#yoshino yukinohana/nara.

[vinodiriso]

I want to rectify my previous post:

I don't need a shikamaru

Yoshino will quite literally bake you cookies, scold you with one stern look, rub your head, gift you warm smiles and kick the ass of whatever bully you might have regardless of your age and your blood relations

Shikaku will burst through your window to teach you how to throw ball, tease you about literally everything in your life, tell you what a great kid you are and consistently tell you off if you fuck up before helping you figure shit out even if you are an enemy spy

Doemama loves you and stagpa is there for you, kid. Always

[aiutantedivinodiriso]

Complete breakdown of Yoshino’s ninja abilities.

STATS.

Physical abilities: Nara Yoshino is regarded as the Taijutsu master of her generation. Her most deadly factor in close combat is her speed (in her prime, Yoshino was the fastest kunoichi in her generation) and her knowledge of her tribe’s martial arts, Petals Bonescrusher. She isn’t as strong as other Taijutsu users (compared to Inuzuka Tsume or Akimichi Chouza), neither does she have the highest stamina, in fact she is pretty low on stamina: this is why she usually prefers to fight more enemy at once instead of going through duels. She is also one of the most proficient Kenjutsu user in Konoha (and still ranks as such even after her retirement), and has a good knowledge of basic Bukijutsu.

Ninja abilities: Yoshino cannot use chakra productively because of her genetic illness, chakra virus, and this prevents her from using ninjutsu and genjutsu. While it isn’t a lack of talent as much as a physical hindrance to preclude her from using these techniques, she has a basic knowledge of a lot of jutsu she has studied to prepare herself for combat. She is also able to dispel the mental effects of basic genjutsu, while being helpless against the stronger ones. The only Ninjutsu Yoshino can perform is the one taught to her by her father Kenshin, Yuki Hiden: Yukannatoboe.

Intelligence: Yoshino Nara is a wickedly intelligent woman. While her strategical skills are remarkable, Yoshino’s logical/mathematical and memory skills are truly extraordinary. When she needs to focus, Yoshino instinctively forms a symbol with her hands: by uniting all ten fingertips, she creates an upward-facing triangle.

Examples of Yoshino’s mnemonical and logic abilities:

Yoshino is able to solve a puzzle composed of 3,000 pieces in less than 4 minutes.

Yoshino is able to pin point a minor typo in a 10,000-words-long text flashing on a screen after the third time it appears on screen.

Yoshino can remember the exact location of a place after just the first time she looks at a map; not only this, but she can travel to that place without the need of reading the map a second time (as she did to reach Aunt Nuwa’s house after she fled Yukinohana Shokumin).

This is just a small display of Yoshino’s feats. One eerie talent she possess, linked to her swift memory and her incredible spirit of adaptability, is the ability to learn other taijutsu styles by merely observing them. This of course is not possible with taijutsu linked to kekkei genkai or doujutsu (ex. Jūken), but in different cases she has shown to implement in her combat martial arts she has not studied in first place. This is the reason why Yoshino can use all the seven different Petals Bonecrusher styles even if she was trained just in one (The Dragon’s Lover); also, one taijutsu style she has learned is Maito Gai’s Goken.

List of Jutsu known: Yuki Hiden: Yukannatoboe. Ninpou: Yoshanai Ansatsu.

[cervamater]

BLOODBORNE AU --- @goldenscribe, @fulgadrome.

Cast: Aburame Kintsugi, Aburame Shibi, Aburame Khünbish, Aburame Fumio, Nara Shikaku, Nara Morimaru, Inuzuka Tsume, Yukinohana Yoshino.

Yharnam is a festering wound. Unknowingly encouraged by the practice of Blood Ministration, the beast plague is rampant, spreading through the populace like fire through kindling. Men and women, yet untouched by the scourge, follow in the footsteps of the First Hunter by taking up arms in defense of their city. At night, they rove the streets, seeking prey. Seeking blood. The hunters, divided by infighting among various factions, barely suppress the onslaught. Only pockets of organized resistance remain.

One such hunter, a natural philosopher hailing from the east, has taken up residence in a crumbling mansion. From what was once one of the wealthiest districts of Yharnam, she conducts her increasingly esoteric experiments, all in the spirit of discovery and healing. She believes, with a surety that borders on faith, that she will be the one to find the answers to Yharnam’s dilemma. In the belly of her laboratory, chemicals bubble. Samples glisten. Bodies are heaped upon the table, waiting their turn for necropsy. Though she has said much the same in the past, she is certain she is close to a breakthrough. Soon. Soon.

gifset by Mirin, text by @fulgadrome​

[vinodiriso]

I AM A TERRIBLE MOM BECAUSE I FORGOT YOSHINO WAS SUPPOSEDLY TERRIFIED ABOUT HEIGHTS.

