#one's only Tsunade can answer

[ludwigplayingthetrombone]

Had to split the last chapter into 2 separate ones bc i got a bit overzealous with this one... so here’s chapter 3! may be a longer bit before 4′s ready, but  Enjoy! [tw: blood, mentions of suicidal thoughts/ death/ survivors guilt]

Ch1 Ch2

Tsunade: Enter. Kks: Mornin’. Tsunade: Kakashi. I got your message. So, Gai made it out of the coma, huh. I’ll go see how his condition is when I’m done here. Kks: I’m sure he’ll love that, but that’s not why I’m here. Tsunade: Are you looking for work? I can assign you-. Kks: More of a discussion. About the hokage thing.

Tsunade: Are you finallt giving me an answer? Kks: Yup. I’m saying no. I’m not interested. However, if there is truly no one else, I have a compromise if you’re interested.

Tsunade:It’d better be a good deal, brat. The council won’t be happy with this. You were about to accept months ago. Why say no now? Kks: Alot’s changed since then.

Gai: Papa

[gai sighs] [window sliding]

Kks: Yo. Gai: Rival!! Happy to see you! Kks: I see you’ve had visitors

Gai: Yes! I am so lucky and moved! Especially from our students! Kks: How are you feeling? Gai: Sore. Stiff. But much better than this morning. [kks hums] Kks: Sorry I took so long. Got caught up. Gai: Nonsense! I was honored to wake up to see both of your beautiful eyes first thing. You look so youthful! You left in such a hurry, you left your shoes. Kks: Yeah, had a soggy walk to my apartment. Can’t return those slippers now. Gai: How are /you/ feeling?

Gai: You seemed so overwhelmed and I couldn’t move. I feel like i’ve missed so much. Kks: I’m ok now. Just needed some air. Plus, sorted some things I’d been neglecting. I knew you’d be flooded with visitors. So, I stayed out of the way. Gai: Pretty cool response per usual. Kks: I think you’re pretty cool

Kks: How long are you stuck here? Did they say? Gai: A few weeks. Most of it depends on the physical therapy progress. My chakra network is fried. It’ll be slow to heal if at all. They’ve never treated my condition before, so the doctors are not sure what’ll happen

Kks: Did Tenten tell you about her plans? Kankuro even offered his experience building a prosthetic. Gai: Yes. She was very excited. Kks: /You/ don’t seem as enthused. What’s bugging you? you’re usually delighted by your team’s passion or whatever. Gai: I am truly touched because I know she’ll give it her all, but...

Gai: It won’t make a difference. Kks: What did the doctor say? Gai: Even if I can stand or walk, I’ll have lasting damage and pain. I’ll need a wheelchair the rest of my life. My time as an active duty shinobi is done.

Kks: You’ll get through this. Gai: What am I going to do, ‘Kashi? Kks: You’re stubborn enough. I’m sure you’ll find a way to prove them wrong. Like walking on your hands or something. You’ll be a menace in a wheelchair in no- Gai: I do not want you or my students burdened by my injury

Kks: That’s what you’re worried about? You think mourning you would have been any easier on anyone? You’re more to them than just a teacher. If you could have Dai back right now, wouldn’t you want that? Gai: Of course I would. Kks: Then see it from their perspectives. Don’t just lie down and accept this is how your life ends. That’s not how Dai raised you.

Kks: This is terrifying to deal with, Gai, It’s ok to feel overwhelmed. But please don’t give up. I won’t let you. Gai: I was prepared to die Kks: ...I’ve understood wanting to be dead for a long time. I get it. Gai: I do not regretn my decision at all. Regardless, I’ve hurt you the most. I know you’re angry.

Kks: I won’t lie to you. I am angry. Extremely. But I’ve wasted so much time pushing you away already. I don’t want to waste anymore time we have left. The only consistent thing in my life has always been you. I’ve said horrible things to you, and you never abandoned me. I think all the time about how I would have turned out if you didn’t keep me human. Self sacrifice seems to be something we have in common. Neither of us were meant to be without the other apparently... We’ve both been brought back from death. So maybe it’s...

Baby gai: You’re my eternal rival... My man of- Kks: Destiny

Kks: Strongesttaijutsu master who ever lived. My eternal rival. My man of destiny. I’m so happy you’re alive

[gai crying]

[Gai sobbing/crying]

[doveywovy]

the three aspects of the Hokage office that Anbu Commander Izuna is responsible for:

1: When Minato takes up the hat, he asks if the veil can be removed. The style of the entire outfit is old-fashioned, but the veil is especially annoying. It's got sealing stitched in it, as expected of something owned previously by two Senju who'd come from the era where the clan had still specialized in weaving, but even so...Minato's sure he could replicate the seals in much more concise format, without the need of the veil.

But Kushina pushes back. "It's necessary." She tells him, "Izuna himself demanded it's inclusion.

Minato sighs, but nods along. If it's part of the tradition it's part of the tradition, and ultimately he's still honored to be wearing the thing...even if, upon reflection, the thing it reminds him most of is a uchikatsugi.

He hides a laugh at the idea the Nidaime, famously sharp-worded man that he was, had been wearing a wife's veil, common enough at the time that others would've recognized it as such.

2: Commander Kozo has his eye on Kakashi as a potential successor. It's still early-on, but the boy is obviously talented beyond his peers. More importantly, since the tragic death of his teammates, he's thrown himself into protecting his squads with a fierce tenacity essential for the position; and he's shown himself gifted at earning the respect of his direct followers. Itachi, even more prodigiously gifted then Kakashi, had shown the boy a deference of respect he hadn't afforded to many others.

Because of this, Kozo indulges his hopes, and slips training for the position into Kakashi's more routine tasks. He teaches him about squad selection, walks him through the messy hierarchy of Shinobi, and answers questions most Anbu are not allowed to ask.

"If you're commander, you'll have to give reports directly to the Hokage." Kozo explains. "There's a way to do it. Traditional. Minato tried to put a stop it it, but- well, Hiruzen is well known for preferring the old ways with most things."

Kakashi nods once, but affords Kozo his full attention as he demonstrates the form. He kneels, legs against the cool tile. his hands pressed flat in front of him, and he dips his forehead to touch the cool stone. His back aches- he's getting too old for this nonsense. He hopes Kakashi will take over soon.

"Dogeza?" Kakashi asks, studying the form. Kozo relaxes, slides back to sit more casually on the ground and let his knees take a break.

"That's right. You hold it for the whole report, until the Hokage dismisses you." He wasn't certain if Kakashi, as young as he was, would know such an uncommon bit of etiquette. But the Hatake were an old family, it stood to reason he'd picked it up somehow from his father. "The second Anbu Commander, Uchiha Izuna, put it into practice. He said it was important to maintain the chain of command, to keep the deference by the commander clear."

Kakashi nods again, his serious little face absorbing the information. If he actually gets the position one day, as Kozo hopes he does, he'll likely see through that explanation just as well as every following Anbu Commander had.

3: Tsunade, already well on her way to drunk, offers Kozo the new bottle.

"Godaime-" He tries to refute, and she hushes him, a finger sloppily pressed to his lips. He doesn't allow himself to be swayed; he's seen her pull this move on anyone who tries to stop her from drinking and might be amenable to her persuasions.

"First sip. That's the rule, right?" She taunts. She's unfairly pretty when she's sloshed, all artfully ruffled robes and flushed cheeks. He's well aware he's not her type- she just likes teasing the Anbu. One of the only perks of the job, apparently.

It is the rule. Damned Uchiha Izuna. Kozo takes the bottle, and the smallest sip possible from it. "Not poisoned." He tells her, voice dry. As if a kenjutsu expert will have a better sense on that then the most talented healer in the history of the world. At least Izuna had the excuse of being the poison expert in his day. Tsunade smiles at him, snags the bottle, and chugs the rest.

Her lips rest where his went first. Damn Uchiha Izuna. She swipes her tongue on the rim, meanspirited creature that she is, and he adds Damn all the Senju, too.

[erimeows]

Self Conscious (NSFW)

Spring in Konoha has never truly existed. While today is the first day of the season, more than anything, it still feels like summer. It’s nothing new to Kakashi Hatake, who has lived in the village his entire life. He’s traveled enough to have experienced other climates, but he’s not too bothered by the ten month long stretches of blistering heat followed by only two months of pleasantly warm weather before it gets uncomfortably hot again. 

He lets out a sigh of relief when he walks into his apartment. The cool air washes over his sweaty skin as he shuts and locks the front door behind him.

Kakashi hears familiar footsteps against the wooden floor and looks to see you turning the corner from the hallway. 

“Hey, sweetie, how did physical therapy go?” You question.

“Fine enough,” Kakashi answers, then sighs. “Boring as always.”

Kakashi walks past you towards your shared bedroom. You follow close behind. He can’t help but notice that you’re wearing a tank top and shorts. He wants to tear them right off of you. However, there’s just one thing stopping him.

A healing hip.

Of all things… Roughly two months ago, he broke his hip on a mission. While incredibly painful and inconvenient, it didn’t require any surgery after Sakura worked on him, which he’s grateful for. What he’s not so grateful for are the weekly physical therapy sessions and the list of restrictions Tsunade has given him to follow while he heals; drink plenty of water, eat only healthy food, rest lots, and worst of all, no strenuous physical activity. 

What that means is no training, and worst of all for you and Kakashi, no sex.

Sure, the two of you can get off in other ways… But Kakashi misses it. As he watches you absentmindedly staring at yourself in the tall bedroom mirror, he wants it more than ever- wants you more than ever. He’s been wanting you so bad that he’s tried to seduce you a few times since the injury regardless of the restrictions he was given by medical personnel. Unsurprisingly, you care too much about him healing properly to let him have his way with you when he still has another month to go before he’s cleared to do anything. 

He sits on the edge of the bed and takes his shoes off, his one visible eye still trained on you. The straps of the tank top you’re wearing slide off of your shoulders. He can see the outline of your breasts and the stiff peaks of your hard nipples through the thin material of the shirt as the chill from the air conditioner blows over your bedroom. Your shorts tightly grip your hips and ride up to show your thighs.

“I’m glad it seems like you’re recovering well,” You grin and walk towards Kakashi so you can sit next to him. “I’m looking forward to next month when you’ll get your medical restrictions lifted.”

“Yeah, me too,” Kakashi looks you up and down before pulling his mask to let it fall loosely around his neck and wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you closer to him. “Come sit in my lap, pretty girl.”

You don’t hesitate- because just like Kakashi, the last two months have left you starved for touch- because even with kissing and cuddling and holding hands, the intimacy of sex is something that the two of you have missed desperately. 

You climb into Kakashi’s lap and put your knees on either side of his hips before leaning in and capturing his lips with your own. Kakashi kisses you back and tilts his head to deepen the connection. Your hands move up and down his body like they’re not sure where they want to go. Kakashi ends up grabbing them and pulling them until they’re gently resting on his neck, your small fingers wrapped around the pale skin, settled but not squeezing.

“Fuck, Kakashi,” You gasp, grinding your short-clad heat down against his stiffening cock and threading your soft fingers through his silver hair.

“I want you,” Kakashi breathes and practically tears your shorts from your body. There’s already a damp patch in the center of your white underwear as he circles your clit through the thin cloth with his fingers and uses his other hand to pull at your tank top. “Please, I need it. Let me have you.”

“You know we can’t,” You argue and break away from him to get off the bed. “You have to heal, Kakashi. Believe me- I want you, too, but I’d hate for two months of physical therapy and recovery on your end to be for nothing.”

Kakashi leans back onto the bed and huffs, his dick rock hard and aching for relief. His eyes flutter shut. 

“Okay.”

“I’m, uh,” You turn your back to Kakashi and go to the small drawer of your dresser to grab a vibrator. Then, you walk over to his side of the bed, press a kiss to his head, and start to walk the other direction. “I’ll just go take care of myself in the bathroom real quick.”

Kakashi sighs again. For the past two months, aside from the occasional oral, you two have hardly done anything- and any time you get yourself off, it’s either in another room or when he’s not home. At first, Kakashi didn’t mind too much, but he can’t help being curious… The two of you have been together for five years and you’ve never masturbated in front of him. Is it weird? He isn’t sure, as you’re his first serious romantic relationship. To him, though, it definitely feels weird. He’s even jerked off in front of you a few times and never thought anything of it.

You, however… Seem to be self conscious about it. 

Maybe he’s the weird one?

“Hey, (y/n),” Kakashi stops you by grabbing your hand.

You startle just slightly before turning to look back at him.

“Hm?” You hum.

“How come you never masturbate in front of me?”

“...Huh?” You tilt your head, a big blush taking over your (s/c) cheeks.

“I think you heard me.”

“Well, I guess I just-” You pause, refusing to look at Kakashi. “I don’t know, I never thought about it before.”

“Yeah?”

Silence… And not the comfortable kind that’s bound to happen between two people who have been together for five years. It’s the uncomfortable kind, the kind that happens when the two of you have an argument or an awkward discussion such as this. To Kakashi, sex isn’t awkward. With you, it never has been. Apparently, though, this aspect of it is awkward to you. The awkwardness is so palpable that Kakashi swears he can smell it in the air as you stammer over your words.

“I guess… I just feel like it’s weird?”

“Do you think it’s weird when I do it in front of you?”

“Well, no, but…”

“But what?”

“You know, with you looking the way you do, of course I wouldn’t mind,” You start to ramble. Your eyes dart between the bedsheets and the hardwood floors. “But you have the figure of a shinobi, and obviously, I don’t, so… I can’t help but be a little self conscious.”

“That’s all?” Kakashi asks, a small smile taking over his face. “I thought I’d done something or… Something. I don’t know.”

“No, you didn’t do anything. Don’t worry about it.”

You turn to walk away again, but before you can, Kakashi speaks up.

“Wait,” Upon hearing his voice, you stop to listen. “It’s important for you to know that I love you, and I’m still really attracted to you despite everything that’s been going on lately. You don’t ever need to be self conscious around me.”

“Oh… Well, that’s sweet of you to say, Kakashi.”

“It’s not me being sweet- it’s true. You’re beautiful,” Kakashi praises you, but he’s not an idiot. He can tell you don’t believe it; that you think he’s just trying to be nice or spare your feelings. Even after years of being with you, he has yet to make sense of why you’re so quick to brush off compliments. “I’ve never in my life wanted another ninja the way I want you.”

“Thank you,” You say with a sheepish smile. “You’re the best at making me feel better, but do you uh… Want me to…?”

“Want you to what?” Kakashi questions, raising an eyebrow. 

“Get myself off in front of you… Like you said,” You answer.

“Oh,” Kakashi blinks, then rushes to give you a good response before you get embarrassed and retract your offer. “Uh, yeah. I think I’d like it if you did, but you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable.”

“Okay,” You nod. “I think I’d like to try it soon.”

“Alright, but there’s really no pressure. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, and if we do decide to do it, you can stop at any time, and we can pretend it never happened.”

