#idk how her jutsu works fully

[rozaceous]

idk that it fits anywhere within my existing tcba fics, really, since it's not an extra or an au? but here, have my original ending to tcba's wave arc before i decided that i actually take serious injury seriously

The bridge is in its last stages of construction and Mariko has convinced Kakashi that she's well enough to at least watch the bridge be finished. She is, too, because the headaches are all but gone and the tinnitus had stopped four days previous, but also she'd been going stir-crazy in the house, especially since she'd had trouble focusing on her embroidery long enough for it to function properly as a distraction and Tsunami had refused to let her help with the housework.

But she's perched on one of the bridge’s support beams with a warm, if humid, wind in her face, and Kakashi's stitches--just as neat as hers, but he'd used the last of her blue embroidery thread because she was out of her surgical thread, and she isn't sure she's forgiven him for it because blue is one of the only colors she can see properly--itch a little and the area will probably scar. But it doesn't hurt much any longer and the muscles underneath have mostly healed and there aren't any signs of infection. In fact, she should be able to remove the stitches later tonight.

So she's feeling pretty good, all things considered.

Zabuza and Haku show up mid-morning, the former conferring with Kakashi and the latter offering a small wave to her in her high-up resting place. Mariko wastes no time in sliding down the nearest column with a controlled glide of chakra coating her hands and feet. Sasuke and Naruto also take a pause in helping the construction crew to come over from their position further down the bridge.

"I'm not so sure you should be moving," is her greeting to him.

Haku just smiles. "Shouhei-sensei cleared me for travel so long as I don't exert myself, Mariko-san. And how are your own injuries?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she says dismissively, right hand already glowing green. "And no offense to Shouhei-sensei, but he doesn't have jutsu to back him."

Haku lets her fish her hand through the front of his kimono top and lay it over his shirt, one eyebrow up and seeming dreadfully amused. "I don't need to worry about my intestines, do I? I promise I'm type O, and Shouhei-sensei cleared me of any blood borne illnesses."

Mariko falters and has the horrible sensation of heat creeping into her cheeks.

Naruto and Sasuke choose this prime moment to arrive, with Mariko blushing and with her hand in a smirking Haku's shirt. Naruto comes up short, and Sasuke narrows his eyes.

"I thought you'd passed out by that point," Mariko says, forcefully returning her attention to Haku's neatly bandaged side.

"Oh, not quite yet," Haku says pleasantly. "It was such a graphic threat, I would've been afraid to fail to hear the end of it."

"Threat?" Zabuza pipes up, because apparently he and Kakashi are finished talking and the universe hates her.

"Mariko-chan," Kakashi says warningly. "What did I say about iryouninjutsu before we got you checked out at the hospital?"

"It's just a diagnostic," she retorts. But she drops the jutsu anyways and retrieves her hand. She takes a half-step back because she'd definitely invaded Haku's personal space and, wow, it's a warm day. She clears her throat. "Well, your ribs are fragile as all hell, and I don't know if your nerves will ever fully regenerate there. It's not too far from the spine, so there's at least a chance you won't have a permanent numb spot. But you really need to see a proper medic soon to check out your heart and kidney and to bolster all the work I did reconstructing your ribs and muscle. No jutsu, no jumping, no throwing, nothing faster than a leisurely walk, don't lift anything heavier than a spoonful of soup, and drink plenty of water but not all at once. Your kidney's this close to giving up, you still might go into cardiac arrest, and I didn't spend all that chakra just for you to die because you thought you were well enough to move with more speed and agility than a geriatric sloth."

Haku smiles at her again. "Thank you for the advice, Mariko-san. And for your assistance that day. I owe you in more ways than one."

Faster than he can blink, she has a hand and a scowl pinning him in place. "I know you weren't just about to try to bow, Haku-san."

Haku's eyes go a little wide.

To her right, Naruto snickers.

"It wasn't advice," she says, retracting her hand from his shoulder. "They were medic's orders. And you don't owe me anything. Just paying you back for those herbs you gave to Naruto for me."

"I didn't realize I charged such a high rate of interest."

"Good thing I never plan to let you loan me money, then."

He laughs and covers his mouth with a hand demurely. Haku moves on to thank Naruto as well, but all Mariko really registers is the flaming hellscape which is her face and the intensely judgmental look Sasuke is giving her.

"Shut up," she tells him.

He scoffs.

Zabuza's voice, when it comes, is a low rumble.

"I owe you one, little girl."

Mariko looks back at him, a little startled, but then her eyes narrow. "You owe me two, Momo-chan," she replies firmly, because an inability to haggle is something that would cause her parents actual disappointment. "And my name's Shiko Mariko, not 'little girl.' Get it right."

It's generally held wisdom amongst shinobi not to share your family name if it isn't the sort of thing to help you, but Mariko has a powerful feeling that this isn't the last she'll see of Zabuza or Haku, and if one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist owes her, he'd better know who he's owing.

Zabuza hasn't re-bandaged his face--probably because he needs those bandages everywhere else--so she sees the razor points of his teeth when he grins at her.

"Two, huh?"

"Two," she confirms.

He doesn't challenge her count which means he's just as aware as she is that if she were any less skilled at iryouninjutsu and had died from his blow during their initial meeting, not only would Haku be dead because she wouldn't have been there to save him, but Zabuza himself would be dead because Kakashi would have made sure of it. And that was assuming that Naruto wouldn't have freaked out, lost his handle on the Kyuubi, and done it himself.

But Zabuza didn't need to worry about that last part.

His grin widens. "Am I not pretty enough to get a bye?"

Mariko sniffs, cheeks that had cooled coloring again. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am both just and merciful."

"Whatever you say, Shiko Mariko."

"Glad you're catching on."

[alumort]

  ao3

little continuation fic for entwined intervals (idk if i'll make more, i'm laaazy)

featuring: hizashi & metal hyuga :) and i got a little personal with the author's note lmao

enjoy!

A soft, almost imperceptible caress on his cheek was what woke him up, with the morning sun almost blinding him as soon as he opened his eyes. He groaned, turning around to avoid the light– Lee was still tired, unable to rest because of how uncomfortable he felt the previous night and a couple of months before that.

  "Love, it’s time to wake up. I made you breakfast," a familiar voice whispered near him, and soon the taijutsu master was able to smell a sweet scent near him, which was the only thing that made him turn around once more.

  Neji was by his side, holding a small platter with pancakes, orange slices and a steaming cup of tea. He smiled at him once he realized Lee had opened his eyes, deciding to place the food near him as to let the taller man enjoy his breakfast– and soon a huge smile appeared on Lee's face before eating, a joyful spark on his eyes.

  "Om– thank youh so much, my deah rivah!" the taijutsu master said, waiting to finish his breakfast before speaking again. "You know, I feel like training, spend some energy… But that would not be good for the babies…"

  "We could go for a walk later, once I'm done with all these documents," Neji commented, yet a simple look at his partner's puppy eyes made him change his mind in a heartbeat. "... you know what? I don't really want to work on that today. Let me discuss things with Hiashi, then we can go to the park."

  Lee brightened up immediately and, after kissing him on the cheek and grabbing everything he needed, the brunet went towards his uncle’s house– which wasn’t too far away from his own. Hiashi now worked more as an advisor for him than anything else, and something told Neji that he was waiting until Hanabi moved on her own to retire.

  Totally not because he overheard him saying it to one of his friends one day. His younger cousin was still trying to become a Jounin, so it would be at least a couple of years before that happened.

  A single knock had been enough for the older man to open his door, who already rolled his eyes at the sight of countless papers in his nephew’s arms.

  “You’re spoiling him,” Hiashi complained, yet he grabbed everything Neji gave him without complaining much.

  "It was hard for him to get pregnant, of course I'm going to spoil him," the brunet commented with a little smile. "It's the last time, I swear."

  That wasn't a lie, yet it was thanks to Sakura and Ino that it was possible; trying to get a child of their own, they had managed to figure out how to help ninjas of the same biological sex to have kids without outside help. It was a complicated process involving jutsus and medicine that neither man wanted to repeat, hence why they were being extremely careful with everything. 

  Hiashi just let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes, patting his nephew on the shoulder before speaking again.

  "Go with your husband, Neji. I'll take care of this."

  He didn't need to be told twice, thanking the older man before leaving towards his house.

~

  As soon as he opened the door, the brunet was able to see that his partner had gotten up and changed from his night clothes, for once not wearing his jumpsuit and instead something rather casual and loose.

  "Hiashi agreed to take care of things today," Neji announced, and Lee let out a chuckle at hearing him, not fully believing in his words.  

"Did he agree? Or did you just leave the papers in his hands like you have been doing lately?"

  A smirk appeared on the brunet's face, and the questions went unanswered as he leaned in to kiss his husband on the cheek. Lee was excited to go outside with him, and so they began to walk towards the park, not quite minding the curious looks on the other Hyuga's gazes at seeing them pretty much relaxing with each other. 

