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lady-otori · 10 days ago

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Bird Nesting Amongst Blossoms // SasuSaku // First Half

Hi, lovelies! 🌸🖤✨

I've written a two part Historical Fantasy AU featuring tengu!Sasuke and cherryblossom!Sakura 💖 I hope you enjoy~

Bird Nesting Amongst Blossoms

Read me over on Ao3 💘

“Sasuke-sama,” the tengu calls tentatively. “Sasuke-sama, won’t you come down from there?��

It’s a young one, his wings mere suggestions poking through the back of his robes. He can’t fly yet, Sasuke thinks, peering down through the branches of his perch to where his fledgling cousin stands. In any case, the Uchiha tengu avoid this tree, a fact proven by the way the boy hops from foot to foot like the family’s pet crows. They say the tree is cursed; Sasuke knows better.

“No,” Sasuke replies, turning his face back to the sun.

“Please?” asks the boy.

There’s something in his voice other than the usual deference. Sighing, Sasuke unfurls his black wings - big, big enough to tangle in the bare twigs surrounding him - and jumps down between the branches, coming to a stop within the tree’s sacred barrier. He regards the tengu boy silently, hands hidden in his robes for warmth.

“My brother?” Sasuke asks.

“Your father,” the boy says with a grimace, forgetting himself.

Such is the way of life at the top of Konoha’s highest mountain. Itachi rules the Uchiha clan through love. Their father rules it through obedience. Sasuke lets the slip go: the boy is not even ten years old, and Sasuke isn’t in the habit of shooting the messenger. He steps over the thick rope of the barrier and makes his way towards the main house, tousling his cousin’s hair as he passes. He misses the way the boy’s face lights up with delight, but not the words that drift towards him on a rustling wind.

“Sasuke, Sasuke, will you come back soon?”

“Always,” Sasuke whispers into his feather fan, knowing the tree will hear him speak.

But first: his father. 🌸🖤🌸🖤

The tree is older than the Uchiha compound. Older than the Uchiha clan entirely; and when Sasuke was five, the wandering hermit Jiraiya told him that it was older than the mountains of Konoha themselves.

In general, his family’s attitude towards the tree swings between reverence and avoidance, depending on who is in charge. Fugaku doesn’t much like the thought of anything more powerful than him, so for the last two hundred years it has sat and endured the avoidance of a people who once played amongst its branches.

So it’s nothing new that his father sits and berates Sasuke for being found by the cherry tree once again. What is new, however, is the news that he’s being sent to the Uzumaki clan until further notice. To reduce that blasted cherry’s influence, or something along those lines, but Sasuke stopped listening after hearing that he’s to be sent away.

“I cannot stand those kitsune bastards,” Sasuke says without thinking. “I’ll go travelling again, instead.”

Perhaps his father hides a smile beneath his impressive eyebrows; either way, the older tengu shakes his head, ruffling his wings for effect. They’re in the formal audience chamber, which is a terrible sign. His mother is missing, too, which Sasuke knows is bad news.

“You should have stopped speaking to the tree when I asked you, son.”

“But it’s…”

Sasuke stops himself, because he’s not naive enough to call an ancient tree his friend. But it’s something close, and he’ll miss the afternoons spent high above his family’s land, cradled in welcoming wooden arms. It has been many years since he mastered the whole of the Uchiha arts, and as the younger son he has few responsibilities to take up his time. There’s a boredom to his long life, and the tree has a thousand untold stories.

“When do I leave?” Sasuke asks instead, hiding his frown behind his hand, clad in black silk robes.

“The family have sent their heir to accompany you down the mountain,” his father says, toneless. “Your mother is packing your things now.”

Sasuke doesn’t dislike the Uzumaki heir, per se, but Naruto is a different breed from him, outgoing and vociferous even for a fox. This will be a long and gruelling visit, he knows.

Just as he knows why his father has given him no notice of when to return. How convenient it would be for the Uchiha, to have a loyal son stationed at the foot of their lands.

“Very well,” Sasuke murmurs, bowing his head to his knees.

His red tengu mask brushes the polished wooden floor, and there’s a moment where he considers dashing it from around his neck. But then the door opens and Uzumaki Naruto bowls in unannounced, greeting the Uchiha head with such irreverence that the older man actually recoils.

Unnoticed, Sasuke manages to keep his composure one last time, long enough to whisper a farewell into the floorboards: venerable old things made from the boughs of his not-quite-friend.

“Come back soon,” the tree replies.

Sasuke doesn’t answer, because what does soon look like to one who has lived a thousand years? 🌸🖤🌸🖤

The first few seasons down the mountain pass quickly, even to a tengu’s eyes. The Uzumaki kitsune are everything the Uchiha tengu are not: quick to fall out, quicker to fall in with one another. To his utter chagrin, Sasuke thrives.

Forbidden from flying to the mountaintop by a stern missive from his father, Sasuke spends his evenings - when he’s thoroughly tired from the rambunctious Uzumaki life - sitting on the porch of his small house and watching the tree from afar. They’re too far to converse, but his secret pleasure is to watch the tree cycle through flower, leaf and fall, and his dreams are full of memories of days spent nestled against its trunk.

So caught up in this reminiscence is Sasuke that he completely misses the arrival of The Girl. Appearing unannounced from Shikkotsu and yet being granted a place within the family head’s household, her arrival sets the entire Uzumaki complex astir with who she could possibly be.

Sasuke is the only young yōkai in the neighbourhood not to become immediately infatuated with her, a fact which causes Naruto much amusement.

