#naruto volume 26

[everynart]

[vermi-lyon]

Naruto Nine Tails Chakra Mode

The swirling chakra was inspired by the volume 26 cover of naruto. I think it has a cooler look than the usual chakra cloak. Art by me

[hamaonoverdrive]

How to get into Hokuto no Ken, A Guide

Hokuto no Ken, localized as Fist of the North Star, is the wildly popular and influential series penned by Buronson and drawn by Hara starting in 1983. It is a timeless tragedy about the power of love that taps into imagery from both Catholicism and Buddhism, while also being an homage to a variety of western 80's pop culture from Mad Max to Blade Runner to Rocky.

In the current anime fanscape, HnK is perhaps best known for being one of the key influences behind Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Berserk, however it should be known that the series' influence permeates the entire Shonen genre. Traces of the tropes and dynamics that it popularized can be seen throughout Shonen today, from Naruto's drive for love and friendship that contrasts with Sasuke's rejection of the idea and desire to sever any bonds of love, to the implementation of Haki in One Piece.

So with all that in mind, let's get into the specifics.

The place to start with this franchise is very straightforward: read the original manga or watch the anime adaptation. There are a number of movies that retell parts of the original story, but they all have different downsides and cut important aspects of the source material and thus are a bad place to start.

This primary canon is broken down into two (three) parts, as follows:

HnK or "HnK1" is the core of the series, starting at the Shin arc through the originally intended ending at chapter 136/episode 108. Most of the time if someone is referring to HnK, this is what they are talking about. The beginning of the series is a bit of a slow start, bouncing between villains of the week before actually kicking off the primary conflict (especially in the anime, more on this later). This is somewhat typical for the era-- these early arcs were written while the authors had no idea if they were going to get dropped from Shonen Jump. For this reason, I highly recommend sticking with the series until the Fang Clan Chieftain and Jagi arcs even if the beginning hasn't clicked with you yet.

HnK2 is the continuation of the series, where the authors were pressured to continue working on the series because of the money it was raking in. This naming convention comes from the title of the anime for this portion of the story, chapters 136-210/episodes 110-152. Quite frankly, the fact that this is past the originally intended ending is very evident; Buronson has been quoted as never re-reading it after publication.[1] It's very much worth checking out at least once if you enjoyed HnK1-- there are absolutely memorable characters and fights, as well as some of the best art in the series-- but be prepared for a general drop in writing quality.

"Post-Kaioh HnK" or "HnK3" is the last leg of the original manga, which has never been adapted elsewhere. Chapters 211-245.

Content Warnings

Explicit Sexual Assault

The elephant in the room when discussing this series is that some social aspects of it are very of-the-era. There are two instances of explicit sexual assault, which get dismissed as "well the perpetrator didn't have the best execution, but he did have the right idea..." The pages/timestamps to avoid this are:

Manga volume 02 pages 287-289; volume 03, pages 063-066 (Ultimate Edition numbering)

Anime episode 24, 13:04-13:53; episode 26 08:29-09:22

Mild Gore

I almost feel like it goes without saying, but this is famously the series where the protagonist makes baddies heads explode. While this is never depicted in graphic detail, HnK as a whole is going to be a bad fit if this distresses you in any way.

An early example of the aforementioned head asplosions.

Photosensitivity

The anime makes period-typical use of flashing lights in nearly every episode. If you are photosensitive (and can't take measures to mitigate the flashing), you should read the manga instead.

If you want to read the manga...

The manga is the way that I personally recommend getting into the series due to Hara's absolutely gorgeous art.

The manga is also generally seen as the true 'canon'; For example, colorschemes used in subsequent works typically draw from colored chapter/volume covers rather than the Toei anime. For this reason, this version of the series is what the Japanese audience usually thinks of when they think of HnK.

I know some people are very passionate about redhead Mamiya and crest toothpaste-head Rei, but the Toei colors functionally exist in their own separate continuity.

Reading the manga in English is far better now than it was even three years ago, as there are multiple English versions now available.

The official VIZ release is the defacto highest quality out there (support the print copies if you can). While there are a few odd translation choices and the SFX have been replaced with English ones, it has the highest fidelity copies of the original art and even has the original color pages that have not been published since the original Shonen Jump release.

To think that these wonderful colored pages were completely inaccessible, even to JP audiences, until Viz started rolling out the English volumes.

However, the Viz release is ongoing and only covers until volume 11 at the time of writing. If you want to read the rest of HnK2 (or highly value the original SFX and a smoother translation), you should seek out the official eOneBook release. This is sometimes labelled as "Digital - 2018" and is a rip of an official English translation that was released for a specialized eReader, copies of which been floating around online since about 2020.

There is also an older set of scanlations out there, which I would not recommend reading; The image quality is low-resolution and muddy, and there are a number of edgy translation choices such as inserting a homophobic slur that was not in the original text. I only mention this translation because it's the one on many online manga sites. Please love yourself and look elsewhere if you realize that you are reading these scans.

(left) English-language scanlations (right) Viz release from 2022. I distinctly remember first reading these pages and then immediately scouring the web to find a version of it that didn't have the contrast blown out, only to discover that this quality was all that available. Now, newcomers to the series don't have to worry about this at all.

There are two different versions of the complete manga, the original tankobons (27 total volumes) and the Ultimate Edition (17 volumes).[2] Both the Viz release and the eOnebook release are derived from the Ultimate Editions while the old scanlations are from the original tankobons, so this can be an easy way to identify which version you are reading.

As to what makes these versions different aside from chapters per volume, the Ultimate Editions clean up some of the art in the last few volumes and also includes "Last Piece", a one-shot by Buronson and Hara inserted between HnK1 and HnK2. This was written as a part of the 30th anniversary celebration, and Hara's art looks quite different 30 years down the road, making the abrupt change in style rather jarring-- consider this your heads-up.

TL;DR Read the Viz version for volumes 1-11, and the eOnebook rips for the rest.

If you want to watch the anime...

The 1984 anime adaptation of HnK is an all-time classic. It's often what western fans will think of first, between the manga being legally inaccessible in English until very recently and constant anime reruns in some markets (especially parts of Italy and France).

Toei has a tendency to copyright-strike anime clips on Youtube, so hopefully this clip of the opening will stand the test of time.

The anime genuinely excels in a few departments, namely: music, sound design, and voice acting. Even if you don't decide to watch the anime, I highly recommend looking up the OPs/EDs and putting on the OST while reading the manga.

That said, there are definitely some downsides to the anime, a lot of which were typical for Toei animations of the era. Character models and direction are all over the place, some of the animation itself aged like milk, flashing light effects make the series difficult to get through for photosensitive viewers, and stock footage gets reused many times. There also isn't a complete English dub of the show, as it got cancelled after episode 36.

And the biggest caveat to the anime: Filler episodes. Oooooh boy, early HnK filler episodes are baaaad. They don't match the rest of the series tonally and completely botch any sense of pacing. Remember how earlier I said that the series takes a while to get its footing because of early bad-guy-of-the-week format? The anime drags this out for about twice as long by adding new bad guys of the week.

The infamous "Nanto Cannonball Fist", where users are launched from a cannon and descend on their opponents with a sword. Yeah, I don't know how this counts as a school of martial arts, either. [img source]

For a first watch through, I highly recommend following a filler episode guide to skip these episodes in the Shin arc and get a better feel for what the series is about. Post Shin-arc filler tends to be a lot better, as these episodes match the manga's original tone and often fix pacing problems in the source material rather than worsening them.

That said, there are a few early filler episodes that are well-liked by fans for one reason or another, which I will detail here.

Episode 17: A (non-canonical) view into the internal politics of Shin's army.

Episode 18: In which Kenshiro fights a tank.

Episode 19: The goofiest of the goofy filler episodes. If you want to watch one filler episode to get a sense of what they are like, watch this one.[3]

Episode 21: A continuation of some of the conflicts from episode 17.

Episode 38: Features one of the best-written woman martial artists you'll see in this franchise. (This is after Shin arc, but I had to point her out. Watch this one.)

Rage Quitter 87's fansite also has an excellent episode-by-episode guide covering anime and manga differences, which can be very useful for highlighting some of the more subtle differences between the two.

An anime remake that more closely follows the manga has been announced, but we have no further details on it at the time of writing. (I wouldn't hold my breath for this, it could be several years before we know more.)

TL;DR skip the episodes listed here under "Shin arc".

So I got through the main canon, what next?