  Without the threat of the cursed seal being activated, they were very nosy. And even if Neji would never admit it, he was the same way.

  Their fingers were entwined the whole time, a comfortable silence falling between the two. No words were needed– after so many years side by side, each other’s presence was enough.

  After walking for a while, the two decided to sit down on a bench, and Neji quietly rested his head on his husband’s shoulder. Lee played with his hair as usual, not minding it at all.

  "How are you feeling? With… everything," the brunet mumbled, eyes closed as he talked.

  "I am okay, dearest! I just hope they get here soon," his partner replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I… I feel terrible. It does not hurt too much, but… I do not like being like this."

  "Of course not. But this will be the only time you'll go through this– just wait a little longer," Neji said, opening his eyes to look at his husband for a moment, not quite knowing how to help.

  Lee must be feeling a lot of gender dysphoria with the pregnancy, but he wasn't good at describing it. Neji understood it perfectly and decided to give him time, not wanting to pressure him at all.

  After a short silence, the taller man spoke again, looking at the ground. 

  "Thank you for coming with me, Neji. But I think that is enough for now– can we go back?" Lee said in a whisper, not really wanting to bother his partner. The brunet nodded and they got up after a while, holding hands once again.

  As they were going back home, Lee stopped where he was with a confused expression on his face; Neji was about to ask him what was wrong until his gaze fell to the ground, where the pavement had gotten wet right under his husband's feet. 

  “Neji, we– we need to go to the hospital,” the taijutsu master mumbled, wide-eyed. Careful to not hurt him, Neji ended up carrying him in his arms, running as fast as he could without looking back.

~

  He was nervous the whole time, barely being able to text his loved ones to tell them what had happened. Nothing could be heard, Lee could be–

  Neji gulped, and he stood up as soon as he saw Sakura nearby with a huge grin on her face. She guided him to his husband's room and left them on their own, promising to check on the family after a while. Allowing to be on their own for some long minutes.

  As soon as the brunet saw his sons, his worries faded away as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Lee had them both on his arms, tired yet happy, unable to stop grinning at their kids. They looked almost identical to the taijutsu master, albeit with Neji’s dark brown hair and lavender eyes– he felt his eyes itching as his partner let him carry one of their sons, who just observed him with curiosity, not pronouncing any sound at all.

  "They're– they…" Neji mumbled, unable to pronounce a coherent phrase as a sob interrupted his words. And then, tears began falling and falling without stopping, worry evident on Lee’s face. “Lee, we’re parents. I never thought we’d…”

  “But we did it. We never thought we would be able to stop hiding, and look at us now! I am sure Gai and your father would be proud of us,” was what his husband said, extending his free hand to dry his tears, an exhausted yet enormous smile still on his face.

  Were they looking at them from the afterlife, happy to see all the progress in their lives? There was no way to be sure, but it was a comforting thought for his soul; there had been a distant time in which he was convinced that the war had killed him, yet that was nothing but a faded nightmare now. Neji had survived, married and now he was a father; he couldn’t be happier.

  Some minutes after Neji managed to stop crying, a soft knock on the door made both men look towards the sound, and Sakura appeared from outside. She apologized for interrupting, but they knew she was just doing her job.

  "Have you thought about their names? I need to write them down,” was all Sakura said, letting out a soft smile at her friends and showing the small medical bracelets that would soon go on the kids’ wrists. They had known the answer since Lee found out he was pregnant with twins, so it didn’t take long for them to answer.

  “Metal,” Lee exclaimed in a heartbeat, his gaze falling on the baby in his arms, who had long since fallen asleep. “My family always picked music names for everyone, and I want that for him, too. Even if we are Hyuga now.”

  Soon Metal had a bracelet with his name on it, and he had started to cry due to being woken up. Lee quietly hummed something for him with half-closed eyes, and that was enough to calm him down. It was time for the second baby, and Neji couldn’t help it but grin as he announced it to his friend.

  “He’ll be Hizashi, just like his grandfather.”

  Hizashi was just quiet as Sakura put a bracelet on his wrist, not minding it at all. After filling out some paperwork, the woman left them alone once again, promising to bring them some food as soon as she could get a break. Lee let out a yawn, getting comfortable while making sure Metal didn’t fall from his arms. Seeing how exhausted his partner was, Neji offered to carry the other boy too to allow him to rest, and it didn't take long before Lee more or less passed out on the hospital bed without saying anything else. 

  He had to rest, and so the brunet was as quiet as he could, whispering to his newborn sons who just observed the world with curiosity on their gazes, quiet once again and almost asleep just like their father.

  "Hello there. I'm your dad," Neji said, although neither of the boys would be able to comprehend anything he said. He was too excited to not say anything, and his face hurt by how much he was smiling. "You're my children. Oh, I love you two so much..."

  And if more joyful tears fell from his eyes, nobody would be able to tell.

[nyooome]

sakura teaching enko some chakra control/medical ninjutsu! request from @rwbyfans

[nagipops]

hii I love your blogs sooo much you're really talented (I just needed to say it sorry) so straight to the point, I already made 2 requests to you and I really enjoyed your writing so I would like to make another again. As I'm clueless about what to request I'll just ask for random hcs for konoha 11, idk if it's too much but if so then you can do with Neji (I love him so much), Kakashi and Naruto. Thank you in advance and sorry anything ^^

RANDOM KONOHA 11 HEADCANONS!

FEATURING: naruto, sakura, shikamaru, ino, choji, neji, rock lee, tenten, kiba, hinata, and shino

WARNINGS: mentions alcohol, drugs, food, bugs, and the tiniest nsfw mention if you get the joke. hehe

A/N: AHHHH ANONN this seriously made my day, im so so glad you enjoy my work!! 💖

NARUTO

you know how we all have “the chair”, where we throw all of our dirty clothes onto?

yeah, imagine that, but from the seat to the fricking ceiling

its just a GINORMOUS MOUND of clothes, you wonder how he even goes through that many clothes so quickly???

definitely shoves it under his bed whenever guests come over (somehow)

holds chopsticks really weirdly. but it works.

asked tenten to put his hair into space buns to mimic his sexy jutsu and went around flirting with the village

jiraiya was so proud of him T-T

comes up with the WORST pickup lines

they’re so bad, its almost charming. almost

has gone AWOL multiple times, disappearing from everywhere, just everywhere

it scared you a little, so you searched the entire village for him

you finally found him sitting on the ledge of a cliff, gazing out at the vast sea

concerned and panicked, you cried out to ask him what was wrong

he turned to you with a crestfallen, devastated look on his face and said,

“i bought shrimp ramen instead of chicken ramen.”

you’ve never searched for him after his disappearance ever again.

SAKURA

100% makes origami shurikens and chucks them at you

they are deathly precise and deathly sharp. seriously, how are these not illegal weapons yet???

writes threatening motivational notes to herself on the mirror

“u got this!” “make sure to smack naruto today!” “ino sucks!”

her backpack would always be way too high up on her back. idk why but. it would

does her hair all nice and pretty before she goes out but once she arrives to her destination SHE KEEP. TAKING. IT OUT. and redoing it over and over and over again

like it’s impossible to make eye contact with her because she’s holding a bobby pin between her teeth while braiding her hair

her guilty pleasure would be hostess treats

ding dongs are her favorite. don’t ask me how i know, i just know.

eats the yellow starbursts just to spite naruto and all her haters

loves small lap dogs, she think’s they’re so cute and cuddly

but she especially loves chihuahuas

they’re so feisty and naruto HATES them, so of course she had to go and get one for herself

dresses the poor dog up in little bonnets and jackets and ties its tiny fuzzy hairs into pigtails

she and the chihuahua are not that much unlike <3

SHIKAMARU

this man is a god at shogi but he absolutely SUCKSSSS at cup pong.

is this an ick? idk. but he is absolute trash at this game.

it gets even worse when he’s got a couple drinks in him

tries to calculate the velocity and acceleration and angle and shit but his shot is always a good two feet off BYE 😭

just mutters an “aw, shit” before awaiting his turn again

hates checkers, loves chess

“checkers is for WUSSIES” - shikamaru nara

i said this in another post, but he is Very Good at whistling

like that’s his hidden talent

can copy any tune with the perfect pitch and rhythm

speaking of, he can do really cool tricks with his tongue

like making a four leaf clover, touching the bridge of his nose with it, flipping it upside down, you name it

he has slanted, scrawled handwriting, to the point where it’s almost illegible

wbk he cheats in school SO OFTEN. but he never gets caught. he’s not stupid, he just couldn’t care less about his classes.

thinks weed and e-cigs are stupid, cigarettes are where it’s at

you just can’t replicate the feeling of taking a drag from a cig after a long, tiring day

plus he looks hella cool while doing it B)

INO

teaches the boyz™️ how to braid their hair

like they all gather in a circle around this feisty fashionista and fail attempt to braid their hair

sakura was just fuming in the sidelines

“OI, INO-PIG, THAT’S A DUTCH BRAID, NOT A FRENCH BRAID!!”

yeah, ino 🙄

the only one that can actually do it is neji because a) this man is talented af and b) he’s got the long hairrr

ino probably envies his thick, sleek hair because hE’S a bOy

also asks everyone for their blood type and zodiac signs and tells them if they’re compatible with her or not

and definitely judges you for your sign 😣

“oh, you’re a gemini? hmm, what a shame...”

makes bouquets for her favorite people and kin assigns everyone a flower

only assigns the pretty nice ones to the people she likes (sorry sakura, you’re out of luck)

one of her favorite hobbies is crafting! she’s really good with details and small things so she loves making those miniature dollhouses and stuff

also really good at watercoloring. especially painting flowers and landscapes

also i feel like she would be really good at playing any instrument because of her skilled hands

can play a badass flute solo. period.