“I can’t believe you haven’t spoken to her yet,” says Naruto, drinking his sake with the usual reckless abandon. “She’s beautiful.”

Sasuke smirks. “I’m not interested in beauty.”

It’s true: as the younger son of the Uchiha, he’s had decades to rove around the wondrous places of the world and drink in the sight of beauty both preternatural and immortal. It all pales in comparison to a solitary thousand year old cherry blossom.

Naruto makes a dismissive gesture. “Rather, I’m surprised because she’s called Sakura, like your favourite thing.”

“So? I’ve met a hundred cherry trees and not been moved.”

“Have you seen her yet?”

Sasuke shrugs a no. He’s busy teaching during the day, wrangling the kitsune cubs into a semblance of decorum, and in the evenings he’s busy training to keep his edge sharp. The whereabouts of a mysterious girl hold little interest for him, Sakura or not. At his response Naruto grins like a fox, all teeth.

“You’ll see,” the Uzumaki heir says. “You’ll most definitely see.” 🌸🖤🌸🖤

Ever the contrarian, Sasuke spends the next season trying his very best not to meet this Sakura. It’s not difficult: his schedule is very rigid, and even his drinking sessions are carefully slotted into his days.

Oh, he sees her from afar, sure; the complex is big but he is bound to it by his father’s word, and there are no other people with pink hair amongst the blonde-and-red Uzumaki. He is unmoved by her beauty, as it is not striking from a distance.

In fact, he doesn’t think much of her at all, until spring rolls around, and the Uchiha cherry blossom puts out no flowers. Flying as high in the sky as he dares, Sasuke sees that it’s completely bare, without even the hint of a bud.

The matter is serious enough to the clan that Sasuke’s brother Itachi makes a rare trip down the mountain. The Uchiha pretend not to see the tree, but a thousand years of protection are hard to ignore.

“What do you think could be wrong?” Itachi asks.

“I can’t tell from here,” Sasuke replies, striding back and forth across his garden. “Did Father say I could return home to take a closer look?”

The other tengu’s grimace tells Sasuke all he needs to know. No, Uchiha Fugaku has not given leave for his younger son to return to the roost. From this distance Sasuke is as clueless as the rest of the Uchiha, and twice as worried.

“I’m sorry,” Itachi says, spreading his hands in apology. “Mother and I are trying, but-”

“But Father is as immovable as the mountain itself,” Sasuke finishes. It’s a well-known proverb amongst their family. “In any case, please… keep me informed.”

Itachi nods, poking Sasuke’s forehead affectionately before taking off. It’s hard not to feel jealous of his elder brother, Sasuke thinks, watching the Uchiha heir’s black wings blot out the sun. Born to a blessed position and rising to the challenge, Itachi is the kind of man that other yōkai dream of following. His presence is so large that Sasuke must make do with a reputation for defying their father, and being enamoured with an ill-favoured old tree in the courtyard.

It hurts and helps in equal measure that Sasuke loves him greatly.

Itachi’s visit distracts Sasuke from his sadness until it’s time to return home from the main hall of the Uzumaki complex (nothing but the best for the Uchiha heir), where he spots a thatch of pink hair disappearing around the corner.

“It’s her,” Sasuke mutters under his breath, annoyed at the pink-haired interloper despite himself.

It is not The Girl’s fault that his tree is beleaguered, and yet he finds himself hurrying to catch up with her all the same. He doesn’t know why, only that his ill-temper needs an outlet, and this new face is beloved enough that one detractor would barely make a dent in her happiness. Rustling his wings as they catch on his robes, Sasuke rounds the corner only to find Sakura sprawled on the floor, her hand grasping one slippered ankle.

It is hard to be angry at someone who has fallen to the ground, but Sasuke gives it a shot.

“What’s this?” he says sharply, wincing as she looks up from her foot to meet his gaze.

His voice is brusque, and his mask is foreboding. It’s no surprise that her round lips tremble and a tear rolls down her cheek. But this is not what Sasuke notices as Sakura looks at him for the first time since her arrival at the Uzumaki complex.

What he notices, instead, is this: eyes as green as leaves in summer, and hair that is not pink thatch but rather blushing blossoms, curling and delicate. A kanzashi in her hair that is shaped like a steady branch, made of polished dark wood. Her celestial scarf, cherry-red and floating as though borne on a mountaintop wind.

And finally, her expression, which is indignant through her tears.

“Aren’t you going to help me stand?” she says, with all the pique of an imperial princess.

Sasuke jolts back to the present, clawing his attention back from the gentle rustling of her hair. He feels himself blushing under his mask.

“No,” he says abruptly, turning on his heel.

He hears her hiss at his back, the sound of it razor-sharp against his spine.

Well, Sasuke thinks, trying to walk as though he is unaffected, Itachi always was the one known as a gentleman.

“Come back!” she demands, but he is already committed to leaving, and her words do not spark the memory that they should. 🌸🖤🌸🖤

That night, as Sasuke lies in bed and stares at the ceiling, he thinks back to The Girl (he refuses to call her anything else) and how she’d looked in the corridor, her angry surprise at his lack of assistance.

The next night, it’s how her hair had curled over her cheek. The night after that, he cannot stop thinking about the girl’s celestial scarf, deep and fruited red. The rest of the week is lost in her pale green gaze.

“This cannot go on,” Sasuke murmurs after a fortnight has been laid at The Girl’s feet.

Even then, it takes him another week to find her. He is busy, he reasons, and tengu love routine. When he does chance upon Sakura, she is sitting under the ancient maple by the kitchens, her head tipped back against its trunk. It looks for all the world as though they are conversing, though her lips are pressed tight shut.

