#is never shown remembering gaara

[sasukeless]

sasuke being painted as The possessive one of the relationship when that’s not shown in canon and people mostly use panels out of context (i saw “my one and only” or “i know your heart and you mine” being used to prove him being possessive which is ???) but somehow naruto that actually has moments he shows to be possessive are not counted. but like even without them, if you analyzed their relationship you would realize it does make the most sense for naruto to be like that unlike sasuke. because naruto has abandonment issues already with sasuke, sasuke did left him and cut him off once and left naruto really traumatized (even if it’s not sasuke’s fault, it’s still one of the biggest sources of naruto’s pain) so him being scared sasuke could leave him again and the urge to keep him makes complete sense. on the other hand, sasuke has never felt that loss, naruto has constantly chased and picked him over everyone including his own goals over and over. and his fears about love turning into grief if he lost naruto are quite literally shattered by naruto himself in vote2.

[sassykinzonline]

when people talk about naruto's repression they kind of miss a crucial element which is that it actually makes complete sense.

firstly from the power perspective, simply put, by its very nature he requires repression to function on a most basic level. this is opposite to the sharingan, which thrives on huge displays of emotion. im going to assume that the reason this is missed is because it runs counter to the personality traits each character is known for: the "emotionless, calm and cool" one actually is constantly accessing and expressing the most powerful of emotions, and the "expressive, empathetic and emotionally honest" one is actually warring with letting true emotions come to the surface. comparatively, when you look at starfire and raven from teen titans, you see that their personalities reflect their power. starfire is bright and expressive because thats how she best accesses her powers, and raven is subdued, controlled and calculated in order to control her powers. this means that contrary to popular belief, naruto isnt starfire-- naruto is raven. there are actually a few moments where you are subtly shown just how calculated naruto's displays of emotion are, and how they are reinforced in such a way (context is naruto being saddened that his request for parental affection was rebuffed):

which brings me to my second point: socialization. this part is straightforward. from itachi actively causing and incentivizing hatred and anger, to various mentors/people of influence (eg. kakashi) remaining silent at clear expressions of violent anger-- these negative emotions are not punished or discouraged when it come to the context theyre in. why? they are beneficial to the agenda of various characters. the revenge plot only starts being punished when its disadvantageous to the state. remember that there is a monetary value attached to the murder of itachi uchiha, and this is actually a common way to earn money. when you look at naruto, there is never a single instance when naruto is encouraged or even tolerated for having these emotions. the only exception who does this leaves him due to their own parallel struggle (side note: this is why naruto distinctly says the reason for his obsession is that this person accepted him more than anyone else, given this person is the only one who saw naruto's pain and anger and actually blamed his aggressors for it). naruto, raised implicitly to know that everyone seeks to be a tool of the state, and that in his case this is not just a choice but a requirement for his humanity. iruka's acknowledgment of naruto comes with an indication of possession, implying conditionality. people like kakashi, hiruzen, and others in positions of influence witness the abuse he faces, and ignore it or groom him into accepting the idea that he should appeal to his abusers for eventual acceptance. naruto meets gaara, someone with the same condition as him, but with radically different circumstances. whereas naruto's condition symbolically papers over his pain over time, gaara's is self-protective and defensive against his pain. gaara also occupies a position of power as the member of a royal family, and has siblings who are afraid of him but do hold some level of affection towards him. gaara's feelings of loneliness, while rational, come from a different place than naruto's. for gaara, he is surrounded by community that he doesnt know how to access. naruto has no community, he needs to find a way to forge one, but even when he does it is superficial. this dynamic is repeated in his introduction to killer bee, who from an early age is granted family and institutional protection. this isnt to say that the treatment of jinchuriki is ethical or healthy, but that naruto's situation is actually uniquely oppressive. kushina is the closest naruto gets to someone who validates this pain, but she cannot truly relate to him because she is never cripplingly alone (again, not to say her life was not difficult or oppressive or traumatic) and the object of her affections returns those feelings consistently and early on. naruto's trauma is thus compounded over and over by the conflict his need for his specific love interest causes: naruto is only tolerated as a weapon of the state, and in order to be an effective one he needs to love and be loved, but his love interest who allows him these negative emotions is an enemy of the state, leading to further isolation/tension from the state and pushing him towards the love interest.

as such, i actually think naruto does remarkably well at balancing this conflict and tension in a way that keeps him functional. though, obviously and eventually the compounding of his trauma and the repression of his pain is something that needs to be addressed. the only person who is capable of doing this in a way that puts naruto's wellbeing first ("when i saw you in pain...i also felt pain" and the subsequent frequent moments of protection and defence) only reunites with him at the end of the manga, so you never get to see that actually happen.

im assuming the reason why a lot of this is missed is partially because through framing this repression as positive through the majority of the manga (aside from naruto's own personal thoughts), the reader is never really forced to decide how they feel about the concept unlike the inherent conflict of the radical revenge plot. the other part is the grander, underlying allegory in the naruto story which is the varied manifestations AND expressions of trauma. through readers' responses and attention to certain individuals in the naruto story, you can learn how they relate to and look at trauma. to me, naruto himself is actually the example of a trauma victim who shows a brave face and thus isnt recognized. naruto is the woman who puts on makeup to cover the bruises to go to work a day after she is assaulted. who tells herself that she must have some part in it, so it isnt abuse. maybe she grew up in a family where no one answered when she cried, so she learned to keep it moving and stop crying.

lastly, on a greater scale, people also forget a crucial aspect of "yin/yang" is that things with a large properties of one, by nature will also come with a small amount of the opposite. thats what the smaller inner dots represent.

a more surface level example of this is that naruto's face is brash, large, and masculine-- these are yang traits and they are predominant in his appearance. however, looking closely at his rounded cheeks and eyes and the soft nature of his eye colour, there are subtle yin elements. naruto's "positivity" or "optimism" is fueled by a certain level of negative repression.

[laceyjane44]

GaaSaku 2023 FanFest Day15

Prompt: One Night Stand

(Day 14, continued)

Staring ahead to the wall beside her, Sakura dared not move a muscle.

The bed was warm, her pillows fluffed, and the room had been tidy and smelled clean. She had slept like a rock, hadn’t set an alarm to wake herself up, and when her eyes finally opened to the bands of morning sunlight coming in through the blinds, reality came crashing down on her.

The wall was not painted the color of her bedroom, the sheets were not the same thread count – but better, and the comforter laid over her was not hers alone; she had company.

She hadn’t needed to turn around to know who shared this bed with her, after all, she had spent the whole evening with him, and the night as well. She took a quiet breath and slowly exhaled, thinking over how she was going to handle this situation.

The night before had been a pleasant surprise, she’d never been so boldly approached while also being treated with such care. Gaara was a confident man but hadn’t been an arrogant one, he was a natural flirt it seemed, but he would do away with it the moment he felt it wasn’t received; his company and been an easy and pleasant one.

Are you really gonna walk out on our first date like that?

Sakura could feel herself blush.

She should have read the signs before going out to eat with him, but…maybe if she had she would’ve refused. He was undeniably attractive, though he hadn’t immediately been her type, and as the night had worn on his attention became easier to accept. Leaving the restaurant, he had escorted her the short walk to the local cocktail bar and held the door for her like a gentleman. The bar was a little fancier than the restaurant, and they were given a small booth and a waiter to bring their drinks.

His demeanor had certainly changed after his comment about their date. Once she had accepted it and agreed to continue their night, he began placing his hand on the small of her back or tapping her feet with his own under the table. He’d already shown he wasn’t shy about sharing a straw with her and had offered to share their cocktails as well so that she could try some different ones. Fruity, refreshing, spiced and sweet; they had been delicious, and she sipped slowly, finding that she wanted their date to last just a little longer.

