#for their dynamic + all of team gai + their relationships with the other konoha 11

[helmarok]

neji and tenten doodle page

[socra-time]

Naruto Episode Comments, Ep. 41-50

Ep 41:

-puppetry has gotta be one of my favorite ninja techniques so far ngl

-also Kankuro gives me bitchy theater kid vibes ngl. We stan

-again, Sakura has a far more compelling relationship with Ino than she does with fuckass Sasuke

-…goddamnit do I ship Sakura and Ino

-the way Gai says Kakashi’s name is so funny to me, he’s like “kaKAshi”

Ep 42:

-I think it’s funny that Lee just drifted over to hang out with Kakashi and Naruto

-ngl Ino losing her hold on Sakura was COMPLETE bullshit, Ino absolutely should have won that match

-ngl I’m really annoyed by the results of this match

-but anyways Gai and Lee cheering for Tenten was wholesome. Team Gai supremacy

Ep 43:

-okay Temari’s voice isn’t as bad as I initially thought it was

-rip Tenten, I get that they have to set up the threat of the Sand Siblings but Tenten deserved a little more of a fair fight rather than just being fodder for Temari to take down

-but also holy shit Temari’s takedown was fucking brutal

-Lee I fucking love you

-I also kinda love Ino now

-Naruto istg you better not beat up Kiba’s dog

Ep 44:

-not the first time I’ve noticed them but I like Kiba’s fangs

-I don’t really like Kiba’s voice

-if I was Naruto I would have forfeited the match immediately, I’m not gonna fucking fight a puppy

-ah yes the greatest jutsu of all, Furry jutsu

-Naruto kinda wasted his shot by biting Kiba while disguised as Akamaru, he should have tried to do more damage and punch Kiba in the face or something

-I love how everyone was commenting on how Naruto’s jutsu usage was more impressive than they thought and meanwhile Neji’s just like “I can’t believe he bit his opponent”

-why isn’t everyone just taking food pills during this exam if they’re so useful

-Kiba honey I hate to break it to you but you are not, in fact, the main character of Naruto

-respectfully both Naruto and Kiba should never be Hokage, it should OBVIOUSLY be Lee

Ep 45:

-NOOOO AKAMARU BBY

-I’m not gonna lie I don’t really believe Naruto has the chakra control and intelligence at this point in the series to pull off the trick he does with the double transformation jutsu

-I find it both amusing and annoying that Kiba (and also Shikamaru and Choji) calls Naruto “kid”. Like y’all are the same age lmao

- yeah no same as Ino, Kiba kindaaaa should have won. I’m more okay with this outcome than the Ino-Sakura result because Naruto’s the MC so he’s obviously going to win, but that fart was utter bullshit

-also I get that Kiba probably would have wrecked the clones with his human drill shit but why didn’t Naruto just try spamming shadow clones from the beginning

Ep 46:

-Team 8’s dynamic intrigues me. I want to see more of them

-why was ANYONE surprised that Hinata and Neji are related. Like were their eyes not a dead fucking giveaway???

-Kurenai is so mother

-anyways fuck Hinata’s dad

-between this match and the Sakura-Ino match, why did no one tell Naruto to not interrupt the matches

-okay so this confirms that Team 8 is the Konoha team that I would LEAST want to fight, purely because my options are (a) getting my chakra devoured by a swarm of bugs, (b) getting mauled by the human equivalent of Drill Run, or (c) suffering organ failure. Yeah no I’d rather get punched or stabbed by the other teams, thank you very much

Ep 47:

-with his level of precision and the Byakugan, Neji should quit the whole ninja thing and go be a doctor

-oh Naruto you sweet oblivious child

-I am absolutely not sold on Naruto and Hinata as a ship yet btw

-ngl if I was the proctor I would have yelled at Naruto to shut up and stop interrupting the matches

-Lee and Gai continue to be the best duo in this entire fucking show

Ep 48:

-I’ve heard that Gaara vs Lee is amazing, so I’m going in with high expectations

-Gaara is so fucking small next to his siblings

-Lee is so goddamn cute. I love my son

-you know you’re terrifying when SHINO is afraid of you

-Lee is so happy that he gets to go apeshit lmao

-the moment when the leg weights drop was amazing

-also it’s the first time we see Gaara look surprised and off-guard, which really hammers home just how insane Lee is

-I’ve seen it before but the effect of Gaara’s face cracking is so cool

-also it’s funny that Kankuro has fully just joined the Konoha peanut gallery for this match

Ep 49:

-welp Gaara’s gone completely off the rails

-Lee is officially my favorite character rn and it’s not even close

-if Lee can only do taijutsu, how did he pass the academy test and become a genin? I mean maybe it was a Naruto type of situation where other shit happened, but he wouldn’t have been able to pass the test normally, right?

-Leeeeee my silly badass son I love you so much. Peak character of all time

-again, the way Gai says “kaKAshi” cracks me up

-so like is Gai not gonna get in trouble with the ninja government for teaching Lee forbidden jutsus? Like Lee is very blatantly using the Primary Lotus and Hidden Lotus in a government-run exam and it’s pretty obvious who would have taught him those

Ep 50:

-holy shit Lee is fully just going Super Saiyan

-even Neji is shook by Lee lmao

-NOOOO LEE

-Gai stepping in and the background music and noises cutting out was such a good moment

-Gai is legit Lee’s dad and I’m so here for it

-Lee has Naruto solidly beaten for the title of “most tenacious motherfucker in the show”

-that moment with Gai hugging Lee’s unconscious body was so good, my heartttttt 😭

-the medic telling Gai that Lee will never fight again would be much more heartbreaking if I didn’t know that he’s literally fine later on

-the strings instrumental that plays after Lee’s defeat is so good

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Hi.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Naruto? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks...

Sure, I don't mind at all!

For top five characters, I'd say the top three are pretty static, where the other two positions can fluctuate. I love a lot of characters! For today, I'll go with:

Tenzo: So many things! I love that that he is both stern and compassionate with the Team 7 kids. I love that he makes them a Welcome Team Kakashi sign, and I love how he can be a bit of a show-off. I love how he is enamoured by Kakashi's flattery but also enjoys arguing about soba with him. I love how he makes Naruto porridge and tucks him into bed after a panic attack. I love that he has a place in his heart for Sasuke even though they weren't teammates directly. I love that he likes scaring teens with his spooky face. I love that he is willing to question anyone (including Tsunade, Kakashi and the Raikage). I love how he radiates Tired Old Man Energy despite being 26. I love that despite having one of the most difficult origin stories in the series, he is only ever kind-hearted. I love that he has this jutsu which is all about nature, but his creations are often structured and architectural, because that's who he is. I love that both his powers and decision-making are affected by being around Team 7. I enjoy him a lot!

Kakashi: I love his love of not only Team 7, but of all of his friends' students. I love his compassion towards his enemies. I love how much he stands by Sasuke in particular, both in a sense of physical protection but also emotional outreach. I love that he grows from feeling like a failure in leadership at Kannabi Bridge to leading his whole village. I love how he wants to be socially off-putting, but he's actually the most popular guy of all of his peers. I love that in the face of immense loss he opens his heart again and again. I love that he's self-effacing about his personal qualities, but unbelievably competent and hard-working with his ninja abilities. I love his dynamics with Gai, Tenzo, Tsunade, and so many more. I love how neither him nor Tenzo want the kids to see him kill Kakuzu. I love that he's a dog person. I love that his hair's a little stupid. I love that he writes Naruto notes about eating more veggies. I love the ongoing bit of covering half of his face. I love him!!

Sasuke: This post has already gotten quite long, but I love how Sasuke's greatest struggle in the series is fighting how much love he feels. I love his body "just moves" when Team 7 is in danger. I love that he ran to protect Naruto when Itachi was after him. I love that he thanked Sakura and laid her gently on a bench to say goodbye. I love that he is an extremely competent ninja, but can't come up with his own answers the Chunin written exam at all. I love that he reins in his curse mark by thinking about Naruto and Sakura. I love how he constantly changes his aesthetic in questionable ways. I love that he causes international incidents. I love that he uno-reverses Orochimaru. I love how desperately he tries to understand Itachi, the Hokage, Konoha, and himself. I love that he's a snake expert who gets parenting advice from Aoda. I love that he's a cat person. I love his narrative is not about him being home (in Konoha) but about having a home, as in a place to return to where he is loved. He is Teenage Ninja Batman and he is Me, The Baby.

Gaara: I'll try and keep this brief(er): I love that he is so, so unhinged during the Chunin Exams and EQUALLY, so well-adjusted after. I love his relationship with his siblings. I love that he is the first person we see to be both jinchuriki and Kage. I love that he's like, "Wow, Lee, you're slower," during the Retrieval Mission as if he did not personally rearrange Lee's legs. I love that he calls out the other Kage for forsaking themselves. I love that by default his power is defensive. I love how much he adores Naruto. I could talk more, but you get the idea!

Hashirama: I love how he is smart enough to found a village and invent a whole style of jutsu, but at the same time he's extremely silly. I love his relationship with Madara, calling him a "gift from the divine" to begin with, and saying that he's "fundamentally kind" after he's killed thousands of people. I love that he puts matching statues of him and his ex at the border. I love that as he also had this loving relationship with Mito, he invented bisexuality in the Naruto universe. I love that he bows his head to the other Kage. I love that he teaches his granddaughter to gamble (poorly). I love his dynamic with Tobirama, and his love for his siblings. I love him saying, "I'll deal with you later!" I love him patiently explaining to Sasuke his entire origin story. I love that he is willing to die for peace, but also willing to fight for it.

(Honourable mentions to Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, Naruto, Sakura, Neji and Zabuza who I also thought about putting on this list.)

As for favourite moments, here are a few:

Kakashi standing up to Orochimaru on Sasuke's behalf, without mangekyo, back-up, and after signfiicant blood loss

"I liked them! Is that weird?" "No... I liked them too." Kakashi and Naruto's retroactive dialogue about Zabuza and Haku

Gaara using his sand to have Naruto shake his hand

Naruto meeting Kushina for the first time and hugging her

Hashirama and Madara's simultaneous warning to each other to run away when their fathers were trying to attack

[edai-crplpnk]

Torune or Kakashi (character list)

For this character ask game

I'll start with Kakashi cause he will probable be easier 😆

favorite thing about them: ... Gai? More seriously, I like their plotline of self destruction and martyrdom and being forced to overcome that, but I don't think I like it so much each individually as I like them together.

least favorite thing about them: Don't touch children's butt even in a fight, Kakashi.

favorite line: chose between "I need to protect him." in Shippuden 288 or "He's nice, isn't he?" in Konoha Shinden (he's a simp)

brOTP: Idk if that really answers the question, but I like his relationship with Team 7 when they are more grown up and he is less their teacher and superior, and more like an older friend to them. I'm soft about teens becoming adults, and I like their dynamic!

OTP: KakaGai ofc, we all know the truth

nOTP: outside of the obvious Kakashi/any Team 7? not much tbh. But there's also not really any ship I'm enthusiastic for outside of KakaGai

random headcanon: I'm not sure the man can read. He left school at 5. I think 10yo Kakashi thought if he held a book in public at all times no one would realise he's barely litterate, and by the time he realised what the content of the book was, he already had a reputation made and so he's been "the guy who reads porn in public" for the past two decades because there was no coming back. His writting is that of a 6yo kid and someone has to write all the official paper for him once he's Hokage.

unpopular opinion: He works paired with Iruka but only if you acknowledge his inherent patheticness. KakaIru sucks as long as it's "cool and strong and mysterious military man and his soft and nice teacher boyfriend". But I can get behind "overworked and tired middle school teacher has no patience left for whiny boyfriend who has forgotten how to interract decently with other human beings".

song i associate with them: I'm not very good at songs but I'm thinking maybe Veux-tu danser ? by Gris. For the lyrics much more than the song itself. "You cannot touch me because I carry the worst of infections. I spread it to the ones I love at the whim of impulsions. I never wanted to propagate this heineous bacteria. Plese forgive, I should have staid stuck in your lives. Why do I have to bear this terrible curse? And most importantly, why did you have to love me back?"

favorite picture of them: I have to give a shout out to Kishimoto's iconic double pages

The details in the eyelid and lashes? The concept of him only crying from Obito's eyes and never his own? Excellent.