“What’s this?” she says as he stops before her, looking down past the red nose of his mask.

The mimicry is not lost on Sasuke. He chooses to ignore it, sitting with the grace of someone who has spent lifetimes learning how to move like liquid. They say nothing for a while, long enough that the sun creeps downward and their stalemate loses its teeth, becoming companionable instead. The kitchen busies for the evening meal before Sakura opens her eyes.

“What’s this?” she repeats.

“Where did you come from?” Sasuke asks, ignoring her question. “Do you have anything to do with that?”

He points to the left, where his thousand year cherry grasps the rays of the evening sun. The Girl does not look, not even for an instant.

“I’m from the Shikkotsu Forest,” she says, smiling with all her sharp, pointed teeth.

“There are no girls like you there,” Sasuke retorts.

Shikkotsu is a damp, dark place, a rainforest of drowning marshes and secret springs. She does not, he knows with the instincts of his long life, belong in such a place. He doubts very much whether she has ever even ventured to it. At his response, Sakura only laughs.

“And what kind of girl am I?” she asks. “A celestial maiden, come down from the heavens? Am I an oni, sent to tempt young yōkai from the righteous path? Or I could be the slug princess, perhaps.”

She is making fun, Sasuke realises, of the young men who have followed her around since she arrived, of their speculation and their gossiping ways. And she is making light of him, too, for his behaviour on their first meeting. It ruffles his feathers, so to speak.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he reminds her.

“You did not ask the right one,” Sakura replies, tipping her head back against the maple.

She says nothing else, not even when he gets to his feet. Her hands rest on the ground, and if not for his keen senses he would say that The Girl is asleep. Her disinterest galls him in a way Sasuke does not want to understand. Is he really the same as the rabble of the Uzumaki, to be so interested in a girl of not-quite-otherworldly beauty? Surely not. Adjusting his robes, Sasuke unfurls his wings in a luxurious stretch, blocking the last of the sun.

He’s vindicated when she opens her eyes, frowning at the sudden darkness.

“I’ll see you later,” he mutters.

“Come back soon,” Sakura replies, her voice slow and drowsy and familiar.

Because Sasuke is too preoccupied with taking off in a way that’ll cause the budding maple leaves to fall on Sakura’s head, he misses her words until that night, when they drift into his dreams. As it has a thousand times before, a whispering voice speaks into his ear, hoping he’ll visit again soon. That it has more stories, should he wish to hear them.

Only this time, instead of bearing him deeper into sleep, the whispering voice of his friend sounds like The Girl’s voice, and it makes Sasuke sit up in a sweat, black hair stuck to his forehead. His robes are in disarray, his wings caught under him as they haven’t been since childhood.

“Wait,” he barks aloud in the quiet of his bedroom, “it’s you?” And somewhere in the depths of the Uzumaki compound, a dry laugh echoes through the halls. It’s loud, and disturbing, and irritated, like the bare branches of a thousand-year cherry tree that should be in full bloom.

🌸🖤🌸🖤

#lady otori writes #sasusaku #historical fantasy au #tengu #cherry blossom #uchiha sasuke #haruno sakura #a two-part story #... probably

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pinkhairedlily · 6 months ago

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sasuke's hawk has flown, a roll of a parchment cornerpiece tied around its leg. the message is a single word, sparse, straight to the point: "done".

he tastes the seaspray on his lips. the yellow and orange hues flicker on the unending blue oblivion, a sunset. they eventually turn into tinges of reds and purples, until the moon breaks into million pieces on the surface of the tides.

has she seen the ocean like this?

and so he writes.

on the night he comes back, sakura asks a minute of his time. sasuke holds off a reply; she could take hours or days even. he finds that he wouldn't mind.

"do you take me for a fool?"

it catches him offguard. "what?"

"do you think it doesn't interest me—your missions?" she says. he stares at her, oblivious as always, and this must exasperate her more. "you intentionally keeping me out of the loop makes me feel like i never grew up in your eyes. they receive letters from you on the important things while i get—"

"they're important things," he replies, "to me."

It's her turn to stare at him, dumbfounded.

"the wildflowers at the mouth of the cave?" sakura asks.

"jugo said it's the only plant allowed to grow on it. they're poisonous, given the soil composition, but you might extract an antidote or something out of that."

she shakes her head. "the lightning festival?"

sasuke shrugs. "it's a force to reckon, seeing the villagers of mist bend the storm to their will."

"the ocean?"

"konoha is land-locked."

"cherry blossom trees growing," sakura continues, "sasuke, there's also spring here."

"they are two different springs."

sasuke looks away, finding it easier to lean into the truth. "you are a well-recognized medical ninja. you sit in councils that decide important matters. you already know what i sent them. i just wanted you to see the same things i see. that's all there is to it."

"why?"

sasuke has no answer to that. it's merely an impulse, a stupid impulse. of probably a yearning of sorts. of seeing beautiful places and no one to write them to. of visiting foreign lands and wondering—wishing—she was with him.

it is a heavy confession, to which sasuke is unable to let go in naked honesty.

sakura sighs. "you know, that's a convoluted way of saying something."

"how should i do it then?"