The sheer amount of secondary content for HnK out there can be overwhelming. It's one of the most profitable IPs of all time, with the bulk of those profits coming from pachinko machines that will never make it to the west outside Youtube phone clips and asset-flip games (more on this later). When the series isn't being used to sell soap, there are a number of supplemental works that are absolutely worth checking out. In this guide I will focus on works that are currently available in English.

The Official Gaidens

A series of manga with different protagonists and created with different creative teams, the Hokuto side-stories fill in some of the gaps in the primary canon. Most of them are very loving additions to the continuity and are a good place to go after finishing the primary material.

Toki Gaiden: Silvery Savior follows Toki starting from the founding of the Village of Miracles and ends after his climactic final fight, providing his lens on the events of the series and his relationship with Raoh. This gaiden does a good job of understanding what fans like about the series, and has a lot of secondary character interactions that were missing in the original work such as conversations between different Ken-oh underlings.

Jagi Gaiden: Flower of Carnage follows Jagi through his childhood, interspersed with the events of canon. This gaiden does a lot to explain why Jagi ended up the way he did, provides additional context to what the Hokuto children's training looked like, and how the world changed when the apocalypse happened. cw: rape

Yuria Gaiden: The Affectionate Mother Star follows Yuria before the apocalypse happens, giving us a snapshot of domesticity with Kenshiro, a better understanding of her abilities, and illustrating how her life was always influenced by those who had fallen for her.

Juza Gaiden: The Wandering Clouds follows Juza as meanders around canonical events, giving insight into what he was like as he shifted from wandering without drive or purpose to becoming a sworn guardian to the Last Nanto General.

Rei Gaiden: Bloody Wolf's Darkness is one that I wish I could leave off of this list, but that I will include for completeness' sake. It follows Rei before his appearance in HnK as he goes through the exact same character arc that he has in canon. The city that he wanders into has a setup directly out of a porn plot, thoroughly justifying the manga's ecchi genre-tag. cw: sexual assault. repeatedly.

Souten no Ken and Souten no Ken: Regenesis

Souten no Ken, otherwise known as Fist of the Blue Sky, is a prequel series that follows Kenshiro Kasumi, 62nd successor to Hokuto Shinken and uncle to the Kenshiro from HnK, as he has martial arts adventures and tumbles with gangsters in 1930's Shanghai. The series revisits many of the character archetypes from HnK and plays around with the same plot points in different contexts, ultimately dealing with themes of friendship and fate.

Souten no Ken is a complete manga, drawn by Tetsuo Hara with plot supervised by Buronson. Souten no Ken: Regenesis is a direct sequel that is currently ongoing, drawn by Hideki Tsuji and written by Hiroyuki Yatsu. Regenesis has been on hiatus since 2020 due to Hideki Tsuji's ongoing health problems.

While there are animes with both of these names, here I am referring specifically to the manga-- neither anime is worth your time.

There. Now you've seen the only things that matter from both animes.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

Released in Japan as "Hokuto ga Gotoku" (Like a Big Dipper), Lost Paradise is an action-adventure game from the studio behind the Yakuza/Like a Dragon/Ryu ga Gotoku series. Fans of the RGG franchise will immediately recognize the game structure and mechanics, which balance advancing the main story thread with a semi-open world where the player can stumble into comedic sidestories and play assorted minigames.

Bartending is just one of the jobs that Kenshiro can take up in Lost Paradise.

The core story of the game features an entirely original cast, but most of the main characters of HnK show up for just long enough to have fights and cutscenes full of loving references to the source material. It's pure fanservice, in the non-horny sense of the word.

Team RGG really knows how to nail dynamic fight intros and epic QTEs.

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage and Ken's Rage 2

Even though some of the character design choices for this game are painfully mid-aughties (looking at you, tribal tattoo pattern Ken), this intro still goes hard.

For many years the Ken's Rage series were the definitive HnK games, and with good reason. A Musou game much like the Warriors series, you can play as most main characters from the series and mow down waves upon waves of bandits. Some may find the gameplay repetitive, but it can also be relaxing depending on how you look at it. (If you've played a Warriors game before, you know what you're getting into.)

Ken's Rage 2 in particular brings "Dream Mode" to the table, which is a "what if" story mode told from the POV of each playable character. This gives us a lot of interactions that we didn't get to see in canon (such as the delightfully shippy Jagi story featuring Amiba) and also expanding on some characters that should have gotten more screentime in the original material.

Hokuto no Ken (1986 animated movie)

It's the movie produced by (largely) the same team as the anime, created simultaneously to the show. If you want to know what the anime would look like if it wasn't trying to stretch every yen as thin as it could, this is your ticket.

That said, there are some odd choices made to carve a 110 minute long arc out of the early manga. The movie starts with Ken receiving his iconic scars, and ends with the first confrontation with Ken-oh.

DD HnK

This officially kicks off the "HnK comedy series" part of this list. I feel like comedy in particular can be subject to personal tastes, so keep in mind that each of these projects approaches the series from a different angle and that some may resonate better than others.

DD HnK is a comedic take on what the Hokutobros would get up to if the world didn't end. They end up working at a convenience store managed by Ryuken (voiced by Akira Kamiya, the original VA for Kenshiro), where hijinks ensue when other characters from the series show up.

It's worth noting that there are two animes and a manga with this name. The first anime is a Flash-based ONA (which is hard to find nowadays, for understandable reasons) and the second anime is the TV anime; Both of these series as well as the manga are very largely different. All series are complete, although the English fan translation for the manga is ongoing.

DD stands for "Design Deformation", evidently.

Ichigo Aji (Strawberry Flavor)

An average day with the Holy Emperor.

Ichigo Aji follows Souther on his quest to make some good friends. :) No really, that's more or less the premise of this spinoff.

While there are animated IA shorts at the end of every episode of DD HnK2, the meat and potatoes of this series are in the manga. The manga is ongoing (albeit on long-term hiatus) and the English fantranslation is currently incomplete (also on hiatus). Each volume of the manga also has a serious chapter following different characters from the series, serving as "mini gaidens" of sorts.

Genius Amiba's Other World Overlord Legend - Even If I Go to Another World, I Am a Genius!! Huh? Was I Mistaken...

In what originally started as an April Fool's Joke, the Amiba Isekai is perhaps one of the most unexpected additions to this franchise. The story begins after Amiba's death at Kenshiro's hands, where he finds himself transported to a fantasy realm where magic and creatures like dragons are real. He decides to use his self-proclaimed "genius" to learn magic in lieu of the martial arts that he studied earlier.

This manga series started in 2021 and is is still ongoing, although the English fantranslation is incomplete and has been on hiatus.

End of the Century's Drama Shooting Arc

The End of the Century's Drama Shooting Arc, more colloquially known as the Actor AU, is a retelling of the series as though it was a live-action TV show, covering the efforts and foibles of the actors and production crew as they struggle to produce the series.

The manga for this series started in 2021 alongside the Amiba Isekai and is ongoing, although the English fan translation is currently incomplete (Noticing a reoccurring trend here? a12 and Sakura Leaves, if you're out there, we really miss your work 🥹). If you can navigate the points system (new chapters are free within a few days of release) and use Google Lens, you can get a rough translation from the official Comics Zenon website.

The Winckler Dub

While not intentionally a comedy spinoff, I'm including the Winckler Dub in this section. There are apocryphal stories about this dub being produced as a means to teach Japanese schoolchildren basic English, interviews point to this dub being a sincere project to create a version of this series palatable to an English-speaking audience.

Please, just unmute this series of clips.

The only editing I did here was to append the files. They just. Speak with pauses like that.

With several downright bizarre directing decisions (Raoh is a pirate now, evidently?) and some of the strangest line-reads I've heard in an anime, this relic of an older localization industry can easily fall under "so bad it's good". Watch this with a group of friends after having a few drinks or late night at an anime convention, ideally.

The dub does not cover the whole series, instead bundling sets of 4 episodes into a series of 6 movie-length "sagas": Shin, Ray (sic), Souther, Toki, Raoh, and Kaioh.

Hokuto no Ken: Legends ReVIVE

I feel like it would be a bit disingenuous to finish this list without mentioning Legends ReVIVE, the current ongoing gacha for the franchise. (Worth noting: I am the admin for the unofficial discord server for this game, which is also the largest and most active English-speaking community for HnK.[4])

This game is possibly one of the biggest lovenotes to the franchise as a whole, with character releases that reach into the most obscure pieces of fiction, from Last Piece to (formerly) Pachinko-only Gento practitioners. Early character models and story cutscenes were entirely asset-flips from pachinko models, but things have grown far past that in the game's past 4.5 years.

