#the uchiha bloodline ends here

[tournamentcorner]

ROUND 2: Mishapocalypse VS. Weird RPs VS. Dicked down again :/

Links to the OG Posts or an explaination/example:

Mishapocalypse

Weird RPs (This one represents all of them)

Dicked down again :/

[domoz]

A drabble trade with @doveywovy, with prompts "marriage hunt" and "cultural differences"

The brilliant orange of sunset feels like it takes an eternity to fade into dusk.

The strings of lanterns around the edges of the clearing make tonight's gathering of anxious young hopefuls look more like a festival than it has any right to. If it were only Uchiha out here, it practically would be -- there would be talking and dancing and everyone would be sizing up the others out to hunt tonight. But there’s a group of Senju huddled together on the far side of the clearing across from them, and so the atmosphere is decidedly flat. Both sides keep well apart from each other, separated only by the tiny group of participants from other clans.

"Yeah, there's no way someone's not ending up dead tonight." Izuna informs his brother. Madara groans.

"Repeating how bad of an idea you think this is isn't going to stop it at this point." Madara sighs. "Haven't you already made sure a thousand times that no one out tonight is planning on doing anything stupid?"

Izuna has had this argument with him constantly over the past few months, and he's still loath to admit that his brother has a point. Putting a pause to marriage hunts had been sensible when the village had been founded. Nearly two years in, though, and it's starting to seem like they don't have faith in their own creation to survive the pressures of a time-honored tradition.

So even though this is going to end in disaster, the best thing to do to ensure Konoha's long term survival -- and Izuna finds, these days, that he's begrudgingly in support of that outcome -- is to hold a hunt anyways, and just deal with whatever happens.

That doesn't mean he can't say I-told-you-so afterwards, though.

"Our people, yes, but I can't account for the rest of them. I mean, the Senju all came out without shoes, so it's not like my expectations are very high."

"If I've kept my mouth shut about whatever has your clan lighting fires and singing all hours of the night leading up to this, you can bite your tongue on our shoes." Tobirama’s deep voice cuts in, the man butting into their conversation by appearing from the treeline on the Senju side, where he's surely been working his perfectionist little fingers to the bone over something that's going to be a mess anyways.

Izuna turns to him with a retort like usual, but he finds himself staring open-mouthed instead. He's known roughly where Tobirama has been all day, but he hasn't had eyes on him until right this moment. He's not wearing one of the four outfits Izuna has ever seen him in. No armor, no shinobi blacks or training clothes or that mess of dye the Senju call formal clothes. He's in a wave patterned haori, a pair of hakama that's secured at the ankles, and -- and no shoes.

"What the hell?" Madara sputters out a response before Izuna can -- he's too distracted by the string of bells Tobirama has wrapped around one wrist like the rest of the Senju participants, chest squeezing tight with too many reactions to name. "What are you dressed like that for? You're joining?"

"I don't see why I wouldn't." Tobirama says in that tone he usually takes with Madara that makes it sound like the person he's talking to is very stupid, "I'm eligible, and there are several politically advantageous targets. If I participate I can also keep an eye on anyone who might be planning on causing trouble. It's good optics."

"Good optics?" Izuna says, a little too shrill, "You're the clan heir! Don't you have something arranged already?"

He'd always assumed so -- Izuna himself hasn't exactly been betrothed since before he was born, but the list of acceptable candidates for him to marry has never been very long.

He really shouldn't be surprised when Tobirama shakes his head; he's always known that the Senju don't care about bloodlines. They probably hadn't even had to read through the genealogies of all of their participating clan members beforehand.

"Wh-- you're not seriously joining a hunt for political convenience?" Madara cuts in before Tobirama can say something snarky. "That's cold, even for you, Senju."

Tobraima rolls his eyes, "It’s not like I’m aiming  to get married to someone who hates me. If it comes down to that, I won't hunt anyone at all."

The two of them devolve into bickering, but Izuna is hardly listening. Tobirama is either going to walk out of the woods married, or never allowed to marry at all. The stupid bastard probably even thinks he would prefer that.

…It’s not like Izuna can join and do anything about it -- but that's not true, he only shouldn't. Certainly no one would be able to raise any complaint about the two of them being too closely related and, well -- it's a hunt;  if it succeeds there's not really any challenging it anyways.

Tobirama makes a noise of disgust at whatever it is Madara just said and excuses himself with, "I have more important things to worry about tonight than your empty head."

Luckily, Madara is distracted by chasing after him to try and get the last word in, so he doesn't notice as Izuna slinks away to go mingle with the hunters on the Uchiha side of the clearing. Surely, someone has some spare red rope lying around? It’s not as though he’s about to let Tobirama be inflicted on anyone else.

[kishimotomasashi]

Naruto sentences:

"My parenting. MY parenting"

"I put BOMBS all over ur BABY Minato"

"The Uchiha bloodline ends here"

"I don't dance. Anyway, what's Gay Pride Day? What are they proud of?"

[phantomchick]

The themes of Naruto and how the fact he and Sasuke are reincarnations/part of a cycle expands on those themes

Some guy was going on about how the reincarnation thing in Naruto was an asspull and when people pulled receipts and showed him panels from part one that hinted at it he maintained that it was still terrible because the whole destiny thing ruined the themes of the manga and I'm here like somebody really read the whole manga yet missed out on the themes of peace through absolute power vs peace through understanding that were key to the whole thing.

The Akatsuki's dream of peace is enforced on the rest of the world through the absolute power of the 9 bijuu powered infinite tsukuyomi. Sasuke chases power in order to avenge his family so he can be at peace + not have the threat of Itachi killing any further family he makes all over again hanging over him. Naruto comes to peace with those around him by understanding them whether or not he considers their past actions forgiveable, he chases Sasuke because he understands that Sasuke's motivation of revenge isn't wrong but the way he's going about it is actively self-destructive and hurts both him and those who care about him.

The whole idea of the villages I think are to show that it's a cycle of hatred, between war and peace, between might making right and compassion being the key and Sasuke and Naruto are symbolically representative of it all!

The theme of generational trauma is also all over the world of Naruto! Whether it's the legacy of the Uzumaki sacrificed to become the jinchuriki of the nine tails, a burden his parents pass onto Naruto; Kakashi's trauma stemming from his father's, Hinata and Neji both innocent kids but who are divided by the toxic customs of their family when they should be like siblings to each other, Hashirama and Madara bearing the weight of the brother war the Senju-Uchiha conflict and how hard it is to achieve peace even in a world where neither side actually wants to fight because of all the history and distrust that's built up, the curse of hatred of the Uchiha stemming from Ootsutsuki Indra's madness and willingness to murder his closest friends for the sake of taking power by force, Obito being taken by his own clan patriarch, hurt when he tries to leave and brainwashed and traumatised into buying into the dream of a perfect world - he literally inherits his hatred for the existing one, Gaara and his siblings lives effected by their father's actions but also by the custom of jinchuriki being created in the first place, the children of Ame all orphaned by war, Kaguya the enslaver, Kaguya the dictator, leaving a fragment of her will called Zetsu aka 'tongue' that continues to spread hatred, fear and prejudice and divide the people hundreds of years on. Haku experiencing the results of both the ninja world 'shinobi are tools' belief system and the prejudice of Kirigakure towards those with bloodline limits when he's a child too young to fully understand either with Zabuza the demon of the bloody mist who killed all his classmates to end kiri's killer graduation exams once and for all who can't bring himself to express his genuine love for Haku until he's already dead. I mean I could go on but you get the point.