CHOJI

would honestly rather die than get anywhere NEAR an asparagus

he just thinks they’re so gross and bitter and NOT SALTY

he always eats his yakiniku a little bit undercooked because he’s way too impatient to wait for it to cook fully. who do you think he is??

whenever he cloud gazes with shikamaru, when asked what he thinks a cloud looks like, he just says some sort of food

“oi, choji, what does that one look like to you?”

“a... yakiniku grill... with... pineapple rings on it! ooh, and a wagyu steak right there!”

he thinks pringles are an abomination to society. where’s the crisp? where’s the grease? where’s the saltiness?!!!

asks ino to teach him how to do his hair all fancy and the two of them devote an entire day learning different hairstyles

it’s his new favorite thing to do now :D

he really likes crayons!!!!

like he’ll write with them, draw with them, color with them, do everything with them

he’s even tried to eat them. he said they tasted good.

definitely had the 128 crayon pack WITH THE BUILT-IN SHARPENER, and everyone thought he was the coolest kid in town

he ate it UP, he even scored some bbq dates with the ladies

i also feel like he loves basketball, and he has a MEAN slam dunk

like his vertical isn’t that high, but the man can REACH

he loves when people laugh at him when he challenges them to a 1v1 and then proceeds to absolutely destroy them <3

NEJI

he seems like a cucumber kind of guy.

just cucumber

like i feel like he puts it in everything; soba, salads, sandwiches, his face, yeah

it’s mellow and cool, just like him!

speaking of, i feel like he lives for spa days and facials

it just lets him be alone in his little cucumber scented world for an hour or two and he gets damn clear skin from it as well

seriously he has PERFECT skin. flawless. not a single blemish. his cheeks feel like baby butts they’re so smooth.

i feel like he’d be a god at solving rubik’s cubes, don’t ask me why

like if anyone scrambled theirs on accident they would just take it to neji and he’d solve it in the blink of an eye

CAT PERSON!!! loves the little meow meows

who are we kidding, neji basically is a cat; agile, aloof, does silly things without trying to, very cute

he just feels akin to the little fuzzballs and he thinks petting cats are extremely therapeutic. good for the soul

he is a golf man. he would take his juniors golfing and everyone thinks he’s uncool. cmon neji let them go to the skate park at least T-T

also very good at karaoke, definitely surprised everyone once he got a few drinks in him since he started serenading you

LIGHTWEIGHT!!! do not get more than one shot of alcohol in him. he will go berserk.

i also feel like he’d really love photography; not taking pictures of people, but of nature

he loves taking a quiet stroll through a pretty forest and snapping pictures of all the unique flora and fauna

it’s so serene ︶ ‿ ︶

ROCK LEE

100% milly rocks everywhere

gai got in on it too once he asked what lee was doing

“is that what all the youthful cool kids do these days!”

they also dab together. a lot

DO NOT BE SEEN WITH THESE TWO!!! you are not associated with them.

definitely is the one breakdancing in the middle of the dance circle at a high school party

he’s mad skilled at it too

headspins and windmills galore

challenged naruto to a dance-off and completely OBLITERATED him

lee then asked if naruto wanted a rematch, this time with one hand tied behind lee’s back

naruto obliged, and he STILL lost

RIP naruto and his fangirls, they all scrambled to lee afterwards T-T

i feel like his favorite subject is science

not the boring physics equations and laws and theories but the fun EXPERIMENTS

definitely has singed all of his hair off one time and he went to gai blubbering to help him grow back his precious hair

but he loves experimenting with different combinations and chemicals to get different reactions each time

created a potent love potion and carried it around with him all day one day

and it was actually working

girls were flocking to him left and right, staring at his lips and his face

he was so abashed at the sudden attention

heck, it even worked on sakura

“oi, lee-san!”

“hehe, yes, sakura-san?”

her eyes shifted downwards to his lips and his heart thumped harder

“hey... lee-san?”

“what is it?”

“you have something on your lip. we’ve been trying to tell you all day but you just winked and blew kisses at us.”

legend has it lee has still not recovered to this day.

TENTEN

has THE prettiest handwriting. and she can write SUPER fast

it’s like a superpower

like she transcribed five pages of a report in less than two minutes with perfect handwriting

naruto is so jealous.

she is also super good at origami! those diligent, accurate hands aren’t just for throwing things

taught sakura how to make shurikens but does NOT endorse any violent uses of them

she can replicate all of her weapons with paper and they can actually function, it’s so cool

made paper kunai knives one day and the wholeee village wanted to get their hands on them

i feel like she’d listen to mitski. idk i just get those vibes

LOVES BIG DOGS!! especially fluffy wuffy samoyeds

like man’s best friend?? no, GIRL’S BEST FRIEND!!

hugs and cuddles and squishes all the big dogs

she thinks small dogs are spawns of satan

sakura and her have definitely quarreled over this

but at the end of the day, all dogs are adorable fur babies, so she lets it slide :,)

KIBA

kiba always looks SO GOOD in photos you take of him, candid or not

like you could just whip out a camera and snap a photo of him at any given moment and he would look perfect

you framed a picture of him yelling at akamaru for peeing inside the house

it’s pure artwork

i feel like he tries to swagger around with his hands shoved in his pockets but it fails MISERABLY and the girls are wondering if he broke his leg or something 😭

kiba just walk normally. for the love of god please just walk normally.

he tries to slump back in his chair really low but one time he slouched way too low so he slipped off of his chair and onto the ground LMFAOOOO

he just wallowed there... in shame...

also.. he LOVES when the girls put makeup on him!!

he tries to act like he hates it. but it secretly gives him so much confidence

not to mention the girls hyping him up are a huge ego boost

okay the inside of his jacket hood is the warmest. thing. EVER!!!

seriously, no wonder this dude is so happy-go-lucky all the time, he’s living in literal heaven 24/7

it’s like you’re sleeping on a cloud inside a warm, cozy bed during a cold winter morning

10/10 would recommend letting him give you his sweatshirt when you’re chillin with a hair tie ❤️

HINATA

always smells like lavender soap. always

also has the cutest pencil pouches with little puppy faces and kawaii things

oH and she has those mini yoobi highlighters, she thinks they’re so cute (and functional!)

everyone flocks to her to try them out and marvel at the cute tiny highlighters

and they try to steal them from her but she doesn’t even stop them because she’s too timid to 😭

naruto goes BALLISTIC over them

she lets him have all of them <3

tennis girl!!! tennis girl.

all of her opponents always underestimate her because she’s so timid and shy and quiet

but she has a KILLER serve

and then she takes her opponents to the slaughterhouse with a complete shutout ;)

she’s really athletic believe it or not, she can beat most of the boys in a mile run and she has incredible endurance

i feel like she really loves velvet scrunchies

she just thinks they’re so pretty and they keep her hair soft so they’re cute and functional

also takes the PRETTIEST notes!!

color codes, dividers, headers, you name it, it’s all super readable too its insane

everyone asks her for her notes, not to study but just to appreciate the pure artwork that it is ^w^

SHINO

shino is SO easy to prank

“how do you catch an eyemaster?” *cue naruto and kiba snickering*

“eyemaster bait. that is because—”

even when everyone’s laughing their asses off, he still continues to explain his answer since he does NOT GET THE JOKE

tried his hand at writing haikus

here’s his best one so far:

“Bugs are amazing. That is because they are bugs. Bugs are very nice.” - Shino Aburame

VERY proud of it, since it took him weeks to perfect

praise it, pls

had one of those ant farms and bug-catching kits as a kid

and he would fill the kit TO THE BRIM. LIKE IT WAS HEAVY BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY BUGS.

he loves the little chitters of the different bugs

he had jars of different bugs all lined up on a wall shelf in his room

collects silkworms off of trees and sticks them into his pockets (no i definitely did not do this as a kid...)