“Alright,” You say, but still, turn to the master bathroom with your vibrator in hand. “I’ll be right back… We can shower together after, okay?”

“Yeah… Sure.”

When you disappear into the other room, Kakashi sighs and pulls his pants down, wrapping a hand around the base of his length.

‘Another night of this… God, I miss her.’

~

The next day, while Kakashi is at a doctor’s appointment, you go on a shopping spree with some of your friends; Anko, Shizune, Kurenai, and Iruka. Your job as Anbu’s record keeper doesn’t pay an exorbitant amount, but it’s enough for you to comfortably support yourself and still be able to buy nice things, especially since you split your bills with Kakashi these days following his moving in with you.

So, when you pass by the nicest clothing store in Konoha’s shopping district and notice a beautiful (f/c) lingerie set on display in the window, you stop and look at it. 

The price is reasonable enough. It’s on sale, too.

You think back to last night; to that make out session with Kakashi and the awkward conversation that ensued. Maybe it would be nice for you to dress up for him since it’s been a couple months… You read something like that in one of his books once; the woman dresses up in a sexy outfit and sprawls out on the bed for the man to come home to. That seems right up his alley. Why not do it?

It’s a thought that makes you giddy at first, but then the doubt starts to creep into the back of your mind. What if it doesn’t look good on you? What if Kakashi’s turned off by it, or think it’s a stupid idea since the two of you can’t have sex right now? You want to try to please yourself in front of him like he mentioned… You’re just so terrified of him being unimpressed with you that you’re not sure if you can bring yourself to do it, even though he said he’d like it if you would.

You look around at your friends. They’re all shinobi with cut, perfect bodies, just like Kakashi. Beautifully slim waists, toned muscles, long legs, and so much talent. At times like this, you wonder why Kakashi is with a civilian record keeper like you instead of a beautiful kunoichi. You’re a good person, and you certainly don’t think you’re hideous or anything, but it’s difficult to maintain good self-esteem when you feel like you’re constantly surrounded by women who are more gorgeous than you.

Your eyes flicker to the lingerie set once more. You think about how you would look in it, versus how someone like Lady Tsunade would look in it… Obviously, a huge difference.

You’re not ridiculously out of shape- it’s impossible to be when you’re dating someone like Kakashi. Sadly, though, you don’t see yourself as a beautiful kunoichi either.

You frown.

What to do…

Kurenai interrupts your thoughts as she places a soft hand on your shoulder and speaks to you.

“What’s wrong, (y/n)?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” You give a dismissive wave with one hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? It looks like there’s something on your mind.”

“It’s a bit silly, but… I want that lingerie set that’s on display.”

“Do you not have enough money for it?” Kurenai questions and stops to look at the display as well. Your cheeks burn red as the rest of the group notices and stops as well to gawk at the lacy garment. “I could pick it up for you.”

“Oh, no you don’t, Kurenai! You have a whole kid to take care of,” Anko objects and points to baby Mirai, who’s currently in Kurenai’s arms, babbling at the woman and trying to pull at her dark hair. “I’ll buy it for you, (y/n)!”

“No, no. As the most senior of the group and Lady Tsunade’s personal assistant, I make the most money out of all of us, so I should pay for it,” Shizune inserts herself into the conversation as well and reaches into her pockets to pull out a thick leather wallet.

“Why don’t I buy it?” Iruka offers.

“On a teacher’s salary?” Kurenai says with a quirked eyebrow, shaking her head. “I don’t think so, Iruka.”

“Hey, guys, I appreciate you all trying to help, but I have more than enough money to buy it,” You offer a nervous laugh, then stare at the ground, too embarrassed to meet the curious gazes of your friends. “That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is it?” Iruka turns his head to you and asks.

“I’m just scared it won’t look good on me.”

“You only live once,” Anko argues. “Go buy it or I’m buying it for you!”

“Yeah,” Kurenai agrees. “You’re beautiful, (y/n). (f/c) is a nice color on you, too, so I’m sure it’ll look great.”

“Okay, then… I guess I’ll go ahead and buy it for myself.”

Peer pressured by your friends, you trudge into the store and quickly buy yourself the set- even if you’re convinced you’ll never have the bravery to put it on in front of your lover. 

~

Later that night, you find yourself standing in front of the mirror with tears in your eyes. Kakashi is out with Guy, Asuma, Genma, and Ebisu, doing God knows what- though that’s not the problem.

Rather, the problem is the lingerie set you bought from that store earlier. You’re standing in front of your bedroom mirror with pretty makeup on your face, a sparkly choker around your neck, and your hair done. You look good from the neck up, but the lingerie isn’t working; the bra, the panties, the garters, the matching thigh highs… None of it works. Your sex toys are on the bed, waiting to be used. 

With how insecure you’re feeling right now, you’re sure you’ll end up taking all of this off- including the matching (f/c) nail polish, shoving the sex toys in the back in their designated drawer, showering, and crying yourself to sleep before Kakashi even makes it home. 

“Ugh, this is stupid. Why did I even do this?” You groan, unsatisfied with how the lingerie contours your body. Even though it’s your size, it doesn’t fit quite right. You hate the way it makes your butt look, it’s a little too tight around your hips, and the bra just sucks. No wonder it was on sale… You huff and take the choker off, then start to wipe the makeup from your face when you feel a set of large hands on your waist. The makeup wipe and choker both fall to the floor as you gasp in surprise. You glance at the mirror to see Kakashi standing behind you. “Kakashi! I didn’t hear you come in! When did you get home?”

“Hey, pretty girl,” Kakashi greets you and rests his chin on your shoulder. He completely ignores your question in favor of trailing his hands up and down your exposed body. “What’s all this for?”

“I, um…” With Kakashi appearing so suddenly, you feel caught off guard and are unsure of what to do, even as Kakashi spins you around and pulls you close to his chest.

“Did you dress up just for me?”

“Well, yeah, but it doesn’t look the way I wanted.”

“What do you mean? It looks great,” Kakashi drags his mask down his face and leans down to whisper into your ear at the same time he grabs your ass. “How nice to come home to this after the day I’ve had.”

“Yeah? Did you have a rough day?”

“It was just long. As much as I love them, going out with those guys can be so exhausting sometimes, especially after a doctor’s appointment… I’m really pent up because I just couldn’t stop thinking about you… And about last night,” Kakashi gestures back to the bed with a knowing smirk. “I see your toys out on the bed. Was that your plan?”

You blush from your head to the middle of your chest at Kakashi’s words. You were hoping to get changed and erase any evidence of your plan before he got home, but he actually seems… Pleased?

“Well, um-”

“It’s a simple question, (y/n),” Kakashi reaches for your chin and gently tilts it up to make you meet his gaze. “Give me a yes or no answer.”

“...Yes,” You whisper back.

“You were gonna surprise me, hm? What a good girl.”

“Y-Yeah,” You stutter. You’re unsure of where to put your hands, so you place them on Kakashi’s shoulders as you press a kiss against his neck. “Sorry I didn't finish getting ready before you got here.”

“Are you serious right now? Don’t apologize to me for this,” Kakashi laughs, then quickly shifts. His voice drops in pitch and lust glazes over his one visible eye. “Now, get on the bed.”

“Okay.”

You rush to follow Kakashi’s order so fast that you nearly trip over your own feet. You sit on the bed and crawl back with Kakashi following close behind.

“I know it’s been hard for you since I had my injury. Thank you for being so patient, but I don’t want you to have to keep waiting up on me, even if we can’t have sex for a little longer,” Kakashi reaches forward and rests a hand on your cheek, caressing you so tenderly that it makes your heart throb. “I want… To see and help make you feel good.”

“Kakashi, I don’t think it’s such a good idea-” You object, gesturing to his hip, but Kakashi simply shakes his head and sits beside you.

“I won’t do anything crazy, alright?” Kakashi argues as he hurriedly sheds his clothes. His forehead protector, dark blue undershirt, matching pants, face mask, and boxers are all thrown to the floor with haste. When Kakashi looks back at you, the intensity in his eyes has you swallowing a nervous lump in your throat that you didn’t even know was there in the first place. “I don’t think I can handle another night of you disappearing into the bathroom when I’m right here, dying to take care of you.”

“Then… What do you want me to do?”

“Show me how you like to touch yourself.”

And it’s a little awkward. Part of you is tempted to say no, to get embarrassed and back down, to retreat into the bathroom again. But when you look up at Kakashi’s eyes to see how excited he looks, you remember that he thinks you’re beautiful; that he wants this, wants you.

“Okay.”

You scoot back onto the bed, lay your head on the pillow, sprawl out, and reach between your legs with both hands. Your fingers on one hand toy with your clit, while the fingers on the other hand circle your slick entrance. Kakashi grabs your vibrator for you, turns it on, and pushes it into the hand in front of your clit. You take the gesture for what it is and rub your clit with the tip of the vibrator. A low noise leaves your lips as you tilt your head back and close your eyes.

“Look at me,” Kakashi commands, much to your embarrassment. You open your eyes and look up at his face with a pout. Pleasure starts to rumble low in your body like a base. “Good girl… Are you embarrassed?”

“A little,” You answer, but spread your legs a little more and start to fuck yourself with your fingers at a steady pace. 

“Don’t be,” Kakashi says as he grabs his dick by the base and works it until it’s fully hard. Your mouth waters- you wish he would just fuck you, but you know you can’t. “You’re so beautiful, especially like this… Do you see how hard I am for you right now?”

“Y-Yeah,” You breathe out, because you do. Kakashi’s cock is red and stiff, with precum at the tip and veins lining the length of it. “Want it inside me…”

“That’s too bad.”

Kakashi lightly smacks at your wrist, so you slide your fingers out of your pussy and look at him with curious eyes. He doesn’t speak to you, instead laying down, snuggling into your side, and moving a hand between your legs. He fills you back up immediately by sliding two fingers into your heat. The two are quickly followed by a third before he starts fucking you with them so deeply that the action draws a high-pitched moan from between your lips, which is quickly muffled by Kakashi kissing you.

It’s different from regular sex, or even just Kakashi eating you out. You’re used to his face squished between your thighs, buried in your neck, or staring at your back as he has you bent over; not right next to yours, staring, watching.

The noise in the room only contributes to your arousal; the wet squelch that comes from Kakashi’s digits pistoning into you, the low buzz from your vibrator against your clit, the hums and moans from Kakashi as he quickly moves his hand over his dick. A dribble of precum drips down onto your thighs, and you rub them together in excitement for what’s to come.

With Kakashi hitting your sweet spot and kissing you like he’s starving for you, you’re right on the edge, but there’s something stopping you from cumming like this. Your eyes flutter open and meet Kakashi’s. The tomoe in his Sharingan swirl; a sign that he’s trying to record this moment for himself. You realize that it’s the anxiety. A mental block. You’re so self conscious about being watched that it’s keeping you from finishing, because what if you make a weird face? Or a noise that turns him off?

You break away from Kakashi’s kisses to let out a frustrated groan.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, I’m-” You huff, dying for release. “I’m super nervous and it’s- it’s making me take way longer than I usually do to finish like this… I’m sorry if I’m taking too long.”

“Stop. You’re not taking too long at all,” Kakashi scolds you as he continues to pump his cock with one hand and thrust his fingers in and out of you with the other. “If you want to be good for me, you’ll cum, and I don’t care how long it takes... You can take all night if you want, pretty girl. It’s not that different from sex, okay? Take your time.”

You don’t do anything in response except to let out a needy whine, which seems to please Kakashi, who alternates between kissing your neck and tits. His approval- the lack of judgment, the admiration, the utter love and adoration- is what sends you over the edge as you dial your vibrator to the highest setting and arch your back. You cum with a loud cry and fall flat onto the bed. 

Your legs tremble and shake as you pull your vibrator away from your clit and jerk away from Kakashi’s fingers. He’s kind enough to gently slide them out as he paints your thighs white with his cum, his face buried in your neck and your name leaving his lips like it’s a mantra. You pull him close and press a kiss into his sweat-dampened hair. Your eyes flutter open and shut as Kakashi continues to kiss at your neck, worshiping you even after the both of you have finished.

“Kakashi?” You start.

“Hm?” He hums and pulls away from your neck to glance up at you with one charcoal eye and one ruby red one. “What is it, (y/n)?”

“Did you really like that, or did you only want to do it because you thought I’d like it? You know, since we haven’t been able to have sex?”

“Mah, you always overthink everything,” Kakashi grumbles and sits straight up on the bed. “I did it because I thought you’d like it and because I knew I’d like it. It’s like I said before; you’re beautiful. Can you blame me for wanting to watch you a bit?”

Even with Kakashi’s sweet words, you can’t help feeling self conscious… But tonight has made you feel a little better. You don’t know how to respond, so instead, you reach for Kakashi’s hand and hold it within your own.

“Why don’t we go shower and change the sheets?” You ask, gesturing to the wet spots on the bed from what the two of you have just done. “We’re kind of a mess.”

“Sure,” Kakashi answers, standing up and heading towards the bathroom. Before he enters the room, he turns to look at you over his shoulder. “But don’t be surprised if a shower leads to a round two.”

With that, he’s gone into the bathroom, and you can’t help but laugh as you get up and follow after him.

[suika-suigetsu]

Quick question what are your fav Yaoi and Yuri Ships in The Narutoverse? Just curious lol

Sorry to answer your quick question with a long text, but I'm just like this... 🥹

So, since I was a kid, I never watched Naruto thinking about couples, I was never a "stan", as they say. I just loved the story and the characters.

It was only very recently, when I started to like the character Suigetsu and researched everything about him, that I saw how perfect I think his relationship with Karin is.

I say this because, as much as I like the cannon couples and defend the story of some of them, I do it more because I respect Kishimoto's decision of the ending and because I think it's cute, but I didn't research it in depth to ship it faithfully like I do with SuiKa. But I like to respect what is cannon, even if some have destroyed other ships that I liked more (but I'll never say... 😭)

I ship when I think that, based on the character's story and the context, they make a good couple.

So, here are some same-sex couples I ship (using information that I think makes them perfect for each other):

Itachi x Kisame

I never really thought about it because I'm not a fan of Itachi, but I like Kisame, so I never saw them together romantically. But I've been thinking and researching about it for a few months now, and after seeing some cute art of them, I'm even more convinced.

I think Kisame fell in love first, and like Sasuke, I don't think Itachi was emotionally mature enough to reciprocate, but as an artist, I plan on pretending that they had a lot of loving moments together and I'll draw them as soon as I have time (I already have some sketches). 🩷

Gaara x Rock Lee

I don't like shipping characters that I feel have a more "innocent" aura. Rock Lee, Jugo, Mitsuki... I see them as babies. But I like to hear everyone's opinion and, sometimes, they convince me.

I like GaaLee nowadays, even though I don't have much information for it, but I just like the idea that the two of them are single parents who share a mutual love for each other and their children, and I also think that Rock Lee's energy would make Gaara's life happy, since he has such a sad past...