I SUPPOSE THAT’S ONE PHOBIA RETCONNED HUH.

[vinodiriso]

What is a ghost's favourite plant? Bambooooooo

@kahenn || was it ‘lift mirin’s mood’ day? something like it.

that’s the only thing you are gonna get. get away from us.

[vinodiriso]

Do Yoshino and/or Shikaku have any particular opinions on the big clans in Konoha? (Feel free to answer with whomever you want since there are a lot!)

Anonymous || impromptu asks I cherish immensely.

YOSHINO + SHIKAKU. 愛 + 客

REMINDERS THAT THOSE FOLLOWING ARE MY OWN PERSONAL HEADCANONS AND ARE MOSTLY NOT SUPPORTED BY CANON MATERIAL.

Well, about Yoshino and Shikaku, I’d say they do have their opinions, they are opinionated people and they are hardly the type of person that just hangs around and do as told.

Face front, let me stay that both Shikaku and Yoshino believe in the clan system as integrated to the non-clan population. There is no better blood, just different customs that deserve to be protected and preserved (some of them, at the very least). Blind hate both towards the clan caste and the civilian class will get them to snap: Shikaku will always remind people that two of the greatest shinobi he has known (Jiraiya and Minato) came from non-clan backgrounds.

Now -- if you were curious about their opinions on specific clans, I unfortunately did never think of it before now, so I don’t know how articulated these thoughts are gonna be, nevertheless I will try my best!

Akimichi & Yamanaka: let’s start with the easy ones first. I headcanon the relationships between Nara and these two to be knitted extra-tight, so, of course, both Shikaku and Yoshino are very proud of Akimichi and Yamanaka. Not much else to say, besides: they stan.

Aburame: actually, I DID ramble about Nara/Aburame relationships in this post (reminder that this headcanon is shared with Quincy over at @natsukusaka). I like to think of Shikaku having something of a petty, non-detrimental rivalry with Shibi when they were younger, before putting it aside to stick it up to Danzo and everyone on the Konoha elder council.

Inuzuka: I mean, with Yoshino being Tsume’s sister-from-another-mister, do you wonder what her and Shikaku’s opinion on them is? She loves them and she thinks they are rad as fuck.

Hyuuga: well, ouch. Yoshino is quite passionate about the matter, having lost a friend (Haru, her ex-teammate) because of their clan policy, and Shikaku isn’t super hot on their laws either, having watched Hizashi coveting revenge and harbouring resentment for what accounts to be most of his life. Still, Shikaku can take on a cynical vision and understand why the seal is necessary, being the Byakuugan a powerful weapon at Konoha’s service; still, it doesn’t see the Cursed Mark as the only solution to the arms race.

Also, going through my headcanons to hunt the Aburame/Nara post I was reminded that Hiashi opposed Yoshino’s appointment as a clan head because she was not born a Nara, so I suppose post-Shippuden Shishi does hold a grudge against him.

Uchiha: Yoshino knew Mikoto, since Hana and Itachi are the same age, she would ask Miki to babysit Hana when Shishi was filled with work. I think Shikaku and Shishi are pretty ‘Uchiha-neutral’ when it comes to it, of course Shikaku didn’t think it right to exclude them from political matters just because of an ancient feud, but his feelings would have been much different if he knew anything about the planned coup d'état.

Senju: I mean, I don’t see them having any sort of opinion on the Senju besides “yeah, they are pretty cool, they founded the village with the Uchiha, that’s great”.

Sarutobi: same thing, but about Hiruzen being Hokage.

[vinodiriso]

Friendly reminder that, as the Executive Officer of the Konoha WHQ, Yoshino had to put up with all sorts of shit Shikaku wasn't met with:

People not reporting after a mission, so hunting bastards down for their reports.

Rewriting some reports because some lazy bitch only wrote two words in each field of the form Shikaku had created.

Attending briefing with Jounins when Shikaku was meeting the Hokage.

And the other way around, although much more rarely.

Copying. Copying. Copying. An immense wealth of inestimable data just copied through and through every day for posterity.

To expand on that, that wasn't even supposed to be Yoshino's job. Even if she was a Chuunin, she was still Shikaku's second, which means her main job was to assist Shikaku in elaborating strategies and fail-safe in case shit hit the fan. Someone else had to do the copying, at least the heft of it.

But Shishi notoriously overworks herself to hell, so she probably took it from Kohari and her husband so that they could come home early to Iruka.

And this was on top of her regular work, which was (as previously stated) assisting Shikaku in his tasks. To be completely honest, Shikaku too rarely ever got sleep, but that was because when he formed the Konoha WHQ he took upon the group most of the tasks before ran by other military and paramilitary organs (Cryptoanalysis, T&I, Archive, Research, etc.): those groups did stay active to do their own work in which they excelled at, but they were coordinated by a central, multi-tentacled brain (KWHQ) which reached out to every single one. This proved to be the best move, because by central coordination, each organ was allowed to work on tasks as commanded and required by a center that was aware of everything going on and able to pinpoint the exact specific direction the effort had to be put in.