"you'd start with, 'sakura, would you like to go to the beach with me?' "

#sasusaku #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #sasuke #sakura #sasuke x sakura #sssnippetaday #snippet!pinkhairedlily #is konoha landlocked fr #idk creative license to be geographically wrong

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nardo-headcanons · 1 year ago

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National Holidays in the Ninja Villages + Bonus

I've had this idea in mind for a while, and now I finally got to write it down. Feel free to use these for your own works. Please tag me so I can read em all! <33

Iwagakure: The Lunar Lights of Gratitude The moon has a special place in the heart of every Iwa citizen. To them, it is a part of the earth, now observing its mother body from space. So naturally, the spectacle of a blue/super moon is a special occasion in Iwagakure. To honor and greet the moon, which is actually called "daughter" in the earth country's language, large fireworks are organized every new moon after a blue moon. As previously established, the earth country's firework industry is the largest, which Iwa shinobi are very proud of. Lighting the sky on fire and turning night into daytime is the Iwa way of giving back some of the light that the moon gives us at night.

Kirigakure: The Moonshine Sea Festival Despite the rivalry between the land of earth and the land of water, there is one thing they have in common, which is their spiritual connection to the moon and space. To water country citizens, especially the fishermen, the moon is a protector and guardian of the night, along with the stars. They strengthen the their connection to their biggest source of both faith and fear: the sea. The special climate in the water country, combined with its great biodiversity give a great habitat for biolumescent plankton, turning the sea itself into a starry night sky. It is one of the only pieces of culture that has been preserved, since the celebration itself was founded by the water country's union of fishermen, who don't belong to a particular clan with a kekkei genkai; most of the kekkei genkai wielders in Kiri have been wiped out, along with their culture, traditions and religions.

Sunagakure: Winter's Return The wind country is often ravaged by agonozingly hot summers, sand storms and heat waves are not a rarity in this country. While foreigners might groan and roll their eyes at the thought of the return to cold, foggy winter days, in Sunagakure it is a day for celebration. On the day where the sun stays for the longest, in the middle of the year, a large celebration is held across the nation. The way it is celebrated is different from family to family, and every Suna family is convinced that their way is the right one. Typically, markets are closed the whole day, and any missions rank B or below are halted for the day.

Kumogakure: Whale Festival of Generosity During winter, whales can be found emigrating along the lightning country's coast line, towards the land of iron. This holiday once came to be to celebrate the whales emigration towards a more prosperous habitat to mate and provide enough food for their young - a truly generous gesture. Over the years, many kumo shinobi have forgotten the old tale behind this festival, and it has turned into more of a mere gift giving occasion. And yet, it is widely popular and celebrated throughout the whole country.

Konoha: Cherry and Plum Blossom Viewing In Konoha, Hanami is annually celebrated. It is a custom celebrating the transitionary nature of cherry and plum blossoms blooming in spring.

BONUS: Uchiha Clan Honoring one's ancestors and traditions is of high importance to the Uchiha. Every year, on a clear fall night, the whole clan gathers together to light up little candles using their katon. The tealights are arranged in the Uchiha crest and left to light up the night and the clan share the evening together eating dinner, drinking hot tea and praying at the nakano shrine.

That's all, folks!

#naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto headcanons #naruto scenarios #naruto imagines #naruto fanfiction #headcanons #naruto meta #naruto worldbuilding #worldbuilding #konohagakure #kirigakure #iwagakure #kumogakure #sunagakure #uchiha #uchiha clan

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laniuchiha7 · 4 months ago

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The Baker and The Farmer

During the weekly farmers market Naruto rushes over to the Uchiha Farms display clutching a bouquet of lilies in one hand and two pieces of honey cake in the other.

“A new bakery opened up in the town square!” Naruto informs Sasuke while eating one of the cakes. “The woman who owns it is at Ino’s stand handing out free samples to everyone who buys a flower arrangement.”

“Ok?” Sasuke isn’t sure why this matters since he’s not a fan of sweets nor does he have a reason for buying flowers.

“Here.” Naruto shoves the remaining confection at him. “Try it! I bet you’ll like it more than you think!”

Reluctantly, he takes a bite. Not bad, actually Sasuke thinks it’s really good. Still too sweet for his personal tastes, but he can tell someone who really cares about their craft made this. “It’s fine.”

“I’m gonna give these flowers to Hinata,” Naruto says. “The cute baker girl, Sakura I think her name is, mentioned coming around later and introducing herself to the other vendors later. She’s hard to miss so be nice to her, alright?” With that the blonde runs off, leaving Sasuke to finish the honey cake without complaint.

At first Sasuke wonders what his friend means by she being hard to miss until he spots someone with blossom pink hair speaking with his brother by the wooden containers of cherries and strawberries.

“Sasuke,” Itachi waves him over. “This is Sakura, the owner of the new bakery in town.”

“Hi!” Her singsong voice pleasantly says. “Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise. I had one of your honey cakes earlier, it was good.”

“That’s high praise coming from him,” Itachi adds.

“I’m glad you enjoyed them,” she’s smiling from ear to ear, a tinge if blush spreading across her cheeks. Must be from the sun, he thinks, just like the burst of warmth climbing up the back of his neck.

“What were you talking about before I came over?”

“I’m interested in having produce from Uchiha Farms delivered to my shop, maybe two or three times a week.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Itachi assures. “I can add you to my route. Just let me know what you want and how much.”

Before she can answer, Ino calls her back to their stand for a moment. “I’ll be right back!”

Sasuke turns to his brother as soon as she’s far enough away. “I can do it. Handle her order,” he clarifies.

“Are you sure? I already have a few deliveries in that area.”

“Hn. I don’t mind. If you want you can take my stop at the schoolhouse near the edge of town.” Bait Sasuke hopes his brother takes since the teacher who runs the place is Izumi, the girl Itachi has been eyeing for weeks.

