#sannin era

[driedlillies]

“When Hiruzen decided to retire, Orochimaru applied to replace him as Fourth Hokage. He was declined for the position, as Hiruzen felt that Orochimaru lacked understanding of what it means to be a ninja of Konoha” bitch weren’t you the one who was supposed to teach him that

[uh-oh-its-bird]

Fuck ok, gather 'round it's time for another fic idea spinning off of a crumb from my last post ab time traveling team Ro into founders era:

Summary:

Fact 1; Kakashi is now 3 weeks the last living Hatake.

Fact 2; Tobirama Senju, according to dusty old scrolls Kakashi finds in his father's study, was apparently half Hatake himself.

Lonley and hurting, Kakashi grabs on to this fact with both hands and squeezes it so tight to his aching heart that his hands bleed.

Or, still processing his father's suicide, Konoha's favorite baby genius finds out he's distantly related to history's favorite baby genius and immediatly starts projecting to cope.

Digging through old journals, history books, Kakashi begins to try his own hand at the man's favorite past time; creating jutsu's. It's the both the hardest thing he's ever done and the most satisfying to date.

Ft.

1) Weirdly chill scene with Danzo (fuck that guy but hear me out) where he kinda looks at Kakashi and sees the hint of the shadow of the man who taught him. Not quite there yet, not fully, but crumbs of it. Enough to make him nostalgic, and enough to hand over an old journal that used to belong to Tobirama.

A calculated risk, he tells himself.

An unspoken challenge, both Danzo and Kakashi understand.

He wants to see how far Kakashi can go, finds himself almost eager to see how close he can come to the shadow of the man he seems so determined to chase.

(and if this side project temporarily distracts him for long enough that Orochimaru slips through his fingers, well, it's not like he knows it was this event specifically that caused that plan to fall through)

2) The fact that, both due to time and the Hatake clan's less than stellar reputation during the warring states era, Tobirama's Hatake ancestry got buried. Kakashi finding him on a dusty old family tree has ✨️political implications✨️ for Kakashi specifically. Ones he isn't all too interested in — unless it means he might be able to access things he otherwise wouldn't've.

Also just general fun surprised Pikachu faces from some people as an added bonus.

3) Kakashi becoming even more terrifying than he rightfully should be at that age !! Danzo pretty much handed him a missile and went "lmao good luck" with that journal! He should not have that! He's learning things! He is experimenting! Someone take the missile away from the baby before he learns how to make his own— oh fuck it's too late hes somehow made a nuke instead

4) Orochimaru poking Kakashi with a stick and vice versa. They are making baby genius <--> baby genius eye contact it's mildly concerning, Minato is concerned. Obito is jealous, he wishes the Snake Sannin would poke HIM with a stick

5) Kakashi bites someone. That's it that's the bullet point I just think he should get to bite someone is all.

And more !!! Im ngl I think I like Tobirama just existing in the fic as as an ever present shadow, super influential in just every single chapter but never actually present. But I won't lie if I'm giggling over the thought of Kakashi finding Edo Tensei and going ".... ok but what better way to figure out this new jutsu / seal than to ask the source directly."

Orochimaru would so help he's having too much fun with this to bother experimenting on children for Danzo. Don't talk to him rn he's having fun with corpses!! No not the corpses you asked him to have fun with, the other ones!

[pewpewpew]

Sannin piece I did for @narutocookbook zine, one of my favorite pieces I have ever painted! Collab with fic and recipe which are both So. Good! Cookbook is currently in leftover sales, don't miss it it's a really great zine with loads of very cool items!! 💕🍥🍶

[sannin-three]

The difference in expressions here is really interesting to me. The first could be a range of emotions, up to and including Hiruzen's suggestion that Orochimaru might be glad to finally kill him, possibly with some small bit of nostalgia mixed in.

But the original manga panel? There's a lot of emotion there as well, but happiness is nowhere to be found.

[thetoaddaddy]

"If you wake up haunted, it's not my fault."

Jiraiya blows a raspberry. He faces the old falling down shack of a house. “Please. You asked me to explore this house so I’m going to explore it.”

In reality Orochimaru asked him to do no such thing. He just made up a problem to do so he could do something to prove to his team he isn’t afraid of anything, supernatural or not.

[ikkakusenkin]

❛  don't you think you've already done enough damage for one day?  ❜

An overheating quarrel tightening the space between the slug and the toad came to a halt with the rise of the serpent. They had counted yet another night with eyes wide open, discovering the tunnels of a cave that seemed to have no route leading to the clear skies, their brains gradually giving in to the lack of oxygen.

The war has affected the sannin in various means, yet they have not been cornered enough to turn on one another until this very moment. Given realisation fuelled the words truthfully spoken by the man who had remained silent until the argument of the other two escalated to the higher stage, and for once the woman found her breath still.

Forcing her glare to meet the ground, she gathered the temper that had been lost, refusing to proceed with the matter so absurd. ❛ Let's just keep going ❜ softened the previous blow aimed at the man before her, ❛ there's no point in arguing over what's been done. ❜ echo addressed the company whilst the edges of her frame vanished in the shade.