So, on top of their regular tasks, as required by a Head Strategist such as Shikaku and his second, both of them had tons of other, apparently non-related work. They both need a fucking break.

[vinodiriso]

mirin’s ships aesthetics: 1/ထ

JIRAYOSH ft. @peepingtoad, 同病相憐れむ --- dōbyōaiawaremu, “misery loves company”.

I don't do fake love  but I'll take some from you tonight I know I've got to go but I might just miss the flight I can't stay forever, let's play pretend And treat this night like it'll happen again You'll be my BLOODY VALENTINE tonight.

[vinodiriso]

(▰˘◡˘▰) WELL SINCE YOU ASKED SHISHI

@peepingtoad || ask meme (not accepting!)

YOSHINO. 愛

Yoshino was out for commissions the day she bumped into the Sennin. The Nara lady had finished thanking one of the keepers for putting up with her requests, bowing politely outside of her shop, when she turned and --crash! She hit her face against something pretty solid. She stumbled, about to fall, when someone grabbed her by the wrist to keep her on her feet. Opening her eyes, she raised her gaze from a large chest to meet a well-known mane of snow-white hair.

“Jiraiya!”

Her shopping basket was full for the day, she could have gone home after a warm greeting, but she had nothing else to do, after all. Shikamaru was training with Asuma and Chouji for the last trial of the Chuunin exam, Shikaku was at work, summoned with great urgency by the Sandaime. She could afford some leisure time with an old friend.

The atmosphere became more relaxed after Jiraiya started cracking a couple of jokes. She did laugh, and her own spirited comments had him smiling: they had been good friends, back in the day, even if Yoshino had started to forget how much she liked being in his company. It had been more than 10 years, way more, since she had seen the last of him. He had changed a bit: older, for sure, the marks on his face longer, a set of laugh lines now impressed on his (still handsome, even if she’d have never told him) face. Yoshino wondered if he found her changed too: she was a true woman now, a real lady, and her step had lost most of the martial about of her youth.

“So, you married,” Jiraiya said with a large grin. “Shikaku woke up in the end.”

“Hahaha! Well, it took him a close encounter with death, but I managed to make him fall in love with me,” Yoshino replied, hiding her amused sneer behind a hand.

“He would have been a fool if he hadn’t,” the Toad Sage stated, as he laid back against the railing. They had walked past the village centre, and were now following the stream of one placid creak sneaking through Konoha.

Yoshino raised her gaze to the clouds. “Do you ever wonder if you made the right choice?”

She heard him sighing. “Why do you always say the right thing at the most wrong moment?”

“Don’t know,” she admitted, shrugging with a hint of a defeated smile on her face. “I suppose I just--- I don’t like lying to myself.”

Icy breeze beset them, their hair moving in the wind together with the large leaves of the tall trees around them. Yoshino felt the cold biting deep in her skin, she shivered and lowered her eyes towards him. She had no idea there was a pleading light in her doe-like glance (originated from the torrent of memories overwhelming her tiny figure at the mention of a past she had all but removed from her mind), but Jiraiya reacted with haste to that emotion he read: he enveloped her in his arms, pressing her securely against his chest.

“Your clothes are a bit too light for this season,” he reprimanded her with no harshness, softly, gently. “Autumn is coming.”

Yoshino was shocked to learn she could still fit her forehead in the crook between his neck and his jaw, with her nose pressed against his jugular and her lips on his collarbone. His arms couldn’t help but slide from their resting position on her waist to her now rounder hips, fingers linking together on the small of her back.

“It was autumn when you left,” the Nara lady reminded him, a whisper more subtle than the wind itself.

“Yoshino...” a warning and a plea at the same time.

She looked at him. That was dangerously close. She closed her eyes. She had to. She pressed her lips on his. It should have been an instant, but she found herself trapped, not that she disliked it. 

Jiraiya cradled her face into his large hands, soft regardless of his crude lifestyle, pampering her like he used to. Yoshino put her arms around his neck, caressing his nape, that weak spot of his she remembered well, and their kiss deepened: the woman’s heart fluttered in her chest, her legs and her wrists trembled. Her technique was more refined now, and she had experience with another very good kisser, but Jiraiya was something else. Their tongues danced together, his leading and hers following flawlessly.

More, more! But she was gasping for air, so Yoshino got away first, a strand of saliva still linking their mouths together that broke the moment she brought her head down, her face on fire. His thumb was still stroking her lower lip, wet, swollen, his nail forcing her lip open, he was staring intently at her porcelain face, Yoshino could feel waves of his eagerness crashing against her, a pit in her stomach burning, incandescent. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t. She was Shikaku’s and Shikaku was hers.