Now Torune!

favorite thing about them: His sacrifice for Shino is obviously touching, but it's also pretty fucked up and sad too. It makes mewonder about his father and their relationship. Presumably Shikuro died when he was little, if he was raised alongside Shino by Shibi? I wonder how much Torune got to know him, if he's grown up at least for a while with someone who had the same type of hive as him, what their place was inside the clan and how he's been raised to come to think of himself that way.

least favorite thing about them: Too little screentime 😔 and also tbh not the greatest fashion sense of all Aburame, but he gets a pass for being naked half of the time

favorite line: He doesn't have much lines in the manga, and while he may have some nice ones in the anime episode with the flashback of his childhood with Shino, I don't have access to it and I don't know it very well.

brOTP: Shino seems like an obvious choice! We need a "Danzou doesn't exist and all is well" AU

OTP: It's gotta be Fuu. I can happily see them as friends to but if he had to be with someone it'd be him.

nOTP: I think the truth is, I never really have any big nOTP

random headcanon: I assume Torune isn't his birth name. Loosing your name when entering the Root is shown as a big thing for Sai and Yamato. I like to make myself sad thinking about Shino only knowing his birth name, and not recognising it when people who have seen him, for example at the Gokage Summit, mention him by his Root name. Maybe Shino calling him his birthname when they meet during the war and Torune hearing it for the first time in over a decade.

unpopular opinion: I don't think there's enough fandom opinion about him for any to be unpopular haha

song i associate with them: I'm not sure it makes any sense but I thought of Isara by Eluveitie

favorite picture of them: Him carrying Fuu in piggy back just makes me soft. More generally they seem to have a love of trust and affection for each other. I like it.

[tamelee]

Pleaaaseee there is a tier list on ships from Naruto would love to see that one!

Okay I found a decent list to fill in, here you go:

There were many ships that are completely random so I just threw them all into one category..

About the last category

SakuLee.. I actually thought they were going to be a thing when I first saw the show because no way Sasuke was ever going to give in to her advances. And I was right about that last part because he didn't. And gradually Sakura was little by little being a bit nicer about Lee when she decided to visit him at the hospital.. and wow!! For her, that's amazing development because at the time and even now her entire character is based on that selfish love (Kishimoto's words not mine) she has for Sasuke. And so she even said to Ino that the flowers she brought with her weren't just for Sasuke- it was explicitly stated in the Manga- so that visual AND text said a whole lot about her... buuuuuut then that went down the drain real fast too. And so, no this ship doesn't make sense but I think it could've been if x, y and z..

ObiRin!! Okay, I know I have KakaRin in the category where I get that people ship it, but not ObiRin- why? Because Rin loved Kakashi and not Obito. And so shipping ObiRin for me doesn't make sense since I am also against other one-sided ships. Rin to me however is an entirely different character from.. let's say Sakura or Hinata and so are the dynamics between them within Team Minato. Rin genuinely cares for both Obito and Kakashi equally, but she doesn't love Obito in a romantic sense. She also didn't chase after Kakashi rabidly trying to get him to like her back, that's why, although Rin showed many gestures towards Obito that really shouldn't be underestimated, I wonder how it would've played out with Kakashi under different circumstances. His resolve and beliefs were already swaying during that mission thanks to Obito- if they succeeded, perhaps Kakashi grew up learning to love that way. Perhaps that would've been Rin. (Or maybe not.)

SakuHina.. just put them together and let them be miserable together? I see many benefits from this tbh. Two of the most selfish characters to have ever existed if not the most selfish characters ever- lump them together, never bother anyone else- problem solved.

SaiIno.. I don't really have a problem with this ship but.. Sai is really gay. I'm sorry but what is he doing with Ino? He found her ugly and they're pretty much together for the sake of.. well kids/next gen stuff. For Ino I think it's fine, Sai sorta looks like Sasuke so it makes sense for her.. but Sai being in love with Ino, canonically? Weird. I know, SaiIno shippers will fight me on it, that's fine, you people have great art though, I'm not complaining.

Jiraiya/Tsunade.. I haven't really seen them being shipped together other than places like IG and Reddit. And some of them were really protective of them- Jiraiya would've always put his WoF above Tsunade which she accepted... why is this a good ship? I don't have much to say for this other than my surprise of their popularity..

Choji and Karui.. apparently their relationship was "explained" in filler novels. Choji simply said he was "interested in her". So they married and made a baby for 'Boruto'. Although 'Boruto-canon', this shit makes no sense.

ShikaIno, look I shipped them. I mean, I used to when I first watched the show because I liked their team-work and I thought Ino's very extra behavior balanced well with Shikamaru's more calm nature. I mean, if anything, he had misogynistic thoughts which he sometimes voiced out loud.. so perhaps a bit ignorant at the time, but I thought Ino was the one helping him with that development partly because of her appearance (since well.. the genre..) instead of Temari, but alas. And I think this is better anyway.

KankuSaku.. LISTEN! Hear me out~ Ship makes no sense at all. BUT. She came all the way from Konoha, saved his life just in time, playing doctor in a way where she didn't need to be all worshipped as a Mary Sue in some weird- godforsaken jail (ESAKA TAKE NOTES), but actually was useful because she learned, developed and took action- then bonded with Chiyo which Kankuro also somewhat has a relationship with- whom he then takes care of the puppets for after she dies.. there are connections and things that can be used to have them bond over. MISSED OPPORTUNITY OKAY- that's all I'm sayin'.

Most of you know how I feel about Sakura, but one of the scenes where I think she DID very much shine (as most of her fans think she so much deserves for some reason)- is when she tried her best to befriend Sai who actually was pretty rude at the beginning. It was Sakura who asked him what he was drawing when she went out to find him and what it meant to him. It was Sakura who tried to figure out more about him to see if she could help him (and their case) somehow- which surprised me pleasantly!! She for once didn't do this for selfish reasons. Now, both Sakura and Sai don't really grasp situations well especially when it comes to Naruto and Sasuke, but they sorta bonded over it a little. Sai while genuinely wanting to understand and Sakura while genuinely wanting to deny. It's not a ship, nor a really good ship- Because Sai.. and Sakura.. but I still wanted to point it out.

*-* anyway- there is too much to say about so many of these, I'll think I'll try to keep it short 💕

[leportraitducadavre]

I might be misremembering, but I recall Kakashi being really into having Sasuke return Sakura’s feelings? Going by your theory of Kakashi never showing his true self and projecting into others, what does this say? He sees Sasuke as a stand-in for himself, so is he trying to make “Kakashi” return Sakura/“Rin”’s feelings now? I always read Kakashi as gay, so internalised homophobia could be a factor here too. Kakashi feeling guilty that he never returned Rin’s feelings simply because he couldn’t?

I’ve never pictured Kakashi as gay -he quite literally reads porn written by non-other than Jiraiya (whose views on women are blatantly displayed in the manga). It’s true that gay men can still enjoy straight porn (and as you said internalized homophobia might be a factor), but I’ve never got any vibe from Kakashi, however, I wasn’t exactly looking for one. If I want to go crazy with theories, then Kakashi might be bisexual -but again, no canon evidence.

About the initial point of your question, it isn’t as if Kakashi actually cares about Sasuke’s sexual life, but I think that him highlighting Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke is more a tactic he uses to emotionally manipulate Sasuke to make him return to Konoha and pled loyalty; and not because he twisted reality so much so that he sees Sakura as a metaphor of Rin and Sasuke of him -hence, it will be like him accepting and returning Rin’s feelings.

First of all, Obito and Naruto's similarities are nothing but superficial -Obito detached himself from the “what Naruto could have been” part quite successfully (here).

Second, Kakashi was the one who might have seen some of himself in Sasuke (I haven’t reached conclusion yet in this theory) -yet they’re nothing alike, and after the time-skip it wasn’t about Kakashi seeing his “old-self” in Sasuke, hence trying to save him, but rather perceiving himself as a failure. It isn’t exactly about Sasuke, but about how this student reflected Kakashi’s ineffectiveness as commander: after Sasuke deflected, Team 7 fell apart, Sakura went with Tsunade and Naruto with Jiraiya -and after Yamato is introduced, Kakashi quite literally is the commander solely by name.

Third, Rin and Sakura have in common that both are medic-nin, and that’s it. The rest of the parallels between them come more from the type of relationships they have with the rest of the cast: Naruto/Obito liked Sakura/Rin, while Sakura/Rin was in love with Sasuke/Kakashi; meaning: the only thing “holding them” as parallels are the connections between them and the rest of the team. If we solely focus on them being medic-nin as the sole premise of their “metaphorical reflection”, then Ino might as well be Rin’s parallel, as could be Shizune. Makes no sense.

Kakashi feeling guilty that he never returned Rin’s feelings simply because he couldn’t?

What do you mean he couldn’t? If your theory of him being gay is factual (let’s pretend for argument’s sake), then that means he couldn’t return Rin’s feelings because he felt nothing for her and couldn’t force himself into a relationship, so he chose to force someone else into a relationship they stated they didn’t want to be part of because he felt guilty? I mean, it’s not as if I don’t see Kakashi doing it -his character is just that type of mess, but I don’t think it’s that.

Kakashi didn’t love Rin -he had just witnessed the death of Obito when she tried to confess, he had barely “came out” of his shell (as in, his cold demeanor), and had never hinted any type of attraction towards his teammate. I don’t think Kakashi made parallels between Rin and Sakura -I believe that he copied Obito’s personality as a coping mechanism, but that doesn’t mean he’s too far gone as to create his own universe where his students are the reincarnations of his team.

Did he try to reproduce with Team 7 the same dynamics he had with his team? Yes, but not because they were alike, but because is the only type of dynamic he knew about how a gënin team was and functioned -Furthermore, the type of relationships between Team 7 were similar to the type of relations we get to see in almost every other team: The serious one, the bold/smiley one, and the kind but strong female.

[captnjacksparrow]

Okay so I know I’m far off my rocker with what I’m about to say but I have to say it otherwise I’ll forget or keep thinking about it like crazy.

It’s probably just me but I can’t help but feel like SNS aren’t straight. I can’t help but feel like Naruto could possibly be bi with women preference or don’t realize it. I can’t help but feel like Sasuke might be gay or bi. I don’t want to state it as a fact because we don’t know their sexualities canon wise plus I want to respect the author’s creation however I can’t see those two as straight, especially Sasuke. I understand that Sasuke puts his goals before romance and that may be the case for this. I know he wants to defeat his brother and restore his clan, thats his top priority in life. People say he doesn’t know how to express his emotions, yet I see it fine with Naruto. He seems to trust Naruto more than anything and wants to be with Naruto. He turns down girls, mainly Sakura when it comes to affection or flirtatiousness. Now it could be just that those girls see him as a trophy and Sakura doesn’t understand him or respect him, however even after Boruto when he “marries” Sakura, it seems he’s depressed and regrets the relationship. He visits Naruto’s family more than his own and I find it depressing and interesting because it shows he chooses Naruto over his own “wife”. Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side. Yet I feel a bit of that with him and Naruto. There was a rumor that the author or creator of Naruto that between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura isn’t a love triangle but rather a circle like a fish biting its own tail. So Naruto —> Sakura —> Sasuke and Sasuke —> Naruto. Anyways, i know this show isn’t about their sexuality and I shouldn’t focus on that but I couldn’t help but notice something or rather feel it. Also, your post on SNS Sasukes pov, I remember you mentioning Sasuke being comfortable enough to show his vulnerability with Naruto and that had me thinking... is this Sasuke accepting his love for Naruto? Is this Sasuke allowing Naruto to open him and save him. It seems Naruto was the first and only person that made his way to his heart, even expanding it just a little.

That’s just me but I would love to hear what you have to say and correct me if I’m wrong. What do you think?

Nice ask @larrycherry04 😍😍

There was a rumor that the author or creator of Naruto that between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura isn’t a love triangle but rather a circle like a fish biting its own tail. So Naruto —> Sakura —> Sasuke and Sasuke —> Naruto.

Again larry, there is no official proof for this interview. And if it is so, I don’t really believe any of his interviews, tbh. 