When the drinks were finished, though, she asked if his car was back at the movies. No, Gaara had said, it’s at my sister’s. After successfully monopolizing her time, he had admitted that he’d come to the movies with his siblings, and they had consequently left without him. Sakura had laughed, though she felt a little excited at the fact that he had sought her out in that opportune moment. Offering him a ride back to his place, he accepted and showed her the way.

At his house, her heart was suddenly racing, her blood was pumping through her veins, and she was still contemplating with her next move. Well, this is me, he had said as he pulled on the door handle. Sakura had shut her car off and suddenly asked, Can I come in and use your bathroom? Of course, he hadn’t refused, and of course he’d offered her a glass of water once they were inside, he even took her jacket.

Gaara lived alone, she soon noticed, and she was surprised to see that he owned a house, though she could tell he didn’t have an eye for decorating. Everything was clean, however, it appeared that he liked keeping things tidy and it had the added benefit of making her feel more comfortable. She used his bathroom, took an extra minute to stare at herself in the bathroom mirror; cheeks a little flushed, face looking halfway determined and halfway ready to run.

But running wasn’t an option, not tonight, and she pointed at her reflection, looking deep into her own eyes before returning to Gaara, and muttered, don’t be a wuss.

Her adrenaline had kicked in and her mind was racing so much that she couldn’t really recall exactly how they had made it into his bedroom, but she vividly remembered being pressed into the bed by the weight of his body and how satisfying it felt to be held in intimacy again. Theirs had been a slow and passionate night. Once her clothes started dropping to the floor, she couldn’t remember a second when his hands weren’t on her, when his breath wasn’t ghosting across her skin. There had been a moment or two that she felt awkward and embarrassed, but Gaara didn’t dwell on them, and it made it easier for her not to as well.

Maybe all the excitement and mix of emotions from throughout the day had caught up with her, or maybe she was just that tired, but after the end of their entanglement he had gathered her in his arms and, at some point, she’d fallen asleep there. Fingertips sliding along her skin, stroking her hair, the steady rhythm of his heart as she laid her head on his chest; they had lulled her to sleep in that soft, warm, and inviting bed that had unexpectedly found her.

The light of day could be a harsh one, though, and now her heart was racing for all different reasons.

Without trying to make too much of a disturbance, she reached out to the bedside stand where her phone was sitting and turned on the screen. It was 8:32am, she had a good-morning text from her mom and her friend sent her a chain of meme’s sometime during the early hours of the morning, and the rest of her notifications made her heart drop.

11:43pm

????

12:32am

Look Im sorry.

Awkward, considering that Gaara was dick deep in her by that point.

 1:07am

You just gonna ignore me?

She shouldn’t, it really wasn’t like her, but after a minute of contemplation she unlocked her phone and opened her text thread with him. Her fingers shook a little as she typed, perhaps nervous, likely just mad, and she pressed send.

Something came up.

She slowly exhaled and shut off her phone, she didn’t want to know if he answered or not.

But now…what to do about her current predicament? Sakura quietly leaned up in the bed, glancing at the floor and taking inventory of where her clothes had ended up. She saw her jeans by the door, her sweatshirt had been lost somewhere close by, and her bra was somewhere at the foot of the bed, she was sure. If she were quick enough, she might be able to snag everything and make a hasty exit.

Carefully, she lifted up the comforter and slid her legs out the side of the bed. The box-spring creaked a little as she lifted her weight off the mattress and she welcomed the carpeted floor under her bare feet. She picked up her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head, her tank top had still been tangled with it and she rolled it up along with her bra from the floor. She bent down to pick up her jeans, the sound of the comforter shifting gave her pause, and when she rose again with her pants clutched in her hands, Gaara was sitting up in bed; hair a mess, skin painted in the bands of light from window, and watching her with those intense azure eyes.

He smirked at her, amused. “Good morning,” he said, his voice smooth and even, hadn’t he just woken up?

“Morning,” Sakura said, a shy smile on her face. She was glad she’d found her sweatshirt; it was long enough to cover her…well, bits. “Sleep well?” she asked, thinking the question awkward seeing as it wasn’t her house.

He chuckled at her, leaning back against the wall behind his bed. “I do live here.”

She smiled, it was an embarrassed one, and she looked at the floor. “Right,” she said, feeling a little silly but surprisingly not as nervous as she thought she would be. So, she continued, “Thanks for last night, it was fun.”

Gaara grinned, his eyes looking over the bare skin of her legs with his lip pulled between his teeth. “You’re very welcome.”

She looked down and to the side again, her heart fluttering. He’d made that face at her last night, too. “Anyway,” she said as she unrolled her jeans and pulled them up over her legs. Gaara watched as she did and pouted a little once she’d dressed herself. “I should probably get going.” His expression changed again, and he looked crestfallen this time. “Where’s my jacket?”

“It’s in the coat closet by the front door,” he answered as he got out of bed. He was naked, just as she had been, and Sakura quickly looked away though she internally questioned why; she’d quite literally gotten acquainted with him in the early hours of that very morning. Gaara pulled on a pair of sweatpants and picked up her underwear from the other nightstand. He approached her and handed out her undergarment. “Though, I didn’t take you for the hit-it-and-quit-it type.”

“Oh, um,” Sakura flushed red in the face and she floundered for her next words. “Well, I…I wasn’t expecting to–”

“You think I went to the movies expecting to?” he teased. Sakura grabbed her underwear and quickly folded them discreetly into her tank top. Her hair was still a mess, Gaara liked that, she was flustered and kneading her bundle of clothes in her hands, he thought it was cute. “If you’d rather expect it next time, then you can give me your number and I’ll ask you out again.”

It was her turn to bite her lip, and Gaara’s turn to get excited over it. “You…want to do this again?” she asked, looking at him now and studying his face. She’d thought this just a fling, maybe just a one-night stand, she hadn’t wanted to assume and look desperate, but…had he thought differently?

Gaara shrugged, that same casual demeanor from the day before, though this time he reached a hand out to her hip and drew his arms around her waist. “The movie, the dinner, the drinks.” He leaned in and pressed his temple to hers, taking a deep breath and continuing with a relaxed and raspy sigh, “Or whatever else you want, just say the word.”

Sakura allowed herself to stand there in his arms, feeling desired and…well, here she was; with attention and care, with consideration and a clear message of wanting. She hadn’t thought about what the morning would bring, it had been so far away the night before, but it brought her someone that adapted to fit her into his evening and she hadn’t needed to compete for, someone who had – inadvertently – caused her to realize that she had been underappreciated.

She leaned into him a little, resting her head against his shoulder and contemplating the feel of it. “Okay.”

Gaara had helped her gather her things; her coat from the closet, her shoes from the hall, her keys from where they’d been left on the counter, and offered her something to eat before she left, though she had refused. She said she had plans for later that day and he wouldn’t question it, though he did make sure to send her a text the moment she gave him her number. When he met her at the door, she stood there a little awkwardly in the face of their goodbye. Gaara, however, was bold enough to ask for another kiss.

She ducked her head to hide her impulsive smile, and when she felt she wouldn’t betray a cool demeanor, she met him halfway. Arms around his neck, slouched against him and enjoying the way his arms wrapped around her waist and how his hand squeezed her hip. Sakura left after that, a smile on her lips and a weightlessness in her chest that she hadn’t felt for a long time. There was no telling what would come of this; it had been exceedingly unanticipated, but she was excited to find out.

Inside his home, Gaara let out steady and controlled breath.

It had been difficult to keep his cool all evening, especially when she had asked to come inside after dropping him off. He hadn’t expected that, and his heart had nearly flipped in his throat when she shut her car off and walked in with him. He offered to take her jacket; again, surprised that she took it off and gave it to him, and he distinctly remembered thinking, you staying a while?