When she raised her eyes to look at him, bright, so honest, Jiraiya understood. He took his hands off her on the spot, giving her a smile so bitter yet so beautiful. “I am sorry. I am too handsome, and I made your resolve sway!~”

Yoshino huffed, a grievous smile bending her lips. “Yeah, it must have been that... I thought it was because that morning you left before I woke up, but no, it must have been your hotness.”

Suddenly, she grabbed his hands. “Jiraiya... are you happy?”

His look hardened and that made her aware that was a question he could not answer. Yoshino’s head fell heavy on her chest, as her grip on his hands tightened. “Remember that I will always, always, want your happiness. No matter if I am taken, no matter if you are far away. Be happy, Jiraiya.”

“I will,” he promised. It was likely a false promise, but it lightened the burden on her heart. “I will be, Shishi.”

“I should leave now, it’s so late,” Yoshino announced with a shaky voice, glancing up yet again at him. He gasped the moment he realized her eyes were completely filled with tears. “Please, take care, okay? I have to leave.”

She let his hands go and grabbed her basket. Electricity ran through her fingers, the impulse of holding him again, for hours, days, making love to him again, loving him again with all her heart sent wild shocks all through her body. But it was a different world, and she loved Shikaku and Shikamaru more. She did. She did.

“Bye, Yoshino.” “Bye, Jiraiya.”

[vinodiriso]

this or that?

peace or war? sun or stars? flowers or trees? crescent moon or full moon? streets or skyscrapers? rooftops or balconies? ink or glitter? life or death? order or chaos? candle or bonfire? ocean or sky? leather or silk? sweet or sour? overstimulation or under stimulation? book or letter? soft or coarse? fight or flight? spoken or written? silver or gold? playing cards or tarot cards? circles or angles? cramped or vast? checkers or chess?

tagged by: @peepingtoad​ tagging: @murasakiirohana​ || @narasnooze​ || @shikkotsunin​ || @nightiingaled​

[vinodiriso]

Mejika Nikki: The White Fang’s Last Howl.

Mejika Nikki (The Doe Journal) is an on-going series of stories that deals with crucial events in Yoshino’s story. You can navigate its tag here.

Yoshino couldn't think of anything. Her mind was a blank slab of marble, cold, unfeeling, dumb. Her eyes were open wide and fixed on the ground, but she saw nothing: her vision was past that world, spirited away to the realm of remembrance, of grievance.

Sakumo-sensei was dead. There wasn't a man alive able to kill him, so he’d taken his own life. A life he had spent serving Konohagakure to his fullest and for which he had paid the price. Yoshino hadn't been allowed in the room where they found the body. "Spare yourself this," Minato pleaded her that fateful night, when her eyes had looked even more possessed, her breath wild and frantic, "neither Tsume-san nor you deserve it."

She spent that night curled against the warm body of the last person left in the world whom she still cared about. Neither the Inuzuka nor the Yukinohana uttered a single word that night, each too busy walking through the flames of their personal hell: Haru's departure was a wound still too fresh for them to cope with, Sakumo's suicide felt quite literally like a knife in the back. They wouldn't have allowed his death to become about them, but it did feel personal, as if those other students of his had been too blind to realize their teacher's pain, the extent of his sorrow, as day after day he walked away from life. Survivor's guilt was eating away at their hearts already, wondering why he had resolved to this, why didn't he tell them what they could have done to help him, why couldn't they have seen it by themselves.

"Sakumo-sensei, is there something wrong?" "Why, no, Yoshino. I am just happy I could see you both in person after so long." “Are you turning sentimental on us, old man?" "Ah, Tsume, don't be mean. I’ve just missed my girls. I wish Haru could be here too."

"Are you ready?" Yoshino didn't even hear Tsume coming out of her house, Kuromaru showed his support by staying next to her. Her face was so pale, as if she hadn't rested a sole minute the night before. To be fair, neither Yoshino'd had.

The kunoichi tried to think as hard as she could, but her brain refused to cooperate. She was empty. She was spent. So she simply nodded, despondent and in wordless despair.

They walked side by side, never talking once, only the sound of their sandals and Kuromaru’s soft pads squashing the stone chippings accompanied them. It was a first for Tsume and Yoshino to go silent for so long, but every word uttered felt meaningless: those words should have been used on Sakumo to cheer him up, to quieten the screaming voices of anguish, dishonour and dismay which drove him to that insane resolution. But they had been spoken not, so those words deserved to die in their chest, like Sakumo had.