The reincarnation thing emphasises the themes of Naruto which are generational trauma, the power of brotherhood/friendship and peace through absolute power vs peace through understanding and last but not least endurance in the face of a hopelessly cynical world: aka The will of fire, the will/resolve to keep trying to improve things even a little for the sake of the next generation, to refuse to give up even when it appears hopeless. Like say when you've just gotten your ass kicked by an army of zombies, the remainder of Akatsuki, Obito, Zetsu and Uchiha fucking Madara, you've failed to stop the moon's eye plan and suddenly, things get worse and a literal all powerful Goddess descends on you when you're already exhausted and the rest of the army is comatose.

[unfilteredcurse]

100% agree on the entire tekken fandom being so fucking weird with jin kazama smh (especially fucking reddit, twitter, and the youtube comments section which is why i rarely look up tekken content on those sites in particular). that would be like if you were a star wars fan and you can't even enjoy luke skywalker without someone talking about how "luke tried to kill his own nephew yet he forgave his father, he is a hypocrite and a bad hero you're a bad person if you like luke". just like luke in star wars the last jedi, jin was ooc as fuck in tekken 6. even the writers themselves admitted they didn't want to do this, it only happened because of harada and they got so much backlash for that character assassination back when tekken 6 was first released. so why...why for over 10 years do i have to constantly see so many unfunny repetitive jokes, hate, and slander about jin kazama. why is the only thing i see when i look up jin is "ww3" for the billionth time. why did i have to see people making customizations of jin dressing up like h*tler, p*tin, and fucking s*suke uchiha. why do i have to see fucked up fan fiction of kazuya, miguel, or fucking s*suke uchiha raping and torturing jin kazama to "punish him for his war crimes and also because he never suffered what kazuya/miguel/s*suke suffered from". i'm also so sick and tired of seeing fucking s*suke uchiha stans and r/Tekken daring to comparing my boy jin kazama to that stupid uchiha from naruto who is a misogynistic egotistical narcissistic irredeemable skinny femboy twink asshole. jin would never try to kill xiaoyu multiple times, unlike s*suke who tried to kill two women who admired him. jin has no ego unlike that ego obssessed jerk s*suke. jin is actually handsome and hot, he's a muscular toned man and not just anohter generic femboy twink. jin was never cruel to either her or hwoarang. if anything jin was always more like itachi uchiha, jin always said "forgive me" to his opponents and his motivation, both jin and itachi have the whole black feather aesthetic, both jin and itachi hate their own bloodline, and jin's goal is to kill/stop his own bloodline for the greater good just like itachi. jin would fucking choke and then brutally murder s*suke for what he did to both team 7 and team taka. damn it harada, why didn't you just retcon it like how you retconned kazumi having the devil gene but not jinpachi. why didn't they just say that jin kazama was brainwashed by azazel or something. sometimes i can't help but think about an alternative timeline where tekken 6 scenario campaign never happened, jin was still loved and the side characters (ex. Asuka and Paul) were not made irrelevant joke characters and had something to do.

forgive me if i got a bit too extreme here, but i...i...i just had to let out my emotions now. jin has always been important to me, he's my childhood crush and also one of my biggest comfort characters (along with mitsuru from persona 3 and kiryu from yakuza). which is also why i'm so glad i found posts like these, my feelings feel validated.

Oh believe me, I feel ya, anon. I guess this is just what they call the pain of loving a cursed character doomed by both the fandom and the narrative... but in the end, we all know what's actually beneath all that and that there is much more than meets the eye to Jin (and other characters too).

Also, comparing Jin to fucking P*tin and H*tler is.... something entirely else and I am honestly terrified of those people if their reading comprehension leads them to these comparisons. I just-

You don't know how much patience I have to build up to (sort of) stay in the fandom with all these "jokes" still running around kn freaking 2024. I wanna say that I sincerely hope it will get better, but seeing the overall state of the fandom now and 5-10 ywars ago... I kind if doubt it will get better any time soon.

[noxxha]

hiii, hope you're doing fine!! I would like to ask how do think that Madara and Tobirama would react if they find out they have an granddaughter (let's presume the mother was an Uchiha and the father an Senju). I would really like seeing your analysis on Madara side, since you descrive him so well :))

Hello there anon! I am doing well, thank you for asking - life has just been messy for a while. In any case, it was a delightful surprise to get an ask!

And without further delay - this would be my answer to your question anon:

———

First thing to establish, for the sake of the question, is that Madara had a wife, and at least one child, to be able to have a granddaughter.

I have written headcanons before about similiar topics. Such as how he would treat his wife, or even what I think about the Uchiha culture itself, in case anyone wants to see more of my personal perspective about the Uchiha clan.

In any case, I think Madara would treat his family well. And if he had a daughter, he would be proud to learn that their bloodline would continue.

Now, once he finds out that his daughter has caught feelings for a Senju - and that his granddaughter is of “mixed blood” - I can see him being disappointed in such events, but he takes it well enough - thanks to his wife - until he learns the identity of the father.

The son of Senju Tobirama.

So, this headcanon can go in many different directions, depending on timeline and if canon events are meant to happen (Izuna’s death).

Let’s entertain a timeline where Izuna died, and Madara was left with a family in the form of a wife and a daughter (thus keeping his sanity intact).

I would personally headcanon that Madara would not take it well that his daughter has fallen in love with the son of the person he holds a grudge against (Tobirama).

Despite his caring, devoted side, I can personally see that this is something he would never accept. Especially if it is in a timeline where Izuna is dead, and he is excluded from anything that has to do with Konoha.

While it is true that he is not openly antagonistic towards Tobirama in canon, he definitely holds a grudge towards the latter for taking Izuna from him for the rest of his life, and while he tried working together with the Senju for the sake of Konoha - he would definitely show a much more ruthless side here.

We know Madara does not take betrayal well - and this would definitely be the greatest betrayal that could happen in his own family. Thus I can see him disowning his daughter and keep contact between them to be civil at most (if not outright shunning his daughter and never again speaking to her). While his wife would be sorrowed by such, she would respect her husband’s decision and only support her daughter if absolutely necessary.

Family means everything to an Uchiha, and both husband and wife - even if they are a father and mother - would stay true to those words until the very end.

If we instead entertain an alternative reality where Izuna is alive, and Konoha is still founded, I can definitely see that Madara would take on a more accepting stance to the union - and the child - of his daughter and Tobirama’s son. He would still not be pleased - might even still disown his daughter - but he would still remain in her life to a much larger degree.

I can personally see Tobirama react in a similar way to Madara. I can definitely see him try to sway his son to leave his Uchiha lover, while Madara would try to reason with his daughter, he would eventually give up and accept that she has tarnished the Uchiha name.

All in all, it would definitely not be an union that is liked. But everyone would be a bit more accepting of it, if Izuna was alive.

——

Thank you once more for the ask anon <3 I wish you a wonderful day/evening anon and all the best o/

Don’t hesitate to send more asks if there is anything else you are curious about, and wish for me to answer.

[tsukuyomii45]

I read the ObiKonan warring states period post and that got me wondering: how would Madara relationship with Obito be like if he raises him near the end of the warring states period? To be more specific, Obito would be around eleven when the events of Izuna's death and Konoha's founding take place.

It would be Hashirama that encourages Madara to watch over Obito, an only-child Uchiha orphan who lost both of parents and grandparents due to the war and who would grow up to not know what his parents were really like.

Hashirama tells Madara that it will not replace the emptiness that Izuna left, but because the goal is to build a village where everyone, all clans, would protect each other... he can start by adopting Obito and raising him.

And so, after a long while of hesitating and considering what Hashirama told him.. one look at Obito as an infant, and one small grip of those baby fingers on his index was enough to make Madara determined to raise this little child who wields his bloodline.