These are the two different official interviews from Shounen Jump at different point of time with Kishimoto and two contradicting answers. 

So, when it comes to drawing Manga, Kishi was very truthful. But when it comes to interviews, he started to contradict his own answers. Which makes him a liar, in my opinion and I don’t blame him.

So, In short, Read the manga or Watch the Anime and see how you feel about it and come to a conclusion rather that believing his interviews.

But to answer whether it’s a love circle??? Nope. 

Sakura, like I said before, she is a pairing fodder for Sasuke, most of the time and for Naruto, a little bit. 

If it is a love circle, like, if Naruto truly loved Sakura, he never should’ve let Sasuke off the hook, for all the tantrums/outbursts he has shown towards Sakura not once or twice but multiple times.

Imagine you are Naruto, you love Sakura so much and values her a lot above everyone.

What would you do in the following scene?

I seriously can’t stop laughing here. Here, a boy, your supposed rival, is mildly insulting your most valued person’s tears. What will you do?

You will speak on her behalf, Of course. Just like Naruto did.

But the moment your rival says something to you, you forget everything about Sakura and starts to think about your rival. Wellllll ... So weird!!!!! Which begs the question ‘Do you really love her in the first place???’.

In this scene, the moment he heard those words from Sasuke, Sakura was out of the picture. Important point to note, Naruto still had a crush on Sakura until this point. 

Moment 1

Sakura: I am going to stab Sasuke-Kun

Sasuke : Am gonna kill you too

**Naruto heroically saves her**

Naruto: Sasuke, Sakura was a member of Team 7.

Sasuke: I don’t give a fuck

Naruto: Anyways, I heard the truth about Itachi and what you’ve been doing so far, is understandable, (including trying to kill Sakura)

Sakura: **surprised pikachu face**

Moment 2

Sakura: I love you, Sasuke-Kun

Sasuke: Annoying!! I am gonna put her in a murdering Genjutsu

Naruto: Sasuke, you shouldn’t have put her in such a strong Genjutsu

Sasuke: If I didn’t , she will come in our way

Naruto: Ummm, that’s true. Let’s go fight!!!

This is the pattern of Team 7 dynamics even until the very end. And I don’t see a love circle at all. 

To put it bluntly,

These words from Naruto is an admonition to Sakura, that is, ‘Whatever happens between us, do not meddle!!’

Sakura is just a third wheel to elevate the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto likes her but not more than Sasuke. Naruto will die for Sasuke but not for Sakura. Sasuke will put his life on the line for Naruto but not for Sakura. 

He turns down girls, mainly Sakura when it comes to affection or flirtatiousness. Now it could be just that those girls see him as a trophy and Sakura doesn’t understand him or respect him, however even after Boruto when he “marries” Sakura, it seems he’s depressed and regrets the relationship. He visits Naruto’s family more than his own and I find it depressing and interesting because it shows he chooses Naruto over his own “wife”. Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side.

Sasuke closed all his walls in his heart to let anyone in, after the massacre. And even before that incident, it was never shown that he had any friends or rather he was frustrated with those boys revering him because of the ‘Uchiha’ name he bears. Uchiha is the powerful clan of Konoha and so everyone has high level of expectations. So, there is that. 

Sasuke was thoroughly frustrated at this comment because nobody is seeing him as a boy named ‘Sasuke’ in his Academy. Even his homeroom teacher saw him as 'Itachi's little brother'. He was clearly facing an identity problem during this time, even in his home. Because Fugaku, Sasuke’s father completely ignored Sasuke and was showing his full attention towards his brother Itachi. When it comes to girls, I don’t have to say anything. They treated him like a trophy. Meaning, Everybody was expecting something from him but nobody was trying to befriend him unconditionally or approach him for who he was. 

This was explained nicely by Itachi in Itachi Shinden novel.

I wish this scene were in the Anime series. Such a warm one.

He was turning down all those girls, because like you said, they just see him as a cool boy who can do anything. And Sakura was one among them. 

If Sasuke looked like Rock Lee, would Sakura have flirted with him??? Absolutely not. 

And to play romance, there should be certain effort from Sasuke’s side, like going for dates or whatever shit, which he was never ready for. Most of all, there should be a reason when you start a relationship. Sakura never tried to reach him in a deeper level and tried to understand his sufferings and hence there were no reason. This is the case even after their marriage. Does she know about Uchiha Clan massacre's reason? Or Itachi? If she had known, she should've educated her daughter and stopped wearing that fucking clan crest on their back. And most of all, what could Sasuke talk with her if she doesn't know a single thing about him?? Their relationship was built on Editorial pressure, regrets and shallowness. Of course, If I were Sasuke, I would avoid my family by staying in my office more.

With Karin, their relationship was purely business 'I use you, you use me' kind. He was very clear about that when he formed 'Team Hebi'.

He helped Suigetsu to get Zabuza's sword and in turn Sasuke wants him to help with his goal. Same with Karin & Jugo. But it seems Sasuke respected her a lot in terms of her strength. Karin was similar to Sakura when it comes to flirting but when it comes to work she means business and can offer Sasuke a lot in terms of Chakra replenishment or sensing enemies plan while battling. That's why he treated her better than Sakura but that's all there is to it. It never went anywhere because Karin knows nothing about him. And Sasuke was not interested in forming a bond with any of Team Taka members either.

In other words, to evolve from a friendship to romance, it takes a massive effort from both sides in terms of understanding. Like I said before, Sasuke built a strong wall around his heart and he never let anyone in it as he saw it as a weakness. Sakura barely made a scratch on that wall. Just for becoming a friend takes a big effort to break that wall. How much effort do you think it takes for romance?? Instead of becoming his friend first, Sakura jumped straight into romance, which makes Sasuke uncomfortable most of the times. Hence the depressed reaction you see in Boruto.

Even with Karin, he cares about her as a comrade or friend yet I don’t feel romantic attraction on his side. Yet I feel a bit of that with him and Naruto.

Hmmm, I don't see Sasuke having a romantic attraction with Naruto. Romantic attraction leans towards sexual desire. But, Sasuke has more of a childlike attraction which leans towards purity and innocence, like more of a desire to be near Naruto, will never be bored even if it was for eternity and would like to look after his safety without expecting anything back.

I've seen this quite a few times.

Sasuke is not competing here, otherwise he would have walked ahead Naruto. He just wants to walk along side him.

This is that dream sequence after their fight. Sasuke, just like before, approaches Naruto by himself and listens to him intently. I am pretty sure he could do this for a whole day and still would not leave him.

LOL. Sasuke, at this moment, doesn’t gives two shit about the world. Meaning he is not missing anyone from there. The person he really wants to be with is right next to him. He even convinces Naruto that Kakashi and Sakura will do something and he doesn’t have to worry. However the moment Naruto leaves, he worries and looks around for him. 

This is what I called, an innocent attraction and the desire to be around the person you feel warm and comfortable. 

But every possibility of changing this into romance is already there. Because Naruto broke his wall long back and has a high place in his heart. A strong friendship with an innocent attraction is all there. If someday Kishi comes out and said 'Sasuke loved Naruto', I won't be surprised at all.

Sasuke being comfortable enough to show his vulnerability with Naruto and that had me thinking... is this Sasuke accepting his love for Naruto? Is this Sasuke allowing Naruto to open him and save him. It seems Naruto was the first and only person that made his way to his heart, even expanding it just a little.

I think Sasuke started to like Naruto unknowingly ever since he started to watch him secretly. Because it always makes him feel warm and fuzzy. 

But, the scars left by Itachi made Sasuke feel that having people around will always makes him weak. Meaning, The more people you love and when you lose them, you will feel weak. Hence, he was very hesitant to reach Naruto. Slowly but surely, Naruto was already making his way into Sasuke’s heart. And once they were put in the same team, he just loved Naruto unconditionally. That’s why he almost gave his life for him.

But Once Sasuke decided to leave the village, he severed all the ties with Konoha, including Kakashi and Sakura. The level of bond Sasuke had with them can be cut off by saying ‘Thank you’. But with Naruto, it takes more than that. Because for Sasuke, Naruto’s existence itself is making him weak by bringing back all the feelings he once had for him. Like Orochimaru said, Naruto has certain power to influence Sasuke’s heart. So Sasuke decided to kill him but in the end he simply couldn’t. 

Everytime Sasuke strays off the path, Naruto will always appear and remind him that he is his friend

Every time Naruto appears and talks to him, Sasuke’s heart was changing but he simply doesn’t want that and he hates that feeling. Which was why he wants to destroy Naruto and whatever he represents. What Naruto represents is a powerful bond between Sasuke and Naruto.

In the final fight, he simply couldn’t cut that bond even though he had a chance to kill. These bipolar battles are what he was fighting all along internally. And finally accepts that he lost and was happy for it. Those words, ‘I lost’ meant he lost the fight physically and mentally he had with Naruto and was ready to totally embrace the feelings he already had.  

It’s not Naruto who was expanding Sasuke’s heart a little, Sasuke already gave a wide berth for Naruto and one day decided to close it. In the end, he couldn’t. 

I can’t help but feel like Naruto could possibly be bi with women preference or don’t realize it. I can’t help but feel like Sasuke might be gay or bi. I don’t want to state it as a fact because we don’t know their sexualities canon wise plus I want to respect the author’s creation however I can’t see those two as straight, especially Sasuke.

As for their sexualities, I seriously could not conclude anything. But from the way Naruto behaves, he certainly looks like a closeted bisexual just like Kishimoto. And Kishi was not hold his guns in this aspect at all, he went all out in the Manga chapter 347. 

I mean it was evident from the way he casted Multiple Reverse Harem no jutsu before Kaguya without any reaction but when Konohamaru did the same Jutsu with Sai and Sasuke, he looked visibly disgusted.

Why to react extremely when Konohamaru is doing the same as you? Probably he doesnt like Sasuke in this jutsu I guess. LOL.

When asked about that ‘accidental’ kiss again, he reacts visibly disgusted but at the same time with a Nosebleed. This screams ‘Closet bisexual’ to me.

As for Sasuke, I simply see him as close to Asexual and possibly demisexual for Naruto.

Why Asexual?

Because Kishi purposefully made Sasuke to be in certain awkward scenes and on top of it, he painted an over sexualized aura all over him, in part II of the manga. It was evident from his bare chested costumes and the way characters like Karin behaves around him. In the same chapter 347, Kishi went all out for Sasuke too.

I don’t even know why Kishi made this scene. But it certainly shows Sasuke wasn’t bothered by a naked man at all unlike Naruto who acted disgusted.

I simply cannot see Sasuke will be romantically attracted to someone if they cannot form a strong bond with him. And to form that kind of bond is not an easy task. But even for a demisexual, there will be a preference. and his preference were not any of those girls especially Sakura. So, I can safely say, if he ever wants to be romantic, all the possibilities points towards Naruto. Because of certain obsession he has towards Naruto throughout the War arc.  

Believe me, Obsession comes from two ways. You will be obsessed on someone whom you hate to your bone because of what they did to you. Most possibly, a hard betrayal. Or, You will be obsessed on someone who you love above yourself. 

Itachi falls under the first category (that’s why when Sasuke was told Itachi was good all along, he couldn’t accept the fact that he hated him for wrong reasons and he snapped and went onto a killing spree because of that obsession. Even though he was sane after losing his parents) and Naruto falls in the later.

Like he was basically saying ‘Naruto is my person. Only I can kill him, he is not yours’ to Obito when he was trying to kill Naruto. And where did these obsession comes from provided Naruto never betrayed him in any which ways? Because of all the past he had with him and he was already in love but was trying to deny it.

Anyways at the end of the day, I don’t mind their sexualities at all. What matters is how they prioritizes each other at any given situations without an ounce of regrets. Because, like I always say, their bond transcends way beyond Marriage, Children and Sex. 

Hope my answer helps :-)

[dai-nana-han-agenda]

HIIIII!! I really realllly love reading your tags on your retweets! It's one of my favorite things to see while scrolling down my TL. I was wondering if you have any of your fave TEAM 7 gen fics you could recommend? 💖💕 preferably no ships and just something that focuses on their dynamic and growing solidarity with each other!

