#team taka is the best

[avenger-hawk]

Hypothetically what if karin would become the jinchuuriki (or the one of the 10 tailes, if we just act like the ending was a genjutsu) would that change the dynamics of the story? Her relationship to her team etc?

It's such an impossible outcome since kishi gave less and less importance to Team Taka members that it was challenging to imagine it.

If Karin became a jinchuuriki before or while Sasuke joined the battlefield she would have been one more asset against Madara, Obito, the Zetsus, Kabuto and all the Edo Tensei revived shinobi, and since she's loyal to Sasuke she would have protected him while he was fighting, kind of like Juugo did, so once reunited with Sasuke he would have kept her close, to fight together.

She could have been also useful while Sasuke fought Naruto in the final fight, kind of like she had been observing his fight with Danzo, and even more, having jinchuuriki powers.

So her power could have changed the balance of everything Sasuke did, adding to his own powers hers, making him much more powerful and dangerous, in Konoha's pespective.

Her relationship with her team would be more or less the same cause she has a bossy (in a good sense) personality anyway and because in Team Taka everyone had equal rights to speak out and do things, and everyone respected each other regardless of their strengths and weaknesses anyway.

[shyflowerhologram]

I love Suigetsu, one moment he's like "Sasuke is the worst, I hate everyone" and then "Oh look at this, Sasuke would love it, let's go!"

[bestnarutoduo]

Propaganda

Team Taka

Submitter says they’re the best

Submitter loves found family and the color purple

Team Eight

each so cool individually and add up to be super cool

Weird kid repersentation

They straight up killed those people during the chunin exams and I think about that a lot

 All three of them have a creature(s) that they love and are a part of their personality (Akamaru, Shino's bugs, Naruto)

Submitter just love them so much. As a group and as individuals.

[idcsomethingsasuke]

ok but are your mutuals cool enough to send you Polaroids of Juugo?

[justsasuke]

Team Taka Matsuri 2024 day 1: Karin.

I've been wanting to do this for so long and I figured today was the perfect day for it. So I present to you: Team Taka, Modern AU (but set in-universe) instagram profiles. Karin version.

Little Easter eggs I added: - The time in the first photo is her birthday - "Too Sweet for you" is a reference to "Too Sweet" by Hozier which is a song I feel like fits her vibe. - One of her favorite foods is okonomiyaki (often called "savory pancakes" in America for some unknown reason) - I headcanon her favorite Sanrio character to be Kuromi.

[t-u-i-t-c]

Shinobi 30: Targeted Ninja School!

[naturenaruto]

😭sstop bb saske bein w heem fam then teen sas bein all alone then adult sask foundfam at pride etcetc😭

yeah yeah opening a fic and "he would not fucking say that" but what about you open the fic and "he would fucking say that". what about that pure feeling of euphoria when it's exactly right the way you like it

[purplereina11]

In Honour of England vs Spain

I wrote this in about an hour and not proofread it but enjoy a very little brief update of these two!

The roar of the Wembley crowd is deafening, a mix of English and Spanish chants echoing through the stadium. You stand tall between the goalposts, your England jersey clinging to your skin, the number one printed boldly on your back. Across the pitch, in the fiery red of Spain, your Barcelona teammates exchange knowing looks. Among them, Aitana Bonmatí—your girlfriend, your heartbeat, and tonight, your fiercest opponent.

You’ve trained with her, laughed with her, loved her. You know her movements, the way she feints left before cutting right, the fire in her eyes when she spots an opening. And she knows you. Knows how you like to rush out, when you hesitate, where your hands falter. There are no secrets between you—except for the one that lingers in the air now.

When the whistle blows, the game is war.

Spain dominates possession, their tiki-taka passing slicing through England’s midfield. Aitana is everywhere, orchestrating, dictating, controlling. Then it happens. A perfectly weighted through ball from Alexia Putellas finds Aitana’s feet. She takes a touch, lifts her head—your eyes meet for the briefest of seconds.

Then she shoots.

You dive, stretching every muscle, fingers grazing the ball just enough to send it wide. The crowd erupts. You land hard, pushing yourself up in time to see Aitana standing there, hands on her hips, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Nice save," she mouths.

The game goes on, a battle of wits and will. Every time she gets the ball near the box, your heart pounds. Every time you deny her, the fire in her eyes burns brighter. It’s exhilarating, maddening, intoxicating.

Then, in stoppage time, Spain wins a free kick just outside the box. Aitana steps up. Your pulse quickens. She’s scored these in training a hundred times. You shift your weight, watching, waiting. She takes her run-up, strikes the ball, and you manage to move your feet quick enough and get your hand in the opposite corner to tip the ball over showing your world class.

The final whistle blows.  

Your body is aching, your heartbeat still hammering in your chest, but none of that matters. The scoreboard tells the story—England 1-0 Spain. A hard-fought victory, one that came down to every fingertip save, every rushed clearance, every desperate dive. You played one of the best games of your life.  