As a part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the manga, it was mentioned that there would be a new continuation of the manga's plot featured in-game, but at the time of writing we have little elaboration on this.

For a gacha, the game is relatively F2P friendly and doesn't ask much of your time on a day-to-day basis. But at the end of the day, it is a gacha that relies on predatory monetization and exploitation of gambling addictions. Caveat emptor.

But what about [x]...?

Legend of the True Savior: this movie series is another adaptation of the manga's plot, but this one doesn't really bring anything novel to the table. The same caveats about making a movie out of the manga apply, in that some odd choices get made to get arcs to fit in a movie timespan. It's there I guess, if you can stomach the artstyle.

Shin HnK/New Fist of the North Star: is victim-blamey rape apologia. There really isn't any reason I can recommend watching it, outside maybe looking up the final fight (where Junichi Hayama's direction really stands out) and the closing song (Oasis by Gackt).

Animated Gaidens (ex Ten no Haoh, Kenshiro Den, etc): these are one of the few things I haven't seen, and for the most part they don't come up in discussion. They're probably fine, but I just don't have the knowledge to comment on them.

Live Action Movie: don't. It's not even so-bad-it's-good, just don't.

In Conclusion

I hope this guide helped take the edge off of trying to figure out how to navigate such a sprawling series, and that it was genuinely informative about both what each work entails and the general context around it. This franchise is something I've really enjoyed digging into over the years and I did my best to convey that love and enthusiasm in this guide.

I may write more meta about HnK in the future, because I absolutely have a lot more to say. There's a lot for me to go on about regarding what the series means to me and why more people should pick it up, as well as putting together standalone character analyses from assorted ramblings on Discord.

Thanks for reading!

References

[1] From running the provided link through DeepL:

Buronson: By the way, I don't read much when a work is published in book form. As far as Fist of the North Star is concerned, the second part has never been published. Interviewer: What? Not even once? You didn't read it at all? Buronson: That's right. But I read the whole book from the beginning the other day.

[2] Not to be confused with the unrelated Master Edition, which was the first attempt to bring the manga to the English market. This version is a full-color version of the original tankobon release, of which only the first 9 volumes were completed. It can be a neat novelty to check out once you're familiar with the series, but the non-Hara colorings can be a mixed bag.

[3] There is a story that this episode was so goofy that it made Hara and Buronson visit Toei in person and tell them to cut that shit out. This claim comes from the book "Our Favorite Fist of the North Star" , which is a fanbook that featured some interviews with members of the anime studio staff, with absolutely zero input from Hara and Buronson themselves. Between the fact that Hara and Buronson were both stated to have been incredibly busy with producing HnK and did not have time to watch the anime and the fact that this claim directly contradicts how they barely met in-person during the production of the series, it seems likely that this bit was made up as a gaff and/or hyperbole by the interviewee.

[4] There are also smaller, more fandom oriented, centers for discussion-- but I'm not about to link them on a post that gets recirculated publicly.

Special Thanks

@/KiliHito (discord) for helping me source the interviews, digging into the truth about the fabled Nanto Cannonball episode, and giving me context for some of HnK's influence in modern shonen.

@takis-breathing-dragon for having the Winckler Dub clips on hand and spotting some typos.

[marvelmymarvel]

Guardian (Part 1)

Sakumo Hatake x Sarutobi!Reader

Jiraiya x Sarutobi!Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Synopsis: Your brother gave you an assignment, "Go ask Sakumo Hatake if he needs help with his newborn." It was a simple task, but it snowballed into so much more.

TW: Mention of death and suicide

Ages:

The reader is the same age as the Sannins - 26 at the beginning

Sakumo is 38 at the beginning

A/n: There will be multiple parts to this. I've never seen this concept before but it may be my favorite.

Naruto Masterlist: Here

Your fist hovered over the wooden door, unsure why you had suddenly grown hesitant. Your brother told you to see if Sakumo Hatake needed help with his newborn considering his wife died during childbirth. It was an assignment, nothing more. But something within you made you feel funny. You, of course, knew what was making you feel so funny, but you had to push it down.

The door swung open, making you jump in your spot, "Sakumo! Hello. Um…" Your mouth grew dry as he looked down at you expectantly. The area under his eyes was dark and heavy; you could tell he hadn't been getting any sleep. Raising a newborn was hard, but it must have been impossible when doing it alone. He nodded at you, encouraging you to continue. "I-"

A shrill cry hit your ears, and your eyes traveled inside the dark house. Sakumo sighed, "Do you or Lord Third need something? If not, I need to go soothe Kakashi-"

"No! No. That's why I'm here. Hiruzen asked me to check and see if you needed a hand." 

Sakumo grew silent at that, eyebrows creasing as he tried to figure out what to say. Kakashi's cries rose in volume, and your maternal instincts made you ansty, "May I?" Your question flew out before you could stop it, he needed help, and you knew he wouldn't ask for it.

He stepped to the side and allowed you inside his home. You moved toward the source of the crying before finally ending up in the nursery. Your lip curled into a sweet smile, eyes crinkling as you cooed down at the white-haired baby. 

"Hi there, Kakashi."

Sakumo stood frozen in the doorway as he watched your hands cradle the baby before bringing him out of the crib and into your arms, "Do you have milk? I can try rocking him to sleep" Sakumo nodded before silently leaving you two to grab the formula. You began to bounce Kakashi, coos and sweet words leaving your lips as you slowly calmed the babies screeching until all that came out were little whimpers. 

Sakumo returned a few minutes later with the formula and found you already in the rocking chair. You shot him a smile before extending out your hand for the food, "Thank you." Your whisper was soothing even to him, "Why don't you lay down? I can watch him through the night."

He liked that idea. He hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few weeks. Without another word, the older man headed to his bedroom, leaving you alone with Kakashi.

3 Years Later

Over time, you had grown closer to the Hatake family and began dating Sakumo. Your brother was initially displeased with the predicament but accepted it once he saw how happy you were. As Hiruzen looked down at the adoption paper, he realized you loved this family more than anything else.

"Are you sure you want to adopt Kakashi?" 

You nodded at your brother before repositioning the child on your hip. Sakumo stood beside you, bouncing on his toes as he waited for Lord Third's approval. Hiruzen pursed his lips as he took in the three of you. "Are you two going to get married?" Your eyes widened at the question. Marriage was never brought up; it didn't seem like Sakumo wanted that. You didn't blame him, either. He had lost his wife three years prior, so even just dating you felt wrong. "I won't sign these papers until you promise to marry her someday-"

"Hiruzen-"

"My sister deserves a family, and a family includes marriage, not just kids." 

"Hiruzen, that is not true, and you know it-"

Sakumo cut off your angry words by grabbing your free hand, "I'll marry her. Don't worry about that part of it. Please, though, for right now, sign the papers. She already is his mother, but I want that to be legally true as well."

Your mouth and eyes were wide open in shock as you looked at Sakumo beside you. Was he being serious? 

"Very well," Hiruzen called out before plucking his pen from the desk. "I expect you two to be married within the year" Sakumo smiled at that before letting go of your hand to move towards your brother. "Thank you, Lord Third. For everything"

Hiruzen sent a glare up at the man. He really didn't intend for you to fall in love with the older man; all he wanted was for you to help. His eyes drifted over to you and Kakashi. A smile proudly adorned your lips as you held the three-year-old close to you. While Hiruzen didn't like how this turned out, he couldn't deny that your happiness made him feel better. Hiruzen sighed and handed the papers to Sakumo before leaning back. 

"Within the year."

Sakumo gripped the paper and nodded quickly, "Within the year. You have my word."

The rain pounded down hard against your umbrella as you hurried back home with Kakashi. "Mama, do you think Daddy will be better?" Your blood ran cold at the question. Sakumo had done something against the Ninja code, causing many to turn their backs on him. It broke him, broke him harder than you could heal him. Kakashi's fingers dug into your hand at your silence, silently wincing at how the diamond ring bit into his flesh. His dad had been acting funny. Even though he was four, he knew something was wrong.

"I don't know, baby. I hope so," your voice trailed off as your eyes caught sight of the front door of your house. Sakumo was supposed to be going somewhere; you didn't expect him to return so soon. Your heart raced as you got closer. You tried to be around him whenever possible. It was the only way to keep him safe from himself. "Kakashi baby, sit here, okay? Mama is gonna go in quick." 

The four-year-old nodded before sitting in the chair on the porch, happily content with watching the rain. Your breath was shaky as you moved into the house, panic rising in your throat as you saw him on the floor. "Oh… no" Your lip trembled as you approached. Maybe he was just sleeping or relaxing.