HELLO! thank you so much omfg 💖 i’m so so sorry it took me so long to respond, i had the answer all drafted out and ready to go and then my dumb ass CLOSED THE TAB and i lost everything 😭 i had to rewrite the post which took a while FJDFSJ but it’s here now!! i really hope these are fics you haven’t seen/read before (omfg could you imagine if you’ve read every fic on this list i’d feel so bad 😭) but yeah!! i hope this helps!! 💖

(also side note, your icon is SO cute, i always see it in my notifs but i never got the chance to tell you until now LOLOL)

MULTI-CHAPTER

komorebi by tomorrowsrain ─ okay, i know you said preferably no ships (we’re already off to a rocky start FDJFKSJ) but this is literally my favorite team 7 fic ever, it’s impossible for me not to include it. it’s kakaobi, and team 7 doesn’t come in until ch. 3 of the first part, but i highly HIGHLY recommend it. seriously, this is my absolute favorite characterization of the members of team 7 & their dynamic, the author does such a good job of building their relationship from teammates to family. i will say the first chapter is a little disorienting (it’s in first person POV, which i usually tend to avoid when it comes to fanfiction, but the author does it so well and it does shift straight back to third person POV for the rest of the chapters). the author is currently writing the chuunin exams arc and it’s literally everything i wanted. 

tides by edenfalling ─ omg, this was one of the first team 7 fics i ever read waaay back on ff.net when i was like, 12 years old. unlike most of the fics on this list, this is set in shippuden, but it’s very much AU/canon-divergent. good character dynamics with team 7 learning how to work together again<3

how to make a team by Pleasedial123 ─ basically, kakashi gets his head out of his ass and actually invests time into strengthening the bonds between the members of team 7. don’t get me wrong, i absolutely LOVE canon!kakashi & i know he did his best (he was traumatized + not ready to be a teacher, i get it)... plus, if he was a good teacher in canon, there literally wouldn’t have been a plot. basically this is me saying fuck kishimoto because LOOK at what we could’ve had!! 

and so, the sensei supports his students by ihopethelightwillshineupon ─ this is really more kakashi-centric and it focuses more on his relationship with each of his students than on the dynamic between naruto, sasuke, and sakura (but kakashi is technically part of team 7 so it still counts!!)

ONE-SHOTS

for warmth by magnificentbirb ─ a scene i wish we would’ve gotten in canon.... like you’re telling me there are literally HOURS of filler episodes and we couldn’t get ONE soft, genin team 7 moment?? kishimoto & studio pierrot, you’ll be hearing from my lawyers. 

believing in heroes by guycecil ─ another moment i wish we got in canon because like... can we talk about how, in their genin days, these kids are 12 years old. are you fucking kidding me. also, now that i’m skimming over the fic, this may be more sakura-centric than team 7 centric, but i’d still highly recommend!

the pretty one by theformerone ─ it’s tagged as ot3, but i promise there are no ships! like maaaybe if you squint? but i honestly read it as platonic. one of my favorite fics ever tbh. answers the question that i’ve been thinking about since the manga was released all those years ago: what could have happened if kakashi was too late?

take the fight from the kid by theformerone ─ someone tell me why these 12 year old kids aren’t allowed to process anything on screen.... like, right after the wave arc, everything just went back to normal. like okay, yes, naruto had that moment to grieve for zabuza + haku, but i really just wanted to see a shift in the team 7 dynamics and we never really got it. so take this beautifully written fic instead!! god bless fanfiction. 

pray my name by Chancy_Lurking ─ ok so this is a fic that i found today and i’m OBSESSED. i do want to warn you, since you asked for no ships: it’s not tagged as ot3, but it could be if you squint. or, you could argue that team 7 is just very affectionate/very codependent. either way, right after i finished reading it, all i wanted to do was curl up in my bed and cry (but like, in a good way). 

just killing time by edenfalling ─ a very short but cute little one-shot that i also just found today! same author as tides, so if you read that first and you like their work, you should check this one out! (or vice versa)

did you inherit a sickness? did you blame god? by hotgirl ─ i literally recommend this fic to anyone and everyone because like?? it doesn’t exactly match what you’re looking for but it does have team 7 moments (heads up: it’s implied sns). this is honestly one of the best sasuke characterizations i’ve ever read. 10/10 would recommend.

of bruised brains and dog baths by sweetpotatopie ─ okay so these last three fics might not be exactly what you’re looking for but i’m adding them if/when you’re in the mood for cute, feel-good team 7 one-shots. this one is just a happy, post-canon piece where they actually get along<3

another day in paradise by ohthelinsanity ─ modern au where sakura and naruto bully sasuke, sakura and sasuke bully naruto, and kakashi is weird as shit. the friendship between naruto/sasuke/sakura that i wish i got in canon. hints of past itasaku and implied inosaku, but it’s very much a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.

gotta see! finally know! kakashi-sensei’s true face! by Lolistar92 ─ my FAVORITE face reveal fic EVER. episode 101 from naruto is the only filler that deserves rights (and maybe the curry arc because i love team gai, the ramen episode, and all the episodes with konoha 11. but mostly ep 101.)

[phantomchick]

Naruto Fic Rec Masterpost!

The Last To Know by KuriQuinn Oneshot, Gen, Teen and Up, Team Seven, Sakura and Sasuke, Sakura and Team 7, Canon Compliant, Angst with a Happy Ending, trust, broken trust, forgiveness, hurt/comfort, this fic is fantastic and made me have so many feels for the characters as well as the bonds between them, Character Dynamics,

Summary: As usual, telling her the truth happens as though by afterthought. And this time, she's not taking it.

i'll always be there for you by RecklessWriter Oneshot, Gen, Itachi and Sasuke feels, sibling feels, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, Big Brother Uchiha Itachi, a part of me niggles over team 7 failing a mission but I pretend that they ran into the hunter nin afterwards and Kakashi got the scroll back, it do be like that sometimes, Good big brother Itachi, Bad big brother Itachi, it’s complicated, Feels,

Summary:

He’s pressed against something warm. There are fingers carding gently through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp.

“Nii-san,” Sasuke whispers.

The hand in his hair freezes.

Sasuke gets thrown into a frozen lake. Itachi doesn't know how to stop being a big brother, even when he's supposed to be pretending he doesn't care.

The Beautiful Orange Thing by zafiro Oneshot, Gen, Naruto and Kurama, Naruto is a very lonely kid and the kyubi is a very lonely bijuu, Pre-Naruto Canon Era, chibi-Naruto, Naruto loves Orange, Kurama tolerates Naruto because he is Cute, sweetness and light, angst and fluff, so cute I wanna physically hug this fic to my chest

Summary: Naruto arrives at a weird place and finds something wonderful there.

Maslow by FriendshipCastle Oneshot, Gen, T for cursing, canonical child neglect, Iruka feels, Naruto feels, implied/referenced child abuse, but nothing worse than what’s in canon, angst, hurt/comfort,

Summary: The first four tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs applied to Naruto’s depressing childhood. Alternatively: Iruka slowly becomes the best replacement mother a ninja could have.

take the fight from the kid by theformerone Oneshot, Gen, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Team 7, Canon Compliant, but can be read as divergent, Post Wave arc, Pre-Chuunin Exams,  

Summary: Training with his team is different than it was before the mission to Wave. Sasuke notices how things have changed.

A Clean Break by GwendolynStacy Oneshot, Gen, Teen and Up,  Hatake Kakashi and Team 7, Team as Family, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Team Fluff, Kakashi feels, Self-Harm via compulsive hand washing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Happy Ending,

Summary: Every member of Team 7 has their personal set of demons to haunt them. While Kakashi is always prepared to lend his students a listening ear, he still hasn’t quite figured out how to ask for help when he’s the one crumbling.

The Beginning and the End by QuinsValoria Oneshot, short oneshot, gen, THIS HAD ME SOBBING OVER KUSHINA AGAIN EVEN THOUGH IT’S SO SHORT, pre-canon era, angst, Dont worry kushina, Your baby makes it out just fine, cries into laptop screen, Hurt/Comfort,

Summary:

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” —Robert Browning

Uzumaki Kushina is an amazing mother, even in the very short time she has left.

OR

Kushina comforts her baby.

The Prince Of Leaves And Deep Water by RayShippouUchiha Ongoing, 3 chapter fic, do you ever read a fic with language that is so pretty and evocative that you just want to lean into it, like a kid listening to a piece of folklore that’s been passed down, it’s just beautiful to read? And the words slice and cut into your feelings in the best of ways, angst, hurt/comfort, drama, Kushina feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Uzumaki Lore, well worth the read even as a stand alone should it never update again, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canonical Child Neglect, Uzushio feels,

Summary: ‘Protect him,’ Kushina prays in the quiet of her own mind as she leaves; pleading silently to the old spirits from her childhood, to the things that the Uzumaki Elders used to whisper about in hushed tones.

‘Love him,’ Kushina begs of the things she only knows from instinct and half remembered stories, those things filled with the power of salt and sun and deep deep waters.  Those things that live and thrive in the heart and soul of every Uzumaki who has ever breathed and battled and bled.  'Guide him, keep him safe for always.  But love him most of all. My little prince of eddies and leaves.’

Left behind, left alone and cold where before there was only a soft sort of warmth and a steady kind of safety, Naruto wails.

Final Evaluation by Do_the_Cool_Whip Completed, 5 Chapter Fic, Gen, Umino Iruka & The Rookie Nine, Iruka-Sensei, Feels, fluffy, I have so many emotions about Iruka being the best teacher in the elemental nations and this fic brought them all out to play, Excellence, Kakashi is a troll, a huge troll, like, he’s such a troll he’s a mountain troll, Asuma is a lesser troll, like he’s mostly decent but still infuriating so he’s a bridge troll, Kurenai is so cool that even when she’s trolling as is her right and duty as the jounin elite she is, the person she’s trolling still respects her for it, a river troll, the kids are so cute and young here, you can really feel Iruka’s affection for them, please revel in the wonderful that is this entire fic, revel I say

Summary: Progress evaluations are one-on-one consultation meetings between academy students and their teacher. Their purpose is to inform academy students of their strengths and weaknesses and guide them down their ideal path to becoming a strong shinobi. Upon graduating the academy and passing their jounin-sensei test, new genin return to the academy for one final consultation. (Or: The story of what happens when Umino Iruka uses his final meetings with his students as way to send them off to become the best shinobi they can possibly be.)

it takes a village by quillofferings Oneshot, Gen, snapshot series, angst, character insight, konoha 12, rookie 9, team Gai, team 10, team 8, team 7, repeating patterns and revelations, kinda gives a sense of the culture of a childhood in Konoha in a way that’s very quietly tragic, this story was written well before shippuden came out but it still reads mostly true to me, A Classic of the Fandom,

Summary: A Naruto snapshot series in the form of a oneshot.

spirals by nescione Gen, Oneshot, Team Seven, Generations, Team 7, Dai Nana Han, Spirals, Repeating Patterns, things happening the same across generations in repeating patterns is a big theme in the canon and lots of fic delve into it and play with the whole idea as a result, but this fic does it especially well, Team as Family, Angst, Fluff, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, A Classic of the Fandom, Summary: From the sannin to the present- a look at how history repeats itself, and how it doesn't.

this, and love too, will ruin us by RecklessWriter Oneshot, Gen, Itachi and Sasuke feels, Naruto Feels, Short and Sweet, Angst, Whump, Brother Feels, Sibling feels, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, Naruto Uzumaki Needs a Hug,

Summary: Naruto remembers the first time he saw Sasuke and Itachi.

He remembers looking at them and thinking, I wish I had someone who loved me like that.

Ten Facts About Team Yamato by Lisse Oneshot, Gen, short and sweet, Team 7 feels, Team as Family, Dai Nana Han, Team Seven, Team Yamato, characterisation, short but solid, Ficlet,

Summary: On paper, their team doesn't exist.