Izumo x Kotetsu

I don't need to say anything, right? They've been cannon since the first chapters they appeared, that's just a fact. They're stuck together like nails and flesh, nowadays they must be living together and traveling the world on a never-ending honeymoon. 💖💖💖

A little steal on the list: Sakura x Karin

This one doesn't make any sense, I only shipped them when I was younger, I didn't care about Suigetsu and I hated Sasuke. I just wanted them to use their love for Sasuke to get closer and form a couple, and they were my favorite female characters 🥹🥹 Obviously I don't think that way anymore nowadays, but I'll still draw them together a lot just because I really like it lol.

Another little steal: SuiKarin

Haha, I know it doesn't fit here, but I just think they love each other too much and have enough experience to have tried a lot of things together. After Naruto invented the Sexy jutsu, anything is possible, right? I still want to draw SuiKarin yaoi and SuiKarin yuri... I'm looking forward to it 🫣🫣

Now, other couples that I find cute when I see them, but I don't have enough information to ship them:

Kakuzu x Hidan (I think Hidan would be easy with Kakuzu, but Kakuzu seems too shallow to be with anyone...? Although Hidan seems to be very convincing when he wants to be...), Sasori x Deidara (I'm not just talking about sexuality here, but also about feelings. If Sasori still loves his parents, he can love someone romantically, and I think it's cute to think of him with Deidara. But that said, I didn't feel any chemistry between them in the scenes where they appear together. I'm rewatching Naruto now, maybe my opinion will change, and I hope it does, because I think the art of them together is really cute...), Jiraya x Orochimaru and Tsunade (This is another steal from the list, I shipped them when I was younger, haha. I just think they're a trio that only works if the three of them are together, and if it's just two of them, it doesn't work, you know? It's a hc I've had for a long time. Unfortunately, it didn't come to fruition... In fact, I have another ship with 3 people that I think would close the anime with a flourish, but I'll never be able to say which one it is publicly... 🥹)

Just about Kiri and the Swordsmen of the Mist

I think that just like in Akatsuki, they (the Seven) must have had romances between them too. And unlike Konoha, Kirigakure doesn't seem to care so much about marriage, starting a family and things like that... In fact, I don't know if it's cannon (I don't think so), but it really struck me when I saw in the anime that one of the call girls that Jiraya went out with was married to one of the men that Jiraya captured to get information about Pain. I still think to this day "wow, the people of Kiri are so bold..." .

Anyway, thinking about Kisame's story, they even avoided that (love someone). So I think there had a lot of "quick romances", maybe with more than one person at the same time. They weren't very emotional, you know? Life was hard, just killing and missions... So relationships were just a way to de-stress. That's one of the things that made me ship ItaKisame, because I think that even though he thought that way just because he grew up among the cold population of Kiri, Kisame ended up falling in love with Itachi after knowing him more than he knew anyone else.

Spending time with companions ends up breaking the coldness, even of assassins, so I think there must have been couples who loved each other within the Seven, but I just don't have enough information to know who would end up with who. Give me information, Kishi... 😭

I'm sorry for being so annoying about ships 🥹 But I really like having evidence that makes me like the couple. There are cannon couples that I don't like at all, even though I drew them...... And there are others that I love, but like with SuiKarin, we'll never have confirmation... But since things are complicated on the internet, I prefer to keep my opinion about them to myself.

Thanks for reading. 🩷

[seoheesoo]

What if Sakumo were alive and how Kakashi's life would have changed after Naruto was born

[Part 6]

"I can't believe it's been nine months already!" - Obito said excitedly.

The teenagers arrived at the Namikaze family's house. Kakashi raised his hand to knock, but the front door suddenly opened. A young woman came out of the house.

"Tsunade oba-san!" - Kakashi smiled at the woman, who looked at the three teenagers with a surprised look.

"Kakashi! Look how you've grown!" - Tsunade extended her hand and patted the guy’s hair. - "Have you come to visit Kushina?"

The teenagers nodded.

"Come in, she just woke up", - Tsunade stepped aside. - "I'll go see Sakumo-san for now."

Obito and Rin bowed to the woman in farewell.

"Why do you call Tsunade-sama an aunt?" - Obito immediately asked as soon as the woman disappeared around the bend.

"Because Jiraiya is my uncle", - Kakashi shrugged and entered the house.

"So what?" - Obito screamed. - "You're always like this. You can never answer a question directly. You're annoying!"

"Be quiet", - Rin shushed him. - "You'll wake up the baby."

The teenagers took off their shoes and walked into the living room. The door to the bedroom was slightly open. Obito and Rin knocked and entered the room, while Kakashi hesitated at the entrance.

"Obito, Rin!" - he heard a woman's voice. - "Glad to see you."

"Kushina-san!" - Obito rushed to her first. - "How are you?"

The woman was lying on the bed. Traces of fatigue were visible on her face. She smiled softly at the worried teen and squeezed his hand tightly.

"I’m fine", - she reassured the guy.

Obito did not take his eyes off her, in which anxiety was noticeable. At the same time, Kakashi finally entered the room. While Obito and Rin were talking to Kushina, Kakashi moved closer to Minato.

"Do you want to hold him?" - asked the Fourth Hokage as soon as Kakashi was nearby.

Hatake nodded uncertainly. Minato smiled encouragingly at him and held out the child. Kakashi carefully picked him up and pulled him closer.

"Hey Naruto, wake up", - Minato bent over the baby. - "It's time to meet."

The child in Kakashi's arms began to stir. His eyelids fluttered and after a moment he opened his big, blue eyes. Kakashi turned his back to everyone and pulled the mask off his face with one hand. His lips stretched into a gentle smile.

"Hello Naruto", - he said softly. - "My name is Kakashi."

Naruto blinked.

"I’m so happy to finally meet you", - Kakashi leaned over the baby and touched his cheek with his finger. - "From this day on, I will be your big brother. And I will always be by your side. I give you my word."

"Kakashi! I want to hold Naruto too!" - he heard a loud voice behind him and quickly pulled the mask over his face.

"Wait", - he muttered and hugged the child tighter.

"Hey, that's not fair!" - Obito immediately pouted. - "Give him to me."

Kakashi shook his head stubbornly. Minato and Kushina laughed.

"Come on, Kakashi, let Naruto meet his other siblings", - Minato put his hand on the guy’s shoulder.

"Okay", - Kakashi muttered displeasedly and handed the baby to Rin.

***

Three years have passed since Naruto was born and four years since Minato assumed the post of Hokage. Konoha was rapidly changing under the leadership of the Fourth Hokage. The first thing Minato did was remove Danzo from all affairs and abolish the Root. As soon as Kakashi turned seventeen, Minato appointed him head of the ANBU. Not only focusing on changing the ANBU system, Minato also advocated reforming the police department. By concluding an alliance with the head of the clan, Fugaku Uchiha, with the support of Obito, Minato was able to change the attitude of the elders and residents of Konoha towards the entire Uchiha clan.

In addition to changes within the village itself, Minato actively advocated signing peace treaties with other villages and ending bloody wars. The long-awaited peaceful era of shinobi has arrived.

Kakashi was patrolling the borders when he suddenly felt familiar chakra. He stopped abruptly, and his team members immediately froze nearby.

"Go ahead, I need to check something."

Having waited for their nods, Kakashi headed towards the supposed location of the familiar chakra. He landed silently on a tree branch and glanced at the ground. In the middle of the edge of the forest stood a child. Kakashi jumped down. The child turned around and shuddered in fear.

"Naruto", - Kakashi called him quietly.

The boy covered his face with his hands in defense. Kakashi mentally cursed. The child had never seen him in his ANBU uniform before. Kakashi removed the Hound mask from his face and then quickly pulled off the black mask as well.

"Naruto", - he called the child again. - "It's me."

The boy slowly moved his hands away from his face and turned his gaze to the guy.

"Kashi nii-chan!" - with the speed of the wind, the boy rushed at Kakashi and hugged him tightly around the neck.

"I’m sorry I scared you", - Kakashi said softly, stroking the child’s back soothingly. - "What are you doing here? And why are you alone?"

Naruto was silent, still trembling slightly from the emotions he had experienced. Kakashi decided not to put pressure on the child, giving him time to come to his senses. After a few seconds, he felt a familiar chakra approaching. He quickly pulled his black mask over his face and carefully broke the hug from the boy.

"Genma, captain of the Hokage's personal guard", - Kakashi turned to the arriving guy and deliberately emphasized his position. - "Would you like to explain why the hell the son of the Fourth got lost in the forest alone?"

The guy put his palm forward and frowned.

"Do you remember that five days ago the Fourth sent me on a mission to Hidden Sand Village? I returned an hour ago and was immediately informed that Naruto had escaped."

"Escaped?" - Kakashi clenched his hands into fists. - "So, what did your incompetent subordinates tell you? Isn't it their responsibility to protect and monitor the Fourth's son? How could a three-year-old child escape from their surveillance? Do they even understand the danger they put him in? What if something happened to him?"

Genma jumped off the branch and came closer to the guy.

"According to them, in recent days he began to run away more and more often. And it became more difficult for them to find him."

"They also have the audacity to come up with excuses for themselves?" - Kakashi’s cold voice cut deeper and sharper than any dagger.

Genma glanced worriedly at his right hand, which was beginning to gather chakra. The accumulated chakra crackled and enveloped the guy's entire arm in blue bolts of lightning.

"They were very unlucky that it was not the Fourth who found out about this, but me. Minato sensei could have spared them, but I won’t", - Kakashi growled in a slow and low voice. - "I'll kill them."

"Kakashi, stop", - Genma took a step forward, standing in the guy’s path completely without any fear. - "You're scaring Naruto."

Lightning flashed and disappeared. Kakashi turned around and met the gaze of frightened eyes. Hatake dropped to one knee in front of the child.

"This is the second time I’ve scared you, I’m sorry", - Kakashi bowed his head guiltily.

"Kashi nii-chan, I didn’t mean to", - sobbed Naruto.

Big blue eyes filled with tears.

"I ran away and now you’re angry with me", - the child said in a broken voice, rubbing his eyes with small fists.

Kakashi's heart sank. He extended his hand and hugged the boy tightly.

"Naruto, I'm not angry with you", - he whispered, feeling hot tears on his shoulder. - "Listen to me carefully, Naruto Namikaze, I will never be angry with you. You will never disappoint me. And you should never be afraid of me. I will always be by your side to lend you a hand or lend my shoulder. I will always be behind you, protecting you and guiding you. You should never worry about this."

The boy's small arms hugged his neck tighter. Kakashi could feel the child's heart beating fast in his chest.

"Do you promise?" - the boy asked in a quiet voice.

"Promise", - Kakashi vowed, putting all his love and devotion into one word.

***

"I knew I would find you here", - Kakashi heard Guy’s voice, and then felt Might sit down next to him. - "You weren’t near the gate and I didn’t find you in the apartment. You usually meet me after missions. Something happened?"

Kakashi could feel his excitement. Guy knew him too well, he could read all of Kakashi's hidden feelings just by looking at him. Hatake felt Guy's hot hand gently squeeze his palm.

"It’s interesting how much has changed in the village in the three months that I was gone", - Guy decided not to put pressure on Kakashi and decided to continue the conversation, giving Hatake time to find the right words. - "Did Naruto acquire some new techniques? I can't wait to meet him tomorrow and show him some new moves."

Kakashi snorted quietly. Guy loved Naruto very much and if it were his will, he would spend every free minute with the child. Kakashi liked to watch them train while sitting under the shade of a tree with a book in his hands. Guy and Naruto were very similar to each other in Kakashi's eyes. Both had immense energy and literally glowed from within, like two bright suns. And usually, when Guy went on long missions, Naruto's company brightened up the days of waiting for Kakashi. But not at this time.

"I’ve been having nightmares a lot lately", - Kakashi said in a hoarse voice.

Guy tensed.

"Every night I dreamed that I was losing everyone I cared about. Father, Duy-san, Obito, Rin, Minato sensei, Kushina-san, Jiraiya ji-san… They all died right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to save them. I just watched helplessly as they left."

Guy silently listened to Kakashi's monologue. Hatake could feel how carefully and tenderly Guy squeezed his hand.

"And every night I woke up with a scream in my throat", - Kakashi sighed heavily and turned to face the guy. - "But, you know, there was something that helped me break out of these nightmares and come to my senses."

Guy waited with bated breath to hear the continuation of the story.

"You", - Kakashi finally said.

Guy's gaze warmed. The tense shoulders relaxed and the corners of the lips curled into a soft smile.

"Thinking about you brought me to my senses", - Kakashi continued. - "You know, my brain never formed nightmares about you. Because I know better than anyone that I simply won’t be able to stand it if I see something happen to you. I can and I was able to survive nightmares about all the people close to me, but I know very well that if something happens to you, I will break."

Kakashi pulled Guy's arm, forcing him to move closer. And then put his head on his shoulder.

"You are my anchor, Guy. Always have been. As a child, you always brought me down to earth when I acted like an arrogant kid. In my youth, when I was drowning in the blood of my enemies, you pulled me to the surface, not allowing me to choke. You became my support and my strength."

Guy gently ran his hand through the Hatake's hair.

"I often think about the future when I look at Naruto", - Kakashi admitted. - "This child was born in such a cruel world, but I want to change this world so that he does not have to experience the horrors that you and I once went through. I want his whole life to be filled only with happiness, joy and love. Sometimes I worry that he is too energetic and that it might put other people off. But, you know, this child is special. There is something in him that, on the contrary, attracts other people to him, makes them follow him. Very soon he will go to the Academy. Because of his parents' status, I was afraid that the other kids might shun him, but he manages to befriend every kid he meets. He has already made friends with Itachi's younger brother, the Kazekage's son and the children of Ino-Shika-Cho."

Guy smiled. Kakashi's voice changed when he spoke about his little brother. Guy could feel Kakashi's boundless love for Naruto.

"These are peaceful times, but sometimes this calm scares me."

"I understand what you mean", - Guy nodded.

"It’s like everything can collapse in an instant. It’s like this whole world is an illusion."

"That’s not true, Kakashi", - Guy objected softly.

"I want to believe", - Hatake sighed tiredly and closed his eyes.

He felt like he was falling asleep. And he knew that next to Guy, all the nightmares would finally recede.

"I missed you", - Kakashi said. - "Three months is too long. I was afraid that you wouldn't come back."

"I will always come back to you", - Guy gently hugged him by the shoulders. - "In this world and in all others. In this life and in all others. In every reality and in every universe, I will always return to you. Only to you."

Kakashi smiled.

"Sounds like the most serious promise", - he teased the guy.

"This is my self rule", - Guy lifted Kakashi’s face and softly kissed his forehead.

"Maa", - Kakashi pulled off his mask and covered his lips with his own, feeling Guy’s happy smile. - "I love you too".

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

[littlemonstert-blog]

Explaining What I Shouldn't have to...

My Aynalsis

People act like this explanation came out of nowhere when it was literally right in our faces.