Where’s the bathroom?

Down the hall.

He even got her some water, and when she returned it had been about five minutes before she had responded to a casual graze of the hand by pulling him into a kiss and he’d been simply lost in her after that. When she allowed herself to be held against him after their impassioned exchange, he made sure that she was comfortable, that with every stroke of his fingers against her skin she became more relaxed and he felt a peculiar satisfaction in knowing she’d fallen asleep there in his arms. Even though his insomnia often kept him awake, eventually he fell asleep, too, and upon waking every so often he would find her there and reach out to her.

He was sure that in some way there was another guy, and he didn’t know who he was, but he didn’t care; he was certain he could do better, and that he likely already had.

Gaara went back to his bedroom and grabbed his phone. His brother had texted him asking about the girl he left with, his sister had called him an asshole, and he dialed up her number. It rang a few times and when she answered with a loving, what do you want? he greeted back, “Hey, I need you to bring me my car.”

“Fuck off,” she said, as if she’d been waiting all morning to do so, and he had a good-natured smile on his face when he looked at the screen of her dropped call.

“I suppose I deserve that.”

Thanks for reading!

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceyJane

FanFiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2120361/WiccadBaltane0501

[sasunarualways]

So still re-reading Naruto with my gaydar sensor on high sensitivity lol and I stumbled across a moment I'm sure has been discussed before but I just wanted to share it as well!

In this scene Gaara is taken over by the demon in him and he's trying to convince Naruto that loving himself is the only thing that will make him stronger. Naruto starts to emphasize with Gaara (as he tends to do with every villian) but than remembers the few people he loves. First is obviously Iruka sensei and getting free ramen lol

He thinks of kakashi sensei caring about him like a father he never had

He thinks of arguing with Sasuke (literally almost in Sasukes mouth with his tongue out but I wont digress) lol

Then comes Sakura's memory

So you're telling me Naruto, who's supposedly head over heels in love with Sakura, thinks about a fond memory with her and that's what he thinks about??Her asking him about Sasuke??? Why is this memory stored in his brain let alone be a fond memory of her??And what makes this even crazier is that ALL of these memories we are seeing for the first time in the story. Meaning they didn't happen at all during the story and Kishimoto made them up for the soul purpose of being these one time memories. That means he could've shown anything like Naruto thinking about Sakura being nice to him or looking pretty to him or something that is even remotely close to an appropriate memory of a crush!! But no he chose to have Naruto think about Sakura asking about Sasuke as a fond memory lol this reminds me of this other really wierd scene with no hetero explanation

Naruto is disguised as Sasuke here and Sakura is telling him she's desperate for Sasuke and Narutos response is literally "so that's what I love about Sakura!!" It's almost as if the only thing he admires about Sakura is how freely she can drool over Sasuke because she's a girl....

BONUS

If you've made it this far let's go back to the original point I was trying to make about Naruto thinking about his few precious people that he loves....Hinata was never mentioned lol even though during that same exact day she gave him this heart warming speech that supposedly made him feel good

He still immediately forgets about it and doesn't consider her as someone precious lol but remembers Sakura asking about Sasuke? Lol ok I'll shut up now before I keep repeating myself 😭

[hesmiledlikeaweatherman]

Ok, I'm sorry for the angst question, but if you don't mind, since you seem to like them: how do you think Gaara would react if his siblings died? Do you think his heart would break into a million little pieces that he'd never ve able to put together again? Never ve the same again? How would it affect him?

Oh my godddds please don’t apologise for angst asks! I love them! And I love this one because it’s something I’ve thought about a lot!

So we know that as a kid, Gaara had limited contact with his siblings — we get the scene of them playing together when they’re young, but it’s quickly interrupted with the insinuation that they’re not actually meant to be together. And then later we have Kankurou remembering when he realised Gaara had the One-Tails and called him a monster.

What I’m getting at with this is, they weren’t close. Not for a long time. And Gaara was somewhere between twelve and thirteen years old by the time he became close with Kankurou and Temari, when he started to really figure out what it meant to be “human” and not just the monster Rasa had convinced him he was.

And in that short period of time between twelve and fifteen, he’d not only gained their trust and their closeness, but the village had begun to trust him, too. He and his siblings were mutually respected along the village, seen as leaders and as strong and valuable members of the community.

But if Gaara was to one day find his sister gone? Or his brother? I can see that start to crumble, bit by bit.

With Temari he'd probably break a bit quicker -- she would be the most likely to have memories of Karura, she looks the most reminiscent of their mother, and as the oldest sibling, she's also been shown to be protective of Gaara. Even when he was still the monster she feared, she loved him. She tried to save him. And Gaara losing that?

Then you have Kankurou. Kankurou, who looks like the father who ordered his death. Like the father who demeaned Gaara, who called him a monster, who was ultimately the one who sent Yashamaru to his death, and the one who forced Karura to birth child after child in search for a host.

There are all of those things that might insinuate Gaara wouldn't miss his brother as much, but I don't think that's the case.

Because somewhere between Kankurou saying he can't believe his little brother was that monster, he started to follow a different kind of monster -- he actively separated himself from his father's image, by covering his hair, and covering his face. He moved to a type of specialty that had been tainted by cruelty. He worked hard to make himself a success, and he put those skills to use in protecting Gaara in whatever way he could. Carrying him away from battle, standing up to Baki in his stead, and later serving as a guard to him as Kazekage.

So Gaara's mourning may come slower, but I don't think it would be any less.

And the holes you get when siblings die don't just go away -- Gaara would probably continue to serve. He has support around him. Friends who wouldn't turn their backs on him in the face of loss and hardship.

But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be broken.

[narutocharacterpolls]

personally i think both gaara and tsunade were shown being critical of the system at different points though. gaara did challenge all of the other kages at the summit over their antiquated views and hypocritical behaviour and practices (the "when did you all forsake yourselves" moment) and he seems to have changed a lot of things in suna. but I do understand your perspective too, I think I'm just sending this anyway as some kind of delayed propaganda lol.

but in the end i'm happy tsunade won bc she's very underappreciated, and I've never seen her get this high in a popularity contest before which is nice.

(i'm sorry about all the shitty messages you've been getting too. i never would have guessed a best character poll would create more drama than a worst character one 😶 )

I guess that is totally fair, he certainly does have some critiques of the system, I think they’re just less focused on and less intense/system changing in comparison to what Tsunade had spoken of (as that was a HUGE part of her character, specially pre-Hokage). The way I had remembered it though (which I could totally be misremembering, so don’t take this as fact) but I’d thought his comments during the 5 kage arc were directed solely at Oonoki, so I think that’s why it also felt of less as a critique of the kage and shinobi system in general to me. That said though, yes he certainly does have moments in which he is definitely changing the way that kage are typically upholding the system. Thanks for this perspective too! Also yes, it’s totally cool to see her get so far in a popularity contest!

Honestly I thought the same thing too, however people do tend to be a lot more passionate about their faves than about their least faves, so in hindsight I suppose I should have seen it coming lol.