Troubling New Developments by SicTransitGloria Oneshot, Teen and Up, hilarious, pre-shippuden, Team as Family, Kakashi pov, Team 7, AHAHAHAHA,  Puberty hits the genin,

Summary: Kakashi takes a moment to wrap his mind around equating Ino’s chest with enemy shinobi while Asuma begins beating his head against the table and groaning about how he didn’t sign up for this. Rated for language and the general horror that is puberty

Of Harrowed Hearts by Sable_Scribe Ongoing and possibly (probably) Abandoned, Gen, Long Fic, we’re at 36 chapters in as of the time I’m posting this, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix It, Families of Choice, Team Seven, Team as Family, Bamf Kakashi, Good Teacher! Kakashi, Angst, Uzushio Lore, Fluff, Uzushio Feels, Uzumaki heritage, Bamf Team 7, BAMF Rookie Nine, Naruto's ability to make friends with giant chakra demons surfaces early, Rookie Nine, Rookie 9, Konoha 12, Naruto and Kurama,

Summary Naruto has been hearing the rumbling growl in the back of his head for as long as he can remember. He’s seven when he tries to talk to it for the first time. He’s the dead last, the failure at everything, so he doesn’t actually expect to succeed. And when he’s suddenly standing, knee deep in murky water and face to face with a demon, he has no idea what to expect. As it turns out, the world could use something unexpected.

Automatic by Dayadhvam Oneshot, Gen, Sand Siblings, Fluff, Team as Family, but also, Family as Family, Short and Sweet, A Classic of The Fandom

Summary: Gaara's shield defense is automatic: he has never had to consciously think about ordering the sand where it is needed. Kankurou and Temari have always known this.

As Is the Sea Marvelous by blackkat Mature, Gen, Eleven Chapter Fic, Warring States Era, Uchiha Madara/Senju Tobirama, Izuna Lives AU, everybody lives nobody dies, Hurt/Comfort, brotherly feels, sibling relationships, Angst With A Happy Ending, Insecurity, Self-Sacrifice, Imprisonment, Fix-It

Summary: Tobirama is willing to give absolutely anything for Hashirama and his dream. Including his life.

A Lesson In Trust by Live Gen, Oneshot, Shikamaru & Naruto friendship, academy days, trust exercise, fluff

Summary: All Iruka wants is for his class to start trusting each other, too bad Shikamaru would rather watch the clouds...

Snow Is Serious Business When Your Business Is Being A Kid by vulcanhighblood Gen, Oneshot, Iruka and Naruto, Umino Iruka is a Good Teacher, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, Fluff, Snow

Summary: Iruka's trying to teach his class, but the first snowfall of the year makes keeping their attention more difficult than he would have liked.

The Consequences of Winning by tabjoy13 Oneshot, Gen, Team 7, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team Feels, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi Is Trying, Wave Mission

Summary: Three days. It had been three days since Zabuza’s attack, since Kakashi passed out, and since Team Seven took refuge in the bridge builder’s home. Three days and Kakashi hadn’t shown a sign of stirring. Three young genin are left with the question: now what? Cross posted on FF.net.

discendo docemus by llamallamaduck Mature, Ongoing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Trauma/Ptsd, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Good Orochimaru, A lot of talk about depression and mental instability, Also Sharingan fuckery and assorted eye-trauma, rarepair, Itachi & Sasuke, eventual Sasuke/Ukitake, Itachi & Tsunade, 

Summary: There are some things a seven-year-old psyche is not ready to endure. An S-ranked torture technique preformed by a traumatized thirteen-year-old is one of those things. Sasuke doesn’t enjoy hallucinating memories of his murdered family day in and day out, but he’s learned to be philosophical about such things. It’s everything else that’s the problem, really.

Nidaime Otokage by DuskBeforeDawn Ongoing, inspired by nukenin, Time Travel, Dimension Travel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Protective Hatake Kakashi, BAMF Hatake Kakashi, BAMF Dai-nana-han,Team 7, Team as Family, Non-Konoha Shinobi Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi is a Troll, Kage level Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi-centric, fluff, adventure, crack, mature, fun read

Summary: No one knew him.His father was still alive.His Sharingan acted like it had always been his.Kakashi was twenty-two years in the past of a different world.

French Kissing, the End of the World, and Other Impossible Ordeals by Tsume_Yuki Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Time Travel, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Time Travel Fix-It, Smitten Uchiha Sasuke, grumpy asshole/cheerful optimist, this fic is literally just Sasuke being soft for Naruto, Mature but like it’s fiiine the author could’ve left it at teen and up and it would’ve gotten a pass at least from me

Summary: This is it, centuries of excellent genetics, of carefully selected marriages to maximise the potential of future generations and it’s going to be Sasuke who introduces idiocy to the Uchiha bloodline. The ancestors must be rolling in their graves. In which Sasuke is smitten, Naruto is a badass, and time travel happens.

No Tomorrow by Authorship Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Clan, Shisui Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Longfic, Completed, Found Family, Fix It, Mature, Time Travel, Fuck Danzo

Summary: The water was crushing, pummelling Shisui's broken form, even as it swept him further and further from Konoha. 

And then Shisui woke up.

It's two months until the day he died. Two months to change the current of his life, of his Clan, of his village. And Shisui has no intention of letting history run its course.

¦ part 1 ¦ part 2 ¦ part 3 ¦

[kakashishomegirl]

Team Gai or Team 8

Definitely Team Gai!!! Alll the way and with all my heart! Lee, Tenten and Neji are the only kids I truly care about.

I mean look at them!! Hard work pays out and no one does more than them. They are truly an inspiration and kept me going through some hard times.

I love Lee above every other character, he’s literally the light of my life.

Tenten is my favourite girl in Naruto and I love how she doesn’t care about boys at all and only wants to become a strong kunoichi.

Neji has the best vibes in all of Konoha and I would sooo like to meet him, I think we‘d get along super well.

And Gai! How is it possible to not adore him?? He’s literally flawless, the perfect teacher and so kind and loving.

Also I think it‘s funny how after their introduction you would think they are only those arrogant bad bitches...

... and of course they all really are super skilled shinobi, but what truly makes it for me is their (sometimes silly) affectionate dynamic and their teamwork!

Lee, Neji and Tenten (and of course Gai) are the biggest dorks and you can see so clearly that they love each other so, so much.

Their relationship with Gai is beautiful, they all accepted him as their dad and the way he teaches them touches my heart. Always supportive, but also very pushing because he believes in them above everyone else.

Team Gai is the only team that is regularly shown to act in synchro like this. What especially struck me was that in the Naruto OVA with a genie, every member of the Konoha 12 tried to get the lamp with it on their own, only Team Gai acted with teamwork.

I do like Team 8, Kurenai is an amazing Sensei and they also have good chemistry, but they don’t even come close to Team Gai.

They are my taijutsu kids and I love them.

[justjstuff]

If you're up to doing some commentary!! I've been interested about how people view Sakura and their over all interactions with her. And I know a few times (though the details now are fuzzy in my memory) being interested in kurenai's and Sakura's interactions... 1/2

Oh, hey!! Thanks for the ask, hon <3 I’m actually always happy when people ask me about either Shizune or Kurenai because I think a lot of people were unsatisfied with some scenes so it’s good to address it here where I don’t feel like I’m justifying myself. 

This got super huge lmao I’m sorry. If anyone’s wondering what the hell this is, it’s because of this post. I’m still open for questions! Just hmu :)

Okay! Let’s get started :) 

The thing with Sakura is that she had a great part of her growth as a shinobi within she shadow ranks. That means that for two/three years every single bit of accomplishment she got was only really recognised by a very select group of people, need to know only. That changed when the Elders threw their hissy fit and she was unofficially taken out of Team Ro and started taking missions outside of ANBU in jounin-only cells and as a jounin captain. Now, that drastically changed things, yes, but you have to look at it from each individual’s perspective. 

For the general public, Sakura is pretty much a hero already. Think Kakashi level without as many years of experience and with no war. They all know she’s insanely talented, the Hokage’s apprentice and a very high ranking officer. For the Konoha 11, Sakura is... that wildly successful friend you have that you knew in high school so you don’t have the same level of respect towards that person as you would a stranger bc like... you know you’re the same age and they still got called out by teachers and whatever just like you did... does that make sense? Lol. Sakura’s friends are impressed but there’s none of the hero worship some people might express. They know her flaws and they also know just how much she’s sacrificing to get where she is (her social life for example).

For the people Sakura has worked with after being forced to kind of leave ANBU, Sakura is pretty much on their level. They admire her bc they’re aware she’s young and accomplished a lot in just a few years but they don’t look at her and think of her as a child. They would never call her by anything other than her given rank during a mission for example, they would treat her as an equal while in the village. (An example of this group is Tsume and Anko, also people like Raido, etc, they didn’t really know her as  a kid, only really got in contact with her after she was already an OP badass xD)

Then there’s people like Kurenai, Shizune, Gai and even Asuma to an extent. The jounin sensei of the Konoha 11 and Shizune who took on a role as a mentor to Sakura when she was still 13 and kinda clueless. 

Let’s look at Asuma first. To me he’s a bit like the cool uncle, he probably took team 10 out to have their first drink or something. He never really coddled his genin and he knew that Sakura had wildly different experiences with Kakashi as a teacher than his own students did with him. Still, he had to go on that mission with Sakura and Kakashi to really understand who Sakura had become and how her and Kakashi’s dynamics worked. He also had roughly a month with her and then another back at the village to really see her as Sakura and not a genin. 

Gai is the one who took his position as a teacher more seriously. With two orphans and a Neji on his team, his role in their lives really was more as a father than anything else and I think he has a bit of a hard time seeing things in other’s perspective like Asuma does. Keep in mind that while both Gai and Asuma are great guys and even greater friends to Kakashi, Asuma leaving the village when he did brought a different kind of... perspective. In regards to how he views the village and the Hokage and y’know, everything else. 

So, you see, for them Sakura was in “their kids” class. Kakashi’s student. She accomplished great things in theory but she’s Kakashi’s student, that’s to be expected. They never really had to interact with her further, especially because they already had their own team. Keep in mind that only Gai and Asuma saw the Jounin Exams happening, Kurenai was on a mission with Team 8 back then. 

Okay, now that you have all of that, let’s get into  japanese suffixes and how they work. Please keep in mind I’m not japanese myself so there’s people who know about this more than I do. But from my point of view, it’s completely normal for someone who’s in a position of being both older and more experienced to call a girl who’s a friend of your child/younger sister/brother/student -chan.  Kurenai might even call her by her surname-chan but it’s safe to say the Konoha 11 are fairly close and it would probably feel weird to do that. 

So imagine this. Kurenai is a very reserved person and has good reason to want to keep her relationship with Asuma a secret, and even better reason to not want anyone knowing she’s pregnant. She’s stressed because she’s having to actively hide it from everyone at the bar and bc of the situation in general and she’s unsure if this woman in front of her who she sees as a child will keep it to herself. She probably had many more interactions with Ino than she had with Sakura at this point so really... it’s not a very far fetched idea that Sakura might be a gossip or shallow like she was as a kid. 

So she calls Sakura -chan and it’s pretty demeaning for Sakura to hear it after all the work she put into getting better and better seeing as -chan is the suffix you use to talk to either young girls in general or a female you’re pretty close to. Still. Sakura knows all of this and she’s not about to make a big deal out of it, especially since she likes Kurenai and feels for her. By the end of the night, we see Kurenai relaxing, feeling relieved to have Sakura help her out and she even catches a glimpse of her interaction with Kakashi when they’re going home and is pleasantly surprised by it. 

So yeah, Kurenai calling Sakura, Sakura-chan was a bit of a faux pas for her but it came from good intentions. She probably calls Hinata that which is cute and all but since she’s not close enough to Sakura and Sakura is technically her equal, it’s demeaning. Of course, there’s different connotations to calling her that, for example when Kakashi calls her Sakura-chan nowadays, it’s just good natured teasing on his part. Or to prove a point to someone else like we see him do with Boar, lol. He’s a bit of a dick. xD

Anyway, I hope this answered your question!! Please let me know if you have any follow up questions or comments :)

[domesticsasuke]

Domestic Sasuke AU Headcanon List

Domestic!Sasuke is an AU where Sasuke retires from being an active shinobi after Sarada is born.

But in my version of the AU there's a lot little more to it than that! This basically details all of the important changes that come with this AU.

Putting under a read more because this got long as fuck.