@sagemom

[watermelonsloth]

I wouldn’t normally have more than one poll up at a time, but the one I currently have up (about your least favorite part of Naruto) has mostly stagnated and the results are pretty much decided unless something major changes.

[evilkitten3]

joke's on you i can go bonkers over any era

Okay what's your Naruto character/era primary focus like some people are more into the Akatsuki, some into the Konoha 12, some into Team Minato era, the Founders, Sannin, etc, like where do YOU generally gravitate

[futurefind]

//if i had a nickel for every time i had rea haunt a loved one’s narrative i would have. so many nickels dsghsdghhdsg (even wrt the specific subsection of ‘dies permanently/indefinitely but still gets better!’)

[showamagicalgirls]

I love the legwarmers trio from Nanako SOS (ななこSOS), episode 8. I wish they had used this kind of outfit for Charming Figures of the Magical Girl Trio (艶姿魔法の三人娘) in 1986.

[thermodynamic-comedian]

it's so funny how sannin era flashbacks in naruto always try to portray orochimaru as like. a particularly weird kid to foreshadow their descent into immorality, but they always just end up coming across as mentally ill and horribly mistreated by everyone else instead. it's entirely unintentional on kishimoto's part but it's a strangely succinct allegory for how mentally ill kids are actually treated, what with every other character assigning malice to the actions of an unwell 12 year old baby snake just living their life.

trying to make orochimaru seem like they were destined to be evil from the start just honestly makes me sympathize with them more, because like. they'll show kid orochi and the narration will be like "this is actually literally the spawn of satan and we have to kill it before it grows" and i'll be like that's a baby? that's a little baby child who wants attention and love.

[driedlillies]

Yeah Orochimaru’s commitment of more and more unethical experimentation was definitely influenced by his increasing distrust and isolation from the rest of the village and any community which tsunade and jiraiya both contributed to but. There was one more person who was abandoned by the latter. Minato Namikaze. Would have happened if Orochimaru latched onto this small child who in the middle of war lost his teacher because he decided to train some random kids he found on the battlefield (and will later abandon just like him)? Like we know Minato likes experimenting too, he both created and improved some pretty impressive jutsus, how would Orochimaru influence him? How would Orochimaru BE influenced by him? At this point, where he is not yet completely isolated, he did not join Danzo, — who, that’s another matter, definitely encouraged the human experimentation part — and didn’t start to stray on the dark path?

Anyway sensei Orochimaru and student Minato who save each other from their canon fates

[halfamask]

Based on my last post, a List of Things Kishimoto Did Right in Naruto

After Sasuke left Orochimaru, having him find another team of powerful losers to hang out with

Making the Sannin super Great and Powerful and Legendary but also like an awful gambling addict, a porn writer, and a creepy mad scientist who later becomes a Boruto era milf

Ino-Shika-Cho and showing their dads do the same types of combos together

Making Kakashi a cool, capable jonin who’s also a pathetic loser who can’t keep his children in check and reads erotica in public

Itachi loving sweets and Sasuke hating them

Every goddamn thing about Killer Bee

Flashback to the Sage and the baby little tailed beasts

The Naruto-Kurama friendship and Kurama calling him a brat (endearing)

Kisame shark boy character design (and also the super unique character designs for all the different Akatsuki members)

Nagato-Yahiko-Konan froggy costumes and Naruto’s froggy wallet

Reverse harem jutsu on Kaguya

Kakashi sweet talking Yamato to get him to take over his responsibilities

That’s all for now feel free to add others

Edit to add: Kakashi’s ninja dogs (pakkun is so cutie)

[sannin-three]

I think they're beautiful!

guys be honest do u think orochimaru is beautiful or am i delusional

[please-read-the-manga]

Head's up: this post is me looking way too deeply into this random card game they introduced in Boruto (it's been forever since I've caught up with it and I'm starting from the beginning, RIP my sanity) and in general there's a bit of serious and a lot of silly going on in the analysis here... I find this concept so strange lmao so this is a little forewarning that's all.

Sorry, just been busy thinking about how dystopian it is that by the Boruto timeline there is a popular ninja trading card game all the kids are obsessed with that treats shinobi (many of whom were abused, traumatized child soldiers who have experienced incomprehensible trauma) as fun little collectibles.

For our world that's one thing (referring to the merchandizing we see of the manga/show itself); Naruto is obviously a story, it's a highly marketable IP, etc... but the implications of this being acceptable and even celebrated in their world is just so wild to me.

Also, it raises so many questions.

Do ninja get paid for the use of their likeness? How are they compensated?

Like did Hinata pose for this 'unique' card that obviously falls outside of the norm for collectability purposes? Or are the likenesses/names of the shinobi in the 'Extreme Ninja Scrolls' (ENS) TCG being used without permission? Who profits from this? The Daimyo? Jiraiya and Minato are also shown having cards... so who approved those since they're both deceased? Is there a Namikaze estate (for example) that had to legally allow Minato's image to be profited off of?