Wishful thinking.

"Oh Gods," you cried out quietly, hand clasping over your mouth as you took in Sakumo's lifeless form. Your hand shook violently against your lips, pain seeping through you as you thought through what you needed to do. Who do you go to? Kakashi couldn't see this, but you couldn't just leave him. A name flashed through your head, causing you to inhale sharply. He was the only one who could help you.

You knelt to Sakumo, hand lightly brushing through his hair. His skin was cold against your hand, making you feel lightheaded. "I'm so sorry, Saku," you whispered before kissing his temple. Your tears fell onto his face, cascading down his features before landing on the floor below. Realizing that Kakashi would grow antsy and come in, you stood up and walked towards the door. 

Kakashi jumped in the seat as you emerged from the house again, "Is daddy in there?"

Your heart lurched at the question, but you ignored it and picked him up, "We are going to an old friend of mine. Okay?" 

The roof extending over his front door did nothing to shield you and Kakashi from the rain. The young boy shivered against you, and you scolded yourself for forgetting the umbrella back at the house. You took a deep breath as you brought your fist up to pound at the door urgently. Retracting your fist, you pulled Kakashi deeper into you, hoping to warm him up. Your hair was sopping wet, and your makeup was ruined. You knew the man behind the door would be concerned. So you prepared for it.

But you weren't prepared for this.

The door swung open, and your eyes widened. The woman before you was scantily clothed, and you fought the urge to cover Kakashi's eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Uh… Is Jiraiya here?" 

She pursed her red lips at that before eyeing the child on your hip. "He's busy."

You breathed a sigh of relief, happy he was at least here. "I need to talk to him. Can you please-"

"Jiraiya! Who the hell is this kid!?"

Your eyebrows furrowed at her sudden shift in demeanor, but looking down at Kakashi made you realize what she was getting at. "Oh. No, no, this isn't-"

"JIRAIYA. So HELP ME IF THIS IS YOUR KID-"

"What the hell are you yelling about-"

Jiraiya stumbled out into the hall before freezing at the sight of you and Kakashi. "Y/n" His voice sent you into a spiral as you took him in. He was wearing nothing but boxers, and he was out of breath. You eyed the pair before giving a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt but-"

"It's okay…" he breathed as he heard the thickness in your voice. He knew you like the back of his hand, and he knew that something serious had happened.

"What do you need, baby?"

"Baby?! Who the hell is she?!"

"Akira, I think you need to go home-"

"Excuse me!? I'm your girlfriend. She needs to go home." 

"I need you," you called out between their arguing, not immensely enjoying being the cause of such discourse. Jiraiya nodded before heading back into the bedroom to get dressed. His girlfriend, Akira, as you learned seconds ago, stormed after him. Ranting and raving about how he was cheating on her. He ignored her, causing her to fly out and storm back towards you. "You think you can just come here and take him from me!?" 

"No. I'm-" You cut yourself off. Your next word was going to be 'engaged,' it was something you would say to the men at the bar, and it had become second nature when approaching the subject of dating. But it wasn't true anymore. Were you still engaged? Even if he was dead? You let your gaze fall to the floor. "I'm not interested in dating."

You hoped the words would calm her, but they only seemed to anger her. "So you're going to take him from me and leave him?! You're a real bitch-"

"Akira, that's enough. She's engaged."

Akira shut her mouth at that as she let her eyes travel to your left hand dangling by your side. You grew uncomfortable with her staring and adjusted Kakashi on your right hip. Jiraiya brushed past Akira before grabbing your left hand, "Come on. Take me to where you need me." 

You nodded before pulling him with you toward your home. Akira still screamed at him, crying out how she'd never see him again if he kept going, but he didn't listen. His only concern right now was you. You, however, couldn't help but feel bad for causing a fight. "So sorry for that-"

"She doesn't matter right now; what's going on?"

His words were sharp with a warning. You came before everyone else; no one could replace your importance to him. You eyed Kakashi, who looked up at the big man with wide eyes, he had never seen anyone so tall before, and while he was shy, he couldn't help his curiosity. "Mama, who's this?"

"An old friend of mine, Kakashi. His name is Jiraiya."

"He's tall."

You smiled softly at his awe-struck face, but it quickly fell once you realized you'd have to explain what happened in a few moments. Jiraiya didn't like that you weren't verbally telling him what was going on, but your actions and demeanor had him connecting the dots. 

The house came into view, and you picked up the pace, anxiety filling your chest as you once more set Kakashi on the chair. "We will be right back, okay? Stay here. Do not come in."

"Mama, I miss Daddy." 

Your wince went unnoticed by Jiraiya as he entered the house. "I know, baby, I know. Just please stay here and do not come in" Kakashi bit his lip but nodded. Pressing a kiss to his temple, you started towards the door.

Jiraiya knelt beside Sakumo, fingers pressed into his neck as if checking for a faint pulse. "I don't know what to do" Your words were soft as you moved to him. Jiraiya looked up at you sadly as if apologizing for not finding a pulse; it made you sick. "We need to get your brother-"

"What about Kakashi? He needs to know. How do I… How do I even tell him what happened?"

Jiraiya didn't say anything. For he didn't know how to tell a child that their father was so sad he couldn't keep living. He couldn't bear it. Turning on your heel, you headed back to Kakashi. You wouldn't tell him everything, just enough for his little brain to understand.

The cool air hit your face as you exited the house, lips trembling as you prepared for the most brutal talk of your life. "Can I come in now, mommy?" You shook your head before kneeling in front of him. How the hell were you going to do this?

"Daddy's not okay, is he, mommy?"

You shook your head at him, tears brimming along your lash line as you fought the urge to throw up. "Daddy is not okay," your confirmation caused his brown eyes to well up with tears as you ran a hand through his wet hair. "Can I say goodbye?" You winced at the question before shaking your head no at him. A cry flew from his lips, and you drug him into your embrace, "I'm sorry, baby. Just know he loved you more than anything. Okay?" This would be his first time experiencing death, and you would have to help him through it. You had to be strong for him. 

There was no time to mourn.

Kakashi sobbed into your shoulder harder as you rocked him back and forth, cooing and promising him that you were there. Jiraiya stood by the door, watching you comfort the child. He knew you would push the emotions down until you exploded. You would put Kakashi first. Rightfully so, of course, but as he watched you both comfort and fight off your own pain, he realized you needed him around.

Akira would not like this.

[jenmisukke]

when i tell you i burst into tears over this page

kishimoto said: the shit sasuke's been through isn't enough i need to give him inferiority complex daddy issues and perfectionism

[officialsatoko]

a new volume cover to celebrate the return of my naruto SI fic, SATOKO! i've been drawing a LOT the past 2+ years so i'm excited to share my improvement with everyone :D

SATOKO Volume 3

Chapter 21: Springtime of Youth: Electric Boogaloo Chapter 22: Ignite! The Sparks of Youth! Chapter 23: Embrace the Spirit of Youth! Chapter 24: The Burning Passion of Youth! Chapter 25: Our Erupting Flames of Youth! Chapter 26: Behold! Our Overflowing Youth!!! Chapter 27: 21/2 Days Chapter 28: Rookie Genin Attempts to Make Gourmet Inkstick Chapter 29: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Chapter 30: Three of a Kind

[sofasaurusrex]

MyAnimeList: Saurusrex (same pfp as here)

currently reading:

yona of the dawn: 23/?? ch

*loving this series so much i definitely think im going to collect this once it’s complete (I’ve been reading from the library)

Solo leveling: 5/201 ch

*im really enjoying this series but so far not much of a plot has developed. I have the vol 3,4,5,6 at home so im gonna give it a solid chance

villains are destined to die: 145/?? ch

*I don’t think I need to say how much I love this series. Eventually when it’s complete I’d like to collect it

Wotakoi: 4/11 vol

*this is such a comfort read for me. I have up to the third omnibus and plan to read the third one soon

On hold:

assassination classroom: 1/21 vol

the way of the househusband: 5/?? Vol

*this one I was able to read vol 5 yesterday tho

Spy x family: 7/??

*the above are on hold cause I’ve read them so long ago but I plan to continue them

my hero academia: 1/?? Vol

PTSD radio: 26/? ch

Rurouni kenshin: 1/28 vol

*the above are not priority series but will read every now and then

Naruto: 1/72 vol

*planning on reading a few volumes then switching to the anime

Completed:

dementia 21: 37/37 ch

*this was such a great series and so interesting. Creepy and so unserious and odd loved it!