Since there only so many panels I can add i might even do a mini part 2

Yes Naruto reasoning for his crush on Sakura was because his rivalry with Sasuke.

Let's started from the beginning where the author set of the dyanmic between team 7.

This is how

Had it from the very beginning

"Sakura a cute girl i like alot" like this is it. So basically from the start from what we know she's cute. That's it

then introduce sasuke already we seen they already know each other.

People tend to "call cap" like there isn't a whole ass chapter explaining the ONLY reason why he even liked her in the first place. Chapter 3

" All I want is for you to acknowledge me." Naruto really took this up as a competion to go out of his way to make Sakura dislike Sasuke.

He did in certain ways at time saw sakura a trophy in a competion.

How did people take this seriously. A immature boy who grew up without parental guidance.

Chunnin Exams

Chapter 37

For somebody who as a crush on Sakura he much more worried about Sasuke having the attention then rather Lee who's blowing kissing & asking her out on a date.

"Always Sasuke"

Forest of Death

Chapter 57

Don't even get me started on the forest of death that the real kicker for me.

in the dream sequence we finally get to see how Naruto wants to one up Sasuke & Sakura as the trophy

And when Naruto wakes up not asking about her injuries but... about her hair.

Chapter 74

Ya' know this could been a true moment between the two, but Naruto doesn't really care. Always turns to be comedic relief nothing to take seriously.

(This is how sum up there 'moments" could have been romantic but ends up as a joke because the author never takes them seriously.)

Naruto vs Gaara

Chapter 129

'What are we suppose to do?"... Now, thats not something you say when the girl you like is in danger of dying.

It took Sasuke throughout this chapter to remind him to do something.

In contrast with other characters there's no questioning what to do. Naruto does two things; will get super mad and go berserk if you mess with Sasuke or Hinata regardless of what point you read in the story

After the Tsunade arc

chapter 172

Now, people say he was sad because how Sakura ran up to. No form this panel Naruto sees that Sasuke was at peace that why we get that "sasuke..you..." he's been through then decides to leave.

If naruto was all that upset about it we would have gotten a flashback to the scene. But then here we are again with Naruto & Iruka eating more concered if Sasuke will become a chunin chapter 172

Then went back to see sasuke smiling as if nothing happened

Even after this to prove my statement he still wants to check on Sasuke & his wellbeing chapter 173

The promise

chapter 183

Seen people say Naruto was truly heartbroken during this. Which is not true Naruto always knew Sakura has feelings for Sasuke. If it was that they would have had a flashback to the hospital scene. In truth Naruto understands her too and is hurt because he cares about Sasuke leaving too.

After Pein Arc

In this scene it just shows us how they just incompatible they are. Never being able to console each other ( other then when it comes to sasuke) when it comes down to it. Naruto needs cheering up to & I understand Sakura needs it as well because Tsuande is her teacher.

Naruto never paied attention when Sakura has been feeling down unless it possibly about Sasuke.

If it isn't Team 7 mission related or Sasuke what do they honestly talk about? I've never see them bond about anything else. When it comes down to it there friendship has always been rocky.

The kage summit arc

The Promise

Chapter 457

What we've all been waiting for

Here we have it brought up again the conversation between Naruto & Sai

Couldn't keep his promises... Not only did he not answer the question we have the next time when it's brought up again.

Chapter 470

"Doesn't matter about the promise." I want to save Sasuke for my own sake."

Naruto telling her it doesn't matter if there a promise between them and if he never made he still chase after Sasuke....

Then what the hell is it then? This just tells us that his "feelings" for Sakura are shallow as hell and fading.

After this it's never brought up again. Normally if the girl you love did a fake confession like this be heartbroken & could never see them again.

But, Naruto acted as if this nothing ever happen. It's never brought up again.

If he really wanted Sakura wouldn't he have ask his mother advice/tips on this?

Looking back

Chapter 693

you have Sakura confess again right in front of Naruto & he isn't even fazed nor cares by it.

Chapter 691

At the end Naruto still doesn't even mention her to his father at the end.

At the end of it Naruto still doesn't know a damn thing about romance or girls. Why would he? Honestly an orphan at birth will be ignorant to certain situations. Just look at how long it took for Naruto to understand Sasuke.

but the question is when did Naruto start to grow up & mature?

I'd say it the time Jiraya died that when he truly grew up & matured.

May revise when I feel like it.

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

Tobirama birth chart (headcanon)

Tobirama is a headcanon I've procrastinated a lot because as a Madara hardcore fan, of course I'm not enthusiast about the Second hokage. But hey! I need to conclude the cycle of founders birth's chart. And I swear, I'll be fair play !

I strongly advise you to read Madara and Hashirama's chart. For this birth chart, I'll go a little bit more technical in astrology. We will talk briefly about rulerships, aspects and synastry. I'll try to explain as simple as possible but if you don't understand don't hesitate to ask me more precision in comments. Ok let's go:

Based on the official databook, Tobirama Senju is born the 19th of february which made him a 0° pisces. At first glance, it's an intriguing choice. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac traditionally described as encompassing all the previous ones. Pisces is compassionate, creative, mystical. It talks about total acceptance, the dissolution of the ego. The drop of water reaching the ocean and merging with the divine before moving to a new cycle : a new aries. Actually in the beginning of Christianity it's not a mistake that Jesus was associate with Pisces symbol. It's the same self-sacrificing figure for a transcendent cause. We agree that it seems far... far away from the rational and composed Tobirama...

It seems that I need to articulate a coherent idea between his sun (ego), his rising sign( body) and his mars (action). Say in a different way, this triptych talks about public image. The king comes with a vision (sun), he shows himself to the public wearing a formal dress, an etiquette, a way to behave in public (ascendant/rising sign) and defend its vision with the help of a general (mars).

☉ Sun : Ego – Branding to the world

♓ Pisces

Some clues shows an association of Tobirama with pisces : his element is suiton. His blue charadesign, he's also one of the strongest sensor of the verse capable of recognising chakra kilometres around, determine their ancestry ect... and what is a sensor? but a shinobi using his empathy as a tool? More trivial he's favourite dish is fresh fish from the river. But I think what shows the most his affinity with this sign is his self-sacrifice nature for this new entity that was the village in a time when people were strongly clan-oriented. It's something no one could believes possible, it only existed inside Hashirama's mind. You truly needed to have faith on him to invest all your energy on it. If we go back to Tobirama's speeches, he always justify his actions for the village. We can almost say that he had a religious devotion for his brother's dream and he gave his life for it. He's never seen coming with a vision different from Hashirama's (contrary to Madara), actually like a zealous servant to a higher cause he's ready to kill immediately anyone threatening this village when he clashed with Sasuke for suggesting he might destroy Konoha depending on the answers he got to his questions. But I'll talk deeper about the Uchiha's obsession later in the moon part. The moment when Hashirama strongly forbid his brother to attack Sasuke was also the moment when everybody knew who's actually the boss and who obey. Tobirama was a faithful follower of Hashirama's will and dedicated his life to translate it into a realistic project (using his mercury and mars).

In a more positive light, anyone accepting the will of fire are nurtured and loved even if they are Uchiha like Kagami. Tobirama had a strong attachment to his students, much more that his brother. I know it seems strange but from the first time he appeared, Tobirama was the one always calling Hiruzen Sarutobi by his pet name "Saru" meaning monkey in japanese, or his other student "my dear Danzo". Hashirama is a goofy character, but doesn't seem to have such proximity with them even if he loved Tsunade, he immediately doubted her ability as a hokage. Later during the war, Tobirama is also the one always complimenting or supporting the new generation : He acknowledged Minato as being faster than him, Naruto for having the potential to be a stronger hokage than his older brother.

Ascendant/Rising Sign : Social personality – Physical Body

♍Virgo

the image that come to my mind when I think of Tobirama is an ocean surrounded with a giant dam. The mass of water is controlled, accurately measured, divided and distributed only when necessary. But, you might ask, can we really controlled the immensity of an ocean with a river dam? Of course not! but what matter in a rising sign is to display the illusion of control.

Virgo is the sign coming to correct the extravagant of Leo. End of august, mid September is the period of the year in the northern hemisphere with the best natural light. Not too hot , not too bright. Soft and round with million nuances of gold, orange and red. Traditionally it's also the time of harvest when you need to select and separate the wheat from the chaff. It's a sign that excel in precision, expertise, high fashion but in the bad side can tends to be narrow-minded because the devil is in the detail.

Rising virgo also talk about his physical appearance. Virgo is concerned about good health, best routine. Usually they are in good shape, average height unless the ruler of Virgo which is mercury is place in a sign with difficult aspect. And what set appart Tobirama from all the other founders is his charadesign flattering his albino's appearance. The cool colours of grey and blue, the fluffiness, it shows a natural sense of elegance without being extravagant for a shinobi.

And also the Senju are filthy rich, Hashirama have a strange (Madara would say ugly) sense of style, but Tobirama was like : "I may not be the most powerful in this house but I'm wealthy and smart, so does my style. And I will die on this hill."

☿ Mercure : Intellect – Communication

♒ Aquarius

I must find an explanation of the over analytical aspect of Tobirama. He's to Hashirama what Shikamaru would be later to Naruto : his brain.

Mercury in Aquarius is a big thinker, able to make atypical discovery, out of the norm and also subversive. Tobirama is the inventor of Edo Tensei which I remind you need to make a human sacrifice. In which condition Tobirama came to the creation of this forbidden jutsu ? And even during the 4th Shinobi war, he learned nothing from his past mistakes and proposed to sacrifice again someone else to bring back Madara and extort from him intels about Kaguya.

Aquarius as a fix air sign has the tendency to be stubborn and certain of their philosophy. Many people believe that the sign of Aquarius is humanitarian then nice by nature. Not always... Aquarius avoids emotional approach. It rather privileges logic, rationality to dissect human society. And it doesn't shy away from experimentation. The long lists of jutsu created by Tobirama is a proof of his brilliant mind.

♂ Mars : Action - Desire

Mars : Gemini

Reading again the 4th shinobi war and trying to focus on The Second Hokage rather than Madara was a difficult exercise but it helps me see his role in the war differently. He's one of the most important support character. If you remember my analysis of Hashirama's mars in taurus, the first hokage is a powerhouse ( a bit like Gojo in JJK) and thus tends to fight alone or one-on-one with Madara. Hashirama strength is to resist prolonged attacks and controlled someone else chakra. Yet his power is tremendous and can change the geography.

Tobirama has a different style. Although a powerful shinobi who can fight alone, he rarely does. He immediately fits with any partners he's close too. Hashirama, Minato, Naruto, Sasuke. He's often the one observing, testing and explaining a jutsu and reminding that HE created most of them 😂. On the spot, he also invented a way to save Sasuke's life with Kabuto.

Reason why I choose mercury in aquarius and mars in gemini is that he thinks as fast as he moves. in his chart mercury and mars form a trine which is considered a favourable aspect. being in the same air element, his mind and his action are flowing smoothly. Before Minato, he was considered the fastest of his generation.

Madara noted that his favourite way was to strike last moment when his opponent lower his guard. This cunning strategy is befitting mars in Gemini . This is traditionally represented as twins both crafty and fickle. Tobirama adapts to any situation, any war companions even those from the new generation he barely knows and immediately comes up with a new tactic.

I believe this adaptability is a direct consequence of fighting Izuna for years. We know that the sharingan can copy any technique except kekkei genkai. Hashirama can protect himself behind the mokuton but not Tobirama. If a technique is used once in front of an Uchiha he can't use it anymore and lost the surprise effect. Also the Sharingan can predict a movement. Tobirama found a way to outperform the sharingan by blizz speed with the Flying Thunder God Technique. Fighting Tobirama must be a terrifying experience, rest in peace Izuna😭. Imagine, he's there... then disappeared. then strikes and you only notice him when you know it's too late.

☾Moon : Emotion – Comfort zone

♒ Aquarius

If you remember in my previous HC charts, moon is easily guessed by childhood because children tend to be more lead by their emotions than adults. In volume 65, Tobirama was shown to be already a serious child, ready to defend his older brother from his father. Maybe the violent outburst of his father taught him early in life that the best way to deal with people is self-control, and strict procedures. And that's something that he often admonished his brother or his students. It's not that you shouldn't feel, but to him you have to keep your emotions in check.

Moon in Aquarius intellectualises emotions, and sometimes distance themselves from them. They can treat friends like family member since they believe in brotherhood beyond blood relative. Tobirama did everything to distance from the Senju heritage, he suggested a democratic election for choosing the first hokage and after his death the Senju ceased to hold power in Konoha, it diluted into the will of fire. In Aquarius there is this idea of giving privilege to the people rather than some monarchy (which is the leo's way).

Remember when I've talked about an ocean falsely controlled by a dam ? If the weather is nice it works but what will happened if one day a (red) full moon provoke a super tide able to engulf the dam and flood the world ? Nothing can control the chaos of emotion, it always moves somewhere and erupts somewhere else.

Moon talks about your emotion but also your irrational fear. And paradoxically Tobirama never checked his obsession of the Uchiha and this blindness caused many of the darkness that befall the Konoha he cared so much.

I said earlier that his fear of the sharingan was a driving force behind many of his inventions. Also Tobirama had an epidermic detestation for Madara. And the funny part is that it's not really reciprocal. Yet Madara had got all reason to be obsessed by vengeance since Tobirama killed his last brother but after he accepted the truce and created Konoha, he was willing to « tolerate » Tobirama's presence, but the younger Senju was unwilling to do the same gesture and kept his obsession to control Madara or any Uchiha willingly to follow his path. The databook says also that Anbu was specially created by Tobirama to put the Uchiha under surveillance.

We need to ask ourselves what an aquarius moon would hate the most ? As an air moon, this sign is unease with strong display of emotion, narcissism, drama... something typical of its opposite sign leo. An opposition is annoying but you can deal with it more or less. Aquarius also square 90° to scorpio. A square is considered as a strong source of tension than an opposition. Scorpio is ruled by mars. This sign thrives in passion, struggles, crisis, war, violence and transformation throught strong emotional turmoil. All those energies are challenging, and exhausting for an aloof, etheral and conceptual moon in aquarius.

Taurus is also a square to Aquarius, the lazy nature of this steady sign, rooted in tradition, is hard for an Aquarius interested by innovations and futuristic perceptive.

Now let's introduce a little bit of synastry. The art of synastry is to compare two charts and to gauge their compatibility. It's often use for couple or parent/children but what if we apply it to enemies?

Now remember my Madara's chart? His mars in leo is in the 8th house, conjunt his jupiter and square his pluton in scorpio. In other words : The expansive actions of Madara illuminate the house related to death and crisis. Madara's violence reach its peak in the house of destruction. In the positive side, it means Madara is built for battle and he loves that. Better to have him in your team than against you. And this tremendous tension can be source of transformation for the world and himself. In the negative side he is a natural disaster. He's a menace and unless your name is Hashirama he's impossible to stop and will create massive disturbance in the world. He transform and impact deeply the life of many characters in the verse like : Obito, Kurama, Onoki and obviously Tobirama.