HELP I FEEL LIKE he would record a timelapse of his ant farm growing and upload it to youtube with a movie maker title screen that says

“my ants”

if you enjoyed this post, likes and reblogs are much appreciated :) feel free to request here, and make sure to read the rules first! have a lovely day everyone <3

[ratspberry]

many naruto thoughts head overloading

ok im only like 20 episodes into shippuden and i skipped a Lot of filler in original naruto bc i do not have the patience </3 (i will come back to the filler one day though) and while i love this anime theres so much i wish... was not written how it is

first of all sakura... i love her sm and i just wish her character was given some more care like at this point in shippuden im actually really enjoying the direction shes taken but i heard a lot of her growth is sidelined when sasuke comes back into the picture and thats my biggest issue. im sorry but if youre going to introduce a TRIO of main characters i want to see that main group equally fleshed out. first going all the way back to the beginning i wish that sakura was allowed to fight??? like we KNOW shes super smart and has powerful chakra so even when at that time she wasnt the most skilled fighter (as far as we KNOW at least. given that we barely got to see her fight who knows!) she couldve in the very least played a similar role to that of shikamaru as far as leadership and strategizing. and ok her crush on sasuke should have dissipated a lot more after the chunin exams. even though i do hate to see her spend so much time fawning over sasuke when hes not even particularly kind to her i think a crush in the beginning could still work IF the moment of her cutting her hair (“sasuke likes girls with long hair”) and her battle w ino during the chunin exams were like an eye-opening moment for her when she was like “wtf am i doing i am going to work hard as a ninja to prove that i can do this to MYSELF and MY RIVAL first” (which. ok she does get to this point later and again i love her learning chakra and getting strong as HELL during her training w tsunade but again. i want to see that REMAIN parallel to the enormous power level leaps that sasuke and naruto make. also let sakura and ino have a fun friendship rivalry that has nothing to do w sasuke) . i think it would be better if she naruto and sasuke were just friends who ALL help and motivate each other. and so when sasuke leaves sakura is STILL super fucked up over it and maybe even has a hard time trusting naruto again after he comes back? (but ofc she eventually does bc power of friendship) like IDK loss of one best friend, then almost immediately after your other best friend (who u just learned secretly is sealed w the nine tails and the akatsuki is after him just like orochimaru was after sasuke) leaves you for THREE YEARS??? kind of a salt in the wound moment! also im simply not even going to touch on all the comphet marriages in the end

next im going to talk about rock lee my friend rock lee who i adore. anyways he either should not have foregone the surgery from tsunade or died from it. HEAR ME OUT! this surgery was good in showing how powerful tsunade is as a healer but like? was it necessary? after she brought naruto back to life??? as far as lees characterization his whole thing is that he may not have special jutsu or the same prodigal abilities as his peers but he can still be as powerful or more powerful! and idk i hate when characters have serious life changing stuff done to them and not seeing it fully explored in the story. like ok so we’ve got tsunade telling lee (who cant be older than 12? 13?) theres a 50/50 chance he’ll die in the surgery to heal him. and then guy ENCOURAGES HIM, HIS FAVORITE STUDENT, to go through with the surgery so he could then go on to be a ninja and continue risking his life?????? so i thought that was pretty screwed up. which leads me to the two paths that i think would be interesting to see play out: 1. lee doesnt get the surgery, but continues to train as a ninja. his injuries still exist but lee learns to fight WITH the injuries and creates a really cool badass unique fighting style and goes on to be a great ninja like he dreamed 2. lee dies in surgery. id hate it i would and i dont WANT lee to die but it might be a fuckin wakeup call to all these adult ninjas urging kids into warfare. lee is beloved by all so it would be a good moment of pause for everyone to think like “ummm so the systems that be are kind of majorly fucked up.”

those are the two main ideas i had but heres a few misc things:

-jiraiya can be the author of as many trashy romance novels as he wants but him hitting on younger women and being like a peeping tom and UGH the way he was introduced w narutos ‘sexy jutsu’ is just. not good. take it out.

-let tsunade look her age. like the whole “she uses her chakra to make herself look young”? i dont buy it. i dont care that you just didnt feel like drawing a woman who looks over 20. you will do it anyways bc i said so.

-i dont dislike n/ruhina as much as i dislike s/susaku bc at least its clear theres a mutual respect and admiration there but hinata, like sakura, has so much more potential to be explored. idk if its looked at in filler or later in shippuden (id sure hope so) but i think her parallel to sasuke is kind of interesting? both have intimidating, extremely powerful older brothers (i know neji is technically hinatas cousin or smth but whatever older brother figures. also i know hinatas sister is also supposed to be super powerful but idk her yet) who are held in high esteem by their families and have all this pressure on their shoulders to want to surpass them? given that neji didnt um. do the things itachi did clearly its not the SAME between hinata and sasuke but i feel like examining the hyuga family dynamics would be SO interesting in comparison to sasukes arc. i didnt mind seeing hinata motivated by naruto the first few times but like. there is SO MUCH MORE THERE than JUST hinatas relationship to naruto.

-all of these kids need therapy but ESPECIALLY sasuke like the signs were there. halfway thru the bell test thing SUPER early on sasuke went into a full-fledged “i am an avenger.. i have to kill a certain someone” monologue and given the fact that everyone knows his entire clan was killed and that sasuke is likely VERY traumatized... who thought it was a good idea to let him become a ninja before addressing any of that. my god. like i love kakashi and i know he has his own devestating backstory and that hes a product of the system but why the Fuck would he let sasuke take the chunin exams. give team 7 a year more of training and getting to know each other and give sasuke some time to create bonds and maybe even open up emotionally and begin to heal and then MAYBE we can THINK ab chunin exams.

-asuma and ino apologize to choji for telling him not to eat as much challenge? did asuma not know that chojis clan uses food to replenish their chakra? it would make sense if ino didnt know but chojis teacher?? either way still p fucked, leave choji alone

-speaking of ino i want more of her character tok. why was she not included in that mission to save sasuke that shikamaru, her TEAMMATE, led?? was there an explanation for that?? i feel like her not being there was a missed opportunity for some real growth/bonding between team 10.

-speaking of the last bullet point shikamaru being like “ugh women 🙄” is tired and boring. very misogynistic “i hate my wife” facebook dad humor. cut that shit out

-orochimarus coding and his whole um. intent as a villain is just very. Hm. i dont think i like that very much but im not going to go into it bc im sure its been touched upon a million times

[chidoroki]

Would any of TPN kids kill another human?

I first had this idea back with ch160 but didn't give it that much thought. That has changed ever since the kids raided Grace Field House. More demons, more plot twists, more guns. As my worries constantly grew, so did the amount of human enemies; Peter Ratri, his men, Isabella, the mothers and sisters. While a human enemy isn't anything new (Isabella & Krone at Grace Field and Andrew & his men back at B06-32), they are far less common than all the demons we've encountered up til this point. The children have no trouble hurting or killing demons when they've come across them. Humans, however, are very different. In most cases, the kids have survived by escaping, so harming another human has rarely crossed their minds. With everyone now stranded on the Grace Field plantation, their usual tactic won't be possible. Sure, the reforged promised will (probably) allow the kids to finally escape, but being trapped on a dangerous plantation with a group of highly intelligent and armed humans in the meantime does make you a bit anxious.

Of course, my worries have lessened with recent chapters. Isabella & her ladies are now helping the children, which is huge. Peter's followers are still around (i assume?) but don’t pose much a threat. The major concern that remains is Peter himself, especially with his most recent scheme to kill our best girl. We know he has no issue with pulling off such an act, but what about Emma?

I've seen people get really excited about these panels, hoping that Emma would shoot the bastard. While I fully support the idea of this boy getting the pain he so rightfully deserves, I don't think he'll get it at this moment. As I've said, humans are different. The kids shooting a demon? No problem. Killing one? Absolutely. Shooting another human? Rare. Actually killing a human? Unheard of. The series has given us glimpses of murder in the past (the shelter raid and Andrew) so expecting it again wouldn’t be too farfetched. I'm not saying there will definitely be a moment where in happens in the near future, but if there would be, who do I believe would be capable of committing such an act? Allow me to ramble..

Emma: No. This is the girl who has trouble killing demons. Yes, she's fully capable of doing so in order to defend herself and her family, but she doesn't normally wish death upon anyone, or anything (events at Goldy Pond being exceptions). She can be reckless but killing an actual person just wouldn't fit her character. If it had to be done, she would most likely regret it immediately. Fear of making wrong decisions tend to weigh heavily in her mind. In this scenario with Peter, I have no doubt she'll try to talk him and change his heart. We've seen her talk-no-jutsu Yuugo and Norman, even attempted to do so with other villains such as Lewis and Andrew. If she were to fire her weapon here, it would probably be in self-defense and would only cause injury, but not kill. (unless, something happens that makes her completely snap)

Don, Gilda & the Grace Field kids: No. Most of them are far too young. Don may have the physical strength but I believe he avoids killing if it's possible, fancying the run away tactic more (ch138). I don’t recall Gilda ever killing a demon herself.. or shooting an arrow or gun. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Norman: No...? Like Gilda, I have yet to see this boy use the gun he's been given. That's not to say he isn't capable though. He miraculously escaped Lambda somehow, right? He also had absolutely no doubts when ordering a civil war, killing the royals and the extinction of the demons. He isn't against the idea of killing or having the blood on his hands (figuratively and literally), however the deed has never been done by his own hands. He had his Lambda crew and a ton of poison for that. If the series wishes to throw me through a loop and surprise me, then go for it.