Madara was brought up by Tajima, so he would instill the discipline and values on Obito. He would project the need to make him stronger onto Obito because he does wants him to be unbeatable.

In other words, he does not want to lose Obito the same way he lost Izuna. He would train and train Obito in every weapon and in every technique so that he can be just as strong.

So he is rather strict and tough on him, but not in an aggressive manner. He deals with Obito calmly and never takes out his anger on him - but he scolds him sternly.

But because of that, Obito grows up to also be a rather fun boy. XD By the age of 11 he is already raising Madara's blood pressure. He grows to love training and learning techniques, but despises running errands and doing chores.

A scenario could look like this:

"Obito! Get over here."

Obito would rush and skid over to where Madara was outside in the yard, with his eyes shimmering in excitement. "What is it?! Are we learning a new jutsu today?!"

"Come here and chop these up. We need to replenish our stack of firewood."

Obito would roll his eyes and let out a loud groan. "Oh, come on! I already did that last week!"

A vein would pop on Madara's forehead as he says, "Do not question me, boy! I will not ask you again."

XD

Something like that. It's a mix of both, parental and mentor-student relationship between them...with Madara consistently looking out for Obito and feeling protective of him.

[rozaceous]

Road to Ninja!Mariko? Or maybe a zombie apocalypse au Mariko? I’m sorry I only have very stupid ideas.

An AU where she is reincarnated earlier in canon? Like around 2nd or 3rd war?

anon, you had no way of knowing this, but my original naruto oc was not in fact mariko, though the two share any number of traits! i ended up abandoning that line bc i couldn't wrangle the amnt of foreknowledge required to make canon come out vaguely canon-like, my ideas about canon kept evolving, and there wasn't a plot so much as a few scenes i had in mind.

but here, have nohara yua, who got assigned to uchiha shisui's genin team. (yes, that nohara) she's end-of 3rd war era, approximately, bc kishimoto's timeline is...flexible. i know this isn't quite what you were poking at, but it's what i've got so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yua all but slams down the last of the dishes on the puny dining table in Sasuke's puny apartment before slamming herself down in front of it all.

"All right, kid," she says, starting to serve herself from the pot of stew. Sasuke warily follows suit. "We're gonna have a talk, and it'll be a bit gross because feelings are a thing, but bear with me. Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

Yua prods her stew until it's fully mixed with her rice. "Right. So, excepting my older sister with whom I do not get on most days ending in a y, and a friend who's probably crazier than me, I've basically lost everyone I've ever loved. Family, friends, mentors--my heart's a graveyard. And this isn't my idea of attempting compassion," she says warningly, not missing Sasuke's sudden curled lip. He frowns at her instead, caught out. "I'm telling you this because you should know from the get-go that I'm not what you might call emotionally stable. On the other hand, most shinobi aren't, but then again, most aren't quite the level of fucked up I've attained. Though I can name a few. Whatever. That said, I'm also really fucking good at my job."

She shovels a couple of bites into her mouth while Sasuke looks on with an expression of vague disgust at her lack of manners. Yua doesn't give a shit.

"The Academy's probably going to be doing away with early graduation entirely pretty soon since we aren't in wartime and no one wants to chance repeating your precious brother--" Sasuke flinches almost imperticibly and Yua tramples on "--but with that caveat, I graduated at the age of nine, got promoted to Chunnin at ten, and was a jounin by the time I was fourteen. I made the bingo books when I was twelve, and right now I'm listed anywhere from B to S rank. Depends on the country, but Suna's shit and practically lives to piss me off, so the day they give me the satisfaction of treating me like a real threat is the day they get snow in their forecast. They're just bitter that I'm better at wind jutsu than them anyways. Iwa and Kiri are better, though, they take me seriously and have a pretty accurate take on my abilities between the two of them.

"My honest self-assessment is that I'm A to S rank, depending on what type of work you're looking for. I'm not an all-rounder by any means. My taijutsu is decent, bukijutsu is acceptable, and my genjutsu are good but my repertoire is pretty small. I'm ninjutsu type, through and through, and that much I'm damn good at. There's maybe two ninja in the village that can give me a run for my money in ninjutsu, and one of them's the Hokage."

Sasuke has virtually abandoned his stew to stare at her beadily, interested despite himself.

"Now I did all that without any bloodline bullshit, without clan techniques, and almost exclusively being self-taught. And since you're clearly wondering why the fuck I'm telling you my résumé, I'll say: if you wanna learn, I'll teach you."

Sasuke's eyes flare wide and, never one to miss an opportunity to pause dramatically, Yua takes another couple bites.

"Why would you teach me?" Sasuke demands as soon as it's clear that she's not immediately going to explain herself. "I barely even know you."

Yua chokes on a laugh while mid-chew and then starts coughing. She ends up having to gulp water to clear her esophagus.

"Yeah, that's true enough," she admits once she has herself under control. "I've got no credentials as a teacher, either; I've always sort of brushed off taking on a genin team even though I'm sure I'd like it. Partly it's because once you teach someone something, even though you're technically responsible, you've got no control over how they use what you've taught them. Students go errant all the time. And partly it's that I'm an emotionally stunted softie who would imprint all over a bunch of baby genin and mother them within an inch of their lives.

"But I'm still hoping that you'll take me on, kid. Itachi wants to fuck up our lives? Fuck that, I say. He wants you to get strong, to live like shit, all full of unhappiness and hate just to have the chance of taking him in a fight?" Sasuke's hand is white-knuckled over his spoon. "Fuck that," Yua says passionately. "Fuck that asshole and fuck what he wants. I'll make you strong enough that there won't be a damn person in the world, not Itachi or anybody, who can tell you how to live your life. Because if I can give you my skill set, your eye magic baloney combined with the fact that you've got talent in spades and a damn good work ethic will mean that you'll be virtually untouchable."

It's true, too. A Sharingan user with perfect chakra control would be able to steal and then duplicate any jutsu like Kakashi on steroids because of the lack of chakra drain from being able to properly turn off the doujutsu and the efficiency in performing those jutsu. A Sharingan user with perfect chakra control who can use substitution jutsu so well that it's basically teleportation? Unmatched versatility in attacking, superior speed, evasion, illusions-- the word invulnerable comes to Yua's mind.

---

Yua decides that it's time to step in when Naruto is unconscious at Sasuke's feet and the transformation granted by the curse mark starts to recede from his body. She substitutes from her place in the trees to a spot atop the water in his line of sight, just far enough away that he isn't going to feel provoked. Nonetheless, he jolts when he sees her, and she feels the chakra rising in him as though to attack.

"Calm down," she says quietly, words nearly lost in the crashing rush of the waterfall behind her.

Sasuke's hands return to his side, but they're clenched into fists and he regards her warily.

"Yua." His voice is raspy, a little dull. And no wonder, if he's just finished attempting to beat the life out of his best friend only for his tutor to show up. "I'll fight you, too, if I have to."

There's no relish in the words.

"No," she says, still quiet, feeling like the moment deserves her solemnity. "I'd say you've demonstrated your resolve to leave. I won't be the one to drag you back."

---

Sasuke stares at Yua, feeling something almost like panic climbing up his throat.

"The--your mission--"

"Fuck the mission, Sasuke," she says gently, and her expression is sad but not accusing.

He doesn't understand. He'd steeled himself as soon as he'd seen her, knowing that for her to show up at such an opportune moment meant that she'd likely been watching the fight between him and Naruto and that she now has a perfect grasp of her surroundings and Sasuke's condition. And Sasuke knows that even if he were in top shape and had the full use of the curse mark, even if his chakra wasn't as weak as the flame of a candle, he would stand little chance against Yua. She'd shown him the gap in their skills often enough, after all, and she's the one that he's closest to ever since everyone died, the one who made sure he ate well and did his homework and got enough rest, who taught him chakra control and how to shunshin, who calls him things like Little Duck and ruffles his hair no matter how much he protests. Naruto may be his friend, but Yua is the closest thing to family that he has left, is the person with the strongest claim to him, the one most likely to make him return, either through force or personal ties.