[vitos-ordination-song]

One of my least favorite things a story can do to me is create some kind of big secret between characters and create drama around it only to drop the ball on that narrative. I was frustrated w tgcf for making Hua Cheng’s identity and true feelings a secret the whole time, though it did have the characters at least talk about things and there was a narrative reason for it (so there could be a big final love scene where Xie Lian learned the truth). But I remember being really frustrated w the ending of Merlin back in the day—that show was never great but it was at least consistent and fun. However the entire show is premised on a secret and lie between the main characters, whose relationship is the cornerstone of everything, and they left the resolution of that to the final episodes and there wasn’t even really a payoff. Just a muted scene where Arthur finds out and he dies shortly after. Boo

Naruto is honestly even worse because it introduces the big secret, one that’s determined his entire life and struggles: that he’s the Nine-Tailed Fox host. However this secret just gets… dropped? There’s a point where Sasuke sees the Kyubi but it’s not really treated as a big deal, it’s too late in the game for it to even matter, since Sasuke’s left the village and Naruto is farther along to getting acceptance. And no other character is shown even finding out. I remember feeling weird when, after the time skip, it just seemed like everyone knew. It felt like the idea that this was a character struggle was dropped; his backstory was still trotted out for angst purposes, but there wasn’t a sense of history. I will say that I think Naruto’s fight with his dark side is pretty good and works along these lines, but as far as dealing with what it meant for him to be a jinchuriki socially and any interesting conversations that could have happened with his friends, it never happened.

I feel like the best time for them to have found out would have been the Gaara arc—I mean he literally says in front of Shikamaru that he has a demon just like Gaara, and Gaara doesn’t doubt the statement! Shikamaru’s supposed to be a thinker, what was going on there? Lots of people had lots of clues, and besides it would have worked dramatically; in parallel with Naruto having to deal w Gaara as a depiction of what he could have been, or his darker inclinations, he could have had to deal with people’s reactions, especially given that the Leaf already has a negative view of jinchuriki and Naruto’s ignorant classmates’ first impression of one is Gaara.

[aidontdraw]

The Sand Siblings are such an afterthought in Naruto, that they don't even have a last name. The best we can surmise is that their family name is "Kazekage." As the Kazekage title in Sunagakure is an inherited title, unlike Konoha where they just pick the strongest dude.

We dont know enough to know definitively how Rasa's parenting truely was with all of his children. Nor do we know what it was like before his wife died. Honestly, from what we have seen, I don't think he was that bad of a parent.

Now, no parent is winning parent of the year in Naruto. They all passed down generational trauma to their children. That's kinda the whole point of Naruto. But what's intresting about all of the ones we see, is it seems like all the parents are all trying to break the cycle as well. We see this with Fugaku when he constantly forgives Konoha(until he dossnt). We see this with Hiashi, when he merely exiles Hinata but doesn't make her join the second branch family. We even see this with Rasa when he keeps all of his kids together and waits until they are appropriate ages to allow them to take the Chunin Exam.

In the Ninja Universe the "age of adulthood" is when someone passes their Chunin Exam. Once someone becomes a Chunin, they are seen fit for war. So Rasa delaying his children's assent into adulthood, can be seen as a loving act as well as a stratigc act.

Gaara's own accounts of his childhood, isn't the worst, given the world they live in. His father was very involved in his life. Obviously Gaara was raised in isolation. That has a lot of complex reasons, that even an older version of him understands.

Gaara mentioned being spoiled, considering how poor Sunagakure is said to be, thats an important detail. A 12 year old Gaara assumed this is mere appeasement to not get murdered. But honestly, it feels like the best Rasa could do in a shitty situation.

In Gaara's novel, he often refers Yashamaru as his parental figure. Gaara has almost no memories of his father, to the point he's even suprised that he remembered anything about his father. So even in his most isolated, Rasa made sure his son was with family and raised in a loving environment(again, until the trying to kill him thing).

Then we learn about the 6 assassination attempts on Gaara's life. That all failed. Except in the novel, we learn that Rasa apparently did come up with a technique he believed would kill Gaara. That he never used. Which on some level we can assume he never wanted to kill his own son. Rasa just put himself in a awful situation where he had to chose the saftey of his village or the saftey of his family.

If I'm going to be honest, I feel like the Kazekage household was more loving than most people think. Rasa never remarried. Gaara assumed it's because he loved his mother so much, he wouldn't.

But a big thing that points to it being more loving than we think, is how the siblings treat each other. Temari and Kankuro do love their brother. Even at his worst they tried to protect him. Considering everything, they are as close to their brother as they could be.

The few flashbacks we do get of their childhood, his siblings do try to comfort Gaara and spend time with him. Until, their father steps in and separated them.

Obviously there's some complexity to their relationship. They do still fear him. But, his siblings have an opportunity to kill him after Konoha Crush failed, and they don't take it. Instead they try to bring him to saftey.

Again, not killing people feels like a low bar, but it's the bar we have to work with.

Gaara also loves his siblings, enough to protect them. Gaara is shown to be a homicidal manaic, yet he never killed his siblings or his father. He even made attempts to separate himself from his siblings when it got bad. Which is why I beleive they were on a team together to begin with. Rasa knew they were the best option for everyone involved.

Which is why when Gaara does finally apologize to them, it is taken pretty well. After this apology we do see them growing even closer than they already were. Up to where Kankuro defends Gaara and believes hes gotten better.

Now none of this directly points to Rasa's parenting, but the fact that his three kids all value love and family even form early ages kinda suggests, it is a family vaule. They were all raised to care for eachother. Rasa probably wasn't the worst dad in Naruto.

I dont think there's ever actually any confirmation on what Rasa [fourth kazekages] relationship was like with his other children, cause thinking on it i dont remember any commentary from the other sand siblings on what their relationship was like with their dad.

certainly they don't seem too aggrieved that hes gone, but at the same time thats because originally the fourth kazekages death was a complete afterthought. relevant only in the sense it was an out from further suna konoha conflict, and by the time the sand siblings showed up again other things were more important/relevant to the story. when rasa showed up as an edo tensai could have presented that opportunity of learning what those relations were like, but rasa showing up again is solely for the gaara therapy hours so he can get some closure. in that moment rasa might as well not have had any other children and gaara might as well not have had any other siblings.

not that i think rasa being a shit dad to his other kids is unreasonable fanon [cause that is technically what it is with the main story being reluctant to comment any which way], as interesting as I find the man he is much like chiyo a cock, cause everyone in suna projects as much asshole energy outwards as possible. and his handling of gaara as a human being was deplorable, even if it also highlights the very real and unaddressed problems of the shinobi world and its values where human individuality, liberty and rights are sacrificed in the name of village prosperity and nation statehood [as opposed to just him being a cock].

but by that same token, I think all thats really confirmed about how he treated the other sand siblings is that he kept gaara forcibly separated from them. and if you separate gaara from the fandom woobification of him and think about it from the perspective of a military nation states leader it makes sense to keep your dangerous ticking timebomb unstable murder weapon away from the easily breakable children that represent the villages chances of future success. I'd almost call it good parenting even [bar that gaara is also his kid] to keep the children away from the unstable murder weapon that keeps accidentally maiming anyone it gets close to.

but i think a lot of that is kinda irrelevant to the actual discussion fandom seems interested in on this matter, because I don't think most people headcannon rasa as a bad father to temari and kankuro based on the patterns of his characters behaviour. I think most people do it out of this idea of "sand sibling solidarity". gaara's the baby woobie of the naruto fandom [its most widely accepted one anyways], and the sand sibling dynamic is a popular one. so its cathartic to blame any of their earlier problems/dysfunction and distaste for gaara on the big ol mean rasa/fourth kazekage.

and I think thats entirely too lame, cause it turns the sand siblings and their dynamic into temari and kankuro being gaaras generic yes men. a problem that does kinda intrinsically infect the original work mind, given that after the chunin exams the sand siblings disappear up until the sasuke retrieval missions ending at which point they're all suddenly buddy buddy with each other. but thats something that was a consequence of time and narrative flow, keeping the story focused and all. but fanfiction offers the opportunity to flesh these things out, and theres some real interesting ground in how the sand siblings transition from being completely fucking terrified [for fairly understandable and reasonable reasons] of gaara to being his pillars of support as kazekage following the [partial] failure of konoha crush. reducing it to rasa being the evil bad man who kept them separated when they actually wanted to be gaaras friends all along, is such a waste though.

anyways, feel free to crucify me now for being mean about the writing around the sand siblings.

