack, because no one was watching. The idea of Uchiha Sasuke in ANBU was mildly terrifying, given what Genma knew of the boy’s anger issues and suicidal streak. The idea that Uchiha Sasuke thought that Hyuuga Hinata had the skills, never mind the temperament, for ANBU work was even more scary.

None of what these three were saying matched up with the world. Which was, Genma acknowledged, exactly what they’d been discussing. “And then there was that strange explosion.” Sakura concluded, with a quick check of “For all of us?” tacked on at the end. There were no verbal answers, but the boys must have given affirmative ones, because Sakura went on without hesitation to say, “And then we were waking up in that wrecked lab.”

“Could your, hm, interviewee have done something?” Sasuke asked.

Sakura made a frustrated yet thoughtful sound. “We had him pretty tightly locked down, but he might have had a seal primed to activate at a certain threshold of pain or bloodloss.” She acknowledged, but even to Genma’s ear she didn’t sound convinced. “We do check people pretty thoroughly – standard procedure since the Kannabi Bridge debacle – but no security is impregnable.”

The fact that Sakura appeared to know about the Kannabi Bridge mission was another thing that didn’t fit. The only reason Genma knew about it in any specific detail was because Gai had fretted about his Eternal Rival for weeks afterwards. And as far as Genma knew, while it had been something of a mess, it had been completed successfully, and hadn’t had anything much to do with seals or sealing techniques.

“That wouldn’t explain the two of us though.” Naruto pointed out. “If it was a seal, it would have to have the anchor at the lab, as a landing point, you know? And someone would have had to smack a target seal on all three of us. Something that would seal us into whatever protections they’d set up against what they were doing, and then the anchor to spit is back out once the conditions were met.” He paused, and out in the hall Genma tried not to get swamped by painful nostalgia. Naruto sounded so much like his mother used to when she debated seals with Minato-sama, and it ached somewhere deep inside. “That could have been done anywhere, any time. As long as we didn’t notice the target seals, it wouldn’t necessarily affect us until the main seal was activated.”

“Employees get checked just as thoroughly as prisoners for seals.” Sakura retorted, sounding frustrated. “Anything that could have just been smacked on me in passing would have been picked up by the scan when I went in to work. No, I don’t think it could have been a seal, which means those bastards probably got their hands on our blood somehow. Hair’s easier to get a hold of, but I think something this big would have needed blood to get a proper lock on us. Like the Edo Tensei.”

Blood jutsu and one of the creepiest forbidden techniques Genma had ever come across. These three might still be kids, but they were legitimately terrifying, he thought wryly. Of course, the Team Seven Genma had heard stories about were terrifying in their own way, but this was on a different level. Those kids might be power-houses, but they were not all that well versed in a shinobi’s real work. These three were discussing most of the darker aspects that made up the bulk of shinobi work like they were discussing the weather.

“But why?” Naruto burst out suddenly. “Why would they target us?”

“Would you like that list alphabetically or chronologically?” Sasuke drawled.

“Very funny, bastard.” Naruto grumbled, but he didn’t refute the implication that this team had pissed off a lot of people. Which only cemented Genma’s conviction that this version of Team Seven was a lot more experienced than the one he was familiar with. “I mean,” Naruto went on to insist, “if they were trying to get at us, why exclude us from whatever they did? Why do something to change the whole damn world and pick on us three to be the ones that didn’t get hit?”

“Us three and whoever did this.” Sakura pointed out. “What better way to disorient and distract than by twisting our home and our families into something wrong? We’re vulnerable right now, with no allies, no back-up, in hostile territory, and with nowhere to retreat to.”

Which was an excellent point, Genma acknowledged to himself, but he was looking at a different angle and wondering if the culprit hadn’t had a slightly different objective in mind. Given everything they’d said, he would bet good money that these three weren’t the targets, they were just collateral damage.

“Deep cover mission protocols, then?” Sasuke asked, tone grim and determined.