Even so, he'd been willing to fight.

So for her to stand before him now and announce that she's abandoning the mission that so many of his peers have hurt themselves over, that she'll ignore the orders of her Kage with ease, and all of it without the faintest trace of judgment on her face after he's tried to kill his best friend--he's just like Itachi who stole Shisui from her--

Yua must understand whatever his features are telling her without words, because she says, "I told you at the beginning that the danger of teaching is that the teacher has no control over how the student uses what they're taught."

Students go errant all the time, his memory echoes, as if summoned by her reminder. He feels it like a punch to the gut. He'd known, before, that he was essentially betraying her by leaving Konoha for Orochimaru, but now he knows it the same way that he knows one of his ribs is fractured.

"But I also told you," she says, "that I wanted you to be strong enough that no one could tell you how to live your life. And that's what I want, for you to have the power to make your own destiny. And you think that Orochimaru has something that no one else does. That his offer of power is unique, superior. So, as the one who promised that to you initially, I apologize for failing you."

And she inclines her head--Yua bows her head--

"Stop," he says in a gasp, and there's moisture building in his eyes. If it sounds like he's begging, it's because he is, because if Yua keeps talking, keeps forgiving him, then his resolve will fail him and everything will have been pointless.

"No," she says, with sudden firmness, and she stares him straight in the eye. "You're choosing your own fate, Sasuke, and I won't resent you for it. This is the path you're walking now, and you can't turn back, you can't be swayed. That's what it means to tangle with destiny--there's no room for regret. And if you're going to Orochimaru, there can't be a single doubt in your heart."

"But why?!" The question rips out of him in his desperation to understand. "After all of this, after everything, why would you let me go?! How can I--how--you--"

"Because I love you," she says without hesitation, even though he sees the glossy film covering her eyes and starting to stick to her lashes. The ferocity of her words takes him aback as much as the content. Literally, too; Sasuke takes a half-step back. "Love is the tie that binds us to one another, but it's not a chain. And anyways, I promised you freedom."

Yua starts to walk towards him, and he stands frozen beside Naruto's unconscious form until she's right in front of him. He thinks, somewhat hysterically, that he really doesn't stand a chance against Yua in a fight if all she has to use is a few words before he's as paralyzed as a fearful rabbit. Naruto--and he forces down an absurd giggle--could stand to learn from her.

She pulls him into her chest tightly and he's helpless against her. No matter that she's only barely taller than him now, no matter the muscle and experience he's gained; she overpowers him.

The hand she has pressed to the back of his head trembles. And then, before he's had time to relax into the embrace, she releases him.

"Take care," she says, and a pair of tears streak down past the purple marks on her cheeks. Sasuke studiously ignores the damp spot he's left on her shoulder.

"I--I will," he says.

They stare at each other for a long moment, each aware that they won't be seeing one another any time soon, and that the next time they meet they may very well be on opposing sides. Sasuke feels something burning deep in his chest, something that's been aflame ever since he'd started fighting Naruto in earnest. It hurts him, warms him; he feels like he's going to choke.

"Now get outta here, kid."

Still helpless against her, he listens.

---

Yua's washing her parents' and sister's headstone like she has every fourth Friday for the past several years when Kakashi finds her. She hands him a soft brush; she's learned to bring more than one.

Kakashi, faintly smudged with dirt and smelling of tree sap and algae and sweat, takes it from her wordlessly, crouching and dousing the brush in her bucket of water. His strokes across the stone are precise and thorough, practiced, and they work in quiet symphony for several minutes.

Finally, he leans back on his heels and says, "I thought you were going to talk some sense into him."

If it's not anything to do with work, Kakashi tends to say only exactly as much as he has to, speaking in bare thesis statements without the supplementary paragraphs that show how he's reached his conclusions, and as such, Yua has become extremely good at reading between Kakashi's lines.

Sasuke is gone, and Kakashi doesn't know why she didn't do more to stop him.

She exhales slowly and with purposeful evenness, offering respectful attention to the characters of her mother's name as she washes them. "I think Sasuke is operating from a different definition of sensible."

Kakashi's snort lacks humor.

"He's no fool, Kakashi," she says lowly. "Rash and impulsive, sure, but not stupid. I'm sure he knows exactly what he's walking into. Orochimaru's made no secret of wanting Sasuke's body for his own."

"I fail to see how giving Orochimaru the precise thing he wants fits any definition of sensible," Kakashi says dryly.

"There's a three-year timeline before Orochimaru can take another body," Yua contradicts. "And I think that for Sasuke it'll be plenty of time."

"For?"

"Becoming strong enough to kill Orochimaru and eliminating the threat against him altogether." Kakashi's head turns to her slightly, but Yua only notes the motion in her peripheral vision. "For better or worse, Konoha's changed since either of us were genin. At his age, I was a chuunin in the bingo books of all the major countries and you were a jounin. Don't get me wrong, in terms of comprehensive skill level, Sasuke is above where I was, but I would've won in a fight because of experience. Experience is a hard teacher, but if you manage to survive it, there's nothing better. And with that stupid curse mark and the certain knowledge that he's targeted by Orochimaru, how much field work could Sasuke really have been guaranteed?"

Kakashi's gaze on her is wary, but he doesn't interrupt.

"If he'd stayed, Sasuke would've been trained to the bone, but he would've been coddled from the world outside the village," Yua says. "And Orochimaru's already breached Konoha's defenses, has killed the Kazekage and the Sandaime Hokage. There's no guarantee that he wouldn't do something equally drastic again for the chance of getting at Sasuke, with no attention to collateral damage. And besides, if we were truly capable of keeping him safe, he wouldn't have that curse mark in the first place. So I'd say Sasuke is taking a lot of factors into account."

Kakashi sighs, running a hand through his messy stack of hair. Yua glances over, intrigued as always at the sight. If his hair is stiff and voluminous enough to defy gravity as it does, how does his hand not get caught?

"Then I guess I'm having a hard time accepting that my student is relatively safer in the hands of the S-class nuke-nin that wants to throttle his soul and possess his body," he bites out. "Especially since I like to think that between the two of us, even Orochimaru wouldn't be too much to handle."

"I'm retired from field work," Yua reminds him, though in truth she's warm at the open expression of respect at her abilities considering how long it's been since they've worked together.

Kakashi gives her a flat look. "I seem to remember you holding your own during the Crush just fine."

"I suppose," she says blandly. "But the fact of the matter is that Sasuke doesn't think that he has anything left to learn from me. And maybe he's right; there's only so many chakra control exercises I can give him. I'm in no position to offer field work."

"There was an easy way to change that and you know it."

Yua drops her brush and pours the remaining water over the stones. Some of it splashes at her bared toes. Kakashi offers his brush back and it clatters into the bottom of the bucket.

She joins Kakashi in resting in a squat, butt nearly touching the ground and her arms crossed over her knees, chin resting upon them.

"My goal in teaching Sasuke was to make him strong enough to choose his own destiny. And what he does with what I've taught him has always been his decision."

"Yua--"

"Was I supposed to drag him back?" Yua interrupts, surly. "He's demonstrated his resolve to leave, I'd say. I couldn't love that boy more if he were my own flesh and blood, but I'm not going to chain him down based on some hypocritical idea of what I think is best for him. I can only trust that I've taught him well enough that he'll make it. The other option is despair and agony and I've had enough of that for my lifetime, thanks very much."