[chissa-chan]

DID I MISS SOMETHING OR IS NOBODY ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT GAARA ADOPTING A KID???????

[sneezemonster15]

Sorry for my bad English. Now I realized Hinata never believed in Naruto (worrying about him does not mean believing). In the battle with Nagato she didn’t even try to save Naruto. Naruto always remembered Sasuke’s/Iruka’s sacrifice but not her. I think it makes sense because Kishi was attentive to such things. Do you think Hinata believed in Naruto?

Hi.

Did Hinata believe in Naruto?

I don't think she works that way. Her motivation, both in parts one and two, was to try and snag Naruto's attention by whichever means she could come up with, usually costing her quite a bit, given she isn't a very smart person. Which makes sense, an heiress isn't she, very privileged and protected, with slaves at her disposal who have curse marks on their foreheads? Lol.

In Pein arc, she went against everyone's advice, ignored the fact that Naruto himself didn't want anyone to intervene, because he was psyched and prepared to fight Nagato. Others were also trying their best, in the most strategic and rational way possible, to handle Pein's attack on Konoha, given they are shinobis and this is what they are trained to do. And yet, Hinata's way of 'helping' Naruto only made things worse for everyone, including her own friends and family, everyone in Konoha. I have talked about it here in detail. I mean just the buildup that Kishi gives Hinata in this arc, in these few chapters, raises readers' expectations, all for 👎 (raspberry sound).

Thing is Kishi didn't have to draw so many of these panels with so much insistence, over and over again unless he wanted the fact to be comprehensive that Hinata's 'rescuing' Naruto was really a way for her to confess to him, tell him of her feelings. All through the manga before, wherever we have seen her being relevant, which aren't many places, she has been shown to be very insecure and underconfident, and eventually she gets inspired by Naruto, the protag, to be more courageous and forthright. Now since Naruto is the MC of a shounen manga, he will be obviously shown as the saviour, the ideal, the one who inspires everyone, one who protects everyone, one who would influence a given character's life in a way that would resolve that character's conflict, which has already been established before by the author, and hence make the character owe something to Naruto. Like Tazuna and Inari, both of whom had their own conflicts, which got resolved by Naruto hence resolving their individual arc and both of them got inspired. So they named the bridge after him and both came to help out when Konoha is destroyed. Neji, who learns that one builds their own destiny and he is thankful to Naruto, especially because Naruto invests in his dream. So he fights the sound four for Naruto's sake.....and then dies later, but not gonna go there 😒. Nagato, who after learning of Naruto's thoughts about war and peace brings a dead Konoha back to life. Or Obito, who after repenting and receiving Naruto's forgiveness, helps them win the war. Or Shikamaru or Gaara. Likewise, Hinata is also inspired by the hero. There's nothing special about that, she is like other characters in that regard.

Thing is, for all these characters, the resolution to their conflict is clear and positively portrayed. Some fans might not approve of it, but in the manga narrative itself, the resolution of their arc is portrayed with positive tones. Not Hinata's though, lol.

Plus all of these characters except Hinata are clearly portrayed to have affected Naruto in a positive manner and Kishi even makes Naruto acknowledge their feelings or sentiments. Not Hinata's. Kishi deliberately builds the whole narrative of Hinata 'saving' Naruto like she is going to do something awesome, something successful. Perhaps she would be the chakra sensing shinobi that Kishi establishes so deliberately, but nope. Kishi goes a long distance to subvert the trope of 'saving the hero' to prove that Hinata's motivations aren't coming from love as much as infatuation, hero worship and selfishness. The last of which he even makes her say out loud. If you really pay attention to the narrative and visuals, you can't help but see that Kishi very systematically subverted the whole trope of 'saving'. Not only he gave the readers false expectations as to what was going to happen further in the plot, he made Naruto to not even look at Hinata after it happened. No acknowledgement whatsoever. This is such a deliberate choice, I wonder why so many people don't see it. Where have you ever seen this 'saving the hero' trope where a supporting character tries to save the hero, usually a family member, a close friend or a love interest, and the hero doesn't acknowledge them, like ever? Doesn't look at them, doesn't talk, doesn't thank them, no response whatsoever. Instead, Kishi shows Sakura hugging Naruto in front of Hinata, after having established the fact that Sakura has realized Hinata loves Naruto. Lol. The nerve of that troll man. Giggles.

Anyway, the hero acknowledging the saviour is such an important part of this trope's resolution, but Kishi subverts it by not satisfying the reader's expectations because in reality, this scene is not about Naruto and Hinata, it's about Naruto realising what it means to lose people one cares for, so that he could finally understand what Sasuke went through.

But it's not like Kishi doesn't make Naruto pay his regards where regards are due. Naruto does realize who his saviour actually was. Minato. So he credits Minato to have saved him in front of Kakashi and Yamato. Hinata is not even mentioned. Lol.

Which is why, you are right. Naruto remembers Iruka's sacrifice and Sasuke's, but not a single word for Hinata. Iruka and Sasuke both fought for Naruto/defended him when he was still an unskilled, loser Naruto. Hinata never did, she only stalked him. And when she did sacrifice herself, it was obviously for selfish reasons, unlike Iruka and Sasuke, whose motivations truly had to do with Naruto's safety.

And very much yes, authors pay attention to such things. All part of characterisation and plotting.

If Hinata really trusted Naruto's words (that he doesn't want anyone to intervene), she would have kept sitting with her injured slave looking after him, and would have tried to find out other ways to help Naruto, ways which would have potentially worked (like the chakra sensing shinobi way that Kishi emphasizes upon in the same chapter called Hinata's confession), not what she did which she probably knew wouldn't have a chance at working, she had already witnessed what Pein was capable of. She would have listened to others, much more experienced and battle savvy, who chose to trust Naruto's abilities.

She was specifically told that she would only create more problems for Naruto, but she chose to interfere anyway because all she wanted was to confess to Naruto before he died or she did. The act of confession itself isn't wrong, but like there's a time and a place lol. The way Kishi wrote her and that whole scene, he made Hinata look pathetic, one dimensional, kind of a loser, very stupid, quite unlike a shinobi, and selfish. It was not a positive portrayal of a resolution at all, unlike the cases of Neji, Inari, Tazuna, Nagato etc. While after reading about Naruto's encounters with these characters and their eventual resolution of their conflicts, the readers feel pleasant and satisfied, Hinata's sacrifice leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Even casual audiences notice this. All credits to Kishi of course. Lol.

Kishi is a smart writer. And he is like a bulldog. So resolute. He seriously goes a long way to show both Hinata and Sakura down, like imagine, over 15 years of commitment (and still going on in Boruto) of throwing shade at them, demeaning or insulting them, subverting their character tropes with complex, layered writing written with subtle literary tools that most people in this target audience aren't aware of or familiar with which really makes him get away with a lot of naughty stuff. Hehehe.

[overwatch]

Studio Pierrot reanimated parts of Naruto for the 20th anniversary and man. Good to know this series still has a choke hold on me after all these years. I never even finished the series.