The Lambda crew: Yes but no. These kids have so much pride in their power that killing demons is seen as a simple task. Hell, some of them even enjoy it. Their animosity towards such creatures is well known, and I believe they might hold such feelings towards the humans who experimented on them as well. If the opportunity arises, they could pull it off. The issue is that they all follow Norman's command. It's rare they don't follow his orders. Not only that, but.. aren’t they all like seriously injured right now? Cislo, Barbara and Zazie from their fight against the Queen and Vincent was recently shot at too. Hayato seems like too pure of a boy to do such a thing, same thing with Jin.. wherever he is.

Oliver & the Goldy Pond kids: Yes and no. Remember how I said it was rare for one of the kids to shoot another human? Well that occasion belongs to Oliver, back when he shot Andrew's shoulder and hand with wonderful accuracy. Taking it a step further to actually kill someone? I think he would be the only one out of the Goldy Pond group to commit to that, especially after holding a gun to Peter's head during that whole “you’re not our father” nonsense. I can imagine any of the others following Oliver's lead and cause harm to another human, but that's as far as it goes. Well, at least the half of them that aren’t being kept safe in the storage room at the moment. I have my doubts, but if any of them did shoot to kill, I would only be mildly surprised.

Ayshe: Yes. Humans killed her demon father figure. It's natural that she wants to kill them in return and get some sort of revenge. She claimed she could never forgive them. Granted, those humans were Norman and his crew and they're now all working together during the Grace Field raid, but she could still hold a grudge. Honestly, I'll be all for it. Having her kill a human (preferably Peter) in order to feel that satisfaction and to allow herself to let go of that hatred would be nice. Maybe she has already, idk, she doesn't say much. I just love her and want to see her get more attention.

Ray: Yes. Ray is the reason why I kept thinking so much about this idea. Back when ch160 released, we saw just how angry he is at the Ratri clan for being the sole reason why all of this suffering even started. Suffering that lead everyone around him to live such harsh lives and take the lives of people he cared about. I couldn't help but notice the fury in his eyes. Such an intense look that we've seen several times before.

That look usually surfaces whenever someone's life is at risk. He showed that same animosity after Lewis stabbed Emma, and we know for a fact that Ray had full intentions to kill in that moment. Granted, Lewis is a demon and killing one is reasonable, but that shows us how merciless he can be towards an enemy (something not all the Grace Field kids are capable of) and just how important those people are to him.

When emotions are running high, we see just how strong his desire is to protect his family, no matter what it takes. He never really dismisses the idea during a life and death situation, whether the threat is a demon or another human.

It shouldn't be too surprising. Like Ayshe, Ray has shown us his hatred towards certain humans for a long time and the idea of killing them has never been a foreign concept to him. It may be subtle, but it's there. We can go back as far as the first arc if we wish to see it.

He knows how unethical the act is and how serious one must be to commit to it. He understands that such a concept would be way too hard for most of the children to carry out, Emma included. In order to achieve safety and happiness for his family, he'll protect them not only from a physical threat but from doing something they might regret and hurting themselves mentally & emotionally.

He was once so close too. I don't mean a simple injury either, I mean a full on headshot. Dead. One-hit KO. He finally had the resolve to throw all moral aside in order to save an innocent life, because he would rather deal with such a trivial burden that would only affect his sanity than have any more casualties in his family that would ultimately weigh everyone down. Ah, if only it weren’t for that wild demon..

Some might think that one of the kids killing another human may be stepping over the line, but if any of them had the chance in a dire situation, my bet would be on Ray. He shares that hatred towards certain humans like Ayshe. He's shown his hostile side like the Lambda crew, as well as Emma on occasion. Speaking of our girl, the two of them are both highly protective of their family. While he may not be as reckless as she is, he still had his moments. From his suicide attempt, to using himself at bait in the demon forest. He snuck into a demon hunting ground in order to save our best girl and eventually fight alongside her and others against one of the best villains I've seen. He chose to escort a large group of children to safety, knowing he would be on edge for three weeks constantly worrying about Emma's condition, instead of making the quick trip back with Yuugo because he knew how important it was to her that those kids, new members of their family, remained safe and feel what true freedom is. He also journeyed to the Seven Walls knowing full well there would be a low chance of returning or even making a new promise. He took all of those chances so others could survive and have a better future. (am i giving him too much credit? idc i love him) He's willing to do so much for his family and I'm so proud of him. So if Ray were to pull the trigger now, when his family is face to face with the savage man who caused his loved ones to suffer their entire lives, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

Now originally, my thoughts stopped there, but with the return of a certain someone.. I shall add one more possibility.

Isabella: Yes. Please. Having her own the shot that claims Peter's life would grant me much happiness. It would be the best payback for not only having her suffer, but her wonderful children as well. I feel like it would be an act of kindness (i guess thats what i'll call it?) similar to Yuugo and Lucas agreeing that they alone should shoulder that heavy burden of dealing with Andrew's men in the shelter while the kids escaped.

Of course I could've just been rambling for no reason at all because who know if anyone is even going to actually kill someone? If the moment ever comes, I can imagine Emma trying to talk them out of pulling the trigger, too. So, there we go. These thoughts have been whirling around my mind for weeks but now I'm free.

[cyb-by-lang]

Do you think, if Kei got put in quirk suppressing cuffs, that she could substitution-jutsu someone else into them? Actually, can you even use the substitution jutsu to switch yourself with another person, or is it just, like, logs? :/ Idk enough about Naruto to answer this...

The Substitution technique is the type of ninjutsu that was invented early in the series, only for Kishimoto to realize that fully exploiting its stated mechanics would be a game-breaker. Especially for something that is supposedly in every genin’s toolkit.

In-series, Naruto has swapped a clone with a person once so the opponent didn’t notice the swap. But it was in a filler episode, and I’m not always sure how canonical I want to treat those.

Kei, for her part, doesn’t have a non-collaborative teleportation technique other than the Substitution. Quirk-suppression devices don’t work on someone without a Quirk factor—so we’ll see how it shakes out if she ever ends up in them.

[narutostuff101]

Shikamaru and Naruto Fanfic #2

Shikamaru’s Duty

Summary: Shikamaru knew that it was up to him to protect Konoha when Naruto was gone. It was his promise to Naruto and to himself.

Set during Boruto Episode 62 but in Shikamaru’s POV.

Shikamaru looked at the bright orange and yellow light that was Kurama’s tails in the arena. The tails were engulfing an enormous Tailed Beast Ball.

Naruto...

Like everyone else, Shikamaru could only stand and watch the scene happening in front of him. How could this have happened? The research and investigation with Sasuke had been done for weeks. Why didn’t they see this coming?

The devastating blow by one of the ogres had caused the arena to crumble. Huge pieces or debris came falling down onto the spectators who had come to watch the Chunin Exams. The Four Kages and their advisors were quick to access the situation. They had scattered to quickly assist in evacuating the people. Ninjas in the stands had also aided in bringing the people away from the arena.

Shikamaru had rushed to the see what was happening down at the arena. As he cascaded down, he had shouted orders to the ninjas to hurry and get everyone to safety while at the same time trying to spot his son amongst the flood of people trying to run away. He did not see Shikadai anywhere but Shikamaru could not afford to worry about that at the moment. He needed to focus on getting to where Naruto was.

When he reached the edge of the stands, he could see the scene unfolding in below him; Naruto was carrying Boruto while trying to fight off the slimmer of the two ogres whereas the bigger one was attacking Sasuke who was holding Sarada. Shikamaru reacted fast. He performed the hand seals to activate his Shadow Binding Technique. His shadow stretched and stretched until it binded the two ogres.

Just in time.

“That was close!” He sighed in relief. Had he not reacted quickly, Naruto and Sasuke along with their children would’ve being sliced by the ogres. His success was short lived however. The ogre that was attacking Naruto had muttered something and all of a sudden, Shikamaru’s Jutsu was somehow absorbed into the ogre’s right palm. Shikamaru fell forward.

Is this like Pein? Does he have the Rinnegan?

Shikamaru’s brain went on a roll.

What on Earth are those things?

Even from far, Shikamaru knew that those creatures were not ordinary. He knew that they possessed a power that was beyond their level.

And of course, he was right. The ogre who had absorbed his Jutsu raised his palm and a big Tailed Beast Ball emerged from it. Then, several nature Jutsus emerged and began to circle the Tailed Beast Ball. It was a nerve-wrecking site.