So for Tobirama, his moon in aquarius opposes Madara's mars, and his moon also square Madara's pluto. So for the second hokage, any action (good or bad) made by Madara is source of concerned and suspicion. also the plutonic nature of Madara leads Tobirama to irrational fear and paranoia. On top of that he explains himself very well: The Uchiha clans is wired on everything he detest. Their power needs strong uncontrolled emotions to thrive. The deeper the feeling the higher the power, and the sleepless are Tobirama's night.

And yes Tobirama admits that Madara is the biggest sentimental of the verse😅.

♃ Jupiter : Infinite Expansion – House of wisdom

♍ Virgo

Considering that Tobirama is Hashirama's younger brother, jupiter spend in average one year in a sign. Depending how big is there age gap. His jupiter could be either in Leo, virgo or Libra

I choose virgo because it amplifies his uptight attitude. Jupiter is on his ascendant. His very procedural approach to life can outshine his sun in pisces. He likes precision and proper etiquette. He admonished Hashirama for not showing a proper dignified position during the hokage meeting. He reminds Naruto to respect his actual title, and correct anyone forgetting he owns the copyright of 80% of Konoha's jutsu!

♄ Saturne : Restriction – Time - Enlightenment

♑ Capricorn

Saturn in capricorn talks about authority and power. Time and stability. Here, Saturn is the ruler of capricorn. which means it express itself at the fullest in its quality and its flaw.

In positive Tobirama is the creator of all the institutions we know in modern Konoha. The ANBU, the chuunin exams, the academy, the military police forces. It's as if Hashirama was the spirit and Tobirama the architect. After him, Konoha was more powerful, stable and don't need anymore to rely too much in charismatic leaders in order to survive.

Again if we apply synastry between him and Madara, Tobirama's saturn conjunct Madara's sun. A conjunction is when planets come together and influence one and other. Saturn being strong in capricorn than the sun, it tends to have a highter toll on Madara.

If this saturn is close to Madara's ego, it would tend to exert a hold over him, a slow pressure to contain his sun. The big institutions of the village, Tobirama's political influence, the Uchiha under close surveillance. From Madara's perpective, he knows Tobirama can't fight him directly in close combat but he's building a system resembling a prison for him: he can't fight anymore his ally, he can't change his reputation, he can't have any political power (here I don't know if the Uchiha went to the military police force before or after the Valley of the end but anyway Madara wasn't included in discussion considering the nomination of the Hokage), and even his clan doesn't trust him anymore. And without a surprise even after Tobirama's passing those institutions and policies against the Uchiha ended up being their final downfall. And it took 8o years.

For saturn, times is always its ally.

♀ Venus : Attraction – Seduction

♓Pisces

Hard choice because we don't know if he had a flirt, or was married but it seems not. And we don't know anything about his personal dream. He's almost married to Konoha at this point. So by simplification I'll say venus in pisces. Which is an excellent place for venus based on rulership it's exalted in this position. Here she can expresses her most creative side. It would be funny if Tobirama is low key an artist but as practical as he is he probably brings all his imagination into his scientific researches and maybe his fashion tastes.

To conclude : Tobirama was a character more complex than I initially thought. Dedicated, efficient and caring for his village. I still don't like him though but now I precisely know why😂. Although I respect his steady strategy to destroy the powerful clan of the Uchiha, he really fooled them all. It was methodical and well planned. Compared to the other founders, Tobirama is more down to earth than his big brother, but also more patient and attentionate to the new generation than Madara. And if you love the will of fire (which I don't), yes Tobirama was probably one of the best hokage!

[keepyourpantsongohan]

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

Sure, I don't mind at all!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As for favourite moments, here are a few:

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

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

Gaara using his sand to have Naruto shake his hand

Naruto meeting Kushina for the first time and hugging her

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

[geekthefreakout]

The GaaNaru Letters (part 2 of ?)

PART 1

AN: Here's some more letters. I don't know how much more I will write, or how much actual romance I will get to. This is still early on.

Dear Gaara,

Sorry I'm sending this with a toad which is weird but I'm in a hurry and this is important. Have you ever heard of the Akatsuki? Don't tell anyone I asked. But this is important

Naruto U

Uzumaki Naruto,

I have never heard of this "Akatsuki." I have told no one. Your toad does not like me. What is happening?

Sincerely, Gaara of the Desert

....

Uzumaki Naruto,

Temari says the more appropriate question is "Are you alright?"

I still have not told anyone your question.

Sincerely, Gaara of the Desert

Dear Gaara,

Sorry for the delay. There's a lot I'm not supposed to say. I'm okay, though, thanks for asking. Sorry if I worried you.

I'm going to tell you what Akatsuki is. Don't tell Tell who you need to for safety. But not how you heard about it. It's a secret, but you should know this one. Akatsuki is a group of weird guys, and they're after kids like us. Kids with monsters. Two of them found me while I was traveling with Pervy Sage, but him and Bushier Brows Sensei got rid of them. Now Sasuke is hurt, though, so it's even more important that we find the next Hokage. The lady Pervy Sage is thinking of is supposed to be a great medical ninja or something. She can help Sasuke and Bushy Brows.

Anyways, just watch yourself. Especially if you see weird guys with bad fashion sense and a thing for red clouds.

You were right, mine is Kyuubi. I didn't know until right before I became a genin. The Third didn't want it to be known by the younger kids, so only the adults knew. They hated me, but I never knew why. Then I did know why, and some stuff started to make sense. It doesn't really matter, because I'm going to keep working hard so that everyone sees me for me and acknowledges me! That's why I'm going to become Hokage.

You said your sister told you what to ask- does that mean you're on better terms? You didn't actually let them beat you up, did you?

You said a lot of other stuff in your letter that I want to talk to you about, but I don't have time now. Pervy Sage and I are setting out again, as soon as he gets back from "gathering information" at the onsen. Why are so many of the teachers I end up with perverts?

Sincerely, Uzumaki Naruto

Uzumaki Naruto,

Thank you for this information. I do not think it is likely that this Akatsuki will be a threat to me- unlike you, my defense is automatic. However, my time in the Hidden Leaf Village showed me that even my defenses are not perfect, so I will be vigilant. In a few days, I will tell Baki that I overheard a rumor about the Akatsuki and wished to report it to him.

Why do they want us?

Do not answer that. You've already shared too much. Your con You shouldn't I am grateful, but please do not put yourself in an awkward position for me.

Who is this "Pervy Sage"? I wonder if the woman he is speaking of is Tsunade. Her skill as a medical ninja is known even here in the Sand village. Kunoichi everywhere look up to her, including my sister.

I did offer to let Kankuro hit me, and I believe it helped, though not in the way I had anticipated. He became upset and insisted that he, Temari, and I sat down to "talk things out." I did not talk as much as they did. Both of them acknowledged that things were "a little weird" between us, but they insist that they do not want to hit me, because I am their little brother. I've never considered what that meant, outside of the obvious blood relation.

It's because of you that I have this chance I appreciate your advice in this area. Temari is surprised that I am writing to you, but she approves.

How is Rock Lee I will wait for you to return from your mission before resuming our other conversations.

Sincerely, Gaara of the Desert

Part 3

[dira333]

Unwavering I - Ibiki x Reader

this is for @snuggleboots (taglist is open) this is what happens if you rant to me about your favorite character - I can't help but write about them.

Warnings: Reader is dealing with psychological aspects of her work and she's having trouble with alcoholism. Please do not read if this triggers you.

This is going to be a longer fic, I've already written four more parts and am currently working on the ending.

Masterlist

“Aunty!” Little Ino’s voice is so much like herself - hard to ignore. 

“Hey, Princess.” You drop low to grab her and throw her up in the air, catching her easily in your arms when she comes down giggling.

“You have a new Lipstick!” Ino points out, sticky fingers already on your mouth.

“Hmm. Do you like the color?”

“It’s pretty.”

“You think so? You wanna try too?”

“I can?” Ino asks, blue eyes wide in excitement.

“Why not?” You ask back just as her mother steps out of the shop. “But it will be our secret.” You whisper into your niece's ear and she giggles, clutching you a little tighter.

“What a bold choice.” Your sister-in-law points out when you enter the flower shop with Ino still secure in your arms. 

“You think so?” You smile at yourself in the big window and wipe some lipstick off that Ino had smeared before. “I think it could be a little brighter.”

“I won’t tell you what to wear for work, but is it really the right attire to work at the shop?” 

You press a kiss to Ino’s left cheek instead of answering, exaggerate the noise, and repeat it on the other side of her face. She giggles, unaware of the red blooming on her cheeks now. 

“I think it suits me just fine.” You tell your sister-in-law and turn back to the window, pointing Ino’s reflection out to her. “What do you think, Ino-chan?”

“It’s so pretty!”

-

“Stocking up?” Ibiki’s so close his chest bumps into your back as you wait in line. There are five bottles of wine, two bottles of Sake, and a six-pack of cheap bear in your baskets, crushing a bag of instant ramen under their weight.

“Oh, I’m having a party.” You lie effortlessly and turn to smile up at him.

That’s the most infuriating thing about Ibiki. No matter how bright your lipstick or low-cut your top is, his eyes never leave your eyes when he’s talking to you. You wonder if he’s learned to read them.

“Great.” His voice is so dry he could very well be reading a phone book out loud. “When is it? I’ll bring the snacks.”

“You’re not invited.” You turn back and start unloading your stuff, scrambling to pull your wallet out in time to pay.

“Put in on my tab.” Ibiki orders behind you. “If you’re free this evening, I need to discuss next week's interrogations with you.”

You sigh and pack your groceries back into your basket, silently enjoying how the Ramen noodles crunch under the weight of the wine bottles.

“Can it wait until after I had Dinner?” You ask when he puts his wallet away, his own basket a stark contrast to yours. It’s filled with fresh vegetables and a square package that’s either meat or fish. It’s so healthy, it could give you hives.

Instead of answering he puts one hand on your elbow. He doesn’t need to put any pressure into the touch to let you know to start walking. 

Only when you’re outside the store he starts talking again.

“I’ll cook,” he orders, his voice making it clear that he’s not going to take no for an answer, “Your dinner will just leave you unable to talk.”

Shame burns in your veins as you keep walking, unable to speak.

Your last physical had been a few weeks ago but not even Tsunade telling you to lower your Alcohol intake had made you feel this way. After all, who was she to talk?

.

Ibiki slips his shoes off before he steps inside his apartment and you follow his example awkwardly. Inside, the fattest cat you’ve ever seen trots up to your colleague and rubs itself on his leg, purring so loud you wonder if it’s really an animal and not something else.

“This is Neko.” Ibiki introduces you. “She is very friendly.”

Neko looks up at you as if she wants to disagree. There’s no purring for you, instead, she shows you her ass and walks away.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll start cooking.”

“Can I help?”

“Can you?” He asks back, slipping out of his coat. “Cook, I mean?”

Shame burns through you again. Every other time this topic came up it made you look rebellious and cool to women and a femme fatale to the guys. 

In front of Ibiki, you feel like even more of a failure.

“I’m not stupid.” You bark out and he nods.

“You can cut the vegetables.”

-

“This is Ibiki Morino.” Inochi gestures at the guy in front of you. “You’re going to work together from now on.”

“Why?” You ask, eyeing him curiously. You know Ibiki. You’d been one year behind him in the academy, but other than that you hadn’t interacted much. 

He’d always been just one of the guys, not as memorable as Kakashi nor as flirtatious as Genma. Not a pervert and not someone to lust after. Just… Ibiki.

You, on the other hand, should be well-known to him.

“He’s been made Jonin recently,” Inoichi explains and you straighten in interest.

“Can’t he talk for himself?” You ask because you hate that he’s made Jonin before you. Even if he’s one year older than you, you’ve been handled as the Families Genius for years.

“He can.” Ibiki’s voice is deep, even at sixteen. “I’m going to be assistant to the leader of the Intelligence Division.” 

You gape in shock, turning back to your brother. “I was going to be assistant!” 

You know you sound like a petulant child, but he’d promised you this position the moment he’d known he’d become Leader.

Inoichi has the decency to look ashamed. Ibiki looks like he could care less.

“Since your abilities are so similar, the Hokage thought it would be better to have someone else take the role of the assistant.” Ibiki points out dryly. “But I hope to work well with you as my assistant.” 

You move on instinct, but Inoichi is faster, grabs your hand before it can connect with Ibiki’s face. You’re not sure if you wanted to slap him or read his mind, but now you just look like a fool.

.

Ibiki is the right choice for the position, even if you don’t want to admit it out loud.

He works late when Inoichi can’t be bothered to, little Ino always a bit more important than work. His approach is so different from yours that it would be easy to push it aside but you can see that it works. It’s like two hands, entwined. It’s hard to tell where one starts and the other ends.

But he’s infuriating, impossible to crack.

More than once you’ve been called the most beautiful Kunoichi of your generation. You’ve learned to use your beauty in your work without anyone teaching you to the point that men spill their secrets at the sight of your lips or the flutter of your lashes. 

Not Ibiki.

When you have to leave Konoha for a mission and Genma and Ebisu are trying to subtly fight over who gets to share a tent with you, Ibiki tells them with a bored voice that they will share one tent, leaving you to take over the first watch.

Ibiki is a hard-ass, uncaring for anything that’s not his work.

That’s what you think until

-

You curse and grip your hand but there’s still blood dribbling down your arm.

“Let me see.” Ibiki is at your side in a heartbeat, pulling your hands apart to assess the damage.

“It won’t need stitches.” He exclaims. “But if you don’t want it to leave a scar you should use Chakra.”

“I know that.” You huff in indignation. “I’m trained in Medical Ninjutsu.”

“Then you’ll have no problem with helping yourself.” He points out and pulls you toward the sink only to step in the place you just vacated, inspecting your work. Even from this distance you can tell you haven’t done your best. You hate cutting onions. 

Ibiki doesn’t mention the uneven pieces and you turn back to the cut in your hand, calming yourself down enough to heal it up.

“Turn down the heat.” He points at the stove when you’re done. “And turn the fish.”

You stare at him in confusion. He takes a Spatula from a drawer and flips the filet in the pan without further comment. You feel like a little kid but not in a good way and you scramble to find something to hold on to.

“About next week’s interrogations.”

“I don’t think you should interrogate the Kiri-Nin.” His eyes are on a green vegetable you can’t name. He’s cutting it into thin stripes, his hand moving so swiftly it distracts you from his words for a moment.

You gape when you realize what he’s just said. 

“What? No! I was successful with his colleague when your method did not work. It’s my job!”

“Just because two Shinobi come from the same Village doesn’t mean they will both succumb to the same interrogation.” He points out.

You huff. “Let me try. If it won’t work, you’ll have free reign. But I’m sure it will work.”

“Oh? Did you have something planned?”

You straighten. “Of course. Most Kiri-Nin are used to harsher methods. It works well to establish a connection with them.”