And yet, your eyes immediately search for her. You didn’t see her as you were smacking hands sharing smiles and small words with your Barcelona teammates before being dragged into the England huddle. Your eyes met Keiras who smiled as it came to end hands coming in the centre Keiras words silenced the team. “Someones waiting for you”

Aitana stands near the centre circle, hands on her hips, staring at the ground. The golden streaks in her ponytail catch the stadium lights, but her usual glow is dimmed by frustration. You know this look—you’ve seen it after tough losses with Barcelona, after games where nothing went right. 

You smile as you look back only Keira in this team knew about you and Aitana all though you’d been dating 3 months now she wasn’t officially your girlfriend and you hadn’t told her you loved her but she had turned you into a bit of a softy, you weren’t very forthcoming in telling people. You were a private person, the ribbing it seemed Aitana was getting from teammates it told you that she was telling people. “You and Aita?” Lucy Bronze put the pieces together, “No, I don’t believe you”

“You don’t need to believe me” You smiled at Lucy turning and walking away

You pull off your gloves, tucking them into your waistband as you approach her, you smile as she finally looks up when you reach her, eyes locking onto yours. There's a flicker of something—pride, annoyance, something in between. Her arms instinctively come around your neck as yours went around her waist you lifted her and walked a few more steps with her before setting her back down.

"You were impossible today," she mutters in Spanish, arms crossed.  

A smirk tugs at your lips. "Had to be. You’re too good otherwise."  

Aitana rolls her eyes but doesn’t fight the small smile creeping onto her face. "That last free kick… I thought I had you."  

You exhale sharply, replaying it in your mind. The way she struck the ball, how it curled toward the top corner, how you barely managed to tip it onto the crossbar. A goal on another day, against another keeper.  

"You almost did," you admit, nudging her gently with your shoulder. "I know you too well, though."  

Her brows lift in playful defiance. "Or maybe I let you save it so you wouldn't cry if I scored."  

You laugh, shaking your head. "Keep telling yourself that, cariño."  

For a moment, it's just the two of you, lost in the space between competition and love. But then Alexia Putellas jogs past, clapping Aitana on the back. "Vamos, we've got media," she says, before casting you a knowing glance.  

Aitana sighs, tilting her head at you. "I'll see you later?"  

You nod. "Of course. I owe you a kiss, remember?" You’d kept in contact over text and Aitanas idea was the winner had to give the loser a kiss and an apology.

She smirks. "Yes, you do. And I expect a proper apology for ruining my night."  

You grin, leaning in slightly. "I’ll make it up to you."  

She lingers a second longer before jogging off with her teammates, leaving you standing there, still feeling the rush of the game and the unshakable pull of her presence.  

You had won tonight. But the real challenge? That awaited you off the pitch.  

The media duties are finally over. You’ve done your interviews, answered questions about the match, your performance, the clean sheet. But your mind has been elsewhere the entire time.

Now, in the quiet of the stadium tunnel, away from the cameras and the roaring crowd, you wait. The post-match adrenaline still hums in your veins, but it isn’t the win you’re thinking about. 

It’s her

You lean against the cool concrete wall, arms crossed, waiting. You should be celebrating with your teammates, soaking in the victory, but instead, you’re here.  

Waiting for Aitana.  

And then—finally—she appears.  

She walks toward you, still in her Spain tracksuit, her ponytail slightly disheveled, her expression caught somewhere between frustration and amusement. You can see it in the way she moves—the sharp edge of competition still clinging to her shoulders, but there’s something else beneath it.  

“You took your time,” you tease, leaning against the wall.  

She huffs, clearly still annoyed. “Blame the media. They kept asking how it feels to lose to you.”  

Your lips twitch. “And what did you say?”  

Her eyes narrow, her chin lifting slightly. Eyes locked into yours. “That you got lucky.”  

You let out a short laugh. “Oh, come on, you know I—”  

She cuts you off by grabbing your jersey, yanking you forward, and pressing her lips to yours. Pulling you down as she presses her lips to yours. The kiss is firm, quick, but charged with all the unspoken words between you, filled with leftover frustration. When she pulls back, there’s a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“That’s for being annoying,” she mutters.  

You blink, caught somewhere between amusement and arousal. “Didn’t know I annoyed you that much.”  

Aitana smirks, tilting her head. “You have no idea.”  

And then she kisses you again—properly this time. Slower. Deeper. Her fingers stay curled in the fabric of your jersey, her body pressing just a little closer, her lips moving against yours with the kind of ease that makes your heart pound louder than the stadium had.  

By the time she pulls away, you’re both slightly breathless.  

“And that,” she whispers, her forehead resting against yours, “is because I missed you.”  

You exhale softly, your hands still resting lightly on her waist pulling her just a little bit closer, “I missed you too.”  