Naruto, surprisingly, laughed. “If this is hostile territory, we probably shouldn’t have broken into Genma-sensei’s apartment. Just a thought.” He pointed out, with a nonchalant air of mischief better suited to a cat that had just pushed something fragile and valuable off a table. Genma’s eyebrows shot up, intrigued despite himself, and he pushed away from the front door.

If they were his students, in whatever shape or form, he wasn’t going to leave them in hot water like this without a little bit of help. So he sauntered into the archway between the little front hall and the living room and paused to take in the scene. The three young shinobi noticed him, of course they did, and went stiff. They were all three of them squished onto the couch, with Sasuke in the middle, katana peeking up over his shoulder and wakizashi laid across his lap, dressed from head to toe in black, save for a midnight blue haramaki around his middle, Naruto on the left in his usual eye-searing orange and bandages around his feet – which explained the lack of a third set of shoes, Genma noted – and Sakura on the right, looking at first glance like a harmless civilian in muted earthy shades of red. Genma’s experienced eye picked out the subtle wrongness in the way her dress was hanging, and realised she must have a small armoury’s worth of senbon hidden in her seams.

I must have taught her that, he realised, bemused and proud all at once. None of the three kids moved, watching him warily to see if he was going to attack. Instead, he braced his shoulder against the jamb, folded his arms casually, and clicked the senbon in his mouth against his teeth. “Sensei?” He echoed curiously, keeping his voice light and mild, and projecting not-a-threat as much as he could without it seeming too suspicious.

The three of them all exchanged looks, then nodded carefully, watching him closely for his reaction. “Yeah.” Naruto said. “At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

He sounded so disgruntled that Genma wanted to laugh. Instead, he just shrugged his free shoulder and quirked an eyebrow at them. They’d thrown some good theories around, but they’d been too focused on the idea of the world being twisted around them, because that was what they could see. Yeah, they’re definitely still kids, well-trained or not, Genma thought. They’d grow out of thinking so subjectively in a few years, give or take a decade. “Where you come from.” He agreed, pointedly, waiting to see if they’d catch up with his train of thought.

Slowly, realisation dawned in Sasuke’s dark eyes. “You’re thinking alternate dimensions?”

Genma smiled around his senbon. Good job, other-me, you should be damn proud of these kids, he thought, feeling inexplicably damn proud of these kids himself. “Seems the most reasonable explanation to me. I figure it’d be a lot easier to try and fling someone out of their dimension than try to rearrange an entire reality.”

“Oh.” Sakura breathed, closing her eyes on the revelation and knocking her knuckles against her forehead in frustration. “We weren’t the targets at all, were we? It was these other versions of us. They were the ones all grouped together, in the lab of a highly dangerous and inventive missing nin, with two ANBU, one of whom was there specifically to keep an eye on Kurama.”

Genma hadn’t known that Team Seven was off investigating Orochimaru again, but it made sense, so he nodded. There was one thing, though, that he wanted clarifying. “Kurama?”

“You don’t-? Oh, right, you’re not our sensei here.” Naruto realised, speaking aloud even though he clearly wasn’t talking to any of them. “The kyuubi. His name’s Kurama.”

It took effort not to swallow his senbon. Carefully, Genma plucked it from between his teeth before he could accidentally stab himself in the throat with it. “You’re- you’re on first name terms with the nine-tailed demon fox?” He asked, as calmly as he was able to.

Naruto blinked, then scowled at him with a startling level of resentment. “Yes.” He snarled.

Without looking at him, Sakura reached over and put a hand on Naruto’s knee. She caught Genma’s gaze and held it steadily. “What Naruto means to say is; Kurama is more than just a demon fox, Genma-sensei. He might be a manifestation of chakra, he might not be human, but he is a person. He’s also the first friend Naruto ever really made, has saved Naruto’s life more times than we can count, and is one of the only real connections he has to his mother.”