This is bad.

Shikamaru needed to get away. He needed to leave the arena before the ogre unleashed those Jutsus. Shikamaru was trusted that Naruto would be able deal with it. Sasuke was there as well. They would protect the people in the village from the hellish Power that the ogre or perhaps ogres, possessed.

Shikamaru ran to the exit just in time as the ogre let loose the Jutsus in his palm. Running at full speed, he made his way to the forest area surrounding the arena. He noticed that many of the people have been evacuated there.

The majority of the Chunin Exams spectators had been Konoha citizens. He could only see several people from other villages. Shikamaru then spotted Shikadai. He was with the other Genins. As much as he wanted to, Shikamaru did not approached his son. Shikadai was safe and that was enough to ease Shikamaru’s sickening worries. Although he could not see his wife, Temari amongst the crowd, he did not panic. He was confident with his wife’s abilities and trusted her to be able to take care of herself. Now, Shikamaru had a bigger responsibility to carry; to ensure everyone’s safety as his first priority.

He began to instruct the Konoha Shinobis to bring the people further away from the area. They must not take any chances.

The sky above the arena flash with lightning. It was not natural lightning but several lightning style Jutsus. They could hear Kurama’s roar. Naruto had fully transformed into Tailed Beast Mode. Shikamaru hoped that that was a good thing.

Evidently, it wasn’t. The situation was clearly in favour of the enemy because suddenly the evening sky became dark. Shikamaru looked into the sky and what he saw, made him freeze. An even bigger Tailed Beast Ball blocking out the setting sun. Shikamaru felt himself gulping.

What were they going to do?

As if to answer his silent question, the tails of Kurama suddenly illuminated the dark sky.

“Naruto... is he going to absorb the thing?” Shikamaru thought aloud.

Around him, the people were shouting out to their beloved Seventh Hokage.

“Nanadaime-sama!”

“Hokage-sama!”

“That’s enough, Hokage-sama! You’ve done enough already! Get to safety!”

The people desperately shouted.

It only took a moment later and the sky became dark once more. Kurama’s tails disappeared into the darkness.

Naruto is gone.

Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd behind him. Some people started to cry out to Naruto. Shikamaru needed to get to the arena. He needed to know what was the situation. He ran as fast as he could.

As he ran, he remembered a conversation that had taken place between him and a freshly inaugurated Naruto, nearly 5 years ago.

“Shikamaru, thanks for being my advisor.” Naruto had told him when he settled into his new Hokage office. “It wouldn’t have been here if you hadn’t helped me the past few years.” Naruto gave Shikamaru his signature wide smile that made Shikamaru smile as well.

“Well, that was my nindo anyway.” Shikamaru told Naruto unabashed. “Now, if there is anything that you need help with, I’ll try my best to assist you. That’s my duty as your advisor. Got that, Hokage-sama.” He emphasised on the last two words.

Naruto scrunched up his face and let out a chuckle. “Thanks Shikamaru. I understand.” Then, Naruto’s face became serious. He looked Shikamaru in the eye and said in a serious tone, “However, I need you to understand one thing, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru remained silent. He did not interrupt.

“If there came a time, when I can’t be there for the Konoha and it’s people, if I had vanished from here... I want you to promise me that you will protect this village as if it was your own family.”

Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows and stood up straight. He could tell that Naruto was very serious. He knew that the village meant everything to Naruto. That was one reason why he had wanted to became the Hokage. To protect his village.

“I understand.” Shikamaru answered curtly.

Naruto nodded. “Don’t worry Shikamaru. I’m strong, dattebayo! I won’t get killed that easily.” Naruto boasted.

“Huh. Sometimes I wonder if making you the Hokage was really a good thing. It may have inflated that big head of yours even more. Ha ha,” Shikamaru teased the blonde man.

“Shut up, Shikamaru.” Naruto said with a scowl. The two leaders of Konoha let out a laugh. Their journey to bring a new era to Konohagakure together began on that day.

Shikamaru reached the arena that was completely destroyed. He couldn’t see very well due to the dust that clouded the area. He jumped down towards a tall black figure.

It was Sasuke. Sarada and Boruto laid on the ground; passed out. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Shikamaru quickly approached Sasuke and called out his name. “Sasuke! What happened?Where is Naruto?”

Sasuke did not meet Shikamaru’s eyes. Instead, he crouched down to check on his daughter and Boruto before answering his questions. “Those aliens tried to destroy the place. They wanted to force Naruto to use his Tailed Beast Mode. Naruto’s chakra managed to prevent the Tailed Beast Ball from impact. Right now, I can’t sense his chakra anywhere.”

Panic began to rise within Shikamaru. “Is he dead?!” Although, he didn’t want to know.

“I don’t think so. Those ogres need Naruto to be alive in order to extract the Nine-Tails’s chakra. It is most likely that Naruto was teleported into another dimension by Time-space ninjutsu”, Sasuke explained. “These two need to be brought to the hospital.”

Shikamaru was still trying to comprehend what Sasuke has just told him. It did make a whole lot of sense. According to their intel, those ogres needed Naruto to be alive in order to carry out their intentions.

“I’ll take care of that. The media corps are heading their way here.” He told Sasuke. Although Sasuke was no longer paying attention. He seemed to be im deep thought.

“What will we do?” Shikamaru pressed for answers from Sasuke.

“I will try to find out which dimension which Naruto was taken to. I’ll contact you soon. Please tell the other Kages to be ready. A rescue mission to retrieve back the Hokage will commence soon.”

Shikamaru gave a slight nod. “Understood. We’re counting on you, Sasuke.”

The medic corps arrived right then and lifted Boruto and Sarada on stretchers. Sasuke disappeared into the darkness.

Shikamaru stood there for awhile. This was it. This was the ‘if’ that Naruto had told him. The weight of the lives of the Konoha people now rested on his shoulders. He had promised Naruto the first day they came into work together that he would protect the village like his own family. He needed to ensure that everyone was safe. The injured must be treated promptly. He needed to increase the village’s defense. Right now, the village of the Hidden Lead was very vulnerable without it’s leader. Shikamaru must act now. There was no time to waste. For the sake of the village, and as to fulfill his promise to Naruto, Shikamaru must do all he could to protect the Konoha from any further harm.

That was, Shikamaru’s duty.

The End

A/N: meh, idk. I tried my best. I hope you enjoyed reading this. I’ve got another Shikamaru and Naruto fanfic coming up. It’ll be much shorter than this one. Anyways, please give me some feedback and like and reboot and all those stuff. Also, please follow me! Thank you!

[lia-nikiforov]

Fall 2016 Anime: Last impressions

What, me? Posting something that’s not Yuri on Ice? Did I wander to the wrong blog? Oh right, this isn’t supposed to be a Yuri on Ice blog to begin with, oops.

After a very shitty semester and my Mom’s and sister’s vacations messing up with my anime watching schedule (plus a shitty vicious cycle of not watching anime to work on thesis-not working on thesis because stressed from not watching anime), I finally finished catching up with Fall anime, barely on time before Winter begins (I know some winter shows have premiered already, but none that interest me. Rakugo’s on today though!!!!). So here’s a rundown of the best and worst of this most fruitful Fall season. If there’s a gif it means I forgot to take a screenshot of the last episode whoops.  (worst to best my dears, you know how this goes)

Dropped:

Shuumatsu no Izetta: I really tried. Even after the stupidity of episode 4 put me to sleep, I tried to give it a second shot, but episode 6 was literally everything that is wrong with modern anime and ugh, please release me from this hell. Of course having a strong female character was too progressive for a yuribait show, you just had to make her have insecurities about her normal-sized boobs (vs everyone’s ginormous) and dedicate 25 entire minutes to show that she’s actually a real girly girl that likes pie. Ugh. And I didn’t even mention how stupid the “Izetta’s secret might be revealed” plot element was. That was some garbage writing if I ever saw one. Most of what I’ve read after dropping it seems to indicate it was the best choice

3gatsu no Lion: I’m confused with this show. The production values make it very attractive to watch. There is a harsh and interesting story and character drama happening. Episode 5 was particularly great, and some of the storytelling devices are implemented brilliantly. But for some reason I can’t bring myself to care? I don’t know. The more I see the three sisters, the more the scenes with them bore me to death. I found the idea of watching episode 6 terribly not-compelling so I decided to put it in the back burner and wait out. Maybe I’m just incompatible with this mangaka (I really hate HachiKuro). People seem to be loving it, so maybe I’ll give it another shot at a later date.

Touken Ranbu Hanamaru: This was my biggest disappointment of the season because episode 2 was so good. It tickled all my rekijo bones in the best way. But then it just… nothing ever happened? Also the way all the sword boys gush about how much they love the (invisible but obviously audience-proxy) “Master” is way too transparent and took me out of whatever little interesting character dynamics might be going on. What could be an interesting theme –the swordboys having regrets about not protecting their past owners and being tempted to fix it- is wasted in a “it’s okay, I have a new master now!”. Even with my fujoshi goggles there was little of interest because the boys were so infatuated with the Master I couldn’t even enjoy any of it. Held out until episode 9 and just couldn’t be arsed for more. Maybe the more serious ufotable show will be better?