There’s a moment of quiet between you, a rare pause where the world outside doesn’t exist—just the two of you, the warmth of her body against yours, the faint scent of her shampoo, the way her fingers rest lightly against your chest. Caught in that space between rivalry and something softer.  

Then—  

“You could have let me score, you know.”  

You groan, throwing your head back. “Aitana.”  

“What?” she says innocently, but there’s a dangerous glint in her eyes. “I’m just saying. You like me, right?”  

You narrow your eyes at her. “Of course.”  

“Then let me score next time.”  

You snort, shaking your head. “That is not how this works.”  

She lifts a brow. “Hmm. But if I had scored, maybe you’d be the one kissing me right now.”  

You fold your arms. “Oh, so now I earn kisses?”  

Aitana shrugs. “Maybe.”  

You scoff. “Okay, let’s test that theory.”  

Before she can react, you lean down and kiss her again—slow and deliberate, making sure she feels every ounce of satisfaction in the way you take your time. You feel her exhale softly against you, her fingers twitching at your jersey, betraying her resolve.  

When you pull back, you raise an eyebrow. “Still think I needed to let you score?”  

Aitana stares at you for a second, as if trying to compose herself. Then she smirks.  “Yes,” she says, stepping back 

You blink. “What?”  You smirk. “And ruin my clean sheet? Never.”

Aitana groans, lightly smacking your chest. “You’re impossible.”

A loud voice echoes down the tunnel.  

“Oi! Lovebirds, we need our keeper back!”  

You both snap apart—well, mostly. Aitana’s hands linger at your chest for a second longer before she lets go, shaking her head with an amused sigh. One of your England teammates walks past with a knowing smirk.  

Aitana groans. “Your teammates are just as annoying as you I see”  

You grin. “They love you, to.”  

She glares. “That’s the problem.”  

You chuckle, then reach for her hand, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go. “You need to go” She just laughs, disappearing around the corner.  

You groan, dragging a hand down your face.

Yeah, you won tonight.  

But with her?  

You never really win.  

And you wouldn’t have it any other way.  

You were in Belgium your last game of this camp before going back to Barcelona, this was the longest you and Aitana had gone without seeing each other every day at work and spending time together afterwards and it seemed Aitana was struggling with that.

It’s late. Too late, probably. But your phone buzzes anyway, Aitana’s name lighting up the screen.

You don’t even hesitate before answering.

The screen flickers, and there she is—hair messy from sleep, hoodie slightly too big on her frame, curled up in bed with her face half-buried in her pillow.

You smirk. “Didn’t peg you as the clingy type, Bonmatí.”

She glares, though it’s weak, softened by sleep. “Shut up.”

You chuckle, shifting on your own bed. “Miss me already?”

She huffs. “No.”

Your smirk grows. “Oh, really?”

Aitana exhales, adjusting her phone so you can see more of her bed, her arm slipping under her pillow. “Maybe a little,” she mutters.

You tilt your head. “What was that?”

She groans. “You heard me.”

You laugh, lying back against your pillows. “Mmm, can’t say I did. Maybe say it again?”

She glares. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

She doesn’t answer, just tugs her hoodie up slightly to hide the small, reluctant smile playing at her lips. That wasn’t something either of you had said to each other yet and you in your sleepy awoken state hadn’t realised what you had said.

You shake your head, amused. “You know, you could’ve just texted me if you wanted to talk.”

Aitana scoffs. “I did text you.”

You glance at your phone. Sure enough, a single text from her sits unread.

Aitana: awake?

You smirk. “Oh, yeah. Real romantic. I’m swooning.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not my fault you take forever to reply.”

“Sorry, princesa, I was busy—” you pause for effect, “—winning.”

She groans so loudly you’re sure half her apartment hears it. “You are the worst,” she mutters.

You grin. “And yet, here you are. FaceTiming me at 3 AM.”

Aitana glares. “I regret this already.”

But then, as the teasing dies down, a quiet settles between you. Aitana shifts slightly, resting her chin on her pillow, eyes softer now.

“How’s camp?” she asks, voice lower.

You sigh, rubbing a hand over your face. “Long. Intense. Same old.”

She hums. “Tired?”

You nod. “Yeah.”

She watches you for a moment, then exhales. “I wish I was there.”

Your chest tightens slightly. “Me too.”

Her lips press together. “It’s stupid. We do this all the time. Games, camps, flights… I should be used to it.”

You tilt your head. “Not since I met you.”

She exhales through her nose, fingers idly tracing patterns against her pillow.

You study her, the way her eyelids are growing heavy, the way her breath is starting to slow slightly.

“You should sleep,” you murmur.

She shakes her head. “Not yet.”

You smile softly. “Aitana—”

She cuts you off. “Just… stay on the call.”

Your chest warms. “Okay.”

A few moments pass in comfortable silence, the sound of her breathing evening out. She’s close to sleep now, her blinks getting slower, her grip on her phone looser.