Because Kushina had been the kyuubi jinchuuriki before him. Right. “That… seems like a very twisted connection.” He pointed out weakly.

Naruto crossed his arms with a harrumph. “Kurama didn’t like her very much, but would you like the person who stuffed you into a box smaller than you are and threw away the key? He respected her though, and that’s important. He’s the only reason I managed to figure out even the basics of Kaasan’s chakra chains.”

All of the words made sense, but Genma was having a hard time wrestling with his emotional response. The kyuubi had killed Minato-sama, and that was a wound Genma was still working on healing. But he wasn’t going to argue with a defensive jinchuuriki about how evil or not the demon inside him was. That was just asking for disaster. “Your entire world is going to give me a headache, isn’t it?” He asked, aiming for humour and only falling a little bit short.

The three kids eyed him, and then he found himself confronted with one tiny smirk, one sly side-ways smile, and one vicious fanged grin. “Itachi-san runs a tea shop.” Sakura told him, sweet as honey. Genma found he couldn’t do much besides stare at her.

Naruto laughed, bright and wicked, slumping into Sasuke who made a show of trying to shrug him off, but never seriously tried to dislodge him. Carefully, Genma turned that piece of information over in his mind, trying to figure out how it made any sense at all. “A tea shop?” He checked, just to make sure he’d heard that right.

“Yes.” Sasuke confirmed, and there was something brittle in his tone. “The White Lotus. It’s very popular.”

That name triggered Genma’s memory, and he traced it back to the earlier conversation. “That’s where you were, before…” He trailed off, oblivious to Sasuke’s nod, because he was picturing that scene, Sasuke at a table with Hinata, being served tea by Itachi, when, all of a sudden… “Oh, hell.”

“What?” Naruto demanded.

Genma grimaced. “If you three ended up here, that means that our Team Seven ended up there.” He pointed out, and waited for them to connect the dots.

Sasuke got there first. His eyes widened and his face drained of all colour. “Other-me is going to try and kill Itachi-niisan. He’s- he’s a civilian now, and he’s not even going to see it coming!” He pressed a hand over his eyes for a moment, then lowered it. Now, instead of panic, there was a hard, steely resolve. “We need to get back. As soon as possible. We’ve already wasted enough time.”

Genma nodded. “I think the fastest way to get you home would be to talk to the Hokage. She ought to know about this, and she’ll know what resources to pull on to get you home quickly.”

“Okay.” Sakura agreed, getting to her feet. “Just remember, Sasuke, that Itachi was an ANBU Captain. I’m sure he’ll be okay, even if he is a little rusty.”

“Yeah!” Naruto agreed, bouncing upright as well. “He’ll be fine. And even if he isn’t, Hinata’s there! And she’s nice, she has to be to like a bastard like you, so she’ll make sure Itachi’s safe, believe it.” He declared brightly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue. He looked a little calmer, too. “You guys should go on ahead, I’ll follow where I won’t be seen.” He paused to shoot a wry look at Genma, who raised an amused eyebrow right back. “Since I’m apparently a missing nin in this world.”

“Hey, whoa, no!” Naruto protested. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Sasuke scowled at him. “I’m not fragile, Naruto-!”

“No, but we’re all pretty messed up right now.” Sakura interjected before the two boys could get into a fight. “I think Naruto’s right, we should stick together. And since Naruto can’t be subtle to save his life-” She ignored Naruto’s offended yelp with remarkable dignity. “-I think our best bet is if you throw on a henge. Someone who might be seen with us, someone you think you can impersonate, if we run into someone who knows us.”

Genma had a few suggestions, but he stayed silent, watching to see who Sasuke would pick. Sasuke thought, then smirked, and formed the one-handed version of the henge seal. When the puff of smoke cleared, Genma grinned. “Good choice.” He said to the boy who now looked like an unassuming and much beloved academy teacher.