The corner of his lips curve into a smirk. “Ah, I guess that’s a fair trade.”

Over the course of the next few weeks, Sasuke gradually learns more about Sakura when he delivers her order and when she stops by his stall at the farmers market — her parents own a bakery back in her hometown and she wanted to start her own, she and Ino attended the same school as children and continued to keep in touch, she loves strawberry mochi, and is very single.

Whenever he stops by she gives him an extra piece of cake or fruit pie she made, although she soon learns he isn’t a big fan of sweets. “I noticed your nose scrunches up before taking a bite. It’s cute,” she says to him one day, “I’ll cut back on the sugar when you’re here again.”

Next time he stops by she gave him a delicious cheese tart instead, causing something to bloom in his chest. Something he doesn’t want to name just yet.

“Why haven’t you asked Sakura out??” Naruto is loitering around the Uchiha Farms stand during the weekly market. “She’s popular, ya know.”

“Hn. None of my business,” Sasuke mutters under his breath, throwing a glance across the road at her set up only to see Idate chatting her up. Of course he’s aware of Sakura’s reputation around Konoha of being the sweet baker with even sweeter goods. Yet he doesn’t believe she treats him any different than a customer or their friends, she’s just naturally friendly to everyone.

“Do you really think she’s giving the rest of us free food?” Naruto brings up. “She only started adding savory options at her shop after learning you prefer them over her usual stuff. Trust me, she likes you.”

From the other end, once Idate finally leaves, Sakura meets his gaze with a bright expression.

Perhaps Naruto has a point and he needs to get out of his own head. He can try a more subtle approach, buying her a pink and yellow dahlias should convey his sentiments, even if it means having to withstand Ino’s prying questions.

“What are those for?” Sakura asks as she’s packing up her table for the day.

“I got them for you.” The tips of his ears begin to burn.

“They’re beautiful Sasuke!” She takes them thankfully. “They smell wonderful too.”

He takes her basket so she can hold the flowers as they walk back to the bakery.

“I-um-had something I wanted to ask you too,” Sakura goes on. “I heard from Itachi that you really like tomatoes. I found this recipe for a tomato and goat cheese tart. If you’re not too busy tomorrow, I was thinking we could make it together and have it for dinner….as a date? Unless you’d rather do something else?”

“That sounds perfect,” Sasuke says. “I’ll look forward to it.”

#sasusaku #sssnippetaday #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #ss fanfiction

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queenmikoto · 1 year ago

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Traditions

(I’m making up my own Uchiha tradition based on this image and the Japanese Festival Tsukimi, the Autumn Moon Festival)

Fic under cut. Ao3 link

As one of the founding clans of Konoha, the Uchiha took pride in their traditions and festivals. Outsiders were rarely, if ever, allowed to join.

There were winter prayers in the Naka shrine, the whole clan kneeling, praying, sharing the warmth of the flames at the front of the room. Sasuke remembered fidgeting and his mother’s graceful hand alighting on his knee to stop his squirming. His father sat at the front of the room leading the prayer, Itachi kneeling tall and proud behind him. The fur collar of his kimono tickled his cheeks.

Spring brought the cherry blossom viewing festival and his mother’s most beautiful kimono, a silvery grey with white and pink petals all over. The slippery silk was cool to the touch and the potpourri that his mother kept in the folds was always comforting to him. He sometimes wished he could use it as a blanket, his mother said no but offered her soft apron covered lap as a substitute and that worked just as well.

Summer had street fairs. The whole clan, usually reserved, let loose and had fun. Children running and playing, the adults indulgently smiling. Outsiders were let in and the Uchiha went out among the people, the whole village celebrated. Sasuke clung to his brothers hand or rode on his fathers shoulders in the crowd. The family together, and happy. He always got a new cotton yukata for his birthday, to wear to the festivals, the Uchiha crest stitched by his mothers own hands.

Autumn was the Tsuki no Inori festival. There was no need for fancy clothes or loud music and laughter. Every year on the night of the first full moon in Autumn all of the Uchiha, young and old came together in the heart of the Uchiha district to light candles and share the love and celebrate the bonds in the clan.

Sasuke was excited to stay up past his bedtime and to spend time with Itachi who had grown increasingly busy as a newly minted chunin. He held his small candle tightly as he walked behind his mother and father, Shisui at his side and Itachi holding his other hand. The rest of the clan followed behind, the light of the full moon guiding their steps to the bank of the river. They stood in a loose circle, the moonlight creating halos on their dark hair. There were artful arrangements of pampas grass that his mother helped with. He had helped too, handing her the stalks to put into the vases, she occasionally tickled him with it, gently caressing his cheek when he got distracted. To the side there was a table with sake, tea, and traditional tsukimi soba, chestnuts, edamame and piles of tsukimi dango. Sasuke could see Itachi eyeing the dango with a wistful look.

Fugaku came to the center of the circle, the whispers silenced as he addressed the crowd.

“We gather here today, as we do every year, to celebrate the autumn moon. To also celebrate the bonds between us and our members of the clan that have passed on. Tonight we will light the flames in remembrance of them and to honor the history of our clan. The Uchiha crest on each of your backs represents the fan that rouses the flames of our wills and our hearts.”