Konohagakure seemed eerie in its dormant state as they ghosted along its streets. It was little after dawn, so probably most of the village was still asleep, but it gave the gloomy impression that the entire population of Konoha was in mourning for the loss of such a great hero. There was a certain grey tint to the air itself, an ashen look that turned even the lively hearth of their home into a gathering of bereavement. Yoshino still could not think, of anything.

The graveyard was close to empty. A few shinobi were scattered across the meadow, Yoshino recognized Minato holding close a young, silver-haired boy. ‘Kakashi...’

Next to him, two other children, one with dark features and the Uchiha emblem on his vest, the other a girl with brown hair.

Yoshino felt eyes on herself and her companion and turned to meet Rou's frightening visage. His gargantuan, white ninrou, Kibone, swayed her tail drearily. He was back from Suna, then? she started thinking, before realising she didn't really care to know. There were few other people, some older folks she had never met and some other representative of her generation, but none could testify the place was crowded or the funeral attended.

"So he hasn't come," Tsume growled from her left, startling Yoshino. Who was she talking about? But again, as soon as her mind started formulating that thought, it stopped. It didn't want to work. It didn't want to know. If it had known, it would have acknowledged. If it had acknowledged, it would have made it real.

Yoshino and Tsume walked to the front rows and stood there, eyes fixed on the tomb just a few steps before them. Yoshino turned to observe Kakashi: he was crying and Minato was massaging his shoulder with a light hand and a tenderness Yoshino did not anticipate from such a ruthless ninja. The girl was touching his other shoulder, while the Uchiha boy just looked at him in grievance.

One sudden awareness hit her like a hammer on the back of her skull: she had yet to shed a single tear from the announcement of Sakumo's death. She had stopped eating, barely drank, laid wide-awake in her bed all night long, couldn't focus on anything, but she hadn't cried. She did realize it, yet she couldn't do anything more, because that would have meant to think, and she didn't want to think. She didn't want to think.

The solemn celebration started and carried on quietly, without making too much noise. Yoshino wasn't paying it any attention, and she would have kept doing so if Tsume didn't whisper in pure bewilderment: "...Sandaime-sama."

Yoshino spun her hear around to see as rustling murmurs started animating the sombre assembly. In the central gap, left unoccupied to allow free passage, stood the imposing, red-and-white-clad figure of the Hokage.

"Thank you, Hiruzen-sama..." there was a trembling unaccounted for in Tsume's breath. Her tattooed cheeks became lined with fresh tears. She sobbed, pain hastily gushing from the fissure in her heart. Kuromaru rubbed his big, canine head against her outer thigh to show empathy towards his owner.

The Hokage being there was retribution against all the spewers and scandal mongers that had gossiped and sullied their teacher's name. ‘So this is who she was talking about before’.

Yoshino couldn't bring herself to be as happy or comforted about Sarutobi's presence: he should have done something to help Sakumo, to protect him. Failing a mission, no matter how crucial, shouldn't have robbed him of all his achievements and destroyed his worth in front of the village. The Hokage had come to naught as long as defending Sakumo was regarded, and now his body was cold beneath the dirt and the earth.

‘Why did you have to save your comrades, Sakumo-sensei? Why didn't you just complete the mission and then come home? Why did you rob yourself of your own life?’

"Hi, everyone, my name is Hatake Sakumo and I shall be your sensei from this moment on! Why don't we start off by introducing yourselves to your new teammates? Say your name and what is your dream." "SURE! I am Inuzuka Tsume from the Inuzuka Clan, and this is Kuromaru. We are partners! My dream is to become the toughest kunoichi in Konoha and kick everyone's ass, so don't make me mad!" "Haha, I like your enthusiasm! Who is next?" "My name is Hyuuga Haru, I am a member of the Hyuuga Clan. My dream is to become strong enough to protect the people I love and this village whole!" "Very noble of you, Haru. You are the only one left, little one." "Mh. My name is Yukinohana Yoshino. My home used to be Yukinohana Shokumin, or what's left of it. I-I don't think I have a real dream..." I just want to survive and be happy, one day. "It's okay not to have clear ambitions at the start. Your path will be revealed to you when the time comes, Yoshino."

‘It isn't clear yet, Sensei. I don't know yet what I want from my life. What did you want from yours? Why did you take away your chance to be happy? Why didn't you let us help?’

"Yoshino," Tsume's voice was soft in ways her best friend had rarely ever heard. "It's time to go."

"Mh."

An intense gust of wind dragged and crushed the flowers Kakashi and the girl –Rin, her name was Rin– had laid on Sakumo's grave. She saw the petals get ripped off, dancing in the cold air, and then collapse, powerless, to the ground. ‘Not even in death will you accept the gratitude and love of those who were close to you, Sensei? Are we so undeserving of your benevolence? Did we fail you so, Sakumo-sensei?’