He hums in thought. “How are you planning on doing that?”

You start to explain, quickly engaged in a conversation as he continues asking questions. It’s easy to forget that Ibiki is a hard-ass when he decides to act like a normal person.

“Please set the table.” He interrupts your explanation of a difficult Jutsu. “The plates are in this drawer.”

You straighten in surprise. You hadn’t noticed the time passing.

“Do you want some wine?” You ask when you set down the plates, your basket at the door attracting your attention like it’s True North and you’re an innocent compass drawn toward it.

“No alcohol in this house,” Ibiki announces from the kitchen.

“It’s just a little wine.” You huff.

“Nothing’s just a little wine with you.” His voice is calm but his words cut into you like knives made from ice. You freeze.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You ask, your voice dangerously low.

“You know what I mean.”

“No, Morino. I don’t.”

He turns, dares to lean his back against the stove behind him.

“I got the report from your last physical.” He announces. “Inoichi doesn’t know yet, but-”

“What?” You hiss. “Were you planning on telling him? Hm? To get me kicked off the squad?”

“You’re going to get yourself kicked off if you keep drinking like that.”

“I don’t have a fucking problem!” You yell. Something crashes loudly and you realize belatedly that you threw a plate at his head, the porcelain shattering on contact but hitting only the kitchen cupboards.

Ibiki doesn’t speak. Somewhere behind you, you can hear Neko mewling loudly, clearly indignant about the noise in her home. You can barely breathe, the room suddenly too small for you. You move toward the door without another word, grab your basket on the way out, and leave your shoes in your haste to get away.

You don’t have a problem.

-

Your team lead is dead, Ibiki has been captured and Ebisu keeps bleeding from a nasty cut on his arm. He’s the least helpful in this situation, mumbling non-stop as he goes through all the books he’s read, trying to find a strategy that might work.

The worst thing about this? It’s your fault. 

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You didn’t kill your team lead and you were not the one who barely missed Ebisu’s heart and instead cut into his arm.

But you’d been one heartbeat too slow, stumbling to catch up in a fight that would have been difficult to win even in top condition. 

You remember fighting with Ibiki on your way here, calling him a stuck-up bitch to his face when he refused to listen to your plan on implementing a new Jutsu. 

You remember him moving you out of the way, scarred hands warm on your skin as he pushed you to the side just moments before he was pulled from your sight. 

If you’d been faster, better, less intent on fighting him instead of your actual opponent, he’d still be here.

Right now you’d take being captured over sitting here with Ebisu.

There’s nothing quite like figuring out you’re not as talented as everyone thinks you are. Nothing like realizing your own failings just in time to see someone looking up to you, believing that you’ll be exactly what they need.

Ebisu is looking at you like that. “You’re the team lead now.” He says and your stomach churns so violently you have to excuse yourself.

You wish for the warmth that settles in your stomach after the first sip of Sake or the fuzzy feeling of safety that comes after a glass of wine. Everything but what you have now.

.

You promise yourself a six-pack of beer if you manage to find out where they’re keeping Ibiki. Your body won’t mind the extra calories if Ebisu keeps eating your rations as well as his.

When that is done, you promise yourself that new dress you’d been eyeing. It’s a deep shade of brown that makes you look like a delicate flower and reminds you a little bit of Ibiki’s eyes when he’s laughing - not that you’d ever tell him that. It’s crazy expensive but you’ll look amazing in it. It might even get Ibiki to show a reaction if only to sigh and tell you not to waste your money on things like this.

All you have to do to earn this dress? Break Ibiki out.

When you find him, his head is a bloody mess but he’s glaring up at you as you untie him.

“Took you long enough.” He jokes but winces when you move him.

“Can you walk?” You ask and put a hand on his neck to stabilize him.

“Sure.” He says but doesn’t budge.

“I don’t know much Medical Ninjutsu.” You explain as you position yourself, pulling his head gently into your lap. A lock of silver hair clings to your fingers when you pull them away and you stare at it. Whatever it is that makes you slip the lock of hair into your pocket, it shall stay hidden.

“Ah, don’t worry if it leaves a scar.” He jokes. “It will fit my face.”

He must notice how your breathing picks up as you struggle to keep your Chakra flowing. You’ve never minded the sight or smell of blood until now. There’s just so much of it and all of it is Ibiki’s.

“How’s Ebisu?”

“He’s fine.” 

“And you?”

“Just a little hungry.” You lie, fighting against the urge to throw up.

“Ebisu ate your rations?”

You sigh. 

“Why did you push me out of the way?”

“My work doesn’t care if I get a new scar or two. Your work does.”

You laugh shakily.

“You’re just saying that. In reality, you thought I’d not make it through their interrogation.”

You don’t sound angry, don’t feel it even though you think you should. He’d not be wrong in thinking it either.

“You would have made it through the interrogation without a problem,” Ibiki states calmly. “But they might have thought you don’t know enough and killed you.”

Your hands still on his skin. You barely managed to stop the bleeding.

“Ibiki-” You start, unsure what you want to say when Ebisu bursts through the door.

“Guys, we have to go! Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“Yeah, me trying to heal him.” You snap back. “Help me here. He can’t walk on his own.”

.

It’s a miracle that Ibiki makes it back to Konoha alive. That he survives the multiple head wounds. He doesn’t seem ashamed of his scars but you are. It’s another sign of your failings.

You never buy that brown dress but on weekends when you’re not on babysitting duty, you sit with a new six-pack of beer or a bottle or two of wine and fight the fear of being left behind.

[kazu86sworld]

Birthday Gift

Helloooo everyone!!!

I know this is too late to give a birthday gift for tenzo 🙏

But wiseman said that it's better late than never, right? 😅

So, this is my birthday gift for the kakashi's soulmate and my new kakayama fic for all of you guys!

Happy reading, hope you like it 🥰

********

9 pm, inside his apartment, tenzo sit on his knees on the floor. In front of him, on a table, there was a small cake, a birthday cake, with one small candle on top of it.

Tenzo took a breath, then exhaled slowly. He took a lighter, next to the cake, then lit the candle. Tenzo put the lighter back, then clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Dear God, today is my 13th birthday. I've never celebrated my birthdays before, neither when aunt Tsunade was still alive nor after she passed away. So this is my first time..." Tenzo silend for a moment, then continuoud it.." People say to make a wish before blowing the candle, so the wish will come true. I don't know if it's true or not...but...I wish...I wish I can have a friend. I have mochi, but she is a cat. I mean a human friend...maybe a close one...so I won't feel lonely anymore...Amen..." Then he blew the candle.

Shortly after the candle flame went out, there were knock knock at the door. Tenzo was a little surprised. He opened his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. Who comes at this time of night? he thought.

Tenzo went towards the door and opened it. It turns out there was no one. But there was something on the floor. A box. Not big. Wrapped neatly, with navy blue paper and a red ribbon on top and a card.

A package? A gift? Is this for me? Of whom? But....I asked a friend... A human friend...how could a human be wrapped in a small box like this?

Tenzo took the box, then read the writing on the card. Oh... apparently the box wasn't for him. The box was intended for the room next to his room. Tenzo didn't know who lived next door to his room. Tenzo had never seen or met the people who lived there, even though their rooms were next to each other. But, whoever it is, Tenzo still has to hand over the box.

So Tenzo stepped up and knocked on the door of the next room. No answer. Tenzo knocked once again. And the door opened. There was a teenage boy, his body was taller than Tenzo, with thick silver hair that covered his left eye and a mask that covered half of his face. So only his right eye is visible. Her appearance is quite mysterious, thought Tenzo.

"Yes?" The teenage boy asked in a flat intonation.

"Um...I'm sorry for bothering you late night...but I guess this box belongs to you...someone put it by mistake in front of my room..." said Tenzo with a shy smile.

"Thank you..." the teenage boy answered briefly.

Tenzo handed over the box and the teenage boy accepted it.

"Oh...did your finger hurt?" Tenzo asked when he saw the boy's bleeding thumb and index finger.

"Oh... just a small wound... pricked by a cactus thorn..."

"Cactus thorns?"

"Well... I don't know why my cactus, which was green, turned brown. I tried to check it and accidentally got pricked by its thorns..."

"Oh...I see. May I see the cactus? I quite like plans so I know a little bit about cactus. Maybe I can help you..." said Tenzo.

The teenage boy thought for a moment..."Fine, come in..." he answered invitingly. Tenzo goes inside. He glanced at the teenage boy's apartment. There's not that much stuff in it. But everything is neatly arranged.

"Over here..." said the teenage boy. He walked towards the TV table. Tenzo took off his sandals then followed him. Right next to the TV there is a cactus in a pot.

"This is the cactus..." said the teenage boy. Tenzo stepped closer and looked at the cactus. Some of the colors are still green, but others are brown. Tenzo then looked around. The TV table is far from the window.

"Do you always put this cactus here?"

"Yes..."

"How many times did you water it?"

"Everyday of course...don't plants need water?"

Tenzo smiled. "I am sure that your cactus is getting too much water and not enough sunlight..."

"What?" Even though most of his face was covered, Tenzo could see that the teenage boy looked surprised and confused.

"The cactus doesn't need to be watered every day, because basically it is a plant that lives in barren areas, and because of that it also needs sunlight. The brown part shows that it is almost rotting..."

"Oh...no...is there anything we can do to safe it?:

"I think we can still keep it safe..." said Tenzo, smiling kindly. "Do you have paper and knife?"

"Paper and knife? I do. Wait...I'll take them..."

After receiving the paper and knife, Tenzo then took the cactus out of the pot by slowly wrapping the paper around it. Then he checked the stem and roots, then cut the black roots with a knife.

After that, Tenzo placed the cactus near the window. "This cactus must be dried in the sun to dry for several days. Once it is completely dry, plant it back in the pot. Just put the pot here so it gets light, and water it only once a week."

The teenage boy was truly impressed with what Tenzo did to save his cactus. "Thank you..." he said.

"No problem..." answered Tenzo with a friendly smile. Suddenly, the teenage boy with thick silver hair and a mask felt his face warm.

"Umm...are you okay?" Tenzo asked.

"Hmm...?"

"Your face...althouugh it's masked...I think it turns a little bit red..."

"What??? Really???" The teenage boy clearing his throat "I am fine.."

"Are your fingers still hurt?"

"Um...yeah...a little..."

"Do you have any medicine and bandage? Your wound could become infected if it is not cleaned and treated immediately..."

"Um...I don't have any of that..."

"I have some...what if you come to my room?"

"Umm...alright..."

A few moments later, the silver-haired teenage boy was sitting in Tenzo's TV room. Tenzo came out of the bathroom carrying a medicine box. He then sat next to the teenager.

"May I?" Tenzo asked.

The silver-haired teenager stretched out his right hand reluctantly. He watched how Tenzo carefully cleaned and treated the wounds on his fingers. And when Tenzo touched his hand, he felt....comfortable.

"Well, it's done..." said Tenzo.

"Thank you..."

"No problem..." answered Tenzo with a friendly smile.

"Um...is that a birthday cake?"

"Oh...yes it is..." Tenzo laughed awkwardly. He just remembered that the birthday cake and candle were still on the table.

"Are you...celebrating a birthday?"

"I am...."

"Whose birthday?"

Tenzo laughed awkwardly again. "Mine...."

"Alone?"

"Um...not really...with mochi actually..."

"Mochi?"

My cat..." said Tenzo while pointing to the doormat in front of his room, a fat calico cat was sleeping on it.

"Oh...I see..." said the teenage boy, smiling behind his mask.

"Do you want some cake? How about we taste the birthday cake?" Tenzo asked.

"Okay..."

Tenzo went to the kitchen, took two small plates and two forks, then cut the cake into two pieces, put one piece of each on a plate and gave one of them to the teenager.

"Thanks..." answered the teenager while receiving the plate. He then took off his mask and started eating the cake. For a moment, Tenzo was amazed to see the teenager's face. It turns out his face is...handsome. Tenzo felt his cheeks warm.

"Something wrong? I think your face is red now?" said the teenager.

Tenzo became embarrassed.

"Oh...Um...nothing. How is the cake?" asked Tenzo.

"Actually, I don't really like sweets, but this cake is delicious..."

"Glad you like it...Umm...I didn't see anyone else in your apartment earlier, do you live alone?"

"I do... I don't see anyone else besides that cat here? Do you live alone too?

"Yeah... Previously I lived in another apartment with my aunt. Two months ago she died and after that I moved here because the rent here is cheaper..."

"Oh...I'm sorry..."

"It's okay... How about you? Why do you live alone?"

"Actually, I'm not from here. I live with my father in another city. I moved here because... there are a lot of sad memories there... I wanted a change of scenery..."

"I see...By the way, since when do you like cactus?"

"Oh...actually the cactus belonged to a friend. He died a few months ago. He saved me when I was almost hit by a car driven by a drunk. His name was Obito. The cactus was a gift from a girl he really liked, who was also my friend, her name was Rin. Rin died last year due to cancer. The cactus held the memories of the two of them, so I decided to take care of it... but it turns out I'm not good at taking care of it..."

Silence...

"If you need my help to care for the cactus, just let me know. I will help you..."

"Thanks a lot... I'm sorry for talking too much...."

"No, it's fine..."

"It feels a bit strange...

"Strange?"

"Usually I don't like to talk a lot, especially with people I've just met... But I feel comfortable talking to you..." said the teenager with a smile. Tenzo blushed, he hopped his brunet hair was long enough to hide his face. "I think it's already late, I have to go back to my room..."

"Oh...you're right..."

"Thanks a lot..." said the silver-haired teenager go back to his room

"You're welcome." Tenzo answered while closing the door.

Tenzo sighed. He turned around and leaned against the door. He never thought that today he would meet his neighbor. But he felt happy.

Suddenly...knock knock...again.

Tenzo was surprised. Who else, now? he thought. He also opened the door.

"Hi again! I am sorry for bothering you...but it's funny...you've helped me a lot and we've talked to each other...but I haven't even told you my name, and I don't know yours. My name is Kakashi..."

Tenzo chuckled. "I also just realized... my name is Tenzo..."

"Well Tenzo...happy birthday..."

"Oh...thanks..." Tenzo smiled and blushed.

"And this is for you...for my thanks and birthday gift..." Kakashi gave Tenzo a small bell. "This is from the box earlier. Two bells belonged to my mentor, Minato Sensei. It seems he wrote the room number wrong so the box was placed in front of your room. Because there are 2 bells, I'll give one to you. I hope you like it." Kakashi said smiling behind his mask.

"Oh...this is very nice. Thank you so much, kakashi."

"You're welcome. So, see you...tomorrow?" Kakashi asked.

"See you tomorrow..." replied Tenzo smiling.

That day was the first time Tenzo celebrated his birthday. The first time he got a gift. And the gift is very special. A friend, not just a friend, but the closest one.

Happy Birthday Tenzo!

[the-thin-white-snake]

does orochimaru believe in love? Has he ever been in love?