They even have cards of the OGs as 12-year-old genin. So is the Konoha government approving these since everyone pictured here was as an employee of the state and these appear to be regulation photos?

And you know what? We KNOW they didn't have this shit in the OG era because, back in the day, the whole team was impressed as hell at Kabuto's legendary ninja info cards! Who could forget these bad boys?

Now I guess we have to ask, though, is this not a massive security risk?

To have your nation's shinobi and their backgrounds, techniques, etc. shared so freely on cards you can pick up at any ninja 7/Eleven?

Anyone can purchase one of these card packs. We know it's not exclusive to Konoha too - while most of the cards have the Leaf Village symbol stamped in the corner, Orochimaru's represents the Sound Village.

Actually, hol' up. Orochimaru's inclusion is WILD.

"The legendary three ninja" (ie. a nod to him being one of the Legendary Sannin), but this man killed hundreds of thousands (we don't even know the totals) in untold unethical science experiments. He enslaved and tortured children, ruined countless lives and imprisoned them in hideouts that seemingly existed everywhere, and he packed up the Third Hokage (ngl that was a hero move).

And you're going to tell me that guy gets his own 'super rare' trading card? There are survivors of Orochimaru's cruelty still walking around in this timeline and they have to look at his face plastered and advertised everywhere as a rare card pull in a children's game?

So, if we can safely assume that (with Orochimaru's inclusion) internationally wanted criminals are not off the table for this game, does that mean the Akatsuki have their own cards as well? Like little kids are really out there trying to see which terrorist they can add to their collection? By Boruto-era, the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre is still swept under the rug by state leaders like Kakashi and Naruto (+the Elders), so Itachi's card could be in circulation under his Akatsuki identity. How does this shift/color the views of generations of children who come across all these cards potentially bearing the 'Uchiha' last name, especially since they're only ever taught a white-washed, sanitized, state-approved history?

This is pure speculation, but I wonder who gets left out of this game too. Is there an Obito card? A Madara one? They were the enemy faces of the 'last' great war, but one was also a founder of the Leaf Village (and it's implied all the Hokage all have cards - so historical figures are fair game), the other was a student of Minato's (which could, theoretically be included on the background summary of the card, we don't really know what's included there).

The kids in Boruto joke about Shino's card being viewed as a 'trash' pull (and tbf to the manga I did laugh when I saw the comic they made of that concept)... but really, how disrespectful is that? Imagine devoting your life to practicing shinobi techniques so you can serve/protect the state (as many of them tell themselves) only for little kids to joke about how undervalued and lame your card is? Imagine seeing the card of a beloved comrade you lost in a desperate battle, now being sold for pennies online as 'useless' since no one cares or remembers their name like you do.

Also, Sasuke apparently has a card and I can't for the life of me see him granting approval for his likeness to be used so callously, which lends further credence to my idea that these are either utilized by the state without the permission of their soldiers to add more prestige to the shinobi lifestyle (and potentially net more revenue for the state from children who will grow up to revere these figures/hope to cultivate new ones that will aid their financial interests/goals) or serve as a complete corporate cash-grab designed by some trashy company not even involved in the real business of shinobi but smelling a profit-to-be-made.

Yeah, idk, I really, really dislike Boruto as a concept and story... but I cannot deny it is giving me so much to think about lol.

How would it feel to suffer both physically and emotionally your entire life as you serve as a weapon of the state, just for kids to now argue over your card's value (or lack thereof)? How would it feel to see a shinobi who slew your partner or child in battle during one of the ninja wars (Minato, Jiraiya, Kakashi - they've all got blood from different villages on their hands) now lauded as these ultimate, pure heroes that kids everywhere can and should idolize?

Imagine Madara being handed a holographic card of Izuna and learning that it is valued low for whatever arbitrary reason? Or Kurenai seeing kids trade Asuma's card away for a better one? Does the game gloss over figures like Fugaku, a victim of state-sanctioned genocide, or Rin, a child soldier who died a child? Like these are real people (in-universe), with real and painful stories.

Side note: That's why I think the Zabuza arc is so critical to Naruto because it disrupts the initial 'fun' of this world (one that from the outside boasts cool magic powers and talking animals) and reminds the reader that these are children who are taught and expected to kill or be killed.

The shinobi included in this game have been indoctrinated to build their prestige off of being 'good' little contract killers, violent war-machines, and empty vessels that can line the pockets of feudal investors... and now they're being commodified again and sold to children as aspirational figures.

Something, something... late-stage capitalism Konoha and the further commodification of child soldiers/truly using and viewing shinobi as monetized tools in not just the previously understood sense of arbiters of state violence, but as literal objects of entertainment for children in a way that promotes the status quo of glorifying war-mongering and violent espionage all to support the business interests of corrupt feudal lords?

I have nothing to add here, this panel was just from the same chapters and the absurdity of it made me laugh so I wanted to include it lol. WTF is this?

[phoenixremix69]

Imagine a sannin era spinoff movie and Jiraiya and Tsunade each had their own leitmotifs as good as orochimaru's original, but when they team up to fight someone the music syncs up and sounds like the most epic thing ever