[darkxmartcom]

Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃, Kimetsu no Yaiba, "Cutting edge of Devil Destruction") is a Japanese manga series composed and delineated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Week after Week Shōnen Hop from February 2016 to May 2020, with its parts gathered in 23 tankōbon volumes. It has been distributed in English by Viz Media and at the same time by Shueisha on their Manga In addition to stage. It follows high school Tanjiro Kamado, who endeavors to turn into a Demon Slayer after his family is butchered and his more youthful sister, Nezuko, is transformed into a devil.

A 26-episode anime TV series variation created by Ufotable circulated from April to September 2019. A spin-off film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Film: Mugen Train, was delivered in October 2020 and turned into the most elevated-earning anime film and Japanese film ever. An 18-episode second time of the anime series circulated from October 2021 to February 2022 while a gathering film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Swordsmith Town, was delivered in February 2023. An 11-episode third season circulated from April to June 2023. A fourth season has likewise been declared.

By February 2021, the manga had north of 150 million duplicates available, including advanced renditions, making it the 10th smash hit manga series ever. Likewise, it was the top-of-the-line manga in 2019 and 2020. Both the manga and its anime transformation have gotten basic recognition. The anime series has gotten various honors and is viewed as one of the most amazing anime of the 2010s. In 2020, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba establishment created an expected yearly deals income of ¥1 trillion ($8.75 billion), becoming one of the greatest netting media establishments ever.

Creation

After Gotouge's manga, Haeniwa no Crisscross, distributed Week after week by Shōnen Hop in 2015, neglected to turn into a serialized work, Tatsuhiko Katayama, Gotouge's most memorable manager, recommended Gotouge to begin a series with a "straightforward theme". Gotouge's presentation work Kagarigari would turn into the reason for an underlying draft, named Kisatsu no Nagare (鬼殺の流れ) since it had ideas like blades and devils, which would be recognizable to the Japanese audience. Be that as it may, because of its serious tone, absence of entertainment, and dim story, this draft was not acknowledged for serialization. So, Katayama requested that Gotouge take a stab at composing a more brilliant, more ordinary person in the equivalent setting. The first title was Kisatsu no Yaiba (鬼殺の刃), yet they felt the person "satsu" (殺, lit. "kill") in the title was excessively plain.

Even though it is a made-up word, "Himitsu" (鬼滅) appeared straightforward, so Gotouge figured it would be intriguing to shorten the series' title like that; "Saiba" (刃, lit. "edge") suggests a Japanese sword. As per Gotouge, the series' three greatest impacts are JoJo's Odd Experience, Naruto, and Bleach. Tatsuhiko Katayama, a manager of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, has said in interviews that the red-haired, scar-confronted Tanjiro was motivated by Rurouni Kenshin, a 1990s manga about a likewise drawn fighter, Himura Kenshin.

All satisfied materials on this [https://www.alittletip9.com] are safeguarded by intellectual property regulation and are the proprietor's property. No piece of this [https://www.alittletip9.com] might be replicated, dispersed, or sent in any structure or using any means, including copying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical strategies, without the earlier composed consent of the proprietor, except brief citations encapsulated in basic audits and certain other noncommercial purposes allowed by intellectual property regulation.

[6-alpha-nebula]

Jumpchain List - The Origin Point System

Full jumpchain list of all 100 Jumps used to develop the Origin Point System - also known as the Alma Tyrian Galaxy.

1st Quarter - Neonate (1-25)

2nd Quarter - Juvenile (26-50)

3rd Quarter - Prime (51-75)

4th Quarter - Legacy (76-100)

Pokemon Trainer

Steven Universe

VA-11 HALL-A

Animal Crossing

Fire Emblem Awakening

Hyperdimension Neptunia

Maplestory

Fire Emblem Tellius

Dr McNinja

Nightmare Before Christmas

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Mana Khemia

Restaurant to Another World

Undertale

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

The Gamer

Harvest Moon - Tale of Two Towns

The Hobbit

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Generic Magical Girls

Greek Myths

Death Note

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Harry Potter

SBURB

Marvel Cinematic Universe Volume 1

Generic Isekai

One Punch Man

Transformers - Prime

Overwatch

Fire Emblem Elibe

Avatar: Legend of Korra

Greek Mythology

X-Men Movies - First Class

Adventure Time

Fire Emblem Fates

Persona Series

Kyurangers

Magi: The Labyrinth

Fire Emblem Heroes

Generic Xianxia

Sengoku Basara

Nier

Familiar of Zero

Recettear

Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront)

Soul Eater

Nanatsu no Taizai (Seven Deadly Sins)

Merlin

NARUTO

Persona 4

My Hero Academia

Fairy Tail

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Fate/Zero

Final Fantasy 7

Teen Titans

Hunter X Hunter

One Piece

Fate/Stay Night

Young Justice

Assassination Classroom

Gravity Falls

Beelzebub

Fate/Series - Apocrypha

Generic City of Adventure

Carnival Phantasm

Bleach

Persona 5

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya

Kamen Rider Den-O/Kiva

RWBY

Worm

Nanbaka

Fate/Grand Order

Tales of Vesperia

Fate/Legends: Garden of Avalon

Kamen Rider Kabuto

Fate/Legends: Oasis of Fantasy

Sword Art Online

Assassin's Creed

Kamen Rider Neo-Heisei Part 1

Dragon Age

Kamen Rider Neo-Heisei Part 2

Touken Ranbu

DC Entertainment Universe

Kamen Rider Gaim

Kamen Rider Neo-Heisei Part 3

Justice League Unlimited

Marvel Cinematic Universe Volume 2

X-Men Evolution

Dragon Age Inquisition

Generic Dungeon Builder

Sailor Moon

Devil May Cry

Final Fantasy X

Arrowverse

Fate/Legends: Land of the Rising Sun

Log Horizon

Kamen Rider Decade

[13eyond13]

THE MANGA REC LIST

in order of date released (and with the number of volumes listed on Wikipedia in brackets... I will keep this list updated with my progress through the volumes):

1967 Cat-Eyed Boy (3) / [progress: 3/3 read] {★★★½}

1968 Ashita no Joe (20) / [progress: 1/20 read]

1970 Lone Wolf and Cub (45)

1972 The Rose of Versailles (14)

1972 Devilman (5) / [progress: 5/5 read] {★★★½}

1974 The Heart of Thomas (3) / [dnf]

1974 Dear Brother (3) / [dnf]

1976 Glass Mask (49)

1981 Touch (26)

1982 Akira (6)

1982 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (7)

1984 Dragon Ball Z (42)

1985 Banana Fish (19)

1987 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (132) / [dnf]

1989 Berserk (42) / [progress: 42/42 read] {★★★★★}

1990 Tokyo Babylon (7)

1990 Slam Dunk (31)

1990 Crows (26)

1991 Sailor Moon (18) / [progress: 1/18 read]

1992 X (18)

1992 Boys Over Flowers (37)

1994 Monster (18) / [progress: 9/18 read]

1994 Neon Genesis Evangelion (14) / [progress: 14/14 read] {★★★★}

1996 Card Captor Sakura (12)

1996 Yu-Gi-Oh! (38) / [dnf]

1996 Inuyasha (56)

1996 Revolutionary Girl Utena (7) / [dnf]

1997 Haru wo Daiteita (14) / [dnf]

1997 Hellsing (8)

1997 One Piece (107)

1997 Trigun (14)

1998 Hunter x Hunter (37) / [progress: 3/37 read]

1998 Fruits Basket (23) / [dnf]

1998 Uzumaki (3)

1998 Forest of Piano (26)

1999 Naruto (72) / [progress: 6/72 read]

1999 20th Century Boys (22)

2000 Dorohedoro (23)

2000 Nana (21) / [progress: 21/21 read] {★★★★½}

2000 Chobits (8) / [progress: 2/8 read]

2001 Worst (33)

2001 Fullmetal Alchemist (27)

2001 Claymore (27)

2002 Skip Beat! (49)

2002 Ouran High School Host Club (18) / [dnf]

2003 Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (28)

2003 Death Note (12) / [progress: 12/12 read] {★★★★★}

2003 Gintama (77)

2003 xxxHolic (23) / [progress: 1/23 read]