Right before she drifts off completely, you hear her mumble something.

“Hmm?” you hum.

Aitana exhales sleepily. “Don’t let me dream about you saving that goal.”

You burst out laughing.

Her eyes snap open just enough to glare at you. “Not funny.”

You grin. “A little funny.”

She groans. “I hate you.”

You shake your head. “No, you don’t.”

She mutters something in Catalan that you think translates to something rude, but her eyes are fluttering shut again.

You lower your voice. “Sweet dreams, princesa.”

She doesn’t answer, just breathes softly.

You stay on the call a little longer, just watching her sleep, before finally whispering a quiet, “Goodnight,” and ending the call.

And yeah, the distance sucks.

But moments like this?

They make it bearable.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Fic where, in practicing to get edo tensei right, Orochimaru uses Izuna as a test subject and tries to substitute DNA to make it work, using Suigetsu's bc like it's extra flexible or whatever bc shape change

Edo tensei mermaid Izuna locked in a tube somewhere in Oro's lab,,

He's SO mad about it and has literally no information ab what's going on at all bc hes locked in a fucking tube !!

Bonus points if Orochimaru doesn't even specifically know who he is

They unearthed him w the rest of the founders on a whim but bc no one really requested him specifically, the body just kinda sat there and eventually got mixed in w the rest of the Uchiha corpses, till Orochimaru requests an Uchiha corpse and they shrug and send him over

He still has Madara's eyes too (left alone either by oversight / or bc they decided not to pull them before he got mixed in w the other bodies, who had by then already gotten scooped of their eyes so they assumed he'd already been harvested)

Ok but like. No one even tells him what happened/where he is/that madara made the village. Why would anyone?? The only one Izuna sees regularly is Orochimaru, and he doesn't know those facts would matter??

Izuna doesn't even know what Konoha IS, he isn't gonna recognize the name

From Izuna's perspective, he died in his bed and then BOOM. Tank time.

Orochimaru might tell him it's been some years since his death (thinking he died in the massacre) and even if Izuna doesn't believe him bc like, enemy, enemy territory, he sure as fuck probably won't be thinking "Ah yes it's been decades since my death and my brother went against my dying wishes to make that village"

Tho he might get nervous and start picking up those cues when he sees the tech

Oro mentions offhand that the Uchiha were all killed and Izuna immediatley assumes the Senju won the war and loses it

He'd figure it out eventually obviously (probably after being set free, most likley by Sasuke w Suigetsu) But he'd also probably keep that to himself, bc like, enemy territory n stuff

Mermaid shapeshifter Izuna terrorizes the shinobi world,, Sasuke doesn't know what he just unleashed.

Ok actually but like. Suigetsu's shape-shifting but bc Izuna has a fire chalra nature, make it liquid fire shape-shifting. Fuckin, fire mermaid Izuna. He has an awful time retaining his form and actually for the first chunk of time, him being in that tube is genuinley just for the best. He keeps turning into liquid fire with no real solid body and can't put himself back together for hours.

Izuna hears his brother is still alive and running Akatsuki and is so down to clown till he realizes THATS NOT HIS FUCKING BROTHER HOW DARE YOU USE HIS NAME

Anyways oh my god Izuna on team Taka,,

He and Sasuke would be SUCH a dynamic actually, they look alike so much?? Sasuke doesn't recognize him but he's clearly a close relation, so there's some mystery there. Sasuke is like super shaken by finding a member of his clan and Izuna, by that point aware that apparently the rest of his clan is dead, is sticking to him like GLUE. Sasuke is bitchy little brother coded and Izuna understands this is probably karma bc he is also bitchy little brother coded

They probably clash a lot, especially bc both are expecting to be in charge here, but ultimately I think they'd get along better than Sasuke does most people, and there's also that bonus vulnerability of like. Izuna is an older Uchiha boy who's trying to brother him (with a noticeably different brother-ing style to Itachi too) and Sasuke has been alone for so, so long.

Sasuke accidentally calls him nii-san then promptly has several break downs about it

Suigetsu and Izuna either get along ALARMINGLY well or they hate eachother. I think I wanna go with the first bc it sounds more fun. They couldn't talk to eachother in the tanks but they could still see eachother, so maybe they kind of developed some sort of code to communicate?

They are "cause problems on purpose" friends. They're also "wdym I can't kill him???" *looks of genuine confusion* buddies. They're giving Sasuke the biggest headache actually, someone stop them. If you leave them to "take care" of a problem, there will be carnage.

Also, like, Izuna literally has Suigetsu's DNA in him. That's a thing.

Mmm maybe some complex thoughts ab how Izuna has effectively become a bloodline thief against his will (the ULTIMATE taboo for shinobi from his era) and he's like, actually fucked up about it.