The attendants to the funeral dispersed a couple of minutes after the service ended. Minato escorted his team out of the graveyard, Rou gazed at Yoshino and Tsume, it was clear he didn't want to leave the latter alone, but he made the wise choice not to meddle just yet and give them some more time to spend in one another's company.

Tsume looked more at peace with herself on their walk back than what she did on their way there. She was still desperately sad, of course, but there was no more hopelessness in her eyes, rather a –shaky, unstable, feeble, but still some sort of– resolve. Yoshino coveted her strength of mind, her will to keep fighting.

Tsume was likely aware of that, so she told the Yukinohana: "you know what Sakumo-sensei would have told us, Shishi. 'Don't cry for what you can't change, strive to improve what comes after so that your pain won't be in vain'. I won't let his death be in vain, Shishi, and neither will you."

Yoshino truly did want to believe Tsume, but she just couldn't find the energy to do so. Her heartbeat felt shallow, her sight blurred and her touch irresponsive. There was a lulling sense of meaninglessness in that narcolepsy of the soul, where the entire world was absent and noiseless because everyone had turned their back on them. ‘Sakumo-sensei… how lonely were you?’

“Sakumo-sensei… you never told us your dream.” “Haha, I didn’t back then, did I? I want to leave this world a better place than what I found it, for my son and the people I love. This is why I strive to be the best ninja I can be, not to win my battles for my personal pride… to make sure that, one day, Kakashi won’t have to fight them himself.”

Yoshino looked up at the sky. “There’s no clouds today. The sky is so gray.”

“Damn, I can’t believe they actually did it in broad daylight,” a ninja they passed on a secondary alleyway to reach Inuzuka Compound hissed to his friend, “they were lucky none went there to give that bastard what he deserved.”

Yoshino halted, Tsume and her were a few meters from them now. “Say that again.”

The ninja turned back to look at her, a complacent grin on his idiotic face. “Why, what are you gonna do otherwise, you skin and bones? You gonna tickle me to death?”

“Say that again,” Tsume laid it on thick with her barking, her face tilted a bit to eye him. Even with her earnest aspirations, Tsume was still Tsume, and Tsume was not to be provoked. Kuromaru growled with her, feeling the pure murderous intent radiating from the two kunoichi.

“They. Were. Lucky. None. Went there. To give that bastard. What he deserved.”

Tsume and Yoshino sprung to action on the very same instant. The Inuzuka young woman started forming the hand seals for Shikyaku, Kuromaru dashed next to her, a black, muddled stain for how fast he was running, and filled the dense, electricity-sparkling air with his blood-frenzied snarl. Yoshino too was advancing rapidly, she had no weapons at her disposal because of her mourning attire, but someone had left a spare wooden board leaned against a fence: it was chipped, rough and too large to be used effectively as a bō, but she would have done with what she had got.

While Tsume squatted to hurl herself against their enemy, Yoshino spun her makeshift staff in her hand to empower her subsequent blow with even more might. She was not even a step from dealing her strike when she felt a tight grip on her waist cutting her breath short, her armed hand squeezed tight to stop her from hitting. At her right, a very tall individual held Tsume for her throat, claw-like nails scraping against the skin of her neck and drawing blood. ‘Rou...’

Kuromaru too had been stopped, his neck bitten down and his limbs pinned to the ground by some larger ones. Kibone, Rou’s ninja she-wolf, immobilized Kuromaru completely, a testament to her raw strength given also by her ridiculous size. The ninken’s pain was clear, stuck as he was into Kibone’s fangs and claws, but that one-eyed terrifying muzzle was still contorted into a ghoulish expression.

The shinobi Tsume and Yoshino tried to attack grew pale realising he had been saved from a very painful – and dangerous – experience. The Yukinohana never stopped glaring at him with a fiery scowl. She was still angry. Her heart still sought revenge, the bitter taste in her mouth reclaiming blood to wash the shaming insult away.

“Rou! Let me go!” Tsume yelled, trying to kick the Jounin in his shins. Yoshino glanced behind her and saw a Kage Bunshin of Rou restricting her. “LET ME GO!”

“Quit it, Tsume!” Rou screamed back at her. “What were you two trying to do, huh?! Kill him?!”

“Were you following us, Rou?” Yoshino inquired, she forced herself to keep her voice low. No movements of her prey went unnoticed as he swerved, nervous and scared, not knowing whether to hold up to his earlier affront and risk a real assault, or to deny it by running away and lose face in front of his comrade.

“Yeah, daisy girl, I was following you. And thank fuck I was, you two were about to make a mess! Tsume, what happened?!”

“That son of a bitch badmouthed Sakumo-sensei… on the day of his memorial… that huge bastard! I will kill him!” Tsume shrieked so loud she could crack a glass, she shook wildly in Rou’s binding grasp.