Fugaku looked towards Mikoto with a softness Sasuke rarely saw on his face. She stepped forward towards her husband. She held up her candle, in it’s simple flower shaped holder, Fugaku’s hands slowly and deliberately formed the signs for a Katon jutsu. The flames bloomed from his mouth and lit the candle in his wife’s unflinching hands. She was wreathed in light, not the silvery light of the moon any more but the warm golden flames of her husband’s power. She smiled at him and turned to place the candle on the ground, to start the shape of the crest. She closed her eyes over the candle, to take a moment to reflect, then she raised her face to the moon and inclined her head in reverence. Standing, she moved back to Fugaku’s side, he nodded and flames started to light up the glade.

Tradition held that those closest to you lit the candle, usually direct family husbands and wives, siblings, parents. Those orphaned and alone had friends do it. Itachi stepped over to Shisui, who held up his candle to present it. The light burst out of Itachi’s mouth, Sasuke stared with pride and some envy, longing for the day he could do the same. Shisui placed his candle carefully and returned to Sasuke’s side. He and Itachi kneeled, and Itachi held out his candle infront of Sasuke. He looked confused for a moment before Shisui spoke. “I’ll help you until you can do this yourself ‘cuz ‘Tachi here wants you to be the one to do this.”

Sasuke beamed at his brother, elated that he was Itachi’s closest person, he honestly thought it was Shisui since he was older and he took his brother’s attention away from him. Itachi gave him a smile warmer than the flames that had glided past Sasuke’s head. Shisui had formed the seals while holding Sasuke’s hands in his and gently blew the flames from his position over Sasuke’s shoulder.

Itachi placed his candle and turned to his brother who’s focus was on their parents. Mikoto was kneeling to place another flame. As the matriarch of the clan, Mikoto was responsible for lighting a candle for each clan member that they lost in the year. Fugaku kneeling behind her with a protective arm around her, not touching but just grazing her shirt. He should have been looking at the flame, but he was looking at his wife, still as radiant to him as the day they met. Itachi could see the love plain as day. His father caught his eye and he would swear he saw an extra glow upon Fugaku’s cheeks.

Chuckling to himself, he turned to his brother again, who was practically vibrating in excitement for his brother’s attention. He smoothly ran through the signs, and taking a quick breath, he let out a thin line of flame, the control a testament to his mastery, even at a young age. Sasuke, who had been focusing so hard on Itachi’s hands, trying to memorize how he did it, grinned brighter than the flame after it was lit.

In the glow Itachi thought about activating his Sharingan to capture the moment. Shisui, who’s curls shined in the light and who’s eyes held all the warmth of the flames around him. Sasuke’s cheeks, still round with baby fat, were squishing his eyes almost closed with the smile on his face. Itachi could feel the presence of his mother and father behind him, he could feel their happiness. He remembered when he was little, his father kneeling behind him, cupping his hands around his own to hold the candle. His mother before them lighting the flame, her long eyelashes touching her cheeks before they swept up and her eyes caught his, the flames painting them as red as the Sharingan.

Blinking when Shisui nudged him he watched Sasuke taking slow and halting steps towards the nearly finished crest of flames. Sasuke knelt as slow as possible, knees bending centimeter by centimeter till he was on the ground. When he placed his flame he let out a gusty sigh, almost enough to blow out his candle. Clapping his hands to his mouth, he turned wide eyes to his brother and Shisui who were trying (Itachi) and failing (Shisui) to hold in their laughter. Sasuke hastily went through his reverence before running back to Itachi’s side, slightly behind him and peeking out at the crest.

When the last flame was placed Fugaku stood and started saying the ancient prayers for the deceased. Itachi stayed at Sasuke’s level since Sasuke was still hanging onto his shirt. He could feel Sasuke fading from tiredness after a few minutes so he nudged Sasuke before making subtle motions towards the dumpling table, as if he was going to make a break for it.. Sasuke giggled and an uncle cleared his throat quietly nearby, glaring. Sasuke’s shoulders fell under the scrutiny but Itachi’s returning glare and warm hand in his made him feel better.

Once the prayers had finished, Itachi presented his back to Sasuke so he could climb on. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Itachi’s neck as he moved at a quicker pace than his usual towards the dumplings. As son of the head and a once in a generation prodigy,he had certain privileges to get to the front of the line quicker than most, and if Sasuke was holding several dumplings for him as Itachi held his own, no one said anything. The brothers retreated with Shisui to a nearby tree, to lean on and share the food they grabbed. Meaning Sasuke handed Itachi his dumplings and rested his head on his shoulder. Sasuke promptly started dozing, surrounded by the love and light of his family.

Sasuke opened his eyes. The Uchiha hideout where he had his fateful battle with Itachi was cold in the autumn. The moon shone over head through the destroyed roof. The candles before him had almost burned out in their lotus shaped holders. He was now more than strong enough to light all the flames himself in one go. Arranging the crest with one hand was what took the most time. One candle was laid for each Uchiha who passed in the massacre and one for Shisui and one at the end for Itachi, all of them long gone but the memories fresh in his mind.

The candles would burn out soon, the moon would wax and wane, and time would keep moving on. But Sasuke would always be surrounded by the love of his family.

#itachi #itachi uchiha #naruto #uchiha itachi #uchiha brothers #uchiha clan #official art #uchiha #fugaku uchiha #mikoto uchiha #shisui uchiha #shisui #sasuke #sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #my fic

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dxkk1104 · 8 months ago

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From me to you

Wax dripped onto the table, decorating it with more and more patterns. Sasuke sat in the room he had rented for two nights, embraced by an inner silence and serenity. Outside the window, the wind blew, moving the wooden ornaments, which made pleasant sounds that reminded him of the melody of one of the lullabies his mother used to sing to him when he was young.