She presses her eyes into her forearms. "I've made, Kakashi. I kept him as safe as I could all this time, I trained him and made sure he ate properly, I taught him how to keep house for himself, asked about his grades in school and what he learned in class. But never once did I tell him about my true motive in retiring to hospital work. I wasn't as honest as I should have been, and part of me--I want Sasuke in my life forever, but part of me is glad he's gone so I don't have to worry as much about the fallout of my actions. And part of me is scared of what he'll do when he finds out what I've kept from him."

There is, for a long moment, silence.

"You've always acted according to Sasuke's best interests." Kakashi's voice leaves no room for rebuttal. "If you weren't honest with him, it's because it wasn't safe. You know that as well as I do--better, even, so don't go beating yourself up about it. No one expected you to take care of Sasuke and no one would have asked it of you, but you stepped in where no one else did. You've done a good job with him, Yua, and if you're saying that you think he's strong enough to make it on his own, I'm sure he'll come out on top. Though I don't like it.

"And as for what'll happen when he finds out the truth…" Yua dares to peek up from her arms as Kakashi pauses, and he treats her to an eye smile. "Maa, don't underestimate how much that brat loves you, too."

"Tch." But despite the lingering sense of anxiety, Yua does feel comforted. And then she snickers. "Look at us, having a conversation about feelings like emotionally competent adults. Is there snow soon?"

"You can speak for yourself," Kakashi says primly. "I am certainly not and never plan to be something so dull and mature-sounding as emotionally competent. It's likely dreadful and far too much work. Besides, I have an image to maintain."

"Yes, heaven forbid that I mar your reputation as the Angst Lord of Konoha."

"Precisely."

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I like the gloom. My dislikes are sunshine and good cheer. Hobbies include brooding over my tragic past and staring moodily off into the distance. I have no dreams for the future because hope is a delusion for those too afraid to engage with the despair that is reality."

"You know me so well."

Yua laughs.

---

Tsunade hasn't been back in Konoha for very long, but she's been around long enough to hear about how Konoha's once-notorious Nohara Yua, whose fame had reached even derelict pubs and casinos, had turned into the sweet-mannered, harmless-looking woman barely past girlhood that had first greeted Tsunade upon her arrival in the village hospital. Well, Tsunade has nothing against sweet manners or looking harmless, acknowledges their advantages, even, but Nohara Yua had embodied those qualities to the extent that Tsunade had started to think that the girl who had been renowned as the Windwalker and internationally feared as a ninjutsu master had been the result of overblown rumor, carefully planted misdirection, and willful blindness.

Initially, Tsunade had found her to be a competent enough doctor, and generally inoffensive. Upon learning who exactly had briefed her on her new patients' statuses and given her the rundown on current hospital procedures, the cognitive dissonance had been so great that she'd had to be assured that yes, it was that Nohara Yua. No, really.

And the nurse assuring Tsunade had, with the reluctance born of politeness and the thoroughness born of a love for gossip, told an astonished Shizune and skeptical Tsunade in an undertone why the Windwalker was working as a member of hospital staff. And then Tsunade had been well aware that she was in no place to make comments about lifestyle choices after losing a lover.

Still, that the woman apparently took on D-rank home repair missions as a hobby did not inspire Tsunade to believe that Nohara was ever anything other than a reasonably talented kunoichi whose offensive abilities had been rather exaggerated, both out of strategic convenience and a desire by other kunoichi for a female figure to look up to as the next--well, her. And even if Nohara had been as lethal as her reputation had painted her, Tsunade had been sure that that person was as dead as Uchiha Shisui, replaced by someone content to live out the rest of her life in a much quieter fashion.

But Tsunade only had been sure because right now the woman in question is standing in front of her desk next to Hatake Kakashi, explaining oh-so-succinctly about the steaming pile of shit that Hiruzen-sensei had left her to inherit, the ooze and stench of which is still far from stale for all that the rug has been thrown over it for almost half a decade. The same festering dung heap that Nohara has apparently been investigating secretly and under her own initiative, with no one but Hatake in the know, for the last four years.

"So let me get this straight," Tsunade says, in the full knowledge that she'll be getting absolutely plastered later this evening no matter what Shizune has to say about it. "The Uchiha were planning a coup against Konoha leadership."

"Yes."

"And the Sandaime was aware of this."

"Yes."

"And not only did Itachi not go insane and kill his entire clan, but he was acting under orders. From Danzo. Whom Itachi believed to have the Hokage's approval."

"Yes."

"And Itachi is now acting as an undercover agent without a handler in the international terrorist organization known as Akatsuki."

"That's correct."

"While Danzo is currently operating a secret military organization within Konoha itself, which answers only to him, and which the Sandaime falsely believed to have been dissolved as he ordered several years ago."

"Yes."

"And this organization has infiltrated Konoha's active forces on every level with no one the wiser, and has been taking and executing missions without official sanction."

Nohara's gaze slides to the alcove of Tsunade's office, where the ANBU agent on duty is hidden under seal--oh fucking shit--

"ANBU Cat is someone I trust with my life," Hatake inserts smoothly.

"What a fucking relief," Tsunade snarls. "Cat, get over here."

Cat is crouched in front of her in a flash.

"Get that decorative plate off your face, Cat," she snaps. Cat follows her instruction with admirable speed and Tsunade looks into the unassuming features of a man approximately Yua's age who is clearly struggling to master some kind of emotion that makes him look extremely nauseous. "Your name, Cat. Not ANBU designation."

"Tenzou, Hokage-sama."

"Right. Tenzou. How long have you served in ANBU?"

"Seven years, Hokage-sama."

"Long enough to have known Uchiha Itachi."

"We were briefly on the same ANBU team, Hokage-sama, along with Kakashi-senpai and Yua-senpai."

"And do the events that Nohara has just finished describing sound plausible to you?"

Tenzou's eyes lower momentarily before conscientiously returning to meet her gaze. "They sound as plausible as Itachi having a violent mental break, Hokage-sama."

"And do you know of this organization called ROOT?"

In response, Tenzou opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out as far as it will go. For one horrible second Tsunade flounders, wondering if this is some faddish gesture she's too old to understand, and then she sees the seal.

"That bastard," Tsunade whispers.

Nohara snorts. "Yeah, he likes to seal up the tongues of anyone who does work for him so they can't blab. Most of my investigation into ROOT has been looking at what should be there, not what is. You find it by spotting the empty space.

"I know that he has shinobi that he's trained specifically for years, and then there are others who have engaged in missions with him thinking that they're partaking in some extra black black ops, not aware that they're doing anything that isn't perfectly legitimate, if secret beyond all reason. Kakashi got sucked in years ago, before he realized that Danzo was operating off books, and Danzo dropped him like a hot cake and left him to fester under that godforsaken seal. Recon work has been a bitch."

"If your goal was to squirrel out ROOT, why didn't you return to ANBU?" Tsunade questions narrowly. "Surely it would have been easier to gather intelligence while on Danzo's recruiting grounds."

Nohara stills, looking discomfited for the first time. "There were several reasons," she says finally. "Part of it is that I wanted to be there for Sasuke, and having a set schedule at the hospital and no missions taking me out of the village made that considerably easier. Part of it's that I want Danzo to think I'm none the wiser to his schemes, and I'd say I've done a good job of being soft and overly emotional, exactly like he hates in shinobi. And then, well, I honestly wasn't in any shape to take on ANBU work." Nohara clenches her hands at her sides, and her stare is borderline defiant. "My partner had just died under suspicious circumstances, my friend and captain had killed his clan and turned missing-nin. Not to mention, I'd just finished recovering from a mission that I'm pretty sure was supposed to off me. Bluntly, I was a fucking mess."