Nanbaka: I don’t know what went wrong with this mangaka that suddenly decided to turn a perfectly fine comedy into a Very Serious battle shonen thing? Especially mid-arc? The New Year tournament had revitalized the show, I was having a load of fun with it, but then it suddenly turned all dark and serious and nonsensical? The only thing tempting me to go back for the last three episodes is Hajime, he’s a champ. But yeah, the shift in tone was too drastic and kind of spoiled the show for me because I was loving it exactly as it was. It didn’t need the drama. Some people seem to be liking the new direction but ehhhh… idk. If I have time.

The worst:

17. DAYS: It was hard to choose which of these two was gonna be the poop prize winner, but in the end, given how much I struggled to even sit through the last couple of episodes, I guess DAYS takes it. Honestly seldom have I seen a show so infuriatingly ruined by “protagonist no jutsu” i.e. things just happen because a dude is the main character. Kimishita scored three completely bananas goals in that game (bless his heart I love him), but Tsukushi gets all the credit for earning the free kicks and second balls and shit and he’s the one credited as the “hero” of the game. It’s amazing that such an insufferable protagonist is part of a show with an otherwise endearing supporting cast. Now will my love for Mizuki and Kimishita be enough to pull me into watching season 2? Tune in some time next year to find out! (spoiler: most likely no unless it comes out on a boring season)

16.Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku: I called this show the winner of the “Showed its cards too early Award” since episode one, but boy I didn’t expect it to continue doing the exact same thing over and over through its entire run. At some point it became a very unsurprising formula of showing a character’s tragic backstory at the start of the episode to fabricate last minute sympathy to make up for lack of proper characterization, only to have the character in question murdered in increasingly distasteful ways. I always knew best girl Top Speed wasn’t long for this world, but the way they handled it was gratuitously vicious. Couple that with a barrage of villains, none of which were remotely compelling or had any interesting motivations, a poor man’s Kyubey, a protagonist that is even more infuriatingly passive than Madoka herself (at least in this aspect, MahoIku surpassed its intellectual mother), and a resolution that basically says this whole thing served no purpose whatsoever and you’re left with just a feeling that you could’ve done something better with your life. I never expected grandeur from this show, and in fact I guess it turned out to be about as bad as I could’ve expected it to be, but that doesn’t really erase how terribly dissatisfying the ending was. I guess that’s one weakness that Dark Magical Girl shows have yet to overcome. 

Normally a “the meh” section would be here, but I dropped all those shows for lack of entertainment and time, so we’re skipping straight to

The okay

(I liked these shows but none of them changed my life and I was severely tempted to drop them at least once)

15.Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans: I have rather complicated feelings about this show. The writing has improved immensely since the second half of S1 and they’re doing a fascinating job at working the different shades of moral grey. Mika’s sick relationship with Orga continues to keep me on my toes. But with only 12 episodes left I’m still not entirely sure of where this is going, and most importantly, it stinks of tragedy and there seems to be a general lack of joy in both characters and story, so I always go to watch it with little enthusiasm and maybe a bit of anxiety.

14.Girlish Number:  This one turned out way better than I expected it to be, although perhaps for different reasons than most. Usually when I hatewatch something, it’s for the pleasant schadenfreude I get out of seeing something continue to fail miserably week after week (see Sailor Moon Crystal or Mayoiga). In that sense, I wasn’t hatewatching Girlish Number but boy was I getting schadenfreude about seeing the exploitative producer go on a downwards spiral and the shitty LN anime adaptation turning up a complete failure. But because this was the source of my enjoyment, the finale was, to say the least, dissatisfying. If the show had ended with Chitose getting a proper comeuppance and landing different jobs (in non-shitty-LN-anime) that forced her to climb her way back up instead of trying to have  sudden fabricated popularity, while Kuzu got his ass fired that would’ve been cool. But the “Oh I ended loving this production” ending was ehhhh. It felt the show ended going milquetoast on its criticism of the industry. Criticized the seiyuu idol units but still had the seiyuu sing the OP and ED criticized the cheap swimsuit fanservice but still had a swimsuit episode etc. I mean they went really damn hard on the industry, so it was weird and a little frustrating that they didn’t go the whole way, given how they’d already guaranteed to lose the buying audience anyway.

13.Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari: It’s hard to explain what went wrong with this one because, if you asked me, I’d say I really liked it overall. But the key problem is perhaps that I adored the first two episodes so deeply and then somewhere in the middle it kind of floundered and went in a different direction than what I expected –which isn’t inherently bad, mind you- but it’s weird that there’s so little actual udon in the show when they’re in the title. The finale was good in idea, but I feel it failed to make the emotional landing, and that they capped it off to be a sort of commercial for Kagawa prefecture was just… weird. So uh, it was a good show but definitely didn’t live up to the promise of the first few episodes.

12.Uta no Prince-sama Legend Star:  For me, this and Magikyun are basically tied, because, although I have more love for Utapri due to how long it’s been around and how I’ve grown so endeared to the characters, I can’t say Magikyun did anything worse or better. But anyway Utapri! Revolutions had me losing a little of my love for the franchise, but Legend Star was really great! The music improved drastically and we got some truly neat character arcs. The Otoya arc was surprisingly good. It’s sad to see they’ve fully committed to shitty CG dancing though ): But oh well, the Quartet Night song was great and there’s even more anime coming because Broccoli does like printing money after all. Almost forgot to mention it, but Haruka is hardly relevant this season and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but I’ll also say I didn’t particularly miss her.

11.Magic-Kyun Renaissance:  I’ll say this about Magikyun, it was less dumb than I expected given the title. I mean it was super dumb, but it could’ve been dumber. It was also a lot of fun, had neat visuals and surprisingly good songs? I feel it could’ve ended in episode 9 because it doesn’t feel like the new resolution in ep 13 actually added anything of note to the story or the characters, but it was okay. It’s harmless dumb entertainment and that’s what I wanted it to be. 

The good

10.Flip Flappers:  It’s always great to see passion projects like this, even if they don’t always stick the landing. In the gayest anime season, FliFla gave us a lesbian visual spectacle that was among the best animated experiences of the year. While narratively it blooped a little in the last third and became a weird Eva-ish nightmare, it sorta kinda worked out at the end, although definitely didn’t live up to its initial dreamy potential. And it was very lesbian, although I feel it was lowkey creepy lesbian since Papika is somehow an adult??? I think they explained some things too much and left others glaringly unexplained. Some weird things happened in that production that hindered its potential, but it’s still a fascinating series to look at, even if you don’t dig the character dynamics (which are adorable but in the end didn’t do much for me). Could’ve done with 100% less creepy robot though     

9.Classicaloid: I’d call Classicaloid the Bungo Stray Dogs (season 1) of the Fall because while it wasn’t what I wanted or expected, it managed to grow on me. I was on the edge of dropping it because the wacky one-note humor wasn’t working for me at all, but with the introduction of Schubert and the slow drip of answers to our questions of what is even happening in this show, it became notoriously more fun. Definitely the strongest moments of the show are when we get to see the Classicaloids having flash backs to their past lives (the episode about Beethoven and his loss of hearing was particularly brilliant) and while I still mostly have no idea of where this is going at all, they’ve definitely got me hooked wanting to know what Bach is even planning.

8.Drifters: This might have gone even higher up the ranks if not for all the homophobic and sexist jokes ugh. But I guess it’s a testament to how entertaining it is that I watched it all through and would still watch the upcoming second season (or maybe it’s a testament to what a good job it did in tickling my very specific rekijo bone). The characterization of Nobunaga in particular is absolutely brilliant, and the little nuances in the interactions between characters of different time periods are fantastic. Cool action sequences and interesting strategizing and politicking. But I reckon this isn’t something that’s gonna sway the non-history buffs. Also ew the sexist and homophobic jokes. The show has great comedy without that, please don’t be so gross Hirano.

7.ALL OUT!!: It had a bit of a slow start, but once it started picking up with the practice matches and developing the team, it’s just gotten exponentially better! Especially since the addition of the coach. DAYS could learn a thing or two about how it isn’t necessary to make the inexperienced main character the sudden “hero” of the team to make for a compelling sports story. That said I still do not understand about 75% of how rugby works at all, but the endearing cast and the passionate games make up for it. Also the horrible hair. Definitely looking forward to where these kids will go in the second half.