In this AU, Sasuke is brought back to Konoha similar as the canon series. He is interrogated for information on things like Orochimaru's research, the movements of Oto while he was affiliated with them, and any other information that may deem worth Konoha knowing. All of which he gives up willingly.

He is sentenced to one year probation in which he cannot leave the village, unless his presence is otherwise specifically required. He can do whatever he wants, missions included, as long as it's within Konoha.

Less than a house arrest, the probation is supposed to be an adjustment period to allow Sasuke to settle back into village life, situate the Uchiha estate, adjust to his lack of an arm, and focus on stabilizing his physical and mental health.

Now in Sakura's Story, we know that Sakura works on establishing help centers dedicated to helping children with their mental health and trauma across the shinobi nations. I like to think that within the village she was already pushing for better focus on mental health for shinobi.

--

Part of this adjustment period is Sasuke receiving counseling, both for anything he experienced while he was away and for what he experienced as a child. When Anko heard they were trying to find the best choice for counselor for Sasuke upon his return, she very firmly volunteered. As someone who went through some fucked up shit as a kid, she’d been working on becoming trained to help other shinobi youth.

I think the potential student-mentor relationship between Sasuke and Anko, given their shared experiences with the curse mark and Orochimaru, is woefully underutilized and unexplored.

The first few months are bad. Despite having returned willingly to Konoha, Sasuke's mental health is a mess. After years of emotional and physical trauma and keeping his mental barriers locked tight, finally being in a position where he can potentially feel safe makes him pretty much shut down. (A common occurrence for people once they get out of unsafe environments into safe ones.) Anko starts helping him work through all the layers and layers of shit and baggage he has backed up in his brain.

--

Interestingly enough, Sasuke finds himself spending a lot of time with Lee. Lee's energy reminds him a lot of Naruto and it begrudgingly endears Lee to him, only there’s something much more calming about sparring with Lee than Naruto. (Their dynamic comes to resemble Gai and Kakashi somewhat, but Lee is just a little sweeter and Sasuke just a little more serious.)

Sasuke and Sai oddly hit it off in their own strange way? There's a moment of tension between them on their first amicable reintroduction, but Sasuke has a much easier time communicating with him than Naruto and Sakura did upon meeting Sai. Even if Sasuke is wildly thrown off by the explicit and straight forward thing Sai often says.

As for Naruto and Sakura? They’re his most important people, always have been, even if he had to deny it to himself and others for years. Reconnecting with them isn’t... hard, but it’s awkward. Navigating this once familiar space, a space he spent so long rejecting feels strange and sometimes he feels ashamed or embarrassingly unworthy.

This entire relationship is built on the idea that he never genuinely tried to kill either Naruto or Sakura. It was either him putting on a show or him trying to convince himself he could, but he never would have gone through with it.

Sasuke also has much more meaningful moments with both of them individually where he apologizes to them. The terrible things he’s done and said are addressed and he makes it a goal to repent.

Sasuke enjoys talking about medical things with Sakura. He heard and learned a lot about medical science - especially dubious practices - while aligned with Oto, so they bond over talking about how fucked up some of the stories Sasuke shares. Sasuke gets a kick out of her mutual disgust, indignation, and reluctant intrigue. He also takes special interest in things she has to share about eyes.

While Sasuke will never not be Sasuke, his rekindling friendship with Naruto is, for the first time, not based on a foundation of pride and resentment. Naruto is still loud and annoying at times, but there’s also a feeling of freedom when they’re together. There’s nothing hanging over their heads anymore.

Nearing the end of his year, Sasuke begins to get increasingly restless. He's made wonders in his progress, but a lot of demons still pull at his subconscious.

He begins taking missions out of the village again, he and Sakura grow closer romantically, and life settles into something resembling peaceful, but the nagging itch that he's not doing enough is a persistent one.

In this AU, everyone doesn't settle into married life and have kids so early. Everyone has a bit more time as adults, a bit more time to figure themselves out and to court each other, before some of them finally have families years down the line.

During this, Sasuke catches wind of more and more ugliness in the world. He organizes with Tsunade to allow him to spend more time on long term missions targeting and working to uproot systems of severe crimes like human trafficking and slavery, something we see him doing a bit of in canon.

These missions can sometimes yield child victims and he corresponds regularly with Sakura and her health centers to organize for them to be taken in.

He's back and forth between Konoha and his missions over the years. Gone no where near as often as in canon, but sometimes gone for months at a time for particularly deep missions, but still works as a regular Leaf ninja on call for missions when he's home.

He does still struggle with a feeling of obligation and guilt sometimes due to his actions in the past, and there was maybe one year where he tried to isolate himself from the village partly for these reasons, another being because he felt his Sharingan drew enemies, but Naruto and Sakura set him straight. There weren’t about to him spiral back down to that abyss.

He is often accompanied by Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Lee, Anko, and a number of other of his friends in numerous situations over the years. He also accompanies Sakura on her rounds to check on centers' progress from time to time.

Team Taka no longer works with Orochimaru (because fuck that noise, is Orochimaru even alive in this AU??), and maybe join Konoha or work in Konoha affiliated establishments? (What do they do?? What are their goals??? Who knows, haven’t thought that far ahaha) Karin probably connects with Naruto over their shared Uzumaki lineage. Juugo might work in one of Sakura’s centers.

By the time Sasuke and Sakura finally decide to get married they've had years to address their pasts and spend time together.

It's when Sakura gets pregnant that Sasuke begins to reevaluate just exactly where he wants to be in life. He's spent so many years fighting. He's been fighting for recognition, revenge, redemption since before he was eight years old and realizes he... he's tired.

He's never allowed himself to rest because he's always felt like there was something he was supposed to be doing. And he realizes he doesn't want to fight to feel allowed to exist anymore.

He wants... He wants to be there for Sakura. He wants to be there for his baby. And with a little help from the Sakura and Anko, he learns that that's *okay*. That despite all the ugliness still out there, he has a right to put his own desire to be with his family first, that he can trust the good people in his life to take on the responsibility of helping save the world while he takes time to be there for the ones who need him.

Bonus Headcanons that come with this AU:

Hinata is still a ninja

Neji is alive

Tsunade is Hokage for longer instead of stepping down to let Kakashi take over

Mom aged Hinata get a Better Haircut

Yamato isn’t Orochimaru’s keeper

Konoha doesn’t work with Orochimaru (Maybe he’s dead? Maybe Kabuto takes his place?)

[theshinobiway]

Hey there! Ive always wondered how the members of team Gai would react to being tickled? Who's the most ticklish and who would be most likely to tickle back? I love your blog and writings so much, keep it up!

Anon, I was cracking up at this request and trying so hard to make it through when I was writing it. There were a lot of times where I had to pause, take a laugh break, then try to get back to it. I got a little ridiculous with it, but I figured this is what you were looking for anyway.

Also, thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot!! Thanks as always for contributing to the blog!

Headcanons: Tickling / Being Tickled by Team Gai

Might Gai

Tickling

Ø  Uh, what? You want to tickle who?

Ø  Son, this man has ten inches of steel. No, not there—well, of course there but that’s not what we’re talking about—I meant he has ten inches of steel in the form of muscle that covers his entire body. You think this man can feel a tickle?

Ø  He’ll play along, though. If he notices you trying to tickle him, he’ll act like he is. Poorly. He doesn’t want to discourage you from trying because he thinks it’s adorable—S/o or not.

Ø  You’ve tried everything, from getting the jump on him to using a variety of tools. Nothing. Gai just looks at you with confusion.

Ø  You try with backup one day (probably in the form of his team plus Naruto) who are too morbidly curious to pass up on the chance to figure it out for themselves. Neji and Tenten justify it by saying it might be to their advantage to learn one of their Sensei’s weaknesses.

Ø  You manage to capture him and try every method you possibly can. Naruto makes clones and tries every spot he can. Lee flails around. Neji attempts a modified version of 8 Trigrams. Tenten uses any object she can think of. All end in abject failure, no matter what you do. (Why does this play out like a Rock Lee Spinoff Skit? Hire me already, VIZ.)

Ø  Hold on, you try his feet. He’s wincing, he’s squirming, this might be it! He’s opening his mouth and he…!

Ø  Sneezes. Are you kidding me.

Ø  However, the minute Gai gets drunk, he’s ticklish everywhere. It scares the crap out of you because it’s so unexpected.

Ø  His laughter wakes the dead. It’s not even subtle, he’s screaming. Scream-laughing. The village hates you now. Stop tickling him before Tobirama Senju rouses from Konoha graveyard himself and kicks your ass for disturbing his death.

Ø  Drunk Gai is ticklish everywhere. You could poke him and he’ll collapse, wheezing.

Ø  NO ONE IS EVEN TOUCHING GAI AND HE’S LAUGHING.

Ø  “The Wind! It’s tickles!! It will be my undoing!”

Ø  “Fuck’s sake, Gai.” – Kakashi Hatake

Being Tickled

Ø  You can tell he find the idea of tickling entertaining. The only way you get tickled by Gai as a non-s/o is if it’s part of a joke routine.

Ø  He’ll do it in public too, so you might have to physically fight him for embarrassing you.

Ø  He’ll probably launch a surprise attack during a training routine, or if you’re too sluggish during a training session he’ll attack you to liven you up. Gai’s methods are always unorthodox anyway, there’s nothing abnormal here.

Ø  Try to launch a counter-attack and realize that God is dead. Since Gai isn’t ticklish, he’ll stare at you in confusion before lightening up. “Oh! It seems your energy has returned once more! Now, time to unlock the full potential!”

Ø  Uh. What.

Ø  OH HELL NOW HE’S GOING AT IT. RIP you sad soul, your first mistake was laughing. Now he thinks it’s a valid way to wind you up for exercise.

Ø  A relationship with Gai involved regular tickle fights. It actually becomes a regular occurrence. Gai’s relationship is lighthearted. He’s the kind of s/o that you’re best friends with (move over Kakashi) and that doesn’t get upset pretty much ever.

Ø  Gai memorizes where you’re ticklish and sometimes will tickle you as a greeting to get the jump on you. He thinks it’s hilarious no matter how much you (playfully) throw fists at him to complain. Now he can’t even resist.

Ø  He always stops when he realizes you need a break. He’s pretty good at noticing when a sweet, funny moment can easily turn into not-so-fun. He doesn’t let the mood get ruined.

Ø  His tickling also comes with incessant teasing. Oh, and cheek kisses. Lots of cheek and face kisses all over while he goes for your weak spots.

Rock Lee

Tickling

Ø  Lee is ticklish everywhere. The repetitive motion of tickling is what does it for him, he has a weakness for it. But gosh, is it so hard to tickle him.

Ø  He squirms around like no other. Limbs fly in every direction. His face turns red with laughter and he can’t hold still. You almost feel bad because he gives you puppy-eyes when you try.

Ø  Those puppy-eyes guilt you into stopping every time.

Ø  He pretty much can only manage to say “Nononono” and maybe your name if it’s not too long.

Ø  Lee can take a lot of punishment tickling. He doesn’t have any hard feelings about it either, he’s mostly just bewildered by what just happened.

Ø  He might suggest regular tickling as part of a training routine to up his endurance. Okay, cool, so you try multiple times. Does it actually increase his endurance? No, but you get more of cute, giggling Lee, so it’s worth it. (HIRE ME VIZ.)

Ø  Getting tickled by his s/o is something that warms Lee’s heart. It reminds him just how much he can be himself around you and how easygoing your relationship is. He doesn’t mind any jumps on him (unless it causes an accident, then he’s just concerned for your safety first.) and welcomes the notion that your relationship can be full of little everyday surprises—big or small.

Ø  Once or twice, he holds his breath and kisses you to make you stop. God Lee is just so sweet. Of course you stop, but now Lee’s giggling because he’s kissing you. It’s a win-win.

Ø  Occasionally he’ll pout if you launch a full-on tickle attack while he was doing something, but he’s just joking. Give him more kisses and you’ll see that right away.

Being Tickled

Ø  Lee will probably only try to tickle his s/o, unless someone convinces him—FOR SOME REASON—that so-and-so needs to be tickled as part of a…whatever, training, mission, bar mitzvah, funeral, look. Lee is not a hard boy to convince.