2003 Wolf's Rain (2)

2004 Vampire Knight (19)

2004 Soul Eater (25)

2006 Black Butler (33)

2006 Pandora Hearts (24)

2006 Code Geass (8)

2007 Totally Captivated (6)

2007 The Breaker* (10)

2007 Noblesse* (25)

2007 Goodnight Punpun (13) / [progress: 2/13 read]

2008 Bokura no Kiseki (29)

2009 Attack on Titan (34) / [progress: 4/34 read]

2009 Durarara! (18)

2009 One Punch Man (28) / [progress: 1/28 read]

2010 Cheese in the Trap* (webtoon)

2010 Tower of God* (13)

2011 Puella Magi Madoka Magica (3)

2011 Tiger & Bunny (9)

2011 Orange Marmalade* (webtoon)

2011 Tokyo Ghoul (14) / [dnf]

2011 Girls of the Wild's* (webtoon)

2011 Hero Union BBS (1)

2012 Made in Abyss (12)

2012 Houseki no Kuni (12)

2012 Erased (12)

2012 Mob Psycho 100 (16)

2012 Assassination Classroom (21) / [dnf]

2013 The Gamer* (6)

2013 A Silent Voice (7)

2014 Golden Kamuy (31)

2014 Dungeon Meshi / [progress: 5/12 read]

2015 My Next Life as a Villainess (9)

2016 The Promised Neverland (20)

2016 Demon Slayer (23)

2016 Moriarty the Patriot (19) / [dnf]

2016 Beastars (22) / [progress: 22/22 read] {★★★★}

2017 Blue Period (14) / [progress: 1/14 read]

2017 No Longer Human (3) / [progress: 3/3 read] {★★★½}

2018 Chainsaw Man (15) / [progress: 12/15 read]

2019 Cheating Men Must Die** (18)

2019 Vampeerz (9) / [dnf]

2020 A Stepmother's Marchen* (webtoon)

2020 Death is the Only Ending for the Villainess* (webtoon)

2022 Gokurakugai (2) / [progress: 1/2 read]

2023 The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All (1)

-

*manhwa // **manhua

Check out my sorting hashtag #13readsmanga to see my liveblogging of the series I'm currently reading (but beware of potential spoilers in there!)

-

Check out the notes of THIS POST [X] for my spoiler-free reviews of the series I newly finish

-

And check out THIS POST [X] if you want a short explanation of why I dnf'd one of the series on the list

--

last updated 2024/Sept/22

So for my book reading goal next year I think I'm going to attempt to read a lot of iconic/classic/influential manga series everybody should know, and I'd love to get your recommendations if you have them! Pls comment them here, even the really obvious ones, chances are I probs have not read it yet

[everynart]

[artificialsatellite]

[mojomcm-fandom]

Fun fact about me: my favorite Naruto manga volume is #26, which is the same story arc as my favorite episode in the anime (#133). The first episode of Naruto that I ever saw was also episode #133; it was showing on a muted television screen while I was at McDonald's and I didn't know what show it was at the time. Episode #133 also has my favorite Naruto art style; I'm a huge fan of the softer animation.

Edit: It's Norio Matsumoto's animation style.

[nyctophiliac-16]

Twist in Time by Randomness_is_my_order

Through a completely unrealistic series of events, Naruto - the Hokage of Konoha - lands in the body of his younger counterpart, 22 years into the past.

What follows is Naruto making the most of his second life which includes turning revenge-thirsty Sasuke into a normal angsty teenager, helping Sakura get over her puppy crush, annoying Kakashi and somehow getting himself entangled in a romance with Shikamaru (which for the record, doesn't even feel like one.)

Orochimaru and the Akatsuki linger in the background, but Naruto's not letting them ruin his life by a stupid war to feed the ego of a dead man. Again, that is.

Series

Part 1 of Twist in Time Part 1 of Time Travel AUs

Language: English Words: 91,184 Chapters: 40/40 Collections: 9 Comments: 1,066 Kudos: 4,766 Bookmarks: 1,078 Hits: 175,961

_______________________________________________

Maelstrom by Thinking_of_a_Dream

Naruto and Shikamaru go back in time to their genin days and end up in the middle of the Chunin exams. All they have to do is save the world from certain destruction - easy enough. M/M slow burn

Language: English Words: 61,915 Chapters: 26/50 Collections: 11 Comments: 449 Kudos: 4,881 Bookmarks: 1,521 Hits: 133,034

_______________________________________________

Hand Signs [A Deaf Naruto Fanfiction] by KoreanOreo

Naruto was known throughout his village for a couple things. Besides the hatred and disgust that seemed to follow him everywhere, Naruto was known for his pranks and his volume. This resulted in him getting yelled at. A lot. It wasn’t as if they helped him either, whenever he asked someone to repeat themselves they just got angry and yelled at him. Then the same Adults who would yell at him for being too loud would look at kids who were older than him and even louder and they only ever shook their heads fondly saying something like “Kids…” in a nostalgic tone.

It wasn’t entirely his fault he was loud, though. It was just that everyone else was so quiet. Besides, how was he supposed to hear himself if he was as quiet as the rest of them? How was he supposed to hear them if they never spoke louder?

Language: English Words: 82,461 Chapters: 13/? Collections: 6 Comments: 532 Kudos: 3,590 Bookmarks: 1,485 Hits: 86,259

_______________________________________________

The Shadow's Fox by Reading_Nut_Cassirole

Naruto has been alone all his life, and he wasn't so sure if it was even worth continuing, but then one shadow user changed his mind. This is a ShikaNaru story. Don't like, don't read. Will contain a few mature scenes, so beware.

Language: English Words: 107,877 Chapters: 21/21 Comments: 96 Kudos: 823 Bookmarks: 238 Hits: 24,473

_______________________________________________

The Echo Remains, But The Song Is Not The Same by Yana

One simple decision. One simple change in the known timeline to make a difference. While their fates and the echo of the past is the same, their paths and their songs diverge from the original. They have a chance to be something else, something they never had the opportunity to be.

Or: The Hokage boldly decides to not care about traditions, and breaks up this generation’s Ino-Shika-Chou formation. Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru – the hyperactive loud-mouth, the arrogant jerk, and the lazy ass – in the same team should be a disaster. But is it really?

This is a story exploring the possibilities of different team dynamics from the canon, and giving characters a chance to be more than what they were in the original.

Language: English Words: 163,806 Chapters: 18/? Comments: 502 Kudos: 2,229 Bookmarks: 831 Hits: 76,701

_______________________________________________

there ain't a cloud in sight by EmmalineShade

All it takes to change the course of history is for one person to reach out for another. From there, the butterfly effect takes place, rippling out through time and space.

In this case, Nara Shikamaru offers his friendship to Uzumaki Naruto, a lonely boy with nothing. Desperate for something - anything, really - Naruto clings to him, and then, well, Shikamaru can't seem to let him go either.

or: I write a fix-it fic on Naruto using ShikaNaru as my muse

Series

Part 1 of my heart was screaming (at my bones)

Language: English Words: 30,695 Chapters: 5/5 Collections: 2 Comments: 103 Kudos: 977 Bookmarks: 183 Hits: 16,778

_______________________________________________

Wake Me Up by olienne

It was at age six that Naruto learned what kindness really is and that not all people within Konoha were as hateful as they had seemed. This all rooted upon the stumbling of one Shikamaru Nara on her hiding place for cloud watching.

For Shikamaru Nara his plans of having a normal life all went downhill from the first moment those blue crystalline eyes stared down at him.

Series

Part 1 of Golden Time

Language: English Words: 38,731 Chapters: 11/11 Comments: 249 Kudos: 1,754 Bookmarks: 547 Hits: 49,891

_______________________________________________

Spiraling by KazumiDiablo

Naruto has a chakra defect, he can only access it by channeling it through objects which leads him to be a Kenjutsu master and a Seal master. He had a high IQ and decided to put himself in the TI department at the tender age of 6 thanks to his Jiji. Now he spends his time decoding messages and creating new tactics for communication between shinobi.

Shikamaru through Tsunade the Godaime met Naruto after a mission provided coded information to be decoded. What happens when these two meet?

Language: English Words: 56,595 Chapters: 40/40 Comments: 6 Kudos: 76 Bookmarks: 19 Hits: 2,252

_______________________________________________

To See the Hate You Give by ShiShiro

Not a typical wrong mission.

Naruto loses his eyesight, or maybe his eyes? And you know what they say, when you lose one sense your others are heighten.

Or a case where suddenly not being able to see the cold stares of the villagers brings change.

Language: English Words: 68,833 Chapters: 15/15 Comments: 89 Kudos: 525 Bookmarks: 111 Hits: 14,190

_______________________________________________

Sunflower Seeds by mariusmoonbeam

In which Shikamaru fixates, Naruto discovers herself, and the world is all the different for it.

Basically my overly long and rambling retelling of Naruto heavy on lore. Non-canon compliant. Like at all.