#Naruto #Team Seven #Shiranui Genma #Familiar Strangers #look at me making up lingo and shit #eavesdropping #I ain't been dropping no eaves sir #wait wrong fandom never mind #lets see a show of hands who's caught the other reference I made

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setaripendragon · 8 years

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Familiar Strangers - Four: Hinata

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Eight - Nine - Ten Bonus scenes: Five-Point-Five - Seven-Point-Five This part has a different feel to the others, and I’m not entirely sure why. I really enjoyed writing it, though. Hinata is one of my favourite characters, so I’m always happy to have an excuse to write her. (I do hope I didn’t make her stutter too pronounced? I tried to write it in a way that felt organic, to me, and she is in a pretty stressful situation, but... -shrugs-)

Hinata had her eyes closed, breathing deeply from her core as she let the sounds of the river and the forest wash over her. When her mind was still and steady, she focused on her eyes, on the chakra in her eyes, the arrangement of chakra coils there unique to her clan, and pushed. Eyes still closed, she could suddenly see everything.

She could see the river, each little splash and ripple tipped with the faintest shimmer of natural water chakra. She could see the trees, the flecks of earth chakra in their bark and flesh, and the veins of water inside every branch and leaf, the warm pinpricks of the fruit and nuts still weeks or months away from ripeness. She could see the insects, bright little animal souls against the backdrop of nature’s chakra flow, and the brightness of the smaller mammals under the trees and the birds among the leaves. She could even, if she focused very hard, see the flow of the wind as it played with the leaves and danced with the birds as they flew.

This clearing was her favourite place to practice with the byakugan. It was so beautiful, and so peaceful. There was no pressure here, to be anything other than what she was. She could observe what was instead of feeling like she needed to see more, see better, be better.

The leaves of the tree right behind her rustled, twitched against the wind, and settled. Hinata frowned, paying them more attention, and waited. They did it again, just the faintest shift, as if the branch they were attached to was bearing weight, somewhere in her blind spot. Curious, Hinata tilted her head just the smallest amount.

And froze.

There was a ninja in that tree. A ninja perfectly poised in her blind spot. Only another Hyuuga should have been able to find it so unerringly. And it had been without error, because they were perched in a tree not thirty feet behind her, and at that point, the blind spot should be just barely big enough for a crouched person to hide in. Breathing carefully, from her core, Hinata studied the ninja. They were strong, their chakra was a steady, bright flow, and brighter around the eyes, as if the coils were clustered there. Hinata started to relax, wondering if perhaps Neji-niisan had followed her. But no, Neji-niisan wore pale colours, white and beige, and this ninja was dressed all in black and very dark blue, from his shinobi boots to the hood shadowing his features.

Hinata focused, bringing her byakugan to bear on that single point, looking past the shadows and the edges of the fabric to see the face underneath. She wasn’t at all prepared for what she saw.

Uchiha Sasuke was crouched in a tree right behind her.

And, she realised, feeling faintly sick, he was wearing a Konoha hitai-ate, wrapped around his right arm, just below his shoulder. With that, and the hood to cover his face, he could have been walking around the village without setting off any sort of alarm. Which meant it was entirely possible she was the only person who knew he was here. It would be her job to raise an alarm, in that case, but she would have to survive him first.

The moment she sent out a flare of chakra to alert anyone nearby that there were hostile ninja around, Sasuke would know he’d been spotted, and then… Then, she would have to delay him long enough for reinforcements to arrive. She didn’t delude herself into thinking she could defeat him. Naruto-kun hadn’t been able to defeat him, after all.

Of course, if Naruto-kun were here, he would want to convince Sasuke to stay. And since he wasn’t, surely it was Hinata’s job to act in his stead, and do as he would? She bowed her head, her heart racing as she frantically wondered if she was even considering this. If it didn’t work, she would be colluding with an enemy of Konoha, potentially allowing him to escape, when she could have captured him. But there was no guarantee she’d be able to stop him fleeing, even if she did raise the alarm right away. And there was nothing to stop her raising it later, if she so much as suspected him of making a wrong move.