His face was illuminated by the flame from the candle, creating shadows on the wall. His hair was still wet from his earlier bath. He had been wandering around the Land of Fire for a few days, visiting places he had been before. His trip had taken on a nostalgic tone, which he liked. To come to terms with himself, he also had to come to terms with the places where he was fighting a battle with his head and thoughts.

He took another envelope out of his bag. He had been reading letters from Sakura for over an hour. He had been collecting them all for six months, but he was not yet convinced enough whether he should answer them. He was afraid...

His fear might have been unfounded, after all, Sakura had assured him so many times that he was important to her, even more important than others, but he had this overwhelming fear inside him for some time that everything was changing and her feelings might as well. The only thing that kept him believing that when he returned she would fall into his arms was her signature at the bottom of the letters. It always was - Your Sakura.

But for that to happen he had to start writing her back.

Without thinking about it any further, because he finally didn't need to hide his feelings inside himself, he took out his notebook and tore a sheet of paper from it. He leaned over the table and began his letter, pouring onto it all the thoughts that were now coming to his mind.

'From me,

I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. I'm also glad to hear about the changes in Konoha.

It's been a while since I started my trip. I apologize for not writing earlier, but I've been busy. Through seeing beautiful places, one loses track of time.

Now I'm on the border of the Land of Fire in a village where we once had a mission. You probably don't remember it well, but it was memorable to me. Everything here reminds me of all of you. And especially about you, Sakura. I wish you could see it through my eyes.

I have a tree outside my window with cherry blossoms growing on it. I like to look at them.

You don't have to worry so much about me, I eat well and sleep well. I feel better than ever.

Next time I'll send you something better along with a letter, but for now I hope you'll be satisfied with this dried flower. I carried it with me for some time, until I found another cherry tree. Tomorrow I'll pick another flower and carry it until I find another one.

Take care and don't overwork yourself. Write as much as you want. I enjoy reading your letters in the evenings before bed.

Give Naruto and Kakashi my greetings.

To you,

Sasuke'

#sakura haruno #sakura uchiha #sssnippetaday #naruto #sakura #sakura x sasuke #sasuke #sasusaku #sakusasu #haruno sakura #uchihasasuke

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generouskittensong · 11 months ago

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Yesterday was the birthday of the most useless character from Naruto. (Not a day to remember I know)

After Sakura stans faked polls, bought votes, bought her merchandise multiple times to pretend she was popular, bought that badly written fanfic multiple times while the sales were a flop, and invested their own money to buy her minutes on screens (stupid people) to make it look like she is worth a lot, let's look at a real poll which was not infected by these nasty stans who use bots. This poll was done by real people.

Sakura is the most hated character and ranked 2nd place in history. Sakura fans are known for buying bots and using them to vote for her.

Of course, because I'm a good person, I sent this poll directly to Shueisha last week via letter.

Next week they will receive it and realize that nobody, by far nobody, likes Sakura. She is one of the most hated characters in the world and will always be.

Oh and one more thing. Fuck Team 7.

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awinterrosesstuff · 2 months ago

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There's a question many tried to answer, but what are jonin sensei supposed to teach their team ?

- The most obvious thing is teamwork. Genin when they are put in a team are supposed to learn to work together under the command of their jonin. Teamwork is the most important thing during the Bell test (that's why Kakashi used it to test his different teams for ex) and in the chunin exam, we are shown that teamwork is also tested.

- Chakra control. That's the basics. Since team 7 is the main team, I'm going to use them as an example. During the waves arc, Kakashi teaches them how to use chakra to climb trees. I tend to believe the water walking Ebisu shows to Naruto before the last part of the chunin exam is part of the "chakra control training" for a genin.

- A shinobi life... By that I mean, obeying to orders, what's a shinobi, the differents missions etc. They basically experience the life of a shinobi before going on dangerous missions.

Other examples (but they don't seem to be the usual) :

Sakura is shown in the exam to know how to dispel a genjutsu. Apparently, Kakashi taught her that technique.

It's likely that Minato did teach the rasengan to Kakashi. Kakashi doesn't explicitly tells us that, but it makes sense. Kakashi created the chidori because he couldn't add he nature to the rasengan. Plus it's from him, we learn that the rasengan is in fact an unfinished technique.

Kakashi taught Sasuke the chidori. Gai taught his whole taijutsu style to Lee. And that seems to be an exception (more like Tsunade took Sakura as her student). And Kakashi came with the idea of the training for Naruto in the second part and supervised his training (& Yamato took the role when Kakashi went with Inoshikacho to avenge Asuma). For Naruto, it happened after they became team Kakashi, he isn't really their jonin sensei at this point.

Now, I can't find an example of a genin using a technique from their jonin sensei (except for Sasuke & Lee). You can argue that Konoha favours Clan's children, and I'd agree with you.

Now team 7... Sasuke and Naruto are orphans, so they don't have their parents/clans around to teach them. Then we have Sakura. We know pretty much nothing about her clan. And she doesn't have a technique of her own in the first part. Sasuke probably learnt the Uchiha katon on his own. But it's true that he got the chidori from Kakashi.

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all "went" to someone else to get stronger, to learn more things. And when you consider that Konoha maybe favours clans' children, then it makes sense. When your family can't teach you techniques, then you need someone to teach you a speciality or more things that what you learn in your team. It seems a genin jounin teach the basics/general skills & knowledges of the life of ninja while masters like Tsunade and Jiraiya (I can't acknowledge Orochimaru as one since he didn't really have the master/student relationship with Sasuke) basically teach what you'll specialize in.