Hatake slides Nohara a look and Tenzou does the same, though Tenzou's look has the distinct tinge of pity whereas Hatake's is merely assessing.

"Mostly though," Nohara continues, "I no longer had faith in the Hokage. Shisui went to the Sandaime about the coup, and the next thing I knew, Shisui was dead and the Uchiha clan was gone. Things had gone extremely and terribly wrong and I knew that either the Sandaime was in on it, or he'd been too ineffective to prevent it. I could never betray the village that Shisui loved so much, that my family died to protect, but neither could I serve under Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Tsunade understands her phrasing perfectly. The village that her entire family--barring one estranged sister--had died for. The village that Shisui had loved. Not Yua.

"I can understand using Sasuke's departure from the village as the the impetus for bringing this to my attention," Tsunade says slowly. "But I have to ask the question: what do you plan to do if I don't pursue your investigation? What if I decide to leave things buried, or even to silence everyone in this room?"

Hatake freezes entirely, expressionless, and Tenzou's eyes widen.

Nohara merely blinks.

"I came to you with this information because I think that you have a sense of justice," she says. "The Sandaime was too focused on mercy, not realizing that mercy without justice is nothing but weakness. Honestly, I think the man was a coward. But you know the pain that I know, Tsunade-sama, and you left Konoha because you couldn't abide the senselessness of the loss, and I think that you're back because you want to see that loss made meaningful. And if that's the case, if what I hope and think about you is correct, then I'm ready to serve you in whatever capacity you think best without reservation.

"But if not." Nohara's voice doesn't harden or raise, her face doesn't shift. Even so, the room feels a degree colder. "Even heaven won't stop me, Tsunade-sama. I'm not interested in revenge, but if you deny justice to me, to Sasuke and Itachi and all the dead, then there will be no stopping me. I won't let anyone demean the ideal that every shinobi on the Memorial Stone died to honor and uphold. I won't let the Konoha that so many have fought and hurt for turn into an empty shell, devoid of meaning. I've done my best these last few years to work so that this wrong can be resolved as peacefully as possible. And even if I let it be a convenient face, I've genuinely tried to live gently and kindly. But in the end, I'm a shinobi. If it means that I can look the boy I raised in the eye, if it means I can take my friend's hands and let him put down his sword, and if it means that when I die I can say to my parents and my sister and my partner that nothing they suffered was in vain, then I will use every scrap of knowledge and strength I possess for violence, and I won't hesitate to cut down you or anyone who stands in my way."

Silence reigns, and Tsunade doubts that her left eyebrow has ever strained so high. Yes, the woman before her is certainly no accommodating doctor. This is a woman who is every bit the efficient killer of her mythology and then some, crafty and slippery and with a diamond will.

She scoffs. "I'll consider myself warned, then."

[woodblxssomcrowned]

Starter for @hatredcurse || Continued Warring States AU

Fuck.

Kaname had read about something like this, among the chronicles of her great-grandmother.

Some lord or other with too much money and too high of an opinion of himself thought he could tempt two powerful but rival clans of unmatched fighters into cooperation with a large enough reward, that he could sway generations of bad blood into unifying under his banner.

It would have cemented his victory for certain. But that time blood outweighed gold, and and both clans had subsequently refused his contract in their outrage. That lord and his bloodline was long since gone from this world, but the wheel turns as it always does, and little changes.

A certain tension instantly fills the large space as the Senju's presence is noted. But starting a fight here would not be in any of their best interests.

Not only would it doubtlessly insult the stout lord who sat proudly ahead of them draped in his silks, watching them expectantly, it could very well end with all their heads decisively removed by the samurai that either sat kneeling or stood along the walls, watching the shinobi with jugdemental eyes.

The apparent representative was unmistakably Uchiha in appearance, albeit unfamiliar to her, and she eyes him from head to toe briefly. At this distance, even she can feel the powerful chakra that ripples from him.

A small smile curls Kaname's lips.

Though as she strides past him, her own entourage staying back a few paces, and gaze focuses on the lord as she kneels, then bows deeply until her forehead is pressing to the tatami.

“My lord. My name is Senju Kaname, and it is my honor to present myself before you in the place of my father, Senju Hashirama.”

Her voice is high and clear, giving weight to each word to ensure they reached the lords ears.

“On behalf of my father, I wish to express our gratitude for the generous offer you have extended to our clan, and that it would be his pleasure to accept it once the terms have been settled.”

Indeed, the job offer extended to the Senju had included that they would be fighting alongside a second shinobi clan…but he had failed to mention which one. And with the Uchiha here, she could only suspect what that meant.

She doubted that this would have an outcome much different than that of the incident immortalised in the Senju's records.

[domoz]

Wakes up slams a fic about mangeko headcanons online and goes back to sleep.

kinda pre-mada/tobi if you squint

CW for a mercy killing.

Cool fingers pull away from Madara's temple, and chakra with them; without it, his eyes return to aching, as they do almost every day now.

He opens his eyes to the sight of Tobirama frowning down at his notes.

Ask Madara even last year if he would have let Tobirama anywhere near his eyes and he would have laughed in your face and then probably killed you on top of it. That they were here now was due to what else but Hashirama's meddling -- a comment here or there revealing that he knew Madara's eyesight was failing, a reminder of his ability to heal. When he'd tried, the admission that this, he could not help, but that his brother was much better at fine details like eyes than him --

He'd put the thought in Madara's head, and Madara had rejected the idea every time he'd thought of it -- through every migraine, through every day where his eyes ached so badly he preferred not to open them. He would not let Hashirama's mad scientist of a younger brother anywhere near his eyes.

Until Izuna had noticed. Had started pressuring Madara into taking his eyes. Madara knew Izuna would get his way given enough time to manipulate, and he would not leave his brother to live blind.

"What if I find a way to fix them?" He'd exploded, "Will you drop it then?"

And that had left him with only one place to go.

Tobirama had not gloated at him, had agreed that the payment for curing his failing eyesight would be the information he learned doing it. Had even agreed that Madara could reject any question he asked without explanation.

Though really, the thing that had convinced Madara that he hadn't made the worst mistake in his life was, when he admitted the weakness of the Mangeko, Tobirama's response -- faintly bitter -- that all bloodline limits had their drawbacks.

(Madara did not ask after Hashirama. But he wondered).

So far, Tobirama has not done anything to hurt him. Had, on the very first day, said that he could repair at least some of the damage to his eyes but admitted that until he could understand the root cause it would likely degenerate the next time he used his sharingan.

"Not any worse than last time." Tobirama remarks, "So at least the reinforcements held. But you haven't used the advanced state of your doujutsu, have you?"

"No." Madara admits. And that was the rub -- the cause had been obvious. The Mangeko forced in too much unrestrained chakra for even an Uchiha's well developed eye coils to handle, and the damage to the coils affected the body. It was finding a solution that was acceptable where things had stalled.

"Prolonged use could even start to affect the brain." Tobirama had said, flat and clinical, after the first time Madara had let him run a sweep of medical chakra through his eyes, "Though I suspect you would already be long blind by then."

Back then Madara had grit his teeth in a valiant effort to not explode at the man in anger. Now, he recognizes that was a simple statement of fact, nothing more. Whether or not Tobirama has plans to do anything with what he'd learned Madara still isn't sure, but the man had promised to heal his eyes and apparently intended to keep it with same work ethic that he had used to help construct the village. His methods have been rigorous, sometimes exhausting, but there is no question on if he was trying.

Which was to say that it was becoming clear, now that Madara has some idea on how to read the man, that he was just as frustrated with the lack of progress as Madara was. He doesn't show it by sighing or rubbing at his temples like Madara might, but by glaring at his notes and pressing down with his pen so hard that it might break.