“I know you’re there.” She said into the quiet of the grove.

Nothing. Just stillness.

Then, almost inaudible at this distance, a snort. Sasuke shifted, pushed his hood back, then leapt down from the tree branch with fluid grace. He hit the ground with barely a sound, knees bending and chakra spiralling out from the balls of his feet, subtle and precise, to soften the landing. He paused again. Assessing, she realised, taking a moment to recheck his perception of his surroundings. It was a faction of a second, a bare space between heartbeats, and then he was moving again, stalking across the open space of the clearing without a sound. The perfectly controlled steps and deceptive swaying pace reminded her eerily of the handful of ANBU she’d ever seen walking anywhere.

Unlike those ANBU, he wasn’t a far-too-solid phantom, slipping away into shadows the moment she thought she’d caught a glimpse. He didn’t disappear. He sat down next to her on the riverbank, like a classmate might; legs folded, knees slightly raised, elbows braced on knees, and hands hanging between them. He was still a reasonable distance from her, far enough that if either of them moved to strike a blow, the other would have time to dodge. Which, she realised abruptly, had been done for her, because with his sharingan, he could be quite a bit closer to her before he had to worry about being able to prevent an attack.

Nothing broke the not-quite-silence of the glade. If it hadn’t been for the undercurrent of tension, it might have even been companionable. Two clan heirs, resting side-by-side on the river bank, where politics and expectations and demands couldn’t touch them. A flicker of a glance from Sasuke was all it took to break the illusion, and Hinata wanted to laugh at herself. There was a threat in those red eyes, three tomoe spinning lazily in the bloody irises, his attention sharp and focused on her.

She had to say something. She had invited him to share her space, implicitly, with her non-violent acknowledgement of his presence. He probably suspected she had an ulterior motive, which, to be fair, she did. She couldn’t think of any way to approach the subject she wanted to broach without potentially scaring him off, though, or provoking him to attack. It was like trying to befriend a feral cat. I’m comparing Uchiha Sasuke to the feral cats around the back of the Clan compound, Hinata thought, somewhat distantly, as if she was examining her own thought process from a long way away.

“Bad day?”

Hinata jumped, and she opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at him. Sasuke eyed her right back, half smirking, one eyebrow quirked almost mockingly. Hinata swallowed, and refused to be cowed by him, even if he was a missing nin. “W-well, it wasn’t.” Great. Stuttering her way through a simple sentence was not going to impress anybody, least of all someone as dangerous as Uchiha Sasuke.

To her surprise, however, he didn’t sneer. He didn’t even look offended or amused at her sass. He just hummed dismissively and turned his attention towards the river. She continued to stare at him, slowly allowing herself to consider the possibility that he didn’t intend her any harm. Oh, she didn’t doubt he would fight her if she attacked, but if she didn’t… If she let him be, she wondered if he might not return the favour. And if she dared to strike up a conversation, he might be willing to indulge her.

Only one way to find out, she told herself, drawing in a fortifying breath. “Why- Why are you h-here?” She asked, tentative, but she’d asked, and she’d even managed to ask in a steady tone.

Sasuke considered her out of the corner of his eye, and even though the consideration had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, there was something about his expression that made it less of a threat than it could have been. While he was contemplating his answer, she contemplated what it was about him that was making her think ‘not a threat’. “I wanted somewhere quiet… to think.” He said finally. And the way he said it made her wonder if it wasn’t the same reason she came here.

He doesn’t look angry, not like he used to, when we were twelve, Hinata realised suddenly, that’s why he seems like… He seemed like he could almost be a friend, like Shino-kun, when he poked his head out of his shell, or Kiba-kun, when he calmed down enough to let his quiet compassion show. This is the Uchiha Sasuke that Naruto wants to bring home.