Running joke where they refer to each other as cousins, could be funny. They argue over who's the bastard child (it's Izuna obviously but he won't just take that title lying down)

Izuna is like, in his 20s, and Karin is around 16 or 17 at this time I think?? She definatley has a bit of a crush on him (which helps take the edge off Sasuke) but like, he's not acknowledging that beyond patting her on the head. She'll get over it eventually. (Sasuke hides behind Izuna when Karin is trying to flirt w him and Izuna absoloutley laughs at them both)

Izuna is actually really impressed w Karin's sensing abilities specifically. I think he'd be a bit on edge around her at first, bc Uzumaki -> Senju ally. But he'd quickly assume she's a deserter (he has no idea the Uzumaki are pretty much wiped out rip) and becomes cautiously chill after a minute or two (also when he first escapes, he REALLY doesn't have the luxury to pick and choose his allies. He's instantly attached to Sasuke and cautiously fond of Suigetsu, and Karin seems to have Sasuke's trust at least, so he'll keep an eye on it but otherwise trust Sasuke's judgment)

Izuna and Karin besties arc where they paint eachothers nails is a must. I love the take that Izuna is really into fashion n stuff and he and Karin should like, trade hair tips or smthn. Karin knows modern soap brands where as Izuna bought his soaps from clan vendors who no longer fucking exist, so like, it's definatley helpful.

Karin is the only one of them to have any real hint of where tf Izuna came from (tho even she doesn't have the full details) it'd be cool if she was the one to figure out more details ab his general mystery— maybe something about her chakra sensing gives her a hint as to how old he really is?? Or she finds the paper trail that hints towards the bodies being mixed up???? Idk but she deserves to have an "aha!" moment

Also Izuna's medical knowledge/standards are NOT up to modern and Karin is so mad about it, she's giving him hella lessons on first aid n shit and he's very, very interested in all this free medical knowledge

I know the least about Jugo so bear with me on this one pls— I think Izuna would find Jugo to be pretty fascinating as a person actually. He enjoys tentatively poking him with sticks, and comes to genuinley like him as a person (when he's calm) pretty quickly

Also cats love Izuna so he gets bonus points from Jugo bc of that, they can bond while petting Izuna's contracted cats or smthn idk

Yeah I really don't know much ab Jugo so that's all I have to offer sorry

Ok let's backtrack a bit, back to Orochimaru ->

Fun scene towards the very start of the fic, where Izuna still has no fucking clue what's going on, but recognizes Orochimaru as a member of the Orochi clan. He says as much, and Orochimaru has to pause.

No one's mentioned his clan to him in years. They haven't been relevant in Konoha since Orochimaru was born— even before that, they were barley relevant. Izuna should not know who they are.

(The only reason he does know is bc they had a neutral to positive relationship w the Uchiha back in the warring era, and Izuna had visited them once before)

Immediatley, Orochimaru is squinting at this guy. He's giving Danzo a ring asking who exactly he got sent over, but Danzo doesn't actually have anything to offer him??? The paperwork is a mess and there were a LOT of Uchiha. He's not registered as a shinobi tho.

Hmmmm.... ok.

Orochimaru is suddenly aware there's some kind of mystery here now, which is dangerous for Izuna. Izuna is, again, in enemy territory, and he's able to pick up on the fact that Orochimaru doesn't actually know who he is. This ofc means that HE sure as hell won't be telling him.

Maybe he bares his teeth and sarcastically says he's the second coming of Uchiha Madara (not even that big of a lie when u think ab it)

Pivoting time ->

Izuna is listed in the data books as like, being equally as talented as Madara and I think we should talk ab that more actually

I love Tobirama but he really did get him by surprise

Izuna just got cocky and taken by surprise!!

HE DIDNT EVEN GET COCKY HE JUST LOGICALLY DIDNT EXPECT TOBIRAMA TO FUCKING INVENT TELEPORTATION

Then he went down in the history books both in canon and out of it as the weakest of the 4, that's so tragic

Izuna gets mermaid edo tenseid and (once people know who he is) everyone is like "Ok well at least he's uhh. The weakest of the 4 right?? I mean tobirama killed him when they were like only 19/20 so we'll probably be fine???"

Then he just fucking bodies them all bc hes a nightmare actually AND on whatever special test trial edo tensei steroids they gave him

Izuna is fueled on rage and spite and he's full up on both

Imagine he gets the full story of everything that happened while he was dead too, like.

Ok so Madara goes against his EXPRESS dying wishes and makes his village. (what the fuck!!) Then backs out (yay!!) but in an awful way that effectively fucks over the entire clan for years to come (nii-san what the FUCK)

Then gets literally backstabbed by Hashirama (HE FUCKING TOLD YOU!!! WHAT DID HE FUCKING SAY!!!!!)

Then the Uchiha seem to thrive and like. Ok. He's still mad about it, but at least something... kind of nice came out of it.