Ø  At first he… doesn’t really know how to tickle? You’re laughing because he looks so ridiculous doing it. He literally just wiggles his fingers a bunch and hopes it does something. He’s so easily tickled he doesn’t understand just how it works.

Ø  Wh—WHO TAUGHT LEE TO TICKLE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

Ø  When Lee learns how to tickle, he’s the master. Once he tried it on Neji. Both of them agreed that doesn’t count as an official victory in Lee’s favor. Only because it wasn’t really a ‘match.’

Ø  He is the Beautiful Blue tickle monster Beast of Konoha. None can withstand his fury.

Ø  It’s canon that he has tickled at least one of his opponents to victory.

Ø  As an s/o, tickling can be a regular occurrence with Lee. He loves getting the jump on you and hearing your laugh. He will literally do anything to make you laugh.

Ø  If you hate tickling, he’ll honestly be kinda miffed about it because he thinks it’s a cute couple thing to do. He’ll let you do it to him still, though.

Ø  Lee nuzzles you before, after, and sometimes during a tickle attack. He’ll giggle along with you because he thinks that your laughter is infectious. If you’re seriously trying to pry his arms away, he’ll let you.

Ø  Once or twice he’ll blow raspberries on you if you both are really in a goofy mood. It makes his heart flutter when you can’t hold back your laughter.

Ø  It doesn’t matter if you’re newly dating, long-term, or married: Little moments like this don’t die off with Lee.

Ø  Lee will pass the habit of tickling to your children (if you have any.) He’ll even teach them to attack you, thinking it’s adorable when you get caught off guard. Of course, the only valid response is to team up with your kid(s) to get back at Lee.

Ø  God you all have such a fluffy dynamic. It’s the envy of Konoha.

Tenten

Tickling

Ø  Do you want to die? This is how you die.

Ø  Needless to say, trying to tickle someone with an entire army of weapons saddled on their hip at all times isn’t for the faint of heart.

Ø  Tenten isn’t as ticklish as her teammates. But she is very ticklish on her lower stomach and her feet.

Ø  There are three ways this can go: You’re her s/o and don’t go too hard at it the first time you attempt, you’re her s/o and launch a full scale tickle attack, or you’re not her s/o and you simply try at all, (maybe with help)

Ø  You can tease her about being ticklish, but she’ll pout about it. It’ll be really cute when she does.

Ø  If you’re her s/o and blow raspberries on her stomach, she’ll giggle. Then you die.

Ø  She doesn’t even like your breath anywhere near her stomach. It’s that bad. Even during more intimate moments, she prefers if you just skip her stomach entirely.

Ø  Catching Tenten in a serious tickle attack is asking for it. Even if you can pull it off, she’ll have broken up with you at least three times during the attack. Give her lots of love after until she comes around.

Ø  Now, Tenten appreciates a good prank. More than the other members of the Konoha 12. She doesn’t always like being pranked, but that’s the name of the game. Prank wars are a regular occurrence with her in a relationship. If this falls in with that, she’s more forgiving.

Ø  She has the cutest giggle. Part of her is trying to be furious with you, but she actually enjoys being tickled a little. She thinks it’s a really cute way to be playful with your s/o.

Ø  If you’re not her s/o and you tickle her: You’re getting beaten, strung up, and left to hang in one of Konoha’s many training grounds. You had better hope someone finds you, because she isn’t coming back for you. Same goes for anyone that tried to help you in the attack.

Ø  Three days later, you (and your accomplices) have acknowledged that the weapons mistress of Konoha should probably be the next Hokage.

Being Tickled

Ø  Tenten does not forget the time you got the jump on her and has plotted her revenge accordingly.

Ø  She gets creative. Really creative. She stalks you for a few days, mapping out your patterns, taking note of all of your habits. She has your entire day down pat before launching a counterattack.

Ø  You sit down for lunch one day, then the next moment you wake up in an unknown location.

Ø  “Did you drug me?” “DID YOU TICKLE ME?!”

Ø  We will not speak of the horrors that occur over the next twelve hours.

Ø  You never tickle anyone ever again after that incident. And every time you so much as see a feather or someone makes a tickling motion with their hands, you may or may not have flashbacks.

Ø  With her s/o? What are you talking about? This is the privilege of being her S/O. Non-romantic parties get left in the woods.

Ø  If it was part of a prank, then given Tenten’s extremely playful nature, tickling can be a regular-not-as extreme occurrence.

Ø  You can get away with cute moments of tickling her now and then if you don’t go for those spots. Her sides aren’t nearly as ticklish, but they’re enough to make her giggle. You’ll get loads of cute moments laying in bed, joking with each other, and the occasional tickle to punctuate a joke aimed at one another. Those are the best moments.

Neji Hyuga

Tickling

Ø  DO YOU WANT TO DIE? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO DIE

Ø  Okay first off, hats off to you if you can catch the man with 360 degree vision unawares enough to launch a tickle attack. Because that’s the only way you’re going to get close enough.

Ø  Neji is calm, often stoic, and proper. That being said, his self-control is through the roof. If he catches you, even for a split second, he can “turn off” his tickle response. The only way to successfully do it is to make contact and initiate your attack without him realizing what is happening until it’s too late.

Ø  Neji’s sides are extremely ticklish if you catch him. He practically drops to the floor on contact. You’ll never hear him laugh so hard, it’ll be a sight to see. If you’re relentless, he’ll have tears in his eyes and he’ll try to shove you off, but he won’t have the strength to do it. He’ll squirm around a lot, though.

Ø  His laugh is so cute? Neji never bursts out laughing hard, ever. His face is so flushed and, despite the fact it’s an automatic response, the smile won’t come off his face, even for a few moments after the tickle attack. He’ll be gasping for air and begging for you to stop, but he can’t really take in air to get the full words out.

Ø  He’s also ticklish behind the knees, but there’s a high chance he’ll knee you in the face—probably intentionally—if you try.

Ø  If you’re his s/o he’ll be super peeved and you’ll get the silent treatment for many days after, but you have a higher likelihood of forgiveness. If you’re not, your existence will conclude in less than 24 hours.

Ø  If you’re his s/o he will never admit in a million years he found your ‘attack’ so stinking cute, even if it annoyed the living hell out of him. He has a certain weakness for the little cute things couples can do, but man does it destroy his image.

Ø  If you’re not his s/o, your day ends either in the hospital or the morgue. If you had accomplices, such as Naruto or Lee (or both) and tried to sneak up on him, he has no problem sending three bodies to the same place. Which one? Depends on how merciful he feels that day.

Being Tickled

Ø  It’s hard to imagine Neji as the kind to tickle someone, and for good reason: he might do it once in his entire life.

Ø  The only way he’s going to do it is if you’re his s/o and you’ve launched a surprise attack before. He’ll have been giving you the silent treatment for a few days, still visibly annoyed you tried something so ridiculous and humiliating on him, but then he gets an idea: revenge, and a taste of your own medicine.

Ø  He’s calculating about it too. You’ll have just gotten home and you’ll say hello, fully expecting that he’ll give you a courteous nod and nothing more (like he has been for the last few days.) But he’ll actually say hello and hold his arm out, gesturing you to cuddle on the couch while he’s reading. Of course, after a few days of silence, the invitation is all so tempting.

Ø  You poor soul.

Ø  The minute you sit down with him, you know something’s off. You don’t get a chance to react. Now you’re in his lap and in a death grip, and Neji whispers something along the lines of “You’ve made a poor decision, haven’t you?”

Ø  Neji attacks every single ticklish spot you have in a flash. His hands move so fast it’s almost simultaneous. No matter how hard you wriggle, you can’t get away. He avoids every single thrash. The tickling only ends on his terms.

Ø  It occurs to you between gasps of air and laughter that he wasn’t giving you the silent treatment: He was plotting revenge. Oh shit

Ø  He doesn’t stop until you’re about to pass out from oxygen deprivation from laughing so hard. Mercy isn’t a word to him. There are no safe words. You chose your fate.

Ø  Bruh, why did you launch a physical attack on someone who can shut off all 361 tenketsu in a split second?

Ø  Once the debt is paid, the situation falls into the past. You have two options: turn this into an all-out war (…why would you?!) or resolve to let this be a lesson to you.

Ø  In the future if you get any more mischievous ideas involving him and he can tell, Neji will definitely brush his hand over your ticklish spot and give you the look as a warning. The cold shiver that runs down your back when he does helps you reconsider.

Ø  You’ve reconsidered. You’re not doing it.

[dimigex]

Drabbles - Day 12 - NejiTen

Pairing: Neji/Tenten, implied (post war) Rating: T Prompt: “How many miles are we running? (frost) Author’s Note: I’m not happy with this one at all, but I’m tired of looking at it lol and it’s been holding up all the other things I’ve written because I’m a stickler for posting in order. 

Tenten paused long enough to drag in a single, burning breath. Sweat froze on her skin as she took in the surroundings. Lazy, white flakes drifted between the trees, blanketing them in pale coats, and golden tendrils of light sparkled through the semi-darkness. Dawn couldn’t be more than a few minutes away. 

“Come on, Tenten,” Lee encouraged, jogging in place to keep his heart rate steady. “Let us finish strong!” 

“How many miles are we running?” Tenten groused, pushing her exhausted muscles back into a jog. “I didn’t sign up for a marathon.” 

If Lee heard the words, he chose to ignore them. Frosted grass crunched beneath their feet as they ran, undisturbed until their predawn passage. Tenten almost called out for a reprieve when she noticed Lee slowing down. The trail they’d been following became steep enough to climb, and he scrambled up like a goat. Tenten clambered up less gracefully.

“Look, we are just in time.” Lee enthused, eyes on the horizon. 

“In time for wh–” The sun peeked over the mountains, bathing the valley in a million shades of gold. Tenten momentarily forgot the soreness twisting through her body. “Wow,” she breathed.

Lee didn’t speak as the rich hue faded toward blue, pink, and purple. Tenten cut her eyes toward her teammate, wondering why he’d brought her here. Then, he sighed. “You have not been keeping up with your training regimen.” 

“I– what?” Tenten cast an incredulous stare at her teammate. “We just got back from war. I think we deserve a little break.” 

The mention of the war brought with it a flood of memories that Tenten shoved away. Wasn’t it enough that they’d nearly lost Gai-sensei? They’d come home with Neji’s body. Whatever they had been before leaving Konoha had died on the battlefield. She gulped a lungful of icy air to numb the surge of panic rising in her chest. 

“I’ve spoken to Sakura,” Lee said, continuing to look over the village. “She said that grief is different for each person.” Shock prevented Tenten from responding so Lee continued. “You haven’t been by the hospital to see Gai-senei. You haven’t been training. You haven’t–”

“We almost died,” Tenten interrupted. “And we lost Neji, in case you’d forgotten.”

Tenten turned away. She’d managed five steps when Lee spoke again. “Do you think this is what Neji would have wanted? You, refusing to live because he’s gone?”  

Voices from the waking village drifted upward, and Tenten focused on that. She couldn’t find the words to argue with Lee. So much had changed in such a short time. If she could have gone back to the weeks leading up to the war and made certain–

“If you loved Neji, you should honor his memory by becoming the best shinobi you can be,” Lee said, filling Tenten’s silence. When she swiveled toward him in shock, the boy shrugged. “You two obviously cared for one another as more than friends.” 

The observation drove the air from Tenten’s lungs. She and Neji had been so careful to hide their relationship because they feared that it would damage their team dynamic. Then, Neji died, and no one knew what Tenten lost. Lee’s words lessened the crushing weight enough for Tenten to draw a breath. Her next words came out as a sob. “I miss him.”  

Saying the words aloud should have made Tenten feel better. They didn’t. Nothing would change the fact that Neji wasn’t coming back. She still looked for him, half expecting him to climb over the hill, complaining about Lee’s pace. Or sidle up behind her, arms tight like nothing in the world could ever hurt her. 

Lee caught Tenten when her knees gave way, pulling her into a bone crushing hug that kept her on her feet. He didn’t speak or try to comfort her, he simply held her there until the sudden sobs spent themselves. Then, she pushed away with a frown. “Did you really know, or were you just guessing?” 