Sakura, thanks to her delicate chakra control and her determination, became a great medical nin under Tsunade's wing. She also specialized in evasion for her taijutsu, and obviously developped her cherry blossom impact thanks to Tsunade's guidance. There's also her mastery of the byakugo and the creation rebirth and summoning Katsuyu.

Naruto has a few things going for him like his shadow clone jutsu. And he shows a great effeciency in henge. But he learnt from Jiraiya summoning (and Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique probably since he used in the war arc), rasengan (and a bigger rasengan), trained in using Kurama's chakra and apparently in taijutsu (it seems like his style was more refined in the time skip). And thanks to Jiraiya teachings he was able to expand on the rasengan, learn sage mode & frog kata and perfect it. Etc. He also seems to have a bit of knowledge in fuinjutsu (probably for the seal that holds Kuybi ?).

And then there's Tenten and I can't really explain how she got in weaponry and who taught. I do think there's a headcanon that her parents have a shop that sells weapons. And in fact, I do think it's a nice idea. I suppose if you don't have a master or a clan to teach you techniques, you have to learn on your own. Is a Tenten an exemple of that ?

So here my thoughts, sorry that's long post.

#naruto #naruto manga #naruto thoughts #naruto ramblings #ramblings #my thoughts #naruto uzumaki #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #konoha favoring clans ?#nobody is surprised right ?#naruto meta

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holly-natnicole · 11 months ago

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If not learning Mokuton, then Sakura at least shoulda invented a Cherry Blossom Jutsu. My headcanon is that all Konoha-nin who are or used to be chūnin know how to use 葉分身の術/Ha Bunshin no Jutsu/Leaf Clone Technique which I made up; as the name indicates, a ninja uses leaves from their surroundings or (if there aren't any available in whichever place the ninja is at) creates leaves with chakra to form a copy of themself. 12-13 years old Sakura manages to bit by bit learn this C-rank ninjutsu over the course of a month by doing lots of research and through practical trial & error then modifies it to create 桜花分身の術/Ōka Bunshin no Jutsu/Cherry Blossom Jutsu which uses light pink flower petals of a cherry tree instead of using leaves. Then she creates a variant called Cherry Blossom Storm Jutsu which means touching the clone results in a stormy whirlwind of petals cutting the person who touched the clone and later a variant called Cherry Blossom Explosion Jutsu which means (instead of forming a storm) each petal instantly explodes.

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randomlydreamingsblog · 9 months ago

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A quick Kakasaku headcanon just for fun:

Few months after the war, Kakashi and Sakura were paired together on a couple of missions. Kakashi was on the verge of becoming the next Hokage and Sakura had been already promoted to Jonin. Konoha and the rest of the world were being on the process of getting restored and slowly coming back to normal. Since there were a lot of unfortunate losses in battle and a lot of injuried, the villages lacked personnel so missions had to be done in pairs or even single-handed. Sasuke was still on probabion and him and Naruto were also recovering doing a bunch of exams to see the possibility of a prosthetic arm, so Sakura and Kakashi were the only ones left on team 7. The missions weren’t that complicated anyway, specially considering they were two of the most highly qualified ninjas on the village and peace had been established among the five great shinobi nations. Kakashi was in charge of diplomatic agenda representing the Hokage and Sakura provided medical aid on Konoha’s name.

During that period their bond started to become even closer. It was very different this time because they were both equals, so they relied a lot on one another. Their dynamic was smooth and efficient and they also straightened their friendship. They ended up talking about everything, gossiping a little, even having inside jokes. It was good, it was easy, it was fun. They felt more and more comfortable together and they even learned new things about each other.

In one those missions they were making a quick stop on a small inn to rest and continue their journey early the next day. After arranging the checkout details at the reception, Kakashi was making his way back to his room, but he was so distracted reading his book that he miscalculated the route and ended up opening Sakura’s room door and walked in on her while she was changing. He heard her voice screaming furiously at him and he immediately averted his eyes and closed the door saying lots of “I’m sorry”.

They were both mortified. The next morning Kakashi hurried to sincerely apologize and Sakura forgave him and asked him to put that behind them. Even though they still felt a little embarrassed, Sakura tried to act naturally and made an effort to keep things the same. Kakashi tried to play nonchalant and keep it casual.

However, as much as Kakashi wanted to put it behind them, he just couldn’t get that situation out of his head. It was only for a split second and he didn’t see much but the little he got to see was appearing nonstop on the back of his mind.

After successfully completing the mission, things got even worse on the way back home. He couldn’t stop glancing at her, and started to notice new things like how her Byakugou seal is perfectly centered around her forehead or how good she smelled. He realized he liked her new jonin outfit and that she has beautiful legs. He liked how her eyes changed tones of green according to the light.

Even many days after that mission, Kakashi still caught himself thinking about that moment and thinking about Sakura. He suddenly couldn’t read his favorite books anymore because his mind failed his attempts to avoid the very graphic images that popped up. Even in his dreams his subconscious haunted him with flashes of Sakura being under him, moaning his name without the usual “sensei” with her short pink cherry blossom locks of hair being spread all over his pillow.

How confused and scared he was! It was driving him crazy. But at least they wouldn’t be doing missions together anymore since he was finally about to become Hokage. He would have tons of exhausting work ahead of him, so he hoped that eventually all this nonsense would go away.

Yeah. That’s what he tried to believe with the bottom of his heart. For his own sake.

#kakasaku #kakasaku fanfiction #kakashi x sakura #Kakasaku headcanon #kakasaku drabble

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