THEN BOTH THE VILLAGE AND MADARA'S(?????) SCHEMES KILL THEIR ENTIRE CLAN

Izuna is SO mad at literally everyone, holy shit. The only one safe from his rage is Hikaku, god rest his poor, poor soul

Actually, I think it'd be funny if Izuna was like, indescribably extra awful mad at everyone— but then is like. Normal mad amounts at Tobirama, who was a bitch but at least didn't seem to carry on a personal fucking vendetta against the Uchiha like EVERYONE ELSE INCLUDING FUCKING MADARA FOR SOME GODDAMN REASON

Izuna is going like, "FUCK you, FUCK you, OH, EXTRA FUCK YOU—" then squints at Tobirama and goes "...fuck you." Then goes back to screaming

To be clear, Tobirama absolutely contributed to the end of the Uchiha, but like. A) it'd be funny, and B) at least his seemed slightly less on purpose than literally everyone else

There's also I think a difference of like. Izuna never expected Tobirama to suddenly turn around and be pro Uchiha

Where as everyone else (again, including his brother!!) Was like. A genuine betrayal

Tobirama fucking over the clan was never a surprise

He never pretended to be on their side (like Hashirama lowkey did)

Tobirama vs Izuna but it's them getting to relive their rivalry where as Izuna vs literally anyone else is emotionally charged as hell and filled with demented screaming

Leaving it there for now, I might actually try to write this one but who tf knows

[suika-suigetsu]

I think we can all agree that Sui is lucky Mitsuki was never actually a baby. Imagine poor guy being cast into the nanny position against his best protests 😂

I ended up playing Log instead of Mitsuki, but hehe, I think Suigetsu is still a babysitter to this day.

You see, even on Team Taka, Suigetsu pretends not to care about his teammates' well-being, but he's constantly worrying about them. He must swear up and down that Mitsuki and Log are nothing to him but Orochimaru's experiments, but he must always be wondering if Mitty is okay when he's in Konoha, and I have this hc that he wets Log whenever he sees him smoking, wanting to break that bad habit of his haha. He must see himself as their dad/older brother/uncle, even if he'll kill you if you even hint at it.

[awinterrosesstuff]

I've seen people comparing it to Karin's sensing technique, but honestly it looks more like one of the byakugan's capabilities. She doesn't sense chakra there. She uses her chakra to "see" (sense ?) what there's behind the wall (a spiral staircase) and I'm sorry but that's ridiculous.

Apparently, she is a sonar now in Sasuke Retsuden.

Yeah, first, in itself the technique isn't ridiculous. It's explained (not particularly well but okay). She sends chakra in a surface and can detect objects and traps. There's she sees the spiral staircase in her mind. She's basically scanning the area like Neji and Hinata would with the byakugan. The light novel doesn't explain much, except that thanks to her "excellent chakra control" she can send the chakra into the wall and see the structure her chakra touches.

Now... why I find this ridiculous.

First, it comes from nowhere in the story itself. They were talking about Tsunade. She just happens to touch the wall and then she senses something. She wasn't searching for a secret or something. It's just an "accident". Then she does it and never uses it again. That's it.

Plus Sakura being a sensor was never pointed in the Naruto manga or Gaiden. I mean being able to sense the chakra of Kurama or Madara is nothing special. When Naruto uses Kurama's chakra during the war arc, everyone from team Taka is able to sense it. And they were near Konoha. Orochimaru precisely notes that nobody from the team is a sensor. And he's even able to say it's Naruto. So yes, Sakura isn't a sensor because she can sense Madara's chakra or Kurama's chakra when Naruto attacks Orochimaru (in the second arc of the second part, wow !) contrary to some claims I've seen by her fans.

Then it doesn't make sense with her character. Why did she create that technique specifically ? Sakura is a medic kunoichi. She isn't a tracker like Hinata, Shino or Kiba for instance. She was never in a team for infiltration (ironic when you take into consideration that story) like Ino for example. Team 7 was most likely destined for combat when you look at Naruto and Sasuke. And... there's two sensors in the team. Sasuke with his sharingan can see chakra and Naruto can sense chakra and negative emotions. So why would Sakura think of creating that technique ? Doesn't make sense. Especially to detect objects.

Another question... why did the author give her that technique in the first place but thougth having her almost dying from poison was logical for her character ? I mean, Sakura is Tsunade's student, the best doctor in the world. It would make more sense for Sakura to be immune to poison than that. And while she can map an area, she can't sense danger anymore apparently.

It's just right there people...

What happened to the girl who was trained to anticipate and avoid dangers ? She's a fucking medical ninja. She was trained by Tsunade in taijutsu for that. She's supposed to have better evasion skills than the majority. The girl was able to fight alongside Chiyo against Sasori (who is far more dangerous and powerful than this Jiji).

And she ends crying for Sasuke because she can't heal herself. She can move, but can't activate her ultimate technique. Okay...

So like I said... in itself, the technique isn't ridiculous. Maybe if the story was better, I would find it acceptable. But in the context of Sasuke retsuden, it's just weird and superfluous. You want a joke ?