“I knew,” Lee admitted with a sad smile. “I promised him that I would look after you, in the event–”

“Thanks,” Tenten said before Lee could finish. She didn’t want to know the rest of it, not yet. “For caring, and for making me run with you today.” 

Lee’s face brightened at the words. “Does that mean I can count you in for tomorrow as well?” 

“Don’t push your luck,” Tenten laughed, wiping at her cheeks. Darkness lay ahead, but maybe there was just enough light to keep going. 

[ohayohimawari]

Kakashi Asks-Answer

Q: (From @thetoxicstrawberry) What are your thoughts on Sukea? Do you think this disguise existed prior to him messing with Team 7?

A: I know that you and I have congratulated each other on having the same brain before Berry, and this is another of those priceless occasions, haha! I’ve been hoping that someone would ask me about Sukea so that I could have an excuse opportunity to geek all over my favorite ninja dork’s alter ego. Thank you for reading my thoughts (your thoughts? Our thoughts?)!

*Cracks knuckles* My study of the development of Kakashi’s photogenic photographer not-so-secret identity starts below the cut.

It’s a beautiful coincidence that I answer this question so close to my first anniversary as an outed writer in the Naruto fanfiction community. I wrote my headcanon of the origin of Sukea in my very first (and very naughty) fic! Seriously, I can forgive Kishi for almost everything simply because he removed the mask from my favorite character and put a camera in his hands (for those that don’t know, I’m a photographer).

In my story Supplemental Training, I portray Kakashi just as I imagine him when he’s nearing the end of his ANBU career. While he claims to be a man of many hobbies, he is first and foremost a ninja. He goes to sleep and wakes up a shinobi. His ability to form plans and strategies makes him both a powerful ally and a formidable enemy, but beyond the scope of missions, I don’t believe him to be an especially imaginative person. At the very least, I mean to say that he doesn’t put much stock in his own latent creative ability, and that prevents him from attempting such. Further, at that stage in his life and career, Kakashi is wound tighter than a two-dollar watch.

In my fic, he is reluctantly thrust into a situation that he is suspicious of, and is determined to control. He plays along with another character when she asks what he would like to call her, and Kakashi dubs her with a name that is obvious and unimaginative. She, in turn, christens him with a name that is equally obvious and unimaginative: Sukea.

(Side note: sukea is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word scare. Kakashi means scarecrow in Japanese, so, his alter ego’s name is a play on his own.)

In the story, Kakashi accepts the offered moniker, and it’s not long before he realizes that he stands to gain new skills if he manages to successfully navigate his situation. I’d written that my quick-thinking bean likens this experience to being an actor that is assuming a role. In scrambling for a costume, he tugs his mask down; effectively removing the face that most have come to recognize as his. Then, he’s nervous af.

This leads to the pivotal moment of my story, and in the creation of Sukea. Konoha’s prodigy, for all of his brilliance, doesn’t shine in the social interactions arena. Kakashi, bless his heart, wants so badly to be in control of the situation. However, it’s only when he lets himself go in favor of becoming Sukea, that he finally does gain control of it.

Near the end of my story, I write that Kakashi considers, “… what he had gained, who he had escaped, what he had beaten back, and who he became.” It’s from this moment on that I believe Sukea is an important part of this character’s life.

This transition doesn’t have to play out the way I’d written it in that fic, but I think Kakashi would have to be pushed into stepping outside of himself. We don’t see him assuming different identities in his career. He’s not a role-playing kind of dude in his downtime. He lives in a mask and wears an additional one when he clocks in for his shifts. He insulates himself during missions and isolates himself between them. I sometimes wonder if, by this stage in his life, he’d hidden his identity so well that Kakashi had lost sight of himself.

So, the experience of being Sukea-however it comes about and for whatever reason-would be something between refreshing and liberating for the Copy Nin.

Now I’m going to pull a Kishi tactic and employ a time jump with minimal backstory. A couple of years go by in which bad things happen to the Uchiha clan, Konoha adopts yet another orphan, and Kakashi is released from ANBU.

I imagine that this is one of the most difficult stages of Kakashi’s life. Nothing could be more unsettling for this dork than idleness after the familiar, strict, comfortable routine of the decade he spent in ANBU. I honestly think Kakashi wouldn’t know what to do with himself in the years between Black Ops and Team Seven. As a result, he begins to have a greater appreciation of Gai and his challenges. Also, this is when Kakashi would flesh out his secret identity as Sukea.

Because escapism.

Kakashi can’t stand himself in the years between Team Minato and Team Seven, and after he’s out of ANBU, he’s got too much time on his hands to ruminate on it.

There’s no way in hell that he would just wake up one day and decide to skip along the streets of Konoha without his mask on though. Kakashi would approach this consciously and meticulously. It helps to occupy the extra time. It postpones the moment between deciding to go out as Sukea and actually doing it. He would need time to prepare for this, mentally and physically.

There’s more to my headcanon than loathing himself though. The Third Hokage decided that this traumatized soldier was grade A teacher material, and Kakashi takes his orders seriously. While I don’t think he would view his eccentric nature as odd, I think he would be aware that he is socially awkward (at least, he would be aware that he feels awkward in social situations). I think he would strive to improve at this, if only for the sake of being a sensei.

This is why Sukea is a photographer.

Being a photographer is similar to being a fly on the wall. In order to capture candid moments or gather pictorial evidence, a photographer needs to melt into the background. Kakashi, being a ninja, would know how to succeed at that. He’d come to terms with the fact that the mask that hides his face makes him stand out. He’d know to cover his luscious, outrageous silver cowlicks, his famous scar and borrowed eye.

I can almost hear a couple of you piping up in the back asking, “But Hima, he’s a ninja! He can just don a henge!” The answer to that is no, unfortunately. As long as that sharingan is in Kakashi’s eye socket, that shit never shuts off. Even though he’s wearing a contact lens, as long as both of his eyes are open, it’s a constant drain on this poor knucklehead’s chakra reserve. Also? I think he doesn’t want to.

Choosing photography as Sukea’s schtick was brilliant. Photographers are expected to focus on their subjects, affording Kakashi plenty of time and opportunity to study others. He would definitely learn a great deal about people this way. Relationships and their dynamics are captured by his lens. He gains some new social skills by watching and catches up on the lives of the folks of the Hidden Leaf at the same time. One of his many hobbies is born. The best photographers are careful in their observations, quick in their actions, and Kakashi is already carrying those tools around in his fanny pack.

Unrelated, but, only Kakashi could make a fanny pack look asjkfsd hot. Another trivial detail, but you know how I love those: I’m thinking of one of Berry’s delightful headcanons about his mask and drawing from it now in my imagination. I wonder if Sukea carries Kakashi’s mask in his coat pocket the first few times he goes out in public.

Whether he does or not, after a few field trips around Konoha, I think Kakashi would genuinely enjoy stepping out as Sukea. He would have to if he’s still doing it during his sensei days, and again in the next-gen era.

He delights in trolling Team Seven, that’s for sure. Sukea is his own private joke, and who among us tires of laughing at our own jokes? Kakashi’s no different, and that’s why we catch him smirking at his reflection when we finally got to see the goods in that special manga chapter and anime episode. It felt so good to have my anime crush validated, btw.

Every time Kakashi drifts undetected around the Leaf Village, there is one other jōnin that Sukea’s camera avoids. As much as he enjoys his joke, he wouldn’t push his luck when it comes to the possibility of Maito Gai recognizing him. I think it speaks volumes about their friendship when we see Sukea sweating it out as Gai’s eyebrows invade his personal space and he stares the other man down. I’m convinced that this is how Kakashi learns his eternal rival is hopelessly face blind, but that’s a headcanon for another day.

Sukea is still stalking the inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf when Boruto’s generation of ninja are preparing to graduate. However, we see Kakashi tugging his mask back up and pulling the wig off, transitioning in front of Iruka. In so doing, he proves how much he’s grown throughout his life. I imagine that being Sukea had a lot to do with that.

This alter ego of Kakashi’s-like so much about him-is enigmatic. It seems to me that he’s revealing himself rather than hiding himself; giving others a chance to get to know him underneath the underneath. The person aside from the elite ninja that he is.

I said earlier that I wondered if Kakashi had hidden his identity so well, that he had lost sight of himself. I like to think that in being Sukea, Kakashi reconnected with himself.

XOXO

[leportraitducadavre]

So, I know you're mainly talking about Sasuke and Team 7. But can I asked your opinion about team 8? Like, their teamwork and friendship, their flaws and strengths, etc...

In total honesty, this will sound really bad but there’s not much canon material about them or their team.

We get to see most of their teamwork during the first part of the manga, when they were in the chunin exams, but even then those panels weren’t focused on them and how they were doing but rather how Gaara represented a threat. Their teamwork up to that point hasn’t been polished if Kiba and Shino’s relationship is anything to go by, but they manage to use their particular skills to get a scroll almost an hour after they entered the forest, so they are competent. After that, we get to see mere glimpses of what they are doing together, when Naruto finds Hinata before the final round against Neji, Kiba appears for a training session, and later on in Shippuden, Naruto encounters Team 8 before they go out on a mission. I’m pretty sure Kiba says something like “C’mon team 8, let’s show them how it’s done” during the War Arc, but immediately after we see only Hinata activating her Byakugan and, after that, Team 10’s Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

Their teamwork is implied, we get to assume that a team that is still together after becoming chünin are good enough with each other to complement their skills, but we don’t get to see it the way we do with Team 7 or Team 10. The most relevant character of that team was Hinata, and she didn’t appear much in the manga to begin with, furthermore, her character plot-wise is rather unimportant and is only there as a contrast to Neji’s character during the first part of the manga. Kurenai was Asuma’s romantic partner and sensei of team 8, but we only see her using her skills during her fight with Itachi, an encounter that ended rather quickly. We don’t get to see the team together with their sensei at all in Shippuden, and Kurenai practically disappears after Asuma’s funeral. Kiba’s aspiration to become Hokage becomes pretty much the end of a joke during that same period of time, because by now Naruto is the rather obvious answer and, when Sasuke states that he wants to rule, the dichotomy is between Naruto and Sasuke. Kiba is just there to apply slight comedy purposes to that division as the third option no one wants or thinks about. Shino's creation seemed to be for the sole purpose of being there and not being noticed because that’s the punchline of his existence; his Tsukuyomi is about finding a new species of insects, a dream that was never stated out loud as Kiba and Hinata were before.

Team 8 is the less developed team of Konoha and I might dare to say of the manga, Team 7 and Team 10 are clearly the dynamics more explored during the series (even if team 10’s development is particularly more onto one single character), Team Gai exists basically because of Lee’s rivalry with Neji (mirroring Naruto and Sasuke) and Gai’s comical interventions, both things fade a little in Shippuden after the Gaara’s retrieval Arc (but they’re side characters, so is to be expected). The Suna team was divided once Gaara became Kazekage and Temari a jönin, and the only thing that was highlighted was their new polished relationship as brothers, particularly Kankuro’s desire to save his brother. At last we have Samui team from Kumo, despite being introduced only in Shippuden, we get to know their dynamics and relationships with one another more in-depth that we did with Team 8 as a whole, they were ready to fight against Team Kakashi because of Sasuke’s actions against their sensei, B, and we are shown how Karui and Omoi have a rocky relationship because of their contrasting personalities but share their kenjutsu skills.

Team 8 wasn’t developed, we get to know more about the characters inside that formation individually, but that doesn’t mean we actually get to know them that much either, it’s like they’re the side-side characters of the secondary level: Hinata is the side character of Neji, a side character. Kiba is just there as a rather interesting character until the time-skip where he becomes the one who challenges Naruto in his dream just to be laughed at. Kurenai in the supporting role of Asuma’s partner, her sole purpose is having a child that Shikamaru can worry about, and Shino appearing out of nowhere when the plot requires it to dispatch the inconvenience and help Naruto carry on towards the big enemy, until Shippuden starts when he pretty much stops existing. Their dynamics is barely shown, relying on the implications of them being together as an affirmation that they’re good, and that’s pretty much it. I’m sorry I can reply with something more in-depth, but I don’t have much to work with when talking about Team 8, its members, or dynamics.