//Ah, the ever difficult question of Orochimaru and love. When I first started rping as this character, I would have immediately said no, but after getting older and having some more life happen to me, I realize the answer isn't so simple. Nothing is really simple when it comes to Orochimaru; he definitely inhabits a lot of grey areas as far as morals and emotions go. For most of the story, Orochimaru doesn't seem like someone who's capable of love. He exhibits malignant narcissism, only caring about someone so long as they're useful to him. He's quick to dispose of followers who show any weakness, and doesn't so much as blink if they die during a mission. He's also a deft emotional manipulator, knowing when and how to twist someone's emotions against them and hitting them where it hurts most. You can't deny that he was a cold and ruthless man, who kept very strict control over emotions he though were too "soft". However, upon closer inspection, we can see these traits don't make up the whole of his character and were, indeed, not part of his original disposition. Orochimaru was originally a quiet, reserved, sensitive child, and it was that sensitivity that allowed him to form strong bonds with Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. He loved them like a second family. It was clear he loved his parents. So, yes, he can love. But thanks to being a shinobi, the early deaths of his parents, and living during a time of active war, he never had much of an opportunity to nurture that part of himself. Instead, he shoved those feelings into a box and buried it deep inside where no one could see them. Shinobi can't be weak. They can't afford to let their control slip. Shows of emotion are frowned upon, so Orochimaru learned to just not deal with them. As to being in love, well, that's a whole other can of worms (or snakes, depending on your preference). A lot of people think that he might have been in love with Jiraiya, or Tsunade, or both. A lot of people think he might have been in love with Kabuto, or Sasuke, or any other character they like to ship him with. Again, there's a lot of ambiguity. As far as canon goes, a lot of his relationships can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and that's fine. People are free to ship him how they want to, or not ship him at all. Actually, when I first started, I had no intentions of shipping with anybody. Then @senjutsunade showed up, and then I sort of jumped onboard the OroTsu train. It's my personal headcanon that Orochimaru was just as much in love with Tsunade as Jiraiya was, but never acted on it, because, well, Jiraiya. Also Dan existed. Also they were at war. Also my man just can't handle strong feelings very well. TL;DR: Orochimaru is a complex individual with a complex past, and it's really up to your interpretation what he thinks/feels about love.

[senjutsunade]

Head Canons - Tsunade and Kakashi

Penned with @konohagakurekakashi and so they are our exclusive property. Narnian craziness ahoy.

❃ A lot of her soldiers are scared of  her brute strength and her altering emotions (as they should be), yet this has the effect of people rarely being honest with her or providing her with their honest opinions, choosing instead to give her the answers they think she wants to hear. This has never been a problem with Kakashi. He always manages to provide her with the hard truth even at the expense of a pen to the forehead. ❃ With that said Kakashi rarely bothers to move out of the way of her flying projectiles...even though they both know that he could avoid the collision without hassle--resulting in many an ink stain on his flak jacket and a broken nose due to an eraser made bullet. He only draws the line when stationary morphs into tables and (formerly built-in) bookcases as he still has a few things to mark off of his bucket list. ❃ He makes a show of sassing her pertaining his workload and nitpicks about unnecessary details... But really... She is probably the Kunōichi he has the utmost respect for and would probably down a vat of vinegar if she deemed it necessary for his health. [which, let's be honest, probably happened at some point - but with soy sauce instead of vinegar] ❃ Kakashi once had to borrow one of Tsunade's tops...as he was half-way in the shower when the village alarms blared a state of emergency. He remembered his mask and weapon's pouch... Yet his standard blue shirt lay forgotten in a pile on his bathroom floor-along with his dignity. When Tenzo (the treacherous Kohai) refused to be the better man and provide him with his own... Kakashi had no choice but to turn his imploring gaze on his Hokage and really she was the one who insisted he cover his chest in the first place. ❃ Kakashi always ends up as Tsunade's test dummy for new medicines. He honestly doesn't know what he did in his past life, but somehow he manages to make due. Luckily the woman is a true master in her field and he's only ever gotten a rash in the shape of bananas, passed out for four days straight and once went for a month where everything tasted like salt, including sugar, as an outcome- Really it could have been worse.

❃ Tsunade is one of the few (still living) that has seen Kakashi without his mask. Mainly due to the fact that she is the only one able to successfully stampede over his terrible, bedside manner to do some actual healing. He only ever attended his annual physicals when Tsunade was in the village. 

❃ Kakashi knows how Tsunade takes her tea and what flavour dumplings she likes and had to use said knowledge on numerous occasions to avoid rewriting a mission report or two.

❃ Kakashi is Tsunade’s preferred sparring partner when she eventually wants to spar [all the documents can result in stiff joints ne] - any other Jonin is welcome to join. If they win against her, they get a day off but if she wins, they get to foot her bar bill for the day. 

❃❃❃

❃ After her return to the village, she pauses at the doorway of his hospital room. She knows who he is, of course. Jiraiya had often spoken of Kakashi, in recent years, and she knew he was team seven's sensei.  Yet seeing him now, a man where a boy once stood, is a jarring reminder of the years she lost. She remembers the sullen child who shadowed Minato, the silent figure trailing behind Sakumo. To see that boy now, grown but still carrying the weight of his past, is bittersweet.

❃ When she first summons Kakashi to her office, Shizune warns her he’ll be at least three hours late. It’s a rumor confirmed by Izumo and Kotetsu’s sheepish glances. Kakashi never makes it to meetings on time. Yet here he is, slumped against her office wall at the exact appointed hour. Present shinobi  gawk, amazement evident in their eyes. How had she managed this? She hasn’t a clue. Months later, Kakashi lets slip that he wasn’t about to disrespect her on their first meeting.

❃ If someone asked how their camaraderie began, Tsunade couldn’t pinpoint a specific moment. Was it their shared insomnia, their late-night encounters at the memorial stone, or Kakashi’s unwavering loyalty since the first order she gave him? Since her return, she’s found an unexpected confidant in him.

❃ If he’s in the village, Kakashi has an uncanny ability to appear in her office with a bag of snacks whenever she’s on edge after dispatching a team against the Akatsuki. Initially, it annoyed her. Eventually, it became something she relied on.

❃ Despite bearing the title, Tsunade never truly feels worthy of being Hokage. Her inner turmoil, concealed from all, is perceptible only to Kakashi. He confronts her in his usual terse and straightforward manner, asserting that she is the village’s best hope. After enduring his lecture, she snaps that his voice is giving her a migraine. Yet, the silent gratitude in her eyes is the most her pride permits her to reveal in such a vulnerable moment.

❃ Staying true to her sadistic nature, and because she’d rather have an accomplice if she loses patience and snaps at the old prunes, she starts dragging Kakashi to council meetings. After one particularly frustrating session, she storms out, only to return seconds later to drag him with her to a bar. There, she proceeds to get wasted while Kakashi ends up footing the bill. Ironic, considering he’s notorious for making others pay his tabs. Now he’s met his match. They have their own little corner in the izakaya by now, especially with how many times the elders like to question Tsunade on her decisions. Even on simple things like the guard rotation. It would be private enough that Kakashi wouldn't have to sip the sake through the fabric of his mask and Tsunade's loud thumps against the table every time she wants to emphasize a point, would not scare off the other patrons.

❃ Gai came across them in their corner and thought it a good idea to challenge the Godaime and Kakashi to a drink off. Kakashi had the state of mind to slip the poor, potted furn in his corner the majority of his drinks as someone needed to keep a clear-ish head amongst them. Tables were splintered and Kakashi  and no less than two Anbu, dislocated a shoulder trying to keep them from furthering their competition to an arm wrestle. Surprisingly it generated quite the crowd, so the owners weren't too disgruntled. Kakashi did have to give them a shoot of Mr Ukki to make up for killing their furn however.

❃ For some reason, Kakashi and Shizune can not seem to get along at all. Which is a huge source of amusement for Tsunade. She has an ever ongoing bet with Izomo and Kotetsu on which one of the two would snap first, each time they are in her office together. Much to her amusement (and to the terror of her accounts) it is Tsunade's usually very reserved apprentice who keeps losing.

❃ Every time Tsunade gets a letter from Jiraiya about Naruto and his progress, she 'forgets' to put it away and just leaves it laying on her desk. She never questions the letter's disappearance following meetings with Kakashi.

❃ The whole situation with Hiruko shakes Tsunade up and makes her realize exactly how much she has come to depend on Kakashi. As a Hokage she sees him as her right hand. Personally, she considers him to be someone who has managed to fill in the gap her teammates left her with. And so she is hurt. She understands why he made her put the seal on him. It is logical. As Hokage it is indeed the right thing to do - which is why she goes through with it. Doesn't mean she forgives him for putting her into that situation. She feels betrayed and cuts him off for the next few months. It takes a while before she manages to get over it.

--

@konohagakurekakashi

[secret-engima]

Shinobi Economics 2: Warring States Boogaloo

RIGHT IT’S TIME FOR NINJA ECONOMICS 2: WARRING STATES BOOGALOO.

Link to my previous 3k tumblr rant on canon era shinobi economics here , and a casual reminder that I do not study or research economics a whole bunch outside of a casual interest for fantasy worldbuilding. Most of this is just- trying to logic out some semblance of sense inside the Naruto setting.

But to summarize the stuff I think is relevant to jumping into this one, in the previous ramble I established that:

1. Peacetime is actually Really Profitable for shinobi villages of the Nidaime to Boruto eras, because that’s when the lower classes (Merchant and Worker) can afford to pay shinobi for jobs that are ultimately the most money for the least amount of risk.

2. Shinobi villages set the prices of missions, not the clients (as seen in the premise of the Wave arc, where the bridge builder lied about the risk so that he only had to pay for a C rank instead of a B or A rank mission), and that whatever prices they have set for missions, it allows even a single parent shinobi with an active child to live comfortably in a city. Not wealthy necessarily, but clearly able to feed, clothe, shelter, and spend time with their child on top of work and training.

3. In all of canon, all the movies, even in Boruto (up to the point I’ve watched so far anyway), there is not a single shinobi that suggests going back to the warring state era. Not even the missing-nin. Not even Madara, who was more than happy to plot the downfall of every shinobi village and the world at large, tried to get them to go back to warring states (admittedly he was more interested in brainwashing everyone with an overgrown weed, but hey).

In that previous rant, I also made an offhand mention that Hashirama and Madara ending the war between their clans and making peace was them essentially inventing a ninja union, and I kind of want to come back to that in this rant by talking about what the Warring State Era ninja economy was probably like, considering what little we know in canon (ie the anime flashbacks which YES COUNT AS CANON since it makes exactly as much nonsense as the rest of Kishi’s worldbuilding), 

Okay so. What do we know about the Warring State Era?

1. We know it was a very bloody time of frequent clan on clan fighting.

2. Medical chakra techniques/medicine in general were not as advanced (because Tsunade is infamous for her contributions to the world of medicine and she doesn’t exist yet) so fatalities or crippling injuries were definitely more common, and most shinobi wore samurai style armor which tells me:

2a. The armor was likely a response to how much easier it was back then for a shinobi to be crippled or killed through blood loss and infection (especially infection).

2b. It could also be a hold over from the Samurai era, since we honestly never get a straight answer from Kishi on where the heck Samurai fit into his swiss cheese timeline. There is, according to the Naruto wiki, a mention of them having split off from shinobi back when chakra use was still called ninshu but that makes … about as much sense as most of Kishi’s timeline and therefore is suspect at best and garbage at worst.

3. Child soldiers were even more of a thing than they are in the village era. For comparison, Kakashi was considered a prodigy for graduating and becoming a genin at 5, and Itachi was exposed to death at age 4, but that flashback is structured (in the anime at least) in a manner that implies that this was not the norm (thanks Fugaku) and that Itachi should not have been anywhere near the battlefield since he hadn’t even enrolled in Academy yet (canonically enrolled at age 6 and was allowed to take the graduation test a few months later). However in the Warring States Era flashback, Hashirama’s and Tobirama’s brother Kawarama died at age 7, and their father makes comments that imply Kawarama was considered at least enough of an adult to be a shinobi, which means he *probably* didn’t die on his first mission? Their other brother Itama, who we do not have an official age for but is clearly younger than Hashirama and Tobirama (who are drawn to at least appear 12 or younger) also dies young, probably around the same age as Kawarama did. We also see Izuna, during the river confrontation between Madara’s and Hashirama’s families, wielding a sword that is clearly *sized* for a child. Unlike Tobirama in that same scene who’s out here with an adult katana held on his back like a buster sword, Izuna is using a sword that looks like it was forged with a child his age in mind. Which … yeah. Not good. Hashirama and Madara also directly reference a desire for ending the deaths of children on the battlefield when they are discussing their dream of a village. So clearly children becoming shinobi at 6-7 and up was Not Uncommon.

4. Going off the continued existence of a Daimyo and his court in canon era, there were a lot of feudal lords in this era, hiring shinobi to do their dirty work. Not just Daimyo against Daimyo like we see in the village era Shinobi Wars, but likely neighboring lords hiring one shinobi clan or another to heckle, sabotage, and assassinate each other. Especially considering the Naruto world Warring States is clearly supposed to be reminiscent of the Sengoku period of Japan.

So, with those things in mind. How did shinobi economics in this era work and why was Konoha so revolutionary in more than just “hey the Senju and Uchiha aren’t killing each other!” way?

Well first thing is that the shinobi clans would have been at the whims of the various lords and the Daimyo rather than able to establish their own prices for missions, and the vast majority of the clan on clan conflicts would have either started or been fueled by the nobles of the era out of convenience. There are over 16 clans listed on the wiki as being “Konoha” clans, while we can discount a few of them (namely the Lee clan because that’s just Rock Lee, the Uzumaki who were from their own hidden village, and the Hoki family who I think immigrated in from Suna? If I’m reading the wiki right?), and those are just the clans that actually survived to the canon village era. That is a lot of competition for shinobi work in an era where most of those jobs would have come from the rich lords, the Daimyo himself, or a few very wealthy merchants would have been able to afford to both hire a shinobi clan and would have felt it worth the risk of gambling that their competitors wouldn’t also hire a shinobi clan to retaliate. The working class would not have been able to afford a shinobi’s services, and they also definitely wouldn’t want to risk going near a shinobi, because this era was when the clans would’ve had their bloodiest, most inhuman rumors and reputations as remorseless killers.

The staple/most common jobs for shinobi clans of that era would likely have been the violent ones that in the modern era get regulated to ANBU, because again, the Worker class can’t hire for D-ranks and the Merchant class probably either also couldn’t or wouldn’t want to unless desperate or trying to threaten their competition with the reputation of shinobi. These “common” jobs would have been assassinations of adults or children, kidnappings, sabotages, blackmail gathering, spying, and open battlefield conflicts (every Senju-Uchiha conflict we see in the flashback arc, not counting Itama’s death or the river confrontation, is on an open battlefield with both parties in varying levels of armor actually). And of course the other side of those common jobs would be missions from rival lords who are hiring a clan to prevent all the previously listed missions. Which is probably where a good chunk of clan animosities started, opposing contracts that got out of hand and started an all out blood feud. 

