#or how he reunites with urushi

[yamanaka-shin]

🔥 (if your still dropping the tea! xD. Idk for a topic, anything I guess, shout it out!)

Last night me and Jess were talking and I subjected her to a little Mangetsu and Suigetsu rant. So, since it's the birthday of the older brother and a few days from the birthday of the younger brother, it's time I brought some words out today. Not good ones. Keep in mind, Mangetsu is damn near tied for my #1 favorite in the entire franchise. So I don't say this out of malice.

There is no point to him existing. Both as a character and as a sibling. Because we got absolutely nothing worthwhile from his existence. Sure there was the whole "oh he can use all the swords and is basically a prodigy" but we didn't even get to see any of that, now did we? Didn't even see him with his own primary weapon (Hiramekarei) in canon, had to see it in Sharingan Legend for a couple panels and I believe one of the games too. How fucking disrespectful is that?

There's at least one other Hiramekarei wielder that's not Chojuuro that we've seen too. So we can just replace Mangetsu as the strongest user of it for the Edo Tensei and miss absolutely nothing. Suigetsu doesn't even need "oh my brother died and that explains some of why my life sucks so bad" since we genuinely don't know what role Mangetsu (and his death) played there! I can assume all I want but without shit to base it on, it's all worthless. There's easily ways you can give Suigetsu a hard time that gets him caught by Orochimaru to explain everything. The story continues as normal.

And the sibling comment, well. There's plenty of characters who aren't an only child. Both by blood and otherwise. Kabuto and Sai come to mind immediately. But you also got the Sand Siblings, the Senju quartet, Madara was one of 5 for fucks sake, Naruto and Hinata have 3, Hinata herself has a sister in Hanabi. And while Madara is an interesting case cuz only 1 of his 4 other siblings is shown, at least we get valuable input from Izuna being around. Everyone else? You can make a good case for the existence of their siblings.

Take for example Urushi, Kabuto's adoptive older brother. He didn't have a big part to play but I still am moved by his presence in Kabuto's life. We didn't need to see his whole deal either. The two were together in the orphanage for a couple years and clearly bonded based on the SCENE FROM THE WAR ARC LATER WHERE NOW ADULT URUSHI SAYS HE HOPES HIS BROTHER WILL FINALLY COME HOME. and then guess what? They're back together in Boruto! Not a great fate for Kabuto, looking like Orochimaru after All That, but at fucking least he has someone important to him left.

And then no one needs me to go off about Shin in any capacity cuz by now it's clear what my feelings are. That being said, for all my bitching about the lack of info, we got a decent amount to go off of. We know their place in Sai's life and how it shaped Sai into the person we got to know in Shippuden. That is enough to justify their role as a sibling. I'm content with it.

Mangetsu? Had an opportunity to be reunited with Suigetsu in the war. I know it could have fucking been done. But no, no, nothing came of it. Because even SP didn't want to put in the effort. WE DID NOT EVEN SEE MANGETSU GET SEALED LIKE ALL THE OTHERS. HOW FUCKING DISRESPECTFUL! Legit at this point he should have just been removed from the entire narrative. You could do that and lose NOTHING.

Happy birthday beloved wet beast, you got done so goddamn dirty by canon in every way. I wish I had the ability to correct the wrongs done.

here have a couple pieces done by Brentonsart (Twitter) who is very dear to me as compensation. I've been holding onto these a while.

[kawee-chan]

i just got hit with a bunch of naruto feels this morning like a drunk ex knocking on the door and blabbering about genius plans to fix things and explain how we got there post war epilogue and its like you actually considering these ideas, oof....

[raichoose-moved]

Painful Prompts - Selectively Accepting

@dokuhebi​ asked: [ sting ] // kabu, reverse 

mind the tags, y’all

[ sting ] Your muse says something to mine that strikes a nerve. // reverse --> My muse says something to yours that strikes a nerve 

There were so, so many times in Kabuto’s life that he could have cried. When Mother died was a big one; so was the day Orochimaru died, and the day where he’d renounced them and left their side. None of these absences in his life were ever voluntary, of course - he did not ask to be manipulated, he never would have left the ill Sannin’s bedroom had he known of Sasuke’s plans.

Had he not been directly told that Orochimaru would suffer another demise if he remained in their relationship, Kabuto would have been their partner still.

I didn’t even cry when I tried to kill myself.

It’s a dark, fleeting thought. Kabuto stares at his blood-stained hands, a parole officer lying dead at his feet. He’d slaughtered the man like a butcher would carve a hog -

It turns out, when push came to shove -

When Kabuto had been caught trying to regain a love that was lost -

When he was not only reminded of the consequences of trying to live a life he wanted, but his beloved was actually sent on what would have been a suicide mission for a lesser Shinobi -

The sight of them in a hospital bed was enough to break through the haze he’d wandered through for over a decade, and the officer who’d been sent to remind him once more of ‘consequences’ bore the brunt of his fury.

He knows they’re awake. Even years apart could not erase Orochimaru’s mannerisms from Kabuto’s mind, not when he’d always seemed to love them more than he even loved himself. But, even if their silent movements could be sensed by him, Kabuto supposes that his enraged tirade, of how much he hates Konoha, how he never wanted the pressure of needing to be perfect to keep the one they knew he loved alive, how he would kill every officer that damned village sent if it meant Orochimaru, at least, would be safe -

“Forgive me. I should have guessed that I ... that my actions would wake you up.” 

For the first time since his days in ROOT, he cries. Regardless of the blood, regardless of his Shinobi training screaming at him to keep it together, he cries, one hand trying to hide the scar that’s marred his neck since the day he said goodbye, the other trying to shield his face from their gaze, too ashamed of Orochimaru discovering the truth behind their break-up like this.

“I can’t do this anymore. I tried - I tried to do what you were supposed to do when I was a kid. I tried to - I shouldn’t even be here. You chose not to kill me, and those Uchihas passed up the chance to take me out, and Konoha’s divine mercy spared me from execution, and Urushi came home early when I attempted to finish your job myself, and I’m ... I shouldn’t be here. If I was dead, you would be fine, and the orphanage would be safe, and your sons wouldn’t have to wonder what could have been, and you wouldn’t have spent fifteen years thinking that I hated you when I don’t -”

He isn’t sure when he fell to his knees, but that voice in his head, the one that loves to flit between Orochimaru’s and Nono’s and Danzo’s, smugly whispers that he’s an embarrassment.  

“There isn’t a single person in this world who’s better off for having known me. Not you, not your boys, not my brother, or Mother, or the villages I’ve dealt with, or anyone. Least of all you. Because I was never there for you when it really mattered, was I? I wasn’t beside you when you fought your Sensei, I wasn’t around when Sasuke killed you, we didn’t go to prison together, and I left your side immediately after. And - And maybe you know why now, that I - I didn’t want to, but - but it’s too late. You had kids, and a family, and your village is fine and I’m ... I’m not.”

Kabuto removes his glasses, staring at the frames that were supposed to signify the start of a good life, but that had instead stood for nothing but a string of traumas - some caused by him, some caused by others.

“Look at me. I’m a shell.” 

Kabuto remembers the first time he’d told Orochimaru he loved them. He remembers the proposal he’d planned for after they’d gained the Sharingan, he remembers reuniting with them during the war.

Kabuto remembers the way Orochimaru looked when he’d told them that everything was a lie, that he’d hated them endlessly since day one, that they were always just some thing to be used. 

He didn’t mean a word, but he’d said it all anyway, for their alleged benefit.

“You know, sometimes, I - I wish you would’ve killed me when you had the chance. You would’ve been better off.”