"What, exactly, is the roadblock right now?" Madara still doesn't know if having the Senju speak his thoughts out loud helps or distracts, but in the end they are his eyes, and Tobirama always humors him when he asks.

This time, he has to take a long moment to pull his thoughts together.

"If it were just too much chakra, I think I could find a solution. There are techniques that temporarily increase the size of ones coils…"

Madara blinks, "The Akimichi?"

There had been some talk about Tobirama taking an Akimichi onto his team recently. Did that have something to do with him?

Tobirama finally looks up. He nods, but there's a unhappy tilt to his mouth.

"It allows for more chakra to pass through, but it makes the coils weaker. It's not a problem for the Akamichi since their chakra is so stable and their coils are more robust than most. For an Uchiha…" He looks away, gaze unfocused, "You could handle it normally, but the Mangeko makes your chakra especially volatile."

Tobirama pauses for only a moment. One of the first things he'd asked had been the reason for the extra instability in chakra that happened when the sharingan was activated, and Madara had said he would not answer. To his credit, he hasn't asked again.

"…And every solution I've considered for reducing the volatility will likely also end up reducing the power in some way." Which was unacceptable, it went without saying.

A month ago Madara would never have volunteered this information, but he's tired -- of the constant ache, of the experiments, of Izuna behaving as though he would be fine if he were blind. Tobirama has won the information he'd asked for, by attrition, and by accident.

"Part of the instability comes from the technique itself." Madara admits, closing his eyes so as not to see Tobirama's sharp gaze snap to him (and that had been another odd thing -- Madara wasn't sure he had ever made so much eye contact with a non-clan member before), "And part of it comes from the fact that in order to activate it, we have to recall the memory that awoke the sharingan in the first place."

He keeps his eyes closed, so he does not know what expression Tobirama makes, only that the man's voice is unusually hesitant when he clarifies, "…Every time?"

"Not in full, but the emotions that come with it? Every time."

The riverbank, the determination to protect his family -- that memory was like an old friend to him.

He called up his Mangeko less. That one still ached.

He has not woken up, and the healers said it was likely that he wouldn't before he passed.

Tajima had given as good as he'd gotten, and Madara prays that Butsuma Senju's death had been as long and agonizing as his father's has been. He reaces out, folds his hands over Izuna's, over the blade his little brother holds. The tremble in Izuna's hand was too small to be seen, but Madara can feel it as he wraps his fingers tight.

He does not comment on it. Just this once, such weakness can be forgiven.

If Tajima is only going to lie there unconscious and in pain until he expires, then there is only one thing that makes sense. If Madara and Izuna can grow more powerful from his death, then Madara knows with surety that it's what he would have wanted.

Izuna squeezes his eyes closed and takes a steadying breath before opening, meeting Madara's whirling sharingan with his own.

"Okay." His little brother breathes.

Their hands move together. The cut is quick and deep, but the blood still sprays over their hands, over their clothes. Tajima still wheezes a horrible sound, searching for a last breath, convulses when he can't.

They're shinobi, death is a thing that is a once close and impersonal, this --

This burns.

Every time.

"…I'm sorry." Says Tobirama, and Madara's eyes fly open. Because Tobirama Senju is a man who does not apologize, much less for things that have nothing to do with him.

The look on his face is unreadable, but it's not pity, Madara thinks.

"For what?" Madara wheezes, ears buzzing. He has no idea whether to be furious or not, no idea what to feel at all.

Tobirama raises an eyebrow, "The sharingan gives perfect memory, does it not? To have to recall such things every time…" He shakes his head, "Perhaps your clan is more sane than I ever gave you credit for."

There's so much unsaid in that statement that Madara will ruminate on later, but for now he warns, "Messing with a sharingan user's memory is not only nearly impossible, but a taboo as well."

There have been plenty who have tried, who wanted the memories burned into their eyes out and gone. And clan record after clan record showed that, without fail, those who tried went insane. This was a line he would not allow Tobirama to cross.

"I suspected as much." Tobirama agrees easily, if not a little wry. "Fine. No memory manipulation. Then what about emotions?"

[x-authorship-x]

Okay so I've been having thoughts about the time up until Shisui's death (specifically the hope au) and it's driving me insane. Anyways, do you ever think about how exhausted Shisui probably was mentally, emotionally, and physically? Like first off, where would he have even felt comfortable to sleep let alone allow himself to with everything going on? Like he's been distancing from his teammates, they've practically been avoiding each other from both sides, and Shisui found out a group of supposed "anbu" were following him that one time so the dorms are out. He hadn't accepted his room at the Yamanaka house as his yet and he wouldn't have wanted to be around Ino when he was so stressed- plus he would have spilled info to Inoichi whether he wanted to or not. The Uchiha compound was being watched and just not a great environment with everything going on, let alone him having to sleep in an empty house. The only person he could really talk to was his literal kid cousin he was always trying to protect so that's a no go- he was essentially cut off entirely from his support system while also having to repeatedly deal with his uncle, the clan elders, and Danzo. He was pretty much forced into a dangerous mission mindset with no breaks in a place he was supposed to be safe and able to rest and y'know /not/ deal with the world ending stress of trying to save both your clan and your village where even a small mistake could be fatal. Then! He gets betrayed by Danzo, who's supposed to be a village superior he should be able to trust! He gets attacked in his own village, all alone, has his eye stolen, gets poisoned, and all of that horrible stuff! Doesn't help that he has literal reality warping eye powers so losing his eye by a treasonous bloodline thief is terrifying!! With him being poisoned, possibly had his grandfather's eye used against him, missing one of his own eyes, probably in shock, terrified, and exhausted it's no wonder he wasn't exactly making great choices. Even if he didn't consciously think it- he was a tired, traumatized 19 year old who was extremely stressed and probably just wanted to get out of this situation. Also let's not forget that because he was still in his mission mindset, he was pretty much locked on to the goal of doing whatever it takes to protect his clan and village so he probably didn't even think about trying to get help from his teammates or sensei to /save his own life/ because he grew up prioritizing others (his cousin, his clan, his village, etc) over himself and that was even before he was cut off from his support system!! And even in his final moments he uses his own death as a tool!! Like I can't even be mad at him or think what he did was stupid because like- it's understandable why he did what he did even though I absolutely hate that it happened. How did Inoichi even let him out of his sight?? I could never. I want to wrap him up in a warm blanket and never let him go, y'know after i kill Danzo with my bare hands.

Honestly this ask just reaaaaally made me want to delve into Inoichi's POV, like what if Shisui is the puppy to his John Wick???? He just starts fucking dropping people and Danzo is like GET ME OUT OF HERE?!?!!

Glorious 👌

But anyway, Anon this ask hurted so good 🥹 owie, thanks for breaking our hearts all over again for the millionth time ❤️

[agoddamn]

In the AU where Tobirama dies instead of Izuna, Hashirama is convinced he can get over it.

Rather than the canon situation, where the Uchiha were over a barrel without Izuna, the Uchiha find themselves in a situation where their enemy still has his biggest guns and even more motivation to use them. Madara is smart enough to realize that continuing the war would be fucking unwise. Izuna still doesn't trust it, of course, but Madara overrules him and the temptation of his dream being fulfilled is just enough to distract Hashirama from going nuclear (because if Hashirama had gone off the rails after his brother's death like Madara did, he wouldn't have stopped haha).

Hashirama doesn't pretend he's not mourning, but he's sure he can put his personal feelings aside for peace. It's literally what Tobirama would want, after all! He can move past it. He can bite his tongue.

So they've got a village with two political/charismatic types, one weedwhacker type, and zero infrastructure experts. Oh, boy.