Rou sighed, his wild, white mane covered his countenance from Yoshino, but she would have betted in that same moment Rou was trying to bridle his own thirst for revenge; he was quite the ‘an eye for an eye’ type, and a passionate defender of responding to violence with violence, especially when those endangered were people he cared about. Moreover, he had a fervent belief in a code of his own – a code which exalted honour above most things. He couldn’t stand watching someone rob another of their honour.

“It’s not right, Tsume,” he spat from beneath his clenched teeth. “Sakumo-san… didn’t die for this. He didn’t die for you two to pick fights on his behalf, he didn’t die for you to turn bitter and resentful!”

Yoshino was taken aback by Rou’s statement. “I want to leave this world a better place than what I found it, for my son and the people I love. This is why I strive to be the best ninja I can be, not to win my battles for my personal pride… to make sure that, one day, Kakashi won’t have to fight them himself.”

“What do you know?! What do you know about Sakumo-sensei?! Nothing!” Tsume cried out, her anguish threatening to crack through once more as she glowered at Rou. “YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HIM! LIKE ANYONE ELSE IN THIS VILLAGE! YOU KNOW NOTHING!”

Rou stared her down. “I know the person he helped raise, and he didn’t raise you to be scum that attacks a fellow shinobi for a futile reason! Grow up, Tsume!”

His shouting took all the vigour away from Tsume as she, once more, broke up crying. Yoshino envied her bitterly, she wished she could have found an outlet for her pain as healthy as those tears, but she couldn’t, she didn’t have enough strength to shatter just to build herself back up. Not once more.

“Yoshino, Tsume, Haru. In your life it will be asked of you to make difficult choices. It’s the destiny of every ninja. Whatever the circumstance… always follow your conscience. Living with a dirty conscience is hell, it’s not living. Sometimes a hard choice is a right choice. Remember this.”

“Kuromaru… at ease,” at last, Tsume gave in. Then – and just then – Rou released his hold on her neck and put his arms around her. As soon as Kuromaru stopped struggling, Kibone let him go and started licking the wounds she inflicted upon the smaller animal. Yoshino looked at the scene and all of a sudden she realized she was alone. Alone in her pain, alone in her bewilderment, alone in her shock, alone in her loss.

“SHISHI, NO!”

The Yukinohana jabbed her elbow in the clone’s ribs. A swing like that would have cracked some mean bone, for sure, in fact the Bunshin disappeared with a puff of smoke. She started running, as fast as her legs allowed, her throat torn apart by a distraught, furious scream, her momentum increased the second she swung the board behind her. Her chest was heavy with despair, with resignation.

‘If I don’t do this, Sensei, what will it be of me? If I don’t let this rage build inside me, it will just be more pain, again. I don’t want to suffer, Sensei. I am tired of suffering. I wish it all went away… I wish you were all with me still, Sensei. Hacchan. I am sorry. I can’t do this on my own.’

“YOSHINO, STOP!”

‘I don’t want to be alone anymore, Sensei.’

The kunoichi was halted abruptly, her improvised weapon a mere centimetre away from the guy’s head. She could not move, her entire body shuddered with tense muscles, yet she couldn’t take another step forward. She looked around, astounded, and noticed a black pool beneath her feet. A dark tendril spiked away from it, climbed back up the fence to her left, then up the side of a house, till eventually connecting with another figure.

“Thank fuck, Shikaku. That was one hell of a scare,” Rou commented, relieved.

Nara Shikaku was kneeling on the roof of that house, his hands united to form the secret seal for his clan’s signature jutsu, Kage Shibari. He stopped her with his shadow, that’s why she couldn’t move.

“Heh, just in time,” he smirked. Yoshino noticed that him too was in black clothes. Did he came to Sakumo-sensei’s funeral? “I was on my way back home when I heard screaming and I came to check. Glad I did.”

“Release me,” Yoshino commanded.

“No. If I do, you will crack that guy’s noggin open.”

“RELEASE ME!”

“None wanted Sakumo-san dead!” the Nara stated passionately. “It’s something we can’t change, it’s the reality we must accept. That anger inside of you is fair, you have every god-damn right to be angry, I would be. I am. But even if you beat that motherfucker to death, even if you beat up all of us, that’s not gonna make him come back and you know it. It’s just gonna get you in trouble and I know for a fact that’s not what your Sensei wanted, for either of you. Don’t insult his memory by forgetting the kinda man he was in life. He wouldn’t want it.”

“Yoshino, you more than Haru and Tsume know what it is like to suffer truly. You lost your home and your family, but you found within yourself the strength to start anew. You are like the flower you bear the name of: if snowdrops didn’t blossom through the cold snow, we would never know spring is coming our way. Never let bitterness spoil your heart. Promise me, Yoshino.”

“...release me.”