Thank you for letting me know oh wow this looks so much better and cleaner and the way the original Naruto should have been!!!!!! I am still trying to finish the series so I’m not able to finish the video today bc spoilers (even tho I have been spoiled but have a poor memory so win-win!!)

also, I know you sent me this ask bc you feel compelled to join me and finish the show that’s right hold my hand we are doing this just message me babe I will guide you

And now I’m gonna share my fav screenshots everyone, so I hope you enjoy Naruto spam. Also will include the worst screenshots and why I hate some of the art/animations they went with:

I LOVE Iruka so much adfk hdahdu hold me

ofc they had to re-do this classic when gays in anime were invented

Lordee have mercy this is good this is the feral Naruto we deserved

A dad who is trying his best and his children!! However, disappointing that in almost single scene that Sakura shows up in she is crying lol (yes I know that is her character pretty much but this is a remake of something they could have shown other moments/altered a bit!!!). I also hate how big Sakura’s eyes are

100% the direction they should go if they ever do a remake I love these shots with dif styles to convey intense emotions

Feral Gaara!! The animation of the sand body morph was smooth! Yes!

me and my cat arguing over the last slice of ham

honorable mention of one of my favorite designs of Kishimoto’s: toad. Idk if he based these toads in some Japanese art style or stories but I just love the toads so much it’s such a nice aesthetic I wish Naruto wasn’t a fox I wish he was a toad boy always! Love u toad man. Fuck jiraya tho 

Things I detest:

bad cgi animations like coffins falling wtf the animation was so bad. If you’re going to reanimate something maybe DON’T PICK THE BEST ANIMATED EPISODE IN ALL OF THE SERIES if you can’t make the animation smooth of 2 coffin doors falling off cmon.

the colors are WAY TOO bright. I am a slut for Haku’s arc, and part of it is the gray-ish, foggy ambiance in whatever land Haku/zabudaddy are from. I feel some of the reanimation has too much color and it doesn’t convey the right mood/artistic direction 

Some characters’ could have re-designed and some moments are lacking expression. Just look above. Orochimaru’s fake exam body has ‘spaced’ out eyes that convey that this person is not all there, or in Orochimaru’s case, that the body is just a vessel. In the reanimation it lacks that, Anko’s forced smile, as well, is missing. This is just a specific example but that I saw in many other moments in the video.

oh god. well. THAT aside, everyone remembers this and knows this moment as well as the back of their hand. Gaara’s head flops down and bounces from the force of Lee’s kick - in the reanimation, Gaara is just kicked. Also, his expression is supposed to be that of utter shock, not defiance or annoyance like above.

BIG EYES LOOK BAD I know this is an anime and I am being unfair BUT CMON THIS IS TOO MUCH

this is lazy... so much you could have done. Kishimoto rly can’t world build but you had the chance to remake this and it’s just this. Some mountains and hokage’s office and boring rooftops. whatever.

The animation of kage bushin is so BAD you can’t tell from this screenshot so just go to the video and watch it. I do, however, like the idea that Naruto’s ‘pop’ smoke animations would be a whirlwind, considering his chakra affinity is wind. But the video is missing the iconic cloud-shaped smoke

Again, love the different styles to convey insanity/intense moments but the windows music player animation in the bg completely ruins the moment (and it’s TOO BRIGHT, color could have been rethought :(   )

[depressedhatakekakashi]

As much as the fanbase often say that they wanted a conversation between Kakashi and Sasuke about Itachi and all that, you know what I would have liked to see? A conversation between Kakashi and Naruto about how the village treated them

Kakashi can't understand what it's like to live with a Bijuu inside, but he can understand being scorned and hated by the villagers for something he didn't do. Sakumo first, and I don't remember if it's ever shown in the manga/anime but I have no problems imagining that they might have treated him differently just because Kakashi was his son. Then Obito and the whispers about the Sharingan. Then Rin and being called a Friend-Killer

He doesn't know a thing about being a Jinchuuriki, but he knows what it feels like to walk through the village and hear the whispers and the hatred. I think, when Kakashi was more emotionally stable, maybe after the war?, that he should have talked with Naruto, because while Naruto had long befriended Kurama by that point and earned the village's respect, I think he deserved that. They both deserved that

As much as people say that Sasuke was the only one able to understand Naruto's loneliness, I personally think that's just not true. I think Kakashi could have understood him better. It's just terrible that we never see Kakashi really connect to any of his students like that. Yes, the fandom takes care of it with a buttload of fanfics (I'm just now reading a canon-divergence one about Minato hearing for the first time a shinobi hate on young Kakashi for being Sakumo's son and deciding to take matters into his own hands and change things for the better), but it would have been nice to have some crumbs of it in canon imo

People who say only Sasuke understood Naruto and only Naruto understood Sasuke ignore that there are tons of other people who do understand

Karin as far as she knew was a surviver of the massacure of the Uzumaki. She was used for her abilities. She may not understood it the same as Sasuke who saw it with his own eyes, but she knew the feeling of being used for her powers and losing her clan.

Kakashi understood both their lonelyness. His was diffrent of course, but like Sasuke he saw a parent bleeding out on the floor of his home and had that memory imprinted in his mind forever. He also worked so hard to stop sasuke from using chidori on his friends because he lived with Rin’s blood on his hands. He did bot want that for sasuke

Gaara understood Naruto’s exact lonelyness the best. He was a Jinchuriki scorned even as a child for something he had no choice in. It was Naruto sympathizing with him that helped him to change

Neji understood the loss of a parent and the scorn of others. He was second class in his own clan, treated like a slave. He understood pain in his own regard.

Tsunade lost people in war and came to fear blood because of that loss.

Bee understood what it was like being a jinchuriki and was able to connect with Naruto because of that knowledge and helped him to connect and bond with Kurema. Without Bee Naruto may never have connected with Kurema

Iruka was the first to show understanding for Naruto, even though he himself hated him tol. Iruka lost his parents. He felt alone and angry and lashed out at the world because of it, and it took him some time but he ultimatly realized Naruto was doing the exact same thing he had done.

Tenzo, omg does tenzo know lonelyness. Same with Sai. It’s why they bond with Naruto so deeply. Danzo ensured they knew lonelyness so when they found someone to show them kindness and friendship (kakashi for tenzo and naruto for sai) they were finally able to open and grow the way they should have as little kids)

Every character was affected by the world around them. Every single one of them knew loss and pain on some level, some more than others obviously. Naruto and Sasuke were not the only one’s to understand each others pain, people just like to ignore that others understood it because it doesn’t fit into the perfect sasuke and Naruto centric world.

And yes, Kakashi and Naruto should have talked. In fact, I think Kakashi and Sasuke talking about Itachi should be secondary to even them just having an understanding conversation

Kakashi understood both Sasuke and Naruto’s pain on some level. Not completely in either case, but he understood. He had been scorned and lonely and hated. He had pulled out of it because of those who held out a hand to him and refused to allow him to fall into darkness even when the village elders wanted him to.

Kakashi wasn’t able to help either of them because his own experiences put him into a bad space where he was not able to reach out and aid them, but he understood

And I think them having that conversation and Kakashi opening up and telling them ‘you’re not alone and naruto/sasuke is not the only understanding person you have in this world’ would have been beautiful for all of their character arcs

[kirishimasmom]

Let me tell you what I went through to FINALLY HAVE HIM.

A while back, I can't remember if it was 2021 or early 2022, this plush set went on preorder.

This is Shino's first and only official plushie. The others here have all had plushies, but most of them haven't had one in over a decade or more.

I could only find it on a couple of websites at the time, one of which was toywiz, which I don't trust after having multiple bad experiences with them in the past, so I ordered from another website which I can find no records of at this time or remember the name of, but I did research and find to be legitimate at the time.

Their original release date was early 2022, I can't remember the month, but I want to say sometime between March and May. But that came and went and they never came out. I kept waiting and waiting, with no sign of them ever being released anywhere I could easily access and also no physical photos of them from anywhere, only this stock image which is not the actual physical plushies but rather a mock up design.

I would often look for them on Yahoo Japan and Japan Mercari through buyee, but had no luck. My Figure Collection still had them listed as having come out in 2022, but only two accounts on there period had any of them listed under 'owned' and had no photos posted.

For a while I gave up and assumed they must have been cancelled. Because not a single one of them had ever shown up for sale even on Japanese sites. I was devastated, because all I've wanted for years is a Shino plushie.