I'm actually not sure who would take Hokage here. Madara doesn't have his reputation stained by madness and still has Izuna to moderate him, so he's much more popular--but, Hashirama's trust in him is broken and he's no longer backing Madara 100% as a Hokage candidate like canon.

AU Konoha has the opposite problem canon does; without schools and infrastructure pushing people to talk to each other, clans don't integrate at all. It's more like a dozen clan compounds next to each other in alliance than a united village. They end up with some WWI patchwork situation where everyone's got a bunch of semi-contradictory alliances with everyone else, and they don't pool resources in any effective way.

For full flip-flop, let's say Madara takes Hokage. Now the Senju feel marginalized and discriminated against, lesser in a village where the bloodline abilities are the default. They're frustrated with Hashirama and feel like he's not protecting them. Rather than defecting from the clan like Uchiha do in canon, they defect from the country.

Well, that doesn't really matter in the long run though, right? They're only carrying the infinitesimal potential for Mokuton, not an active, valuable bloodline ability. And actually it's really easy to go missing-nin, anyway, because the record-keeping is poor; it's dead common for a clan to not submit its paperwork on missions in progress for a few weeks.

Izuna still never trusts the Senju and remains convinced the defectors are part of some larger conspiracy. The Uchiha run the internal police as a unit while the Senju randomly fill jobs as needed, further fracturing their identity and feeding resentment. Tensions simmer.

And then one day Hashirama turns around and realizes he doesn't recognize anyone in the clan he's ostensibly been leading.

Zetsu gets to him by convincing him he's been played; with his younger brother dead and Touka gone, nobody he wanted to make a village for is there to benefit from it and people there barely get along anyway. Madara got everything he wanted and Hashirama got nothing. It's all a joke. It's already falling apart, he's convinced, so it doesn't matter if he crushes a few neighborhoods in the process of getting revenge for Tobirama. Better late than never, right?

Unlike Madara, missing-nin Hashirama is more explicitly motivated by personal revenge for Tobirama because of his sense of guilt (caused by many things, one in particular being the gap in their powerlevels--Hashirama feels like he was a fool for dragging things out in the name of peace when he could have crushed the Uchiha so much faster if that had been his goal. Tobirama didn't have the durability he did, and didn't he know that the whole time? In canon, Madara and Izuna are much closer in terms of power).

...only problem is, I can't see Madara possibly surviving the onslaught of berserk Hashirama plus the nine-tails. Perhaps Madara steals control of the nine-tails during the battle in order to win, and Kurama destroys Konoha out of genuine grudge for having his autonomy usurped afterwards?

You could make an argument for Mito going either way, I think; she might remarry Madara to bring the village stability, or she might write the whole village off as a loss and abandon them when Hashirama goes off the rails (his beef is too personal for her to fully throw herself behind him). Either way, Konoha is in a pretty tight spot when it comes to the nine-tails.

[mayskalih]

A rant about SasuSaku -

I'm happy some people share a similar sentiment regarding the SasuSaku ship. Kishimoto himself stated that Sakura was addicted to Sasuke using the word 中毒 (which has negative connotations as it's linked to poison) in an old interview. So from the get-go, he knew that this dynamic was unhealthy. While I adore the current SasuSaku relationship now, this was done by somebody else, not by Kishimoto. He might have approved the light novel but it's hard to determine whether or not he truly cared about it. The times he did write adult SasuSaku, he went out of his way to make Sasuke an absent father for 10 years (but he had time to visit Naruto several times?), and he made Sakura forget whether or not Sasuke wore glasses (BS - how could she forget?).

Making Sasuke/Sakura canon was a big mistake. It promoted a harmful message to his readers, particularly young girls, that being burned consistently is part of finding true love. And that they should stick by them to the very end because they will eventually get their happily ever after. Like Sakura. Kishimoto could have portrayed this broken/hurt relationship better.

I also dislike how it seemed like Naruto and Sasuke had to accept Hinata and Sakura's affections despite not displaying mutual feelings throughout the series. Naruto from the start stated that he fell for Sakura's smile (this was retconned to Naruto wanting to steal Sakura from Sasuke as part of their competition). Naruto was also stated to be a loner until Iruka came along (retconned to Hinata always being there for him). And you get Sasuke saying "I have no reason to be loved by you" to Sakura, attempting to stab her numerous times, whilst being in love with her.

Naruto only got with Hinata because Sakura put it in his head that he was in love with her when he couldn't even comprehend it himself. Sasuke only got with Sakura because..... I don't even know. If he wanted to revive his clan, Karin would have been a better option because of her bloodline. And since Kishi went out of his way to bait us into thinking that she was Sarada's mother, then I don't see why he didn't go down this route. Why does Sarada have glasses again??

Naruto was better off with Sakura (vice versa), because their pairing like ShikaTema actually made sense. Sasuke was better off alone in his redemption arc, dying with the burden of bearing the blood of the Uchiha (tragic but fitting). Hinata was better off focusing on becoming an adequate heir of the Hyuuga clan, like she said she would (but all we got was hearsay). Or even better, Naruto should have ended at 699 when Naruto gave Sasuke his headband back. That encapsulated the ethos of Naruto better because Shippuden was basically Naruto and Sasuke's story, anyways. We didn't need their satanic spawns, called Boruto.

Let's not forget how Kishimoto baited everyone by saying that Naruto resembled him, Sakura resembled his wife, and Sasuke resembled his brother. Yet in the end, Naruto didn't end up with Sakura. Apparently, his wife ignored him for days after the 700th chapter of Naruto came out, hahah. I don't blame her.

Sorry for the long rant but seeing mentions of SasuSaku compelled me.

I agree with a lot what is written here. I might be biased, since I never liked Sasuke from very beginning, so I wasn't happy when chapter 700 came out. Sakura being a single mom for 10y with alive father is just so so wrong... So I just pretend it didn't happen and happily live in my headcanons. The only 'official' couple I'm happy for is Shikamaru/Temari, this one you could feel coming and I love their bickering.

[authormikamathews]

She deserved better- Sakura Haruno!

I adore Anime, so I decided that it would be fun to talk about my favorite character in Naruto! Sakura Haruno has to be one of my all time favorite characters and it was in fact a Sakura centric fanfiction story that got me juiced enough to write my first original work! I wanted to make something as amazing, interesting and beautiful as that... 

Here is the link to it- Pulling My Weight - Chapter 1 - itsthechocopuff - Naruto [Archive of Our Own]

Now, why do I love Sakura? She grows for one, she starts out as the weakest character with no interesting skills and so much room for growth. She shows signs of having skills for genjutsu ( illusions) and chakra control! By the end of the series, she was the strongest female of her generation and was handed nothing, she had to work from nothing to immeasurable power! All by seventeen and without a bloodline or destiny unlike her teammates! 

Sure she had her faults, she was kind of judgy, mean and abusive. She was obsessed with her abuser, and showed no signs of growth in healing from her obsession ( Sasuke Uchiha). Even after he tried to kill her for crying out loud! 

As a writer, I need to fix that in some way, all of it.

But how? 

I would have make her realize, over time, that Sasuke was toxic and she deserves better. That if she is loyal to her people, her village, that she would have to kill or maim her obsession. She would focus on other skills, beyond healing ( in which she was a prodigy). I would have her work on sealing and illusions, things that require intelligence and focus, things she would excel at. She would probably have gotten with Lee, some she could relate to in the arena of being gifted with nothing but a good teacher and having to grow through effort. 

I could go into more, I would love to, so expect more posts on those fantasy/fiction series that mean a lot to me. Naruto and Inuyasha are my favorites, so those would be focus points as far as I am concerned! 

So... yeah!