“This p-place is v-very good for that.” Hinata acknowledged softly. Sasuke just hummed again, but Hinata was used to trying to decipher Shino’s silences, and a hum was more than enough. He sounded pleased, she thought, feeling accomplishment settle just under her heart like a warm ember. “A-and if you- you wanted…” Pause. Deep breath, to gather her courage. “If y-you want to- to talk, I-I’m always happy to l-listen.”

Silence. Not quite total silence, of course. There was still the river and the trees and the animals skirting around the two humans sitting in their midst. But Sasuke was silent, his eyes back on the river and his expression blank in a way that suggested turbulence beneath the surface. Hinata wondered, as a corner of her mind curled up in fear, if she’d pushed too far, too fast.

“I… visited the compound.” Sasuke said, shattering Hinata’s train of thought.

Her breath hitched as she processed what he’d said, disbelief that he had shared even that much with her, of all people. Four simple words, and yet it offered her a glance at so much vulnerability. It was closer than even Naruto had been allowed in a very long time, and Hinata’s head spun at the notion that it was being offered to her. At the same time, she was dragged forcibly back down to earth with the heartbreaking contents of that sentence. She could hardly imagine the pain of walking through the Hyuuga compound and knowing, because she’d done it before and seen it before, that all she’d meet were ghosts and bloodstains.

“I had… forgotten… just how bad it was.” Sasuke added, putting the words into the silence like it was demanding to be filled, but still with that careful deliberation, picking his way through the words like a crane through the river shallows.

Hinata dropped her gaze to her lap. She didn’t know what to say, because she knew there was really nothing to say in the face of that kind of loss. He’d surely heard it all before, condolences and encouragement and sympathy, from everyone and their grandmother. Her words would be echoes on the wind, nothing more. Still, the silence wasn’t comfortable anymore, and she knew Sasuke was waiting for her to find her words. After a small age, Hinata gathered herself enough to ask, in a halting whisper “Do- do you w-want t-to forget?”

Sasuke swallowed. “Yes.” The word sounded like it had been ripped out of him, half a snarl, half a plea. Then he gritted his teeth, and shook his head. “No. I don’t want to forget, I just…” He stopped himself, looking away sharply.

It wasn’t hard to follow that sentence to its conclusion. “Wish it had n-never happened?” Hinata suggested. She got a nod and a humourless laugh in response, as if she’d expected anything else.

They lapsed into silence again, but this was contemplative more than anything else, she could practically feel the thoughts floating through the air, Sasuke’s and her own. It was pleasant, if a little melancholy, and while Hinata refused to let her guard down, she did relax a little bit. She was almost completely sure Sasuke wasn’t going to attack her unprovoked. That wasn’t to say that she was safe, because even if she didn’t provoke him, there were plenty of things in their environment that could. If, for example, a hapless shinobi stumbled into the clearing.

You’re trying to convince him to stay, Hinata reminded herself, or at least to have a civil conversation with Naruto-kun. Because if she couldn’t convince him to stay – and when everyone closer to the Uchiha had failed, she didn’t see why she should succeed – she could at least convince him to convince Naruto that he had to go, and give Naruto the chance to make him promise to come back.

“Do- do you r-really think revenge w-will h-help you feel- feel b-better?” She asked, her voice sounding oddly abrupt after the drawn out silence.

Sasuke looked startled. “Of course.” He snapped, eyes blazing, tomoe spinning faster.

Hinata nodded, and some of the tension bled out of Sasuke’s frame. “Do you really th-think that you n-need to be- be a-alone to get it?”

That didn’t get her an answer, not for the longest time. “I need to do it myself.” Sasuke finally said, quiet and full of conviction. Hinata sighed softly, a weight settling in her chest. “I need to strike the blow that kills the one who killed my family.”

That… did not sound like someone convinced bonds would only hold him back. “B-but what about along the- the way?” Hinata asked, hardly above a whisper, because that question was so important, could mend or break the boy she loved. Hope was a very painful thing.