Stats:

Words:235,031 Works:3 Complete:No

ShikaNaru

Send me ships. I can only respond with GIFS

[kakashi-stan]

I have no idea why people act like all of the relationships within Naruto were forced or that any of the characters were “unbelievable” like the fact that Kakashi threatened to throw hands with a 13 year old at 26 speaks so many volumes

[onesheeptwosheepandachicken]

26 Reasons why Qrow is not Ruby’s father and why Taiyang is Ruby’s father

In response to the toxic aspect of the fandom attacking CRWBY and demanding that their desires for Qrow be chosen over canon, or how they feel their theory is more valid than the show itself? I have researched RWBY to make this 26-point Discussion as to why Canon is valid, and fancanon is not when it comes to Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Summer Rose.

 1.       “Monty said NO”    Most obviously. Monty Oum.

   He said in this tweet that ruby and yang are half-sisters…half-sisters,  which means they share the same mom or dad…in this case Taiyang….

  https://twitter.com/montyoum/status/492070189731565568

Now people have claimed “he obviously meant step-sisters or cousins” Why is it that every time we show the English dictionary to you people or ask you to read it, that you claim you are being attacked or that you claim Monty was misleading us?

 2.       The writers said NO

   Miles Luna debunked this theory on Reddit…

   He pointed out that Ruby sees Qrow as a Role model, so she adapts her colors to be similar to his.

   And you don’t need somebody to be blood to be your role model.

https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/7x3w4s/crwby_ama_w_miles_luna_kerry_shawcross_and_paula/du5d67g/?

 3. “Rooster Teeth said NO” Rooster Teeth even said that Qrow is "Ruby and Yang's Uncle" They also said “Ladies, he’s not your man”

https://twitter.com/RoosterTeeth/status/1067205612331782144

 4.  “But what if Summer had feelings for Qrow? Why does Qrow Serve Ozpin?” Qrow said in Volume 6 " No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good... " So he was saying he wasn't wanted, so no relationship with Summer. SUMMER DID NOT WANT HIM. And he was literally saying he served Ozpin because Ozpin gave him purpose. It’s pretty sad how people think Qrow can only be a complex character if he obsesses over another person’s wife and child. What , you wanna make him Severus Snape, the Lilly Potter stalker who insulted a girl’s face and tried to poison a boy’s pet and publicly outed a teacher?

https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Qrow_Branwen/Quotes#So_That.27s_How_It_Is

5, "But Qrow could be lying" Except in volume 6 Qrow literally said "Don't lie...we're better than that"

And in volume 7?

" Long time ago. I just found working alone tends to be for the best "

" Gotta say, I’m still not really used to working with other Huntsmen in the field. "

And finally World Of Remnant on Patch.

" Nice place to raise a family, if you're into that sort of thing. "

https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Qrow_Branwen/Quotes#So_That.27s_How_It_Is

  6.  “Qrow fans claim that Ruby and Summer form a core part of Qrow’s character and backstory.” WRONG! The main accusation for demanding Rooster Teeth / CRWBY change the backstory for Qrow would accomplish nothing.

Raven already pushed Yang onto Taiyang to raise on his own.

Qrow forcing Tai to Raise Ruby alongside Yang while Qrow could regularly visit, and while Summer lived with Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby?

It would cheapen Qrow’s character….blood isn’t everything.  Neither are cliches.

 7. “But what if Qrow gave Ruby to Tai to raise after Summer’s death?” Volume Chapter 6, Burning the Candle.

Yang tells Blake that she (yang) and Ruby were raised together by Summer and Taiyang…not by Taiyang on his own, but by Summer and Taiyang.

Yang clearly had memories of being raised by Summer and Tai both,  which meant that Summer and Taiyang lived together raising Ruby and Yang for Several Years.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZkN-53h5Os

  8. “Does Taiyang care about Summer or Ruby?” Taiyang was noted to have shut down when Summer didn’t come back…. Yang noted this in Volume 2 Chapter 6, and Ruby mentioned in the first episode of Volume 3 that Taiyang missed Summer. Qrow also said that Ruby is Taiyang’s “Special Angel”…. Ruby has also pointed out numerous times that Taiyang is Overprotective of Ruby. In fact, Ruby's conversation with Penny about overprotective fathers.

 9. “Qrow knows Taiyang is Ruby’s Father. Taiyang knows Ruby is Taiyang’s daughter. Qrow has referred to Taiyang as Ruby’s father during volume 3 and 7. Taiyang referred to Ruby as his daughter in volume 3.

 10. “Why didn’t Taiyang train Ruby in Martial Arts?” Taiyang is a martial arts fighter.   Ruby has neither the build nor the personality for ruthless hand to hand combat like her sister… Taiyang would trust Qrow, despite his semblance.   Remember how bad Ruby was in v5?

 11. “Qrow’s semblance is not what his fans exaggerate it to be”

Speaking of Qrow’s semblance? He was playing video games with his nieces,   taught at Signal Academy,   and could train Ruby… Clearly,  his semblance is not what theorists make it out to be.

 12. “Why doesn’t Qrow treat Yang the same way he treats Ruby?”

Yang is the daughter of Qrow’s sister,who abandoned the team.

During a one on one interaction between Qrow and Yang after yang vs mercury, Qrow called his own niece crazy, after she had been framed.

Qrow was not empathetic to Yang.

Qrow may not like Yang’s resemblance to Raven.

Ruby is the daughter of his two closest friends, so of course he’d prefer Ruby over Yang.

 13.  “Examples of Taiyang caring for Ruby.”

Volume 2 Ruby was excited when Taiyang sent a package in the mail, not even knowing it was Zwei.

Taiyang was at Ruby’s bedside in V3, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

He also tried to bring her breakfast in bed.

Taiyang said he wanted to chase after Ruby, but had to nurse Yang back to health.

During the V8 broadcast, Taiyang was upset when the broadcast was cut.

 14. “Genetics research”

Black hair is the subtype of the pigment for blonde hair…

Also, Ruby’s got the same hair strand that Yang and Taiyang have.

Finally, black hair is more dominant.

So Ruby doesn’t need blonde hair to be Taiyang’s kid.

https://askinglot.com/is-black-hair-a-dominant-or-recessive-gene

https://www.quora.com/If-a-jet-black-haired-parent-and-a-blonde-parent-have-children-what-color-hair-would-the-children-likely-have

 15. “The STRQ Photo”

The photo....Qrow was with STRQ for four years...do you really think Qrow is not allowed to cry on the photo unless he was romantically involved? Can't a man grieve over the death of a female friend that he was NOT in a relationship with? Or are men not allowed to have female friends? Ichigo and Rukia from Bleach for example...friendship. They were his friends, his family. People seem obsessed with the idea that Qrow cannot care about a woman unless he was romantically involved or unless he's their bastard father.

 16. “Men and Women…as friends, platonic” Harry Potter as a book showed that a boy and a girl can interact and still be friends…

Why can’t Qrow be Summer’s friend?

Why does he have to be her lover?

We’ve seen Qrow talk about Innkeeper’s skirt lengths and leer at Barmaids who flirted with him.

Also, he’s shown to be bonding with both Clover and Robyn.

People act like he doesn't flirt with anyone , and yet he does.

 17. “Bad Luck Charm” Qrow has spent his whole life with his semblance, named after a Crow.

Raised by the Branwen bandit tribe.

“You and I are not the same, you don’t want the burden of my name” Both Branwen and Qrow are names that Qrow hates due to his semblance and past…

People may think of him as cool, but Qrow suffers from self-loathing.

So NO, the Bad Luck Charm song does NOT in fact allude to Qrow being Ruby’s father, but that Qrow hates himself, hence a major part of why he’s alcoholic.

Proof of which is his volume 6 exchange with Ozpin about being useful, which Qrow disagrees with, leading him to drink further. Yang literally said that she had never seen qrow so drunk before in v6.

And Ruby encourages his self-worth leading him to try giving up alcohol….

His alcoholism is tied to low-self-esteem, not relationships.

 18. Manga Anthology

Taiyang was shown in the Manga Anthology to have shut down upon Summer’s Death. That impacted his relationship with Ruby and Yang. Qrow? Is relatively unaffected. The good Uncle helping around the house. Taiyang haters and Qrow stans took this to demand that Qrow is entitled to Ruby, despite Taiyang recovering and doing his best to be a father. Anything Qrow does is worshipped like Mother Teresa, while anything Taiyang does, good or bad, is downplayed and smashed. Taiyang loved Summer so much he was devastated by her death. Qrow was unaffected. Think about that.