Sasuke doesn't only go to rescue her, but also heal her...

Probably, the author wanted Sakura to be some kind of damsel in distress. But it's one of the only situations that trope doesn't work for her. Kinda sad to write such a story for it that have so many plotholes.

That's the story Sasusaku's fans claim to be canon ? No thanks...

[generouskittensong]

Team Taka were loyal to Sasuke. The only people

No Kishimoto, you can't act like loneliness is the problem when you made Konoha kill Sasuke's clan. Sasuke doesn't push people away for no reason he does it because of trauma. You have to address the root of the problem which is government sanctioned genocide, not loneliness. And Naruto and Sasuke beating each other up isn't going to help with that let alone the loneliness issue that is suddenly a problem. How is Sasuke supposed to not feel alone anyway when literally no one is validating his feelings.

[justsasuke]

Official prompt list is now live!! (Find out what this event is all about here )

Remember to tag all of your posts with #teamtakamatsuri and #teamtakaevent so I can find them and read them all (Any post about Team Taka qualifies during this event imo so yeah) Anyone who wants to participate but doesn't want to make a post on their own blog or just wants to chat about Team Taka feel free to hit me up

Super excited for this year and can't wait to see everyone's thoughts and creations, see you guys next week~

[weepingnightmarenaruto]

One of the issues with the way Naruto and Sasuke and their relationship is handled is that their bad coping mechanisms to abuse, trauma and oppression is linked to their politics by the narrative.

Like Sasukes bad coping mechanisms to trauma is to isolate himself and push the people who care for him away and Naruto’s is to whey for the attention and approval from his abuser (Konoha) and because he is so desperate for a connection with others he accepts a lot of mistreatment. The issue here is that it’s only Sasukes way of dealing with trauma and abuse that is portrayed as bad simultaneously as his critique of Konoha is treated as something bad. While with Naruto it’s the opposite where his want for acceptance from Konoha is treated as an “honorable” goal and his justified anger with Konoha is treated as a character flaw and something he needs to get over to become stronger (the few times it’s acknowledged). And this is not even getting into how Naruto being mistreated is used as comic relief a lot of the time.

It seems like Sasuke is only allowed to criticise the system as long as he also isolates himself from team 7 (he was accepting of Taka in the beginning and after he talked with edo tensei Itachi). And this goes against the themes of the story which are the importance of friendship/bonds and obviously team 7 is going to be treated as more important here than taka is, so Sasuke being dismissive of team 7 is portrayed as bad.

This is also why I just can’t be bothered with arguments regarding Naruto not leaving Sasuke alone, because I think both sides are missing out on key aspects of the story. Like one side ignores the themes and context of the story while the other ignores the political aspects and implications of these plots.

And yeah Sasuke should be allowed to be angry with Konoha and want justice for his clan, but when Sasuke was doing this he also pushed people he cared for away and his mental health was probably at it’s worst. Which is obviously not good. And Naruto, the protagonist of a shounen manga about friendship, is of course going to have an issue with his “best friend” isolating himself. The actual issue here is that Kishimoto ties this into Sasukes politics.

And this is why, while I understand the narrative importance of team 7 and why things ended up the way it did, I don’t think Kishimoto did a good enough job of justifying it’s importance especially since it comes at the expense of Sasuke and to a lesser degree Naruto and Sakura as characters.

Sasuke let’s Naruto and the rest of team 7 in at the end=stops being critical of the ninja system.

[moldy-flowers]

I think the best thing about Naruto is that its world is stupidly expansive. Like there's just so much to fixate on its impossible to escape.

Bored of team 7? Hey what about team Asuma, Kurenai and Gai? Or perhaps Taka?

Bored of them? Go look at the legendary Sanin and all their antics.

Bored of the Sanin? Oh well maybe you want to fixate on those two guys from Naruto™️ (Izumo&Kotetsu) and the gang (Hayate... save me Hayate...)

Bored of the people? Maybe you want to fixate on the clans? The Uchiha and Hyuga for example.

Bored of Konoha? Well there are FOUR other nations to look at if you want!

Dont want to be confined to the actually weird and oppressive laws of the villages? Then maybe the Akatsuki is for you.

Oh is this timeline boring you? Maybe you want to go to the past and see the founders?

What oh are you still bored? Okay picky bitch then just pick one of the traumatized soldiers and look at their backstorys there's so many and their so indepth, Kakashi, Sasuke some other characters who aren't important,,, Sasuke. Or maybe you just want to see some crazy people like Orochimaru, Obito or Tobirama.

Bored again? Okay weirdo stupid idiot little dumb dumb if that wasn't enough maybe look at all the ships. There are so many. Oh my god. There's so many. Sakumo Hatake/Kaguya Otsusuki is a REAL ship and it's beautiful this fandom is like a hivemind of defects. The world of ships is so insanely expansive, Sakura and Shisui is a really popular ship which is so funny because Shisui is her wifes (Sasuke is the wife in that relationship FIGHT ME) dead cousin.

its also key to mention that because Naruto is so popular its crazy that you literally just can't run out of content.