Sasuke snorted again, a huff of bitter amusement, and smirked. It wasn’t a kind expression. “I can think of few shinobi better equipped to teach me how to take revenge than Orochimaru.” He pointed out. Then he raised a prompting eyebrow, as if daring her to find a better answer.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have one. He seemed to read that in her expression, because after a moment, he nodded, and pushed to his feet. Desperation pushed Hinata to hers, as well, and Sasuke paused, watching her warily, but without malice. “May- may I p-please t-tell Naruto-kun that- that you w-were here?” She asked quickly.

“If I say no, what will you do?” Sasuke asked dryly, clearly unimpressed. “Keep silent? Aid an enemy of your village?”

Hinata drew herself up, breathing in as much courage as she could draw from sunlight and air, and given that they both reminded her of Naruto-kun, that was a fair bit more than most people would ever expect. “You a-aren’t our e-enemy. I-if your o-only target is your b-brother-” Hinata faltered as Sasuke’s expression shattered. A snarl curled his lip, a fraction of a second before he looked away. It was the first movement that had been sharp, jerky, and not perfectly controlled. Quivering inside, Hinata steeled herself, and forged on. “-then- then you’re j-just K-konoha’s first- first h-hunter-nin.” She finished, hating that the trembling of her gut always translated itself into the trembling of her words.

After a second that seemed to last an eternity, Sasuke turned to stare at her. Then, just briefly, the corner of his mouth twitched. “A hunter-nin.” He said, and his voice was hollow. He nodded once, silently conveying his approval of the term, then turned to leave. Hinata had opened her mouth, even though she had no idea what she thought she could possibly say that wouldn’t convince him to attack her, when Sasuke called over his shoulder; “Tell Naruto, if you want. I don’t care.”

A flicker of chakra, and he was gone. Movement in the forest caught her attention, and she focused her byakugan further out. Sasuke was in the trees, leaping along without making any more noise than the wind, heading across Konoha at an angle, rather than taking the shortest route to the edge of the village. Hinata followed his trajectory, and winced when she realised he was heading for Training Ground Three, and the Memorial Stone next to it. There was already someone there, and Hinata shut off her byakugan before she could invade their privacy any further.

Her awareness snapped back to only the clearing, and she glanced around, trying to resettle herself in a world composed only of standard vision. There was a dull pounding behind her eyes, but she could ignore it.

The reality of what had just happened hit her all at once, and she giggled a little hysterically. She’d just had a relatively civil conversation with Uchiha Sasuke, an almost friendly conversation, except for that little moment at the end. She really should have known better than to label Uchiha Itachi as Sasuke’s brother like that. Neji-niisan might only be her cousin, but she could imagine how much it would hurt to be reminded that her cousin had done something so horrible. Next time, she would just have to watch her words better.

Next time. For some reason, she was fairly certain that there would be a next time. It might have been the vulnerability, or those hints of amusement. Either way, Sasuke had gotten something out of the interaction, and while she wouldn’t be particularly surprised if he didn’t show up again, she also wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

Another glance around revealed the clearing to be the same as it ever was, river and trees and grass and a few grey rocks by the bank. The burble of the river mixed with the rustle of the wind through the leaves, and Hinata smiled. It was a safe haven for her, and she would bet good money it had just become a safe haven for Uchiha Sasuke, too.

Still smiling to herself, Hinata turned herself towards the village and leapt up into the trees. She needed to find Naruto-kun, and tell him about her conversation with Sasuke. She wouldn’t tell him where the conversation had happened though. She wouldn’t like it if Kiba-kun or Shino-kun could find her there, because it was where she went to get away. She would keep it that way for Sasuke, too, until he told her otherwise. She hoped Naruto-kun would understand.

#Naruto #Team Seven #Uchiha Sasuke #Hyuuga Hinata #Familiar Strangers #I just really love the idea of these two being friends #terrifying politicially savvy murder friends #kind of like a platonic romeo and juliet #they'd make excellent foils for each other #Sasuke to challenge Hinata's hesitance #Hinata to reign in Sasuke's arrogance

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