But a few weeks ago I decided rather than searching for these specifically by character I would search buyee for "Naruto Tomonui"(but in Japanese) instead. I've done it before, and it usually brings up the many other Naruto Tomonui plushies there are. But this time, amongst those, I saw the first physical evidence these existed, an actual real life photo of Kankurou!

I about lost my mind for a minute because until then I was fully convinced these were not actually made. When I translated the title of his listing it translated to 'foreign exclusive'. I thought that was odd. I kept looking and could not find a single other plush from this set for sale on any Japanese sales site.

So I kept scouring google to look for more photos of them, trying in various languages. I ended up finding a photo of Gaara. Gaara has a Tomonui plush already, but it's in a different outfit, and this photo had the two of them side by side, so I knew it was the right one. When I reverse google image saerched it I found a French anime merch website that had actual real life photos of every single one of the plushies from this set except for Shino, Kiba, and Kankurou. It also had all of them for sale other than those three. I do want everyone from this set, but my main priority here was Shino, and then Kiba. So while I was super excited to see photos of the others (Lee is especially cute and I want to get him soon too), I WANTED TO SEE SHINO. AND ALSO BUY HIM.

I kept looking and mostly reached a dead end. I found someone on TikTok that owned Lee, another person on TikTok that owned Neji, and that's about it. I gave up for the night because it was 4am.

And then I ended up looking every single day for a week straight. After a while I gave up on finding photos of them and decided I should just try to find them for sale. I could only find them on European websites. European eBays and European anime merch sites. There was no sign they had released anywhere outside of Europe thus far. I figured maybe that was what that seller on Japan Mercari meant by 'Foreign Exclusive' but it seemed weird to me that they wouldn't even release in Japan.

Even weirder, when I found them on the Bandai website's list of items it said they had only released in the US. Maybe they will in the future, but so far the only non European website that has them for sale is ToyWiz, where the release date has been slowly pushed up over time for over a year and a half.

Now onto the next dilemma I had: All these European websites would not let me either buy the full set or pick a character. It was always a random selection. The ones that did let me pick did not have Shino. I finally ended up finding a website in Bulgaria that had Shino and let me pick, so I bought him and Kiba! But when I bought them my translation of the checkout process got messed up and my address was messed up. Thankfully I was able to email them to fix it immediately.

AND NOW THEY ARE HERE. ABSOLUTELY WORTH ALL THE HELL. I'll probably get the others when/if they are a little bit easier to get ahold of. I don't know why this was so difficult. But it was very worth it.

SQUEEZES HIM

[enixamyram]

So I've seen a couple posts lately basically saying that people are hypocrites or have obvious bias or whatever else, because they love Gaara but hate Sasuke. Well as someone who loves Gaara and hates Sasuke, I felt like I could help fill in some explanations as to why.

Disclaimer: What I have to say is all in my own opinion. It's just my personal thoughts and feelings, you don't have to share them. And if you're the kind of person to get infuriated by the idea of someone who doesn't like your favourite fictional character, well grow up and get off the internet. As for the rest of you, enjoy my personal thoughts.

(Warning: Long-ass post under the read more.)

To start with, let's just establish a little backstory.

First we have Gaara, who was quite literally isolated and emotionally and mentally abused his entire childhood. His father and village literally pushed him until his mind actually snapped from the constant trauma he was put through via isolation. He had absolutely no one for years on end to help through any of this great pain at being hated simply for being born.

Then there's Sasuke, whose entire clan was murdered by his brother and who was left all alone in the world... Except not quite. Now I'm not downplaying the trauma he had as a child because it was awful, but he was not isolated and alone and tortured in the same way as Gaara was. There were people who wanted to be his friend, who wanted to look out for him, who cared about him. And at the end of the day he was the one to turn his back on them. Now you can argue whatever reason as to why he did it, but he still did it. He made a conscious decision to refuse the help of those who wanted to be there for him.

So backstory-wise, Gaara gets more sympathy from me because he suffered more before ultimately becoming a villain.

Next, I'd like to point out that a lot of people like to throw out that Sasuke was turning against a corrupt government... Except no. That wasn't until much later. Originally Sasuke's leaving was entirely about revenge. And I might of had a lot more sympathy for him if he had simply gone out for revenge on his own or had found a mysterious new character to help him grow strong. But in my opinion, Sasuke loses all sympathy when he chose Orochimaru (the man who had JUST killed the Hokage and staged a war against the Leaf) to follow. It was only much later that Sasuke discovered the truth and turned against the Leaf, but before that, his reasons (while they could be understandable) were still entirely about getting personal revenge.

Next, one of my biggest reasons why it's so easy to like Gaara and dislike Sasuke. And that being a story issue rather than a character one.

You see, Gaara had an arc of being a villain and then the rest of the series showed him as a good guy trying to make his village and life better. Sasuke had the first half of Naruto (where he was mostly a stuck up jerk), a short moment during the final war and then the very very very end of the series not being a villain. So for me, I had little time to care about his character because there was just wasn't enough of seeing him as anything other than a bad guy. (I'd also to like to add that while I'm still not a big fan of Sasuke in Boruto, I do enjoy him a lot more because we've been given a chance to see a nicer side of him.)

Next, one of my biggest issues that is character-wise.

The Konoha system was definitely corrupt and needed fixing. Suna was also very corrupt and needed fixing.

Gaara pushed on, became Kazekage through genuine effort, working with people he knew hated and feared him in order to prove himself and make up for what he had done in the past. Then when he was Kazekage, he began making changes to the village, fixing its problems and making it a better home for his people. It was a long process that took years of effort to work out but did eventually work.

Meanwhile Sasuke's motives and what he ultimately wanted seemed to shift within the storyline, but the two goals I remember clearly was when he wanted to destroy Konoha completely (killing many innocents to do so) and then when he randomly out of nowhere declared he would be the Hokage to change things - a sentence which came and went so fast and ultimately didn't even lead anywhere in the story, I'm surprise people remember he even said it. Sasuke did want to fix things but from what I can see, he didn't want to put in the painful years of effort to do so. He wanted a quick fix through brute force which would never have worked in the long run even if he did temporarily succeed.

The final point I'd like to make, is that their characters in general are very different. People like to sum them up, like if you enjoy Gaara despite him being a villain in the past, then you must enjoy Sasuke. And this completely ignores the part where they have very different characteristics and personalities.

Sasuke, when he wasn't an all out villain, was still mostly a rude, arrogant jerk. He mocked those weaker than him and was all in all very unpleasant a person for me to watch. There were a few moments when he seemed somewhat decent, but they really were few and very far between.

Meanwhile Gaara is shown to be quite a sweet guy. He is very thoughtful to those around him and strong willed in what he believes in, constantly hoping to give others a chance to change because he knows what it's like to be in their shoes. The Mizukage literally called him a pure hearted child at one point.

So there you have it. My reasons why I dislike Sasuke but enjoy Gaara. And I don't think it's actually that hard to understand as Sasuke fans try and make it seem. They may have a somewhat similar story to begin with, but only in a very vague sense. Their backstory, their motives, their journeys, their personalities, their goals are completely different.

[cuddlyscribe]

Ahhh thanks for writings hcs on the Sand Siblings confession!! It really made my day and now I've fallen deeper in love with them ❤ If it's not too much, may I have the siblings show their S/o around Sunagakure? Have them show around some restaurants, some popular tourist attractions, etc...Admittedly I can't remember if the show has shown the lifestyle in that village was like lol, so feel free to use your imagination if you like!!

you’re so welcome, anon!! I'm really glad you liked them, they were so fun to write. I hope you enjoy these sand sibs being way-too-attractive-for-their-own-good tour guides 

Gaara is really proud of his village, as any Kazekage would be. There’s a lot of history in these walls, some bad some good. But he wants to show all of it to you, his y/n. 