If a wealthy merchant hired a clan to guard their product/caravan, it was probably because some competitor or a lord who took offense to them for some reason had already hired another shinobi clan to sabotage said caravan and product. If a lord hired a shinobi to kill a rival or his family, that rival had either already hired shinobi bodyguards or was going to in response to this. Which, on top of fueling a lot of clan on clan grudges from being repeatedly on opposite sides of a job, means that shinobi clans couldn’t really demand a specific mission prices. A little bit of haggling over the price, yes, especially in the case of the more powerful/sought after clans, but if a shinobi clan tried to push for “too much”, the prospective client could simply leave and hire another clan. Likely a rival clan that had a blood feud with the first clan just to spite them. Any failed missions or missions that were refused because of the pay or risk involved would also definitely lead to the client spreading word against that clan to any allies, which would lead to less missions and valuable income down the line.

The clans with the most ability to haggle, at least in Land of Fire, would *probably* have been the Four Noble Clans Kishi mentions; The Uchiha, The Aburame, the Akimichi, and the Hyuuga. We never have it explained why they are noble clans or why there is only four, but basic logic says that they were clans who actually held positions in the Daimyo’s court, and having that position would have helped them set at least *some* level of wage standard for shinobi work they took on so long as they were careful not to annoy the Daimyo in the process. But even then, there was only so much they could demand before there was a risk of the client leaving and taking any future business from them and their social circle with them.

The Uchiha-Senju conflict was said to last for generations. According to Kishi it lasted since Indra-Ashura thanks to Black Zetsu specifically, but that is stupid on multiple levels that I won’t fully cover here. It’s much more likely that the descendants of Indra and Ashura clashed a few times and mostly tried to avoid each other until the Warring States Era actually started, by which point those descendants were the Senju and Uchiha (and Uzumaki but they’re canonically a neutral party in that whole deal iirc). The blood feud *probably* started when a noble lord spotted the natural avoidance/borderline animosity of the Uchiha and Senju and hired the Senju to sabotage either an Uchiha job or even to attack the Uchiha themselves if the Uchiha held a position in the Daimyo’s court at that point. And because Uchiha do not react calmly to basically anything, the response was very bloody and over the top, to which the Senju also reacted poorly and… *gestures at the blood feud*. After that, warring lords would have started to intentionally hire the Uchiha and the Senju to pit them against each other because neither clan would haggle too much over the price of a job for fear of it being thrown to their enemy instead, and with both clans so eager to get revenge on the other as the years went on, they were guaranteed to give their all on the battlefield regardless of the mission pay. Which is a technique that would have been used against most of the clans to keep them from getting too powerful or too uppity about the pay for their jobs, but especially the dangerous ones with kekkei genkai.

With the inability to really dictate the prices of their shinobi work, the civilians of shinobi clans likely would have sought to provide some other form of goods and services to help bolster the clan (the civilians not busy trying to keep the clan fed anyway). This has been explored by other fanfic writers in this fandom (shout-out to Umei_no_Mai’s series “the Compass Points North” for being really great at this), but of course depending on the size of the clan and their access to resources that don’t immediately go to either Feeding the Clan or Providing For Shinobi Work, how much money this actually brought in for each clan is entirely variable.

So there’s the Warring States Era cycle of shinobi work. Lord A hires Clan 1 to Do Thing, Lord B hires Clan 1’s most hated rival if possible to Stop Thing, both lords sit back and watch the two clans fight it out for far less than their work is actually worth. Wash, rinse, occasionally repeat with clans that are not hated rivals but are still going to fight it out viciously because if they don’t do a good enough job then they will lose any further work from that client and the client’s associates.

And then the Uchiha-Senju Alliance happened, and did not disintegrate within weeks or months as outsiders would have anticipated.

And this one thing. This one alliance. Completely destroyed the “comfortable” cycle the lords, Daimyo, and wealthy merchants had for their shinobi dealings up to that point. Because now, not only are the two most powerful clans in Land of Fire no longer available to hire against each other, but they also have two clans’ worth of civilian trade and shinobi revenue to keep them from starving the first time they said “no” to a client, and any client they do say yes to has the pick of Senju shinobi, Uchiha shinobi, or a mixed team of the clans’ respective powerhouses.

What do you think the response was the first time a client approached literally any of the other clans and tried to hire them to go up against both Hashirama and Madara, or, just as scarily, Senju Tobirama with a grumpy Uchiha or three following on his heels.

The answer was no. The answer was heck no. The answer was we would literally rather starve rather than choose that flavor of suicide. 

Because while other clans have clashed with the Senju and Uchiha before during this era thanks to it being logistically impossible for someone to hire a Senju to fight an Uchiha and visa versa every time, those clashes would still have been comparatively rare but memorable. Similar to the nobles funding these blood feuds, the other shinobi clans of Land of Fire would have grown accustomed to “your chances of dying via Tree Man or Angry Fire Cat Man are statistically low” and being able to kinda sit back and watch the Senju and Uchiha tear each other apart from a safe distance, with only minimal risk of running into far less skilled Uchiha or Senju on a job rather than the guy who gets named the “god of shinobi” and his frenemy rival. They’ve seen the damage either clan can do, and now you want them to go against both? Without the guarantee of Madara and Hashirama (and Tobirama and Izuna pre the latter’s death) being too busy trying to kill each other to bother with you and your squishy clanmates? Hahahaha no.

And now here’s where the Shinobi Villages are a Union thing really starts to kick in. Because the Senju-Uchiha alliance grinding the Warring States cycle to a halt would have been temporary if it had just been between them, if Hashirama’s and Madara’s dream had gone no further than peace between their respective clans. If it had remained just the Senju-Uchiha alliance, even with fear of Hashirama and Madara, the other clans would have eventually been prodded into fighting them, likely even being hired by enough lords who were all unhappy with this shakeup to the routine to temporarily band together in fighting the Senju and Uchiha and overwhelm them (or at least badly cripple the manpower of the Senju-Uchiha).

But Hashirama’s and Madara’s dream wasn’t just about their clans. And suddenly here’s Hashirama “my smile is photosynthesizable” Senju and Madara “consider my wrath as your alternative” Uchiha approaching the other clans and offering to let them join this alliance. To not have the risk of fighting either of these terrifying men or their clans, but rather to pool their resources together to make missions safer. To be able to turn down missions without starving thanks to the combined revenue of multiple clans and their civilian specialties (and the backing of the Uzumaki, who are generally accepted by fanon to have allied with the Senju by this point via Mito’s marriage), and to have other clans be extremely wary of taking any job against their combined might, which will make the jobs they do take a whole lot safer.

Not every clan jumps on board right away of course, canonically the first ones to join the alliance were the Sarutobi and the Shimura (fanon assumes that these two had connections to the Senju and Uchiha clans before this but I … couldn’t find mention of that in the wiki?), which means suddenly any job this alliance takes means that a rival will be up against a roulette wheel of anywhere from “maybe four Senju like normal” to “combined wrath of a Senju-Uchiha-Sarutobi-Shimura team that are working out their collective new-alliance stress on your hide”. The other clans would have chosen to jump aboard the alliance very quickly once it became clear that this wasn’t going away or splintering. Which means more and more clans are saying “no” to jobs that they feel aren’t worth the prices being offered, and less and less clans are willing to go against the alliance for fear of being stomped on. Suddenly the clans who are in the alliance can not only say no but can say “I want to be paid this much for this job” and the lords who once had the option to just take their business to another clan are stuck. They had to either pay up or not have the job done at all.

Tobirama comes in, probably somewhere very early on in the village founding with the start of what will eventually be the universal shinobi mission ranking system, and with that comes the ability for shinobi to have a set minimum wage for each level of risk. There’s an Academy for their children to learn skills from multiple clans and sources now rather than being forced to take to the field just to help pay for food/armor/resources for the clan.

In the real world, this kind of change takes … way longer on average. But in the Naruto world the options from the get-go were “be under Hashirama’s and Madara’s protection” or “be a potential enemy against them and their clans on a mission”, and none of the shinobi clans who survived to that point did so by being stupid. After they saw the Sarutobi and Shimura join without negative consequences (or subjugation as vassals), the clans of Land of Fire would have started joining the alliance faster than the nobles who used their blood feuds as a handy leash could keep up with or compensate for. Canon says something along the lines of the village negotiating with the Daimyo for permission to be there but realistically by the time the Daimyo realized this was not just a passing treaty, that the Ninja Union was not going away, it was already far too late to stop it. Trying to starve the alliance into compliance by cutting off their trades would have only meant that every shinobi clan now on board with Konoha’s existence (read; the majority of them) would overthrow the Daimyo and install a more cooperative leader in his place. Heck, for all we know that’s what happened, it’s not like Kishi bothers to keep a coherent history or timeline. But considering the Daimyo does have a say in who the Hokage of the village is and they are enough at the Daimyo’s beck and call to fight in the future Shinobi Wars, it is more likely that the budding Konoha did successfully negotiate with the Daimyo for a “our loyalty and your nominal supervision over our village in exchange for extra land and free reign over our internal structure” kind of deal.

The clans being united was also an advantage for the Daimyo, once he got over the “can no longer charge whatever he wants for assassinations”. Because with all the Land of Fire clans unified, suddenly any upstart lords looking to depose him or wars he might get up to with other Daimyo look a lot more winnable. The other major Elemental nations, seeing this and realizing it’s not going away, probably scrambled to get their own clans to unify, which is one reason why Kiri is … such a disaster in canon. Rather than being a willing endeavor by the various clans to unite for their own benefit, the Daimyo of Water basically threw all his feral clans off their respective islands and territories and said “you all live here now and you all do what I tell you or else the Land of Fire will wipe us out”. Which, as you can see, went swimmingly for them (sarcasm). That or the other shinobi clans in the various nations did actually unionize of their own will once they saw it worked for Konoha, but Kiri never got the memo of “actually make peace with your rivals” and instead just clustered together in a feral knot of “we hate each other but we hate outsiders MORE so we’re going to pretend we actually function as a society”. Which lasted… Not long.

And there you go, another shinobi economics ramble. I feel like this one is even less structured than the last one but hey at least it’s like. 100 whole words shorter.

[shewhartmary]

Hello ferymery,

I hope you this note finds you well! Who are your Top Three naruto characters and why?

Love,

Suri🎀

Hello!! Thanks!

To be honest, it's kinda hard for me to make a rating, because I love different characters... For example, I like not only Obkk, but also Gaara or founders of the village.

I won't do a rating, but I can write why I like some of the characters :)

Obito. Oh yeah. I feel him mentally. I very much understand both his behavior in childhood and his desire to go into an unreal world in the future. If I may say so, we are both wounded by this terrible world. Also we're both dreamers. And I like the fact that he is a multifaceted character, who can be looked at from different angles. In a sense, this is convenient and makes creativity with him incredibly diverse.

Kakashi. This character was my first fixation in Naruto. His beliefs are very close to me, and his difficult youth makes me cry. The way he appreciates the concept of team and camaraderie inspires me a lot. But the way he came to this touches me even more. I'm sorry that in the anime, the topic of his rehabilitation and the topic of PTSD was not covered enough.

Then I won't have such detailed answers, because my favorite ones are Obkk :")

I also like Tsunade, I can understand her too. To be honest, I had a moment in my life when I also solved problems with alcohol. And I also just really like strong women like her. And her power fascinates me ohhh (I would like her to sit on me).

Also I love Shisui! He's just a good boy. I can't explain my love for him, because it's completely sincere xD

Also I love Rock Lee! Sometimes I look like him when I have a lot of energy.

I think that's enough for now. Thank you for asking!

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Kakashi's death with Pain seems to me to be a chapter that shows Kakashi's evolution and it also shows what a great character he is, since he gave his life for someone and also thanks to the talk he had with his father, Sakumo can rest in peace knowing that his son forgave him and that he's no longer the same person who loved to follow the rules. Well..I thought that what I said above was common sense but today I was surprised to see that someone said that Kakashi's death was "silly and meaningless", some people watched Naruto with their eyes closed..

Honestly i think people who say this only think a death is ‘meaningful’ if a person stays dead

We see how meaningful Kakashi’s death is to himself, his story, and the people around him. We get a glimps at two people who clearly care deeply about him when he dies.

Tsunade, who cries and destroys a pillar of the Hokage mansion when she gets the news, signifying the destruction of a pillar of Konoha

Gai, who’s on a mission and surrounded by his students but stops in his tracks because he feels Kakashi’s death. We don’t know if he truely understands what happens, but it’s exactly like the scene where Naruto feels Jiraiya’s death. Something is gone. Someone important to him is no longer there and his soul just called out to tell him this. He’s not even in the village and he’s already preparing himself for terrible news because he knows something terrible has happened.

Naruto’s reaction is a lot more toned down but you can hear it. He asks about Kakashi specifically and gets really quiet when Tsunade can’t answer him. He can’t lash out or cry because Pein is there and he has to protect the village, but he came home and immediately recognized that his Sensei’s chakra wasn’t there and had to ask even though (as said in his own words) it was very possible Kakashi was just away on a mission.

Choji’s reaction is more open with crying, but it makes sense because at the end of the day Kakashi gave his life saving Choji’s and that has to hurt. And when Kakashi wakes up alive again he’s so overwhelmed with relief that he cries more.

And then you go to Kakashi’s story. Kakashi, who we don’t know a lot about but have just started to learn a bit about, and we finally get to meet his father. The man Chiyo mistook him as when she first saw him, and who clearly has a reputation

And for the first time since we meet him, Kakashi is soft. Not just for a second, but the entire time. He’s open and relaxed and happy. For the first time in his life he can let down his guards and just relax completely because there is no more danger.

Then you have his connection with his father and thise sweet words of forgiveness. How Sakumo looks so surprised and then happy because he was so regretful over his death that he waited for his son for YEARS to apologize to him, only to have Kakashi tell him

‘I was mad. I hated you at one time and what you had done, but i’ve learned and i forgive you, but most importantly i am PROUD if you’ and that scene hits so hard cuz till this point we don’t see Kakashi openly say he’s proud of someone. He restricts himself, but after this point he’s more open of his pride. We know when he’s proud but he doesn’t really say it out loud until after he comes back to life. It was like he couldn’t say it out loud until he said it to his father, and instead he said it in weird and awkward ways (telling Naruto ‘i’m finally starting to like you’ while he was working on creating the rasenshuriken, which i think is anime only but still sort of highlights how Kakashi never outright says ‘i’m proud of you’ even to himself)

Kakashi’s death was so meaningful, but because he comes back to life people assume it means nothing.

It takes away Naruto’s ‘losing his sensei’ (which we see with Jiraiya but ok) or it was just ‘pointless’. It’s just complainers being complainers tbh. Nothing is ever good enough for them