The excellent

6.Fune wo Amu: This is a case of me one-sidedly having expectations that a show can’t live up to and thus I don’t enjoy it as much as I could. Which is no fault of the show itself and it is in fact one of the best anime of the season (arguably the year). It does fail on the entertainment department, but compensates with beautiful craftsmanship and a wonderful portrayal of human feelings and relationships. While it wounded up being Very Heterosexual (and the main couple develops in a rather cold and questionable manner, but hey, the wife wasn’t forced to give up her dreams to become a housewife. A+ for progress! ) the portrayal of Majime’s camaraderie with Nishioka (and Nishioka’s very great relationship with his gf!) was really the heart of the show, and just for that it’s absolutely worth the watch.

5.Natsume Yuujinchou Go: I think it’s rather telling to the quality of the season overall that Natsume Yuujinchou somehow fell just slightly above the middle of the pack. I do feel this season of Natsume was weaker than the previous ones, but to be honest I can’t quite pinpoint why. Maybe it didn’t feel like we reached a new milestone in Natsume’s development or in learning about Reiko –in fact, it feels we learned conspicuously little about Reiko this season-, although the final episode and the Touko episode were notable highlights. With a sixth season already in the works, I have little else to say other than, even when it’s not in top form, this is still among the best one could ever hope to get from anime

4.Bungo Stray Dogs 2: Remember how season 1 was good but not what I wanted it to be? Well, season 2 wasn’t exactly what I’d originally hope BSD would be about but it sure as fuck was fantastic! Starting with the flashback episodes to Dazai’s time in the Port Mafia and the story of Oda Sakunosuke, to the introduction of the American writers and the follow-up with Kyouka and Atsushi’s arcs as well as Akutagawa (!!!!) it was a genuinely amazing season that completely justifies watching the first one even if you weren’t entirely convinced about it at first. My only gripe is the lack of Kunikida, but this season showed that Dazai is the lynchpin of this series and he fulfills that role to perfection. I loved loved loved this season and I hope we get more of this series.

3.Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable: While it floundered a little in the second cour (seriously I was happy Shigechi died, he was an awful character), it picked itself right back up in the third and the battle against Kira –who is an astonishingly amazing villain- was just week after week of blood-pumping excitement and fun. Not every episode was perfect, but the package as a whole is fantastic. At moments it felt more like Kishibe Rohan’s Bizarre Adventure, but even that was okay because every member of the cast was so great. You can see the passion David Production has for this franchise, and I’m hoping they’ll continue adapting it. While Joseph is still Best JoJo, I think part 4, with its incredibly strong cast and creative set up might be my favorite arc so far.

2.Haikyuu 3: vicky’s probably gonna hate me for this but If I’m honest, the Shiratorizawa match wasn’t my favorite in the manga. I love the development Tsukki got through it and I commend Furudate for how brilliantly he’s been working in making these characters grow in such satisfying ways. But Shiratorizawa, and Ushijima specially, is the epitome of OP rival and that’s something that’s never really worked for me. It felt like the Rakuzan game in Kurobas, there were moments in which it felt that it just never ended. And I was worried about how they were going to work it into ten episodes. I think it’s a testament to the anime team that they managed to make it not actually feel like 10 episodes, and that they’ve made this one of the most exciting matches to watch in all of Haikyuu. It was truly spectacular and I can’t wait for S4

THE BEST

1.Yuri!!! on ICE: Joke’s on you, this was a Yuri on Ice post all along!! Even if my conflicted feelings about the ending had been sourer and heavier, I would have no doubt that this is the best show of the season (and the year). It’s taken me a while, but after having chewed on my feelings for a couple of days (while fighting the denialists with all my might) I’m even more confident about it. I don’t even know what more praise I can rain on this beautiful, beautiful show that has literally saved me so many times during this really difficult trimester and I am ever so grateful to its creators for giving us such a beautiful gift in such dark times. Now please end our suffering and confirm a season 2, because just like Victor and Yuuri can’t live without each other (canon!) I can’t live without them anymore ;---;

What a strong season this was! A high note to end an otherwise shitty year! Thanks everyone for following this nonsense blog and I hope this new year brings us all more beautiful anime (and less menstrual cramps for me). Winter shows I’m watching premiere literally today so I’ll skip the “anticipation” rundown and go straight to my watchlist in a couple of weeks.  As always, I’ll be happy to hear which were your favorite and least favorite shows of the season, but I know y’all never answer to my questions ;----;

[smorgasbordofobsessions]

liveblog: “crescent moon” movie

i don’t wann type the whole name in the title. i’m also very tired, so this should be even more of a mess than it normally is.

tldr: too! fucking! long! kakashi’s ankles and elbows make me understand why it was illegal to show them during victorian times; fnially fell asleep during a naruto movie

okay this movie is set pre-sippuden so let’s see how this goes

“peace reigns” i mean i guess since there’s no war...

i love when naruto smiles

pure warmth

kakashi’s.... elbows... wow

kakashi’s ankles too!!!

oh god i’m feeling hot under the collar from the expossed skin damn

this dude thinking sakura’a too pretty to be a ninja but sakura just crushes this dude’s hand

proud of her

also what an interesting team: rock lee, sakura, naruto

hikaru looks like a fucking brat

goooooddd i already feel like this movie is gonna take fucking forever

guys i’m really kind of flustered from kakashi’s albows and ankles like... is this what people felt back in victorian times? because i get why it was illegal

this client has a large caravan because he has a shopping addiction and a fully staffed kitchen with him... cool

ohmygod

so this brat of a kid thinks that naruto’s dream is stupid

-heavy sigh-

idk what happened next but i already know that this circus shit is completely unnecessary

watch this bratty kid want the saber tooth tiger

i was fucking right

brat: daddy can i get the tiger?

father: sure let’s buy the whole circus for a cool million

this brat’s got sasuke’s duck butt hair

yeah ima struggle through this movie...

naruto has his own teapot so he can boil water so he can make ramen

i love my son

this brat is trying to bribe naruto with riches

fool.

oh some dumb shit’s about to happen

literally when kakashi talks i perk up a bit since i love him

hold on my heart’s hurting because naruto probably sees himself in those animals that the brat wants to just let die

stop i just made myself sad ohmygoooodddd

oh and cue the start of the dumb shit

really amazing how they didn’t make better preparations for the storm when... they knew there was gonna be a storm...

but! why am i ever looking for a coherent plot in these naruto movies

the moneky’s n the water, so the brat’s gonna go after the monkey so naruto’s gnna save him so now they’re gonna bond over this shared experience and they’ll bare their hearts to each other and naruto’ll say something wise and the brat’ll realize what’s truly important in life and i’m sure the mother will play a role in that as well

god i just wanna stare at kakashi in his summer uniform like... let me feel like a victorian gentleman staring at something indecent and illegal

oh well welll well the king is dead and there’s some dude named shabadaba who’s apparetly the ruler now

amazing since hereditary lineages literally do not work like that but okay

kakashi’s elbows fuck!

ANKLES!!!!

literally no need for kakashi to have shown his sharingan just to do an earth jutsu but i guess the audience needed something

“i’ve seen graveyards livelier than this”

broooo for real though

i’m literally ignoring whatever sob story they have for the king - who’s terminally ill and not dead

finally the old king is dead

jesus fuck i still have 50min of this movie left

idk who the fuck makes these videos but these really drag so fucking much it’s truly fucking ridiculous

and i get dramatic effect and what not but there’s too fucking much!!!!!

y’all i’m so f u c k i n g bored of this movie

jesus of course because the king is so fat they can’t escape before getting ambushed wow

narut just got his ass handed to him and you’re really trying to tell me that that kakashi couldn’t have smoked all these enemy ninja already

like get the fuck out of here kakashi would’ve had their ass beat

oh maybe it’s poison?

yo i was right wow

so this dude makes people turn into stone nad then breaks the statues - nice

no

why do they hate my son so much

he doesn’t need to use the kyuubi for this shit

i mean i lowkey knew it was gonna happen but also it didn’t have to happen

so here’s a parallel to haku’s ice mirror’s but also byakuya’s senbonzakura

his shit is fuckin gboring!!!!!!!!!

“you put us through a great deal of trouble you great tub of lard!”

i’m gonna do something else as this movie runs because i’m falling asleep

also kakashi saying that he can’t slip through security?? yeah okay

the same dude who has knows 1,000 jutsus and i’m pretty sure has a flee on sight order in the bingo book because he’s That Good?

yeah okay bye miss me with that

god i love hearing kakashi talk but the cheesy shit he just said brought a sad tear to my eye

for real - kakashi is the ONLY CHARACTER keeping me even vaguely intersted in this movie

also it’s criminal how little rock lee content we’ve been given

whoever deigned all the backgrounds did a good job

i need a coffee if i’m gonna watch another trash movie after this

jesus 25min left...

shit y’all i might actually fall asleep

i fell out for surer

i have no idea how the movie ends, nor do i care

i’m sure that

the fat son realized that h needed to understand  that it’s not all about material wealth and changed for the better, and became king

the brat learned this lesson too

wow i fnally fell asleep yo a naruto movie