It is hard for the Kazekage to just go walking around without some sort of bodyguard, so don’t be surprised if a Suna black op or two pop up every once in awhile (but it’s not a huge deal)

I think Gaara would opt to take you somewhere on the outskirts of the village, where some of the magnificent rock formations are 

It’s a popular place with visitors in the daytime because of its majestic size and sweeping profile. But by evening, it’s a quiet and tranquil spot that Gaara frequents when he needs time away from his duties to think and relax 

By far this is his favorite spot to take you, because he feels a very particular connection to it. (He hopes that you’ll join him here more often when he wants to take a breather and just enjoy the stars) 

After you’ve seen these formations, the Kazekage wants to show you his absolute favorite food stall, (I couldn’t find anything canon about what foods they have in Suna like Ichiraku in Konoha, so I just made this up T^T) fried dough with brown sugar syrup on top. 

It’s a rare treat he likes to indulge in, and seeing him light up at the taste of it is something you don’t wanna miss 

Something tells me Kankuro is a foodie. I dunno why but this guy has to know everyone that works at every restaurant in Suna. 

He loves this place he calls home, and cannot shut up about it the entire time he’s showing you around (but who can complain when he’s got this adorable smile on his face all day?!) 

Gets really giddy showing you all of Suna’s attractions, like the shop he visits for new face paint. As simple as it might be, it’s something he holds dear (But let’s be honest he’d never admit it)

Will definitely be holding your hand as he walks down the streets, using his other hand to point out all the most noteworthy places 

Kank’s favorite spot is probably the farmer’s market. He won’t tell anyone else that, but because they live in Suna it’s hard to come by fresh veggies and fruit sometimes. 

(Purchases a whole ass head of lettuce and just carries it around the rest of the day) 

Kankuro concludes your whirlwind tour of the village with a visit to the BBQ restaurant, a classic and a place with something for everyone (Crow will be seated across from you guys I’m sorry I don’t make the rules) 

Temari shares Kankuro’s love of greenery as well, and has a very particular place in mind that she wants to show you when you mention you’d love a tour of the village 

She begins with a quick stop at the ninja tool shop which, while not fancy, has been a special place to her since she began training as a Shinobi 

(Shows you her very first fan that’s now hung up on the shop wall with pride) 

Then she’ll see the sweets shop and cannot say no to mochi (I headcanon her favorite kind is strawberry and red beans) If you haven’t tried it before, she is really excited and offers to buy you a mixed box so you can sample a bunch 

Her second favorite part of the tour is probably just walking around the bustling village. It’s the best way to get a sense of the people and culture, just observing villagers as they go about their day. 

I think she’d sit you both down on a bench and people watch with you for hours on end (eating mochi of course) 

But lastly, and her favorite place ever, is the greenhouse. There are a couple in Suna but the one she likes best is where all the herbs are grown. 

THE SMELL.... IS SO NICE.... She’s inviting you to take a whiff of every single shrub 

[ithilloktewrites]

Posted Fanfiction Masterlist

 Hello dear readers and askers alike! Here is the list that I will try my best to keep updated with all the fics I post. This means only the things I have uploaded here, and to AO3 will be shown on this list, along with it’s accompanying summary. When I complete a fic, it will no longer be on the WIP Masterlist. So, without further ado, My huge list of fic!

As They Deserved - Itachi/Kagome/Shisui 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373148

Tags: 

Preventing Uchiha  Massacre

Politics

Kagome gets training

BAMF Higurashi Kagome

Shinobi learn about yokai

Sesshomaru will be impressed with Shisui's speed

Abandonment

Inu Yasha has to redeem himself

Sasuke is so freaking cute as a kid

mentions of abuse

Mentions of kidnapping

Mentions of attempted rape

Eventual smut, Rated Explicit

Kagome realized the well was tampered with when she landed in a very deep circular well, looking up at what she thought were two tengu without yoki.She was supposed to be home. After finding that the magic in the well needed time to recharge so she could go home, she is placed under the protection of two ANBU guards who are to stay with her 24/7. The dark hand of Konoha wishes for her power. Hiruzen didn’t think this would be the way to save the Uchiha,but he is grateful to the girl. Things would not have turned out so well if she had never been plopped into their laps. Itachi and Shisui certainly don’t mind.

Backup Guardians - Otome Series - 16 Bachelors!

Tags:

Book 1

Time Travel

Dark

Triggers

kami - Freeform

Prophecy

Angst and Fluff and Smut

Series

Saving the World

Alternate Universe

Backup Guardian

Humor

Romance

Fluff and Smut

Pregnancy

Kagome will actually have proper training!

Size Difference

Holy shit Kisame is tall compared to Kagome!

That's HIS Miko!

Minato is totally gonna try to crate jutsu from all the attacks he sees in the past

Minato can be SO awkward

Jiraiya will love the whole journey

Kagome will be a huge point of interest for both of them

Jiraiya won't let her stay untrained

Sweet

Naruto will cling to Kagome

Shippo will cling to Naruto

Can't keep the brothers separated for long

Tobirama has an explanation for being wifeless during the series now

Tobirama will accidentally train Kagome

Shisui is a lil shit

Shisui adores Kagome

ALL THE FLUFF!

Eventual smut, Rated Explicit

When Kagome’s original Guardian is corrupted and set to betray her, the Kami know they have to change this. To do this, they must go back to the beginning, and send a new Guardian to protect her, gaining what the original Guardian would have in her and more. Welcome to my Otome-style fanfic. Rach bachelor will have their own full length fanfiction. Deidara - Prologue written, Posted, Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355568

Gaara - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355568

Hashirama - Prologue written, Posted, chapter 1 in progress.   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26354953

Itachi - Prologue written, Posted, Chapter 6 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355697

Kakashi - Prologue written, Chapters 1-8 posted. Chapter 14 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775741

Kisame - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 4 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355781

Minato - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355883

Naruto - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356369

Neji -N/A yet!

Obito - Plotted, not written yet

Sasuke - Prologue written, not posted, chapter 1 in progress

Shikamaru - N/A yet!

Shisui - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26844868

Tobirama - Prologue written, Posted. Chapter 1 in progress   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356477

Yamato - N/A yet!

Zabuza - N/A yet!

Giving Her Purpose - Kakashi/Kagome, Gift fic for Im_ur_Misconception 

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931228

Tags:

Birthday Gift Fic

Fluff

Eventual Smut

Kakashi will be obsessed with Kagome

kakashi is awkward

Kagome is oblivious

Kagome takes big sister duties seriously

tragic beginning

Eventual smut, Rated Explicit

Kakashi had only bumped into her accidentally at the marketplace. Naruto was taking her around and hadn’t noticed that he was there in his exuberance to help her, a new girl apparently. But she felt different and acted different. Her and her little brother. He didn’t think anything of it at first. But those sad, dark blue eyes had haunted him for several days now. He couldn’t get her out of his head. He wanted to see her again, if only to satisfy his ever-living curiosity

Birthdays And Masks - Kakashi/Kagome

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26884681

Tags:

Birthday Cake

Kakashi's Mask Shenanigans

Kagome changes the world with knowledge

Adoption

Family

Fluff

One Shot

Rated G, General Audiences

He was the only one who remembered what originally happened. And it was all because of her. He owed her everything!

For a list of all my planned, unposted fics, please see my other list! It will list the name of the fic, and a short summary. Please note that i did not tag it, as I intend this to be the only way to access it in the future, unless you want to scroll for miles, or go through my archives. I hope one of them catches people’s interests.

https://ithilloktewrites.tumblr.com/post/654415236377591808/unposted-fanfiction-masterlist