[theheirofthesharingan]

What do you think Sasuke did wrong. I'm curious. I'm not a hater I'm just fascinated by fandom in a neutral way. I enjoy the meta and the story as a whole, though there does seem to be a sharp divide between S vs I stans on their respective faults, sins, and where they should be defended. I also don't want to invite any hate to your inbox by S stans so there's no pressure to reply to this.

This post encapsulates what I have to say very well.

When I talk about Sasuke doing some things wrong, it's not in an accusatory and aggressive way, but the mere admission of those being the truth, whereas most of his fans don't want to admit this. And if they do, they will blame Itachi or some other characters, despite it all being a string of trauma and pain going on from one person to another.

Sasuke is a child who didn't have anything in his control from the beginning. He always felt powerless and whenever he tried to get better, whatever goal he had, proved way too gigantic. These feelings of hopelessness and inferiority resulted in him doing things he otherwise would not have done.

He hates killing people. But he didn't mind doing so after he learned Itachi's truth. Most of his fans defend it saying "But didn't actually do it", which is true, but he had completely intended to do it, including killing people who were neither responsible for his sufferings nor knew anything about what happened to the clan and Itachi. Why should they be subjected to death and violence they didn't even know about? Sasuke stops and changes his mind after meeting Itachi. Itachi was the only one who could change his mind.

Him attacking Land of Iron is one of those things that is almost never discussed. Yes, everyone over there was a rabid violent monster equivalent of a person, but it was still a politically neutral land, and had it not been for Obito declaring war upon the Five Nations, nobody knows how Sasuke's invasion would have been seen by the others.

He promised Juugo "to be his cage", but after attacking the Kage Sunmit, he deserts him, takes only Karin away because she would be useful for him. And then he stabs Karin. Most of his fans (myself included) prefer Team Taka to Team 7. But they never talk about how Sasuke uses them and then throws them away, without so much as apologizing to them. When Sakura shows up, and Sasuke knew she was a medic ninja, he asks her to kill Karin, instead of trying to help her with her pain. His fans keep saying "he's so kind, he forgave Itachi even if Itachi didn't deserve it", but then don't want to comment how he doesn't extend this kindness to anyone else.

I don't blame him for wanting to hurt Naruto, because Naruto himself didn't know when to understand and let Sasuke go. However, Naruto was rightly concerned about his well-being because Sasuke was going to Orochimaru, the most powerful villain we'd seen so far. The second time, though, Sasuke fully intended to kill him. Naruto may or may not be stronger than him, because a lot of it is their ideological battle in which Kishimoto tries to paint Sasuke as "wrong" and Naruto as "right." However, Sasuke's solution is still more violence and hate, killing his best friend to achieve that. It's completely wrong.

Most of what Sasuke does gets no attention, apart from what his haters do, who hate him for "being rude" and "being stupid", and some people just might not like that kind of personality, because Sasuke can be rude to people even if he doesn't have to. The reason his wrong-doings aren't acknowledged as much is because there are zero consequences of those actions.

He tries to kill Naruto? Naruto is never hurt/damaged enough for it to become his entire personality.

He deserts Team Taka? Again, they unite with him and there are no more talks about it. They aren't even angry.

Tries to kill Karin? She keeps on worshiping the ground he walks, instead of being upset with him one bit.

Tries to rule the world? It doesn't matter. In the anime there is that scene he's put in the jail, but nothing of that sort happens in manga.

He suffers a lot for the things that aren't his fault. And when he is wrong, those are never acknowledged.

Now, I don't blame him for being wrong, because it's all being done under immense emotional and mental burden. And he doesn't really need to be condemned for those things. When he attacks the Kage summit, he's doing so after losing Itachi, and that pain and anger has blinded him. His mental health only keeps getting worse afterwards. So, the things he does are unquestionably wrong, but they have solid explanations. That is, 'Yes, he was wrong, but I can explain his reasoning behind those things.' But many of his fans will keep yelling "Sasuke did nothing wrong", and in the process they blame other characters.

To them, Sasuke's trauma is responsible for what he does, but Itachi doesn't get that pass. Kakashi should have 100% supported him when he said he needed to train in order to kill Itachi, and Kakashi denying to do it, because he was speaking from his own experiences, makes him bad.

They'll tell you Sasuke was shaped by his trauma, which is the truth, but then want to pretend that others aren't.

Also, yes, there is a divide between their fans. But I've never Itachi fans being aggressive towards others. Being defensive of him, yes, but hateful and aggressive, no. At least not to the degree it's become a norm.

Don't worry about the hate. I have blocked some of his fans who used to frequent my blog. I think I'll be blocking others too. I am a fan too, but I love both him and Itachi with their flaws and despite them.