 19. “I like Brats” Why does Qrow spend time with kids he’s not related to? Because he likes kids. You know how there are adults who enjoy being around brats? That’s Qrow. He didn’t have romantic feelings for Summer, he liked being around her because she was like a kid. Similar to how Blake likes Ruby’s idealism? And trusts her leadership?

 20.  “Taiyang the 2-timer accusation”

A woman on youtube claimed that Taiyang was a 2-timer who cheated on raven with summer, as there was, in her and her friends’ minds, “no way that taiyang could be with half his team” When asked about TaiQrow as a joke, she was angered that people even ship TaiQrow.

But let me ask you this. Are you the same person you are now that you were 10 years ago? People claim that Qrow was somehow cool in beacon…because he’s cool now. But Taiyang, who raises two kids, and holds a job and a house…cannot be ruby’s father…because he’s not cool? And that somehow he was never cool? I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had to be cool to be a parent. I also had no idea people were only allowed to be in one relationship per lifetime. Raven freaking abandoned Tai for the tribe. Summer chose Taiyang over Qrow. People literally make Qrow out to be either an OC in a shipping fanfic, or a Naruto fanfic where Naruto is written to be fawned over by a girl whose canonical spouse, boyfriend, or male friend is somehow rewritten as evil.

1 year…..in 1 year since Raven abandoned Taiyang and Yang, Summer Rose the friend of Taiyang’s who he had known for 4 years, became more than a friend.

So no….Taiyang is not a two-timer…he moved on from Raven.

 22. “Why can’t Taiyang talk about Summer?” To WHO? He’s barely got 15 minutes of screentime, and the writers did NOT do him any favors when they had Qrow demand he leave so Qrow could tell Ruby a secret Ozpin trusted him with, before telling Ruby to run away from home leaving only a freaking note. Terrible daughter. Even Yang was prepared to do the same! To a man whose first wife abandoned him! At least Weiss has a legit reason for acting as she does against Jacques, several at least. Ruby? No. Now why would Taiyang talk about Summer’s fighting style to Yang when trying to get her to stop acting like Raven in her fighting style and semblance? Sure if there was more time…but RT at the end of the day isn’t some money-hungry political entity, it’s a startup at the end of the day, they don’t have the ability to do a full anime episode. Also, Taiyang cannot go out on these active missions…he was a schoolteacher who did not do missions until only recently…he was retired, remember.

 23. “These fanworks make more sense to me”

Qrow fans have tried using fanworks to justify their theory or ship, the same way Blacksun fans or Adam apologists make similar claims, and even Raven fans try to claim Raven is somehow a good mother. What do these fanworks do? Hate on Taiyang. Dismiss Ruby and Yang being half-blood siblings. Ignore multiple elements of the show or scenes. Occasionally shit-talk the writers.

Every time somebody tries to make a “rwby rewrite” or “rwby alt” or “Qrow is ruby’s father au” they cannot do it without completely rewriting the characters in so many forms and even the show, till Qrow, Raven, Taiyang, and Summer are NOTHING like they are in the show…And ONLY how a shipper wants qrow to be.

Or rewriting qrow to be nothing like he is in the show.

Most Alt or Rewrite consists of making Taiyang abusive, a cheater, or refusing to allow him to interact with Summer, while regularly pushing qrowxsummer at each other.

So no…it’s not that it makes sense to them through some fanart….a headcanon that has been debunked is no longer headcanon. A theory that is shut down is no longer a theory. There’s a reason anti-vaxxers and flat-earthers still exist. Because to them, their theories make more sense than reality. Which is why people still believe Qrow is Ruby’s father the same way people believe vaccines cause autism. Neither are true, and no amount of facts will shut them down, but they’re both popular theories.

 24. “Qrow Rings and Cross”

People claim that Qrow was married to Summer or that his cross represents him mourning Summer. Did the STRQ photo, in v3, the same volume as his appearance, not show Qrow with his rings, his cross, and angrily scowling, while Summer was right next to Taiyang?

 25. “What about Summer Rose’s choice?”

Remember how I said making Qrow’s character based on solely Ruby and Summer, ignoring everything regarding the tribe and ozpin giving him hope, and the grimm reaper…was bad writing? There’s a reason people hated v5. Raven was proven to be the deadbeat, Qrow was shown to have friends, and that Taiyang knew about Salem, and of course it was confirmed that Yang and Ruby again were sisters by Raven.

Now how about Summer? Team leader….took a man and a daughter who were abandoned by her friend…and made them her own. Yang calls Summer Rose “Supermom” and “Her Hero”…was literally willing to storm a bandit camp so Raven could use her portal to take Yang to Qrow, so she could get to Ruby. And yeah, I know the RWBY critics scream “why didn’t Yang just look for Ruby in Mistral?” It’s a bloody kingdom, and Yang was pursuing a lead, that Tai had given her, and Qrow told Yang he’d look after her sister. Remember that? Oh wait, RWBY Critics forget, my bad. Anyway, she’s more of a sister to Qrow than his blood sister Raven, she’s more of a mother to Yang than Raven, and she’s more of a spouse to Tai than Raven. Good Stepmother. Non-married couple. Relationship built on trust. Blood is not the same as family. (Example Weiss’s remark to her father) (Or Dom Toretto)

So making Summer into a throw-away character who dies so that a brooding jerk of an alcoholic can claim character development? Making a woman nothing except a throw-away for a man to get development is BAD WRITING. For God’s Sakes, even Pyrrha was written better than that! She interacted with team rwby, nora was always helping her out, and so was Ren (though those shakes are a crime against humanity” But when Qrow fans try to demand he’s ruby’s father? Their fanworks make Summer as much of a flat character as Preston Harvey from Fallout 4, where they make Summer unable to do anything but be obsessed with Qrow and having his child, similar to how Preston cannot think of anything other than “Another settlement needs your help, I’ll mark it on your pip-boy”

 26. Finally, the accusations that CRWBY are lying.

“You have to be ****** if you believe CRWBY when they say Qrow isn’t Ruby’s father” “CRWBY is lying, it’s what writers do” “It’s okay for writers to lie, it’s good for plot” “I’d prefer it if CRWBY was lying to us” “Monty is dead, the writers should change it now” “Monty is dead, nothing else in the writing matters” “Monty was hiding the truth from us” “CRWBY is hiding the truth about Qrow being Ruby’s father” “It makes sense for CRWBY to lie to us” Look at this…Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, instagram…. The first quote? Was a woman who was using an anti-autism anti-disability slur defending the theory. Never have I ever seen people so obsessed with a  theory that they would deny reality and be rude to the very writers and original creator. But the QrowxSummer and Qrow is Ruby’s Father fandom group has made countless cases of this. THIS is how they defend their theory? And people upvote, like and support these remarks? SHAME SHAME SHAME

 Conclusion:

I get how people desire qrow to be Ruby’s father for ships or fanfics.

Even to where they make Taiyang a hated character just for the sake of making sure nobody disagrees with them.

But the attacking of RWBY and CRWBY, claiming that “this needs to be fixed”, or getting angry at RT for not giving you the non-canon ship you want? Claiming that just because you want it to be so, that somehow your ship/theory has “validity?”

That reflects poorly on the fandom and critics.

But then again…. It’s easy to ignore what’s real and what’s a fact that when theorists and ship-pushers and CRWBY Haters on youtube tells you to stop listening to monty and the writers, and instead believe whatever you want and claim whatever you want, Because surely you know what’s better for the show than the people who worked on it, right? Ha ha ha, no. THAT is the ULTIMATE disrespect somebody calling themselves a fan could ever give. And if you think or agree with that type of logic, you should look in the mirror.

I looked for backup sources to defend CRWBY and RWBY, you’ll find them below.

Backup sources include:

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-is-not-rubys-dad/422o_0rbCYuoXj36VoB7obK3MXPZRbPKkz5

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/why-the-qrow-is-rubys-father-theory-is-wrong/z668_nQlIxu0dmRdRpEPxqE3qlWlZEmoE2

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-cant-possibly-be-rubys-and-heres-why/8BB5_LPVCmu2bonkw8eEP3Yokg8m8zJlgNV

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/why-qrow-isnt-rubys-father/lXXx_5QoUQuPVGo3Wgko3wJ52mMBl7644P

 https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/is-qrow-rubys-father-short-answer-no/422o_0rbCYupDKezxPxpdje7dRn3nB8YvZ

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPbft3KJd6o

https://aminoapps.com/c/rwby/page/blog/qrow-is-rubys-dad-theory-debunk/d33g_pQEcbu1NKQoMEv0kmDpP6N8bmowkkq