Shikaku observed her for a few seconds and established that his words had managed to calm her down enough. He loosened the hand seal, his stretched shadow hasted to return to its normal size.

“You, piece of shit,” the Nara’s voice was filled with disdain as he addressed the ninja that had started the whole fight. “Go die somewhere else before I come down there and choke you myself, you vermin.”

The two of them didn’t need him to say it twice. Screaming for their lives, they ran away and were soon nowhere to be seen.

Yoshino, able to move, observed her free hand. Her fingers were thin, her nails chipped in some parts, her knuckles bruised and filled with small scars never fully healed, her skin white as a cloud. Yet she could see her hand dripping with blood, blood of those she couldn’t save: Haru, Sakumo-sensei. She survived, but she wasn’t sure she could keep on living. What for? What was the meaning of all that? Why was she breathing? No. No. She couldn’t think. She promised herself she wouldn’t think. To think meant to acknowledge and to acknowledge meant to make it real.

But it was real. It was already too real.

‘None can save me, Sensei.’

The kunoichi threw the plank she was still holding all the way down the alley. It impacted against a wall and broke in two pieces. Yoshino was hit with the sudden realization she did want to kill that guy before. She hadn’t considered the implications until she saw that piece of wood abandoned on the side of the road.

“Shishi...” “I am going home.”

Tsume pushed Rou away gently and tried to reach for her friend’s wrist, but Yoshino vehemently pulled away. She didn’t want to hurt Tsume, but she could breathe no more. She needed to be alone. Maybe then her loneliness wouldn’t have felt so acute, so distant from the world around her.

“Leave me be, Tsu. I will be okay. Rou, take care of her, please.”

“Will do,” he said, holding Tsume’s hand in his. “Look after yourself too, Yoshino.”

She didn’t answer. She just walked away, her hazel eyes as grey as the sky above them.

Her last punch against the tree ended with a painful, loud crack. Yoshino fell to her knees, clutching her right hand to the chest: it was a broken knuckle, no way around it. Her entire body was burning, not only with fatigue, but also with unrestrained chakra: she could feel true fire circling through her body, the ache limitless with her muscles overstressed, her chakra not controlled, her leg tendon pulled.

Blood was smeared all across the tree’s dented bark. Blood was dripping down her hands, not wrapped with any sort of protection or bandage, probably some chippings had ended up inside her skin, under her now broken and hanging nails. She was beyond exhaustion, she felt like she could pass out any seconds now.

Yoshino yelled out in pain, a scream so intense and tormented it resembled the calling of a sorrowful demon. None could hear her there, she was alone. She was always alone.

“Sakumo-sensei… is war right?” “Oh, dear. Men invented Hell for those who invented the war, but I don’t think it’s a good enough punishment.” “What does it mean, Sakumo-sensei?” “Hell is supposed to be a place where all evil people go to when they die. Yet war doesn’t discriminate between good and bad… actually, it ends up killing too many good people instead of those who really deserve to die.”

‘You did not deserve to die, Sakumo-sensei. I am so sorry. Please, forgive me for not having done anything. Forgive me, Sensei.’

She could not cry, because to cry meant to suffer and she was not able to suffer any more. But she could feel rage for him, and have that rage fuel her in battle. She would have not taken her own life, she could not, but if she ended up dying in confrontation… there wasn’t a ninja able to help it, after all. To lose their life in combat.

Yoshino screamed again, the pain burning even brighter. Physical pain was better than spiritual. Physical pain would have gone away eventually, but a scarred soul remains scarred forever. Her soul was already scarred enough.

‘Sakumo-sensei… I am not as strong as you thought. I am a coward. I am worthless. If only I’d been there… if only I’d been stronger… but you’re dead now.’

A sob made her chest jolt up. Then another. ‘Don’t cry!’ It was too late. She had thought. She had acknowledged.

Now it was real.

“SAKUMO-SENSEI!”

[vinodiriso]

How are the Yukinohana regarded in Konoha? What's their reputation among the other clans, if there's any?

Calis Anonymous || impromptu asks I cherish immensely.

Yukinohana are not a terribly renowned tribe in Konoha; while some older shinobi would remember Yukinohana Gokyoudai [The Five Yukinohana Siblings] as they took part in the First Shinobi World War and showed off their prowess, Yukinohana history has been forgotten by most in the long run, also because they had no kekkei genkai or special ninjutsu to be remembered for (which are usually distinctive traits in ninja clans, and that is also the reason why the concept of ‘kazoku’ [tribe] has been lost to most compared to ‘ichizoku’ [clan]).

After the Fourth Shinobi World War, with Ainai’s, Yoshino’s older sister, retirement and the rise to power of her children, Sakana, Tora and Tori, the Yukinohana have almost disappeared, either merged into other hidden villages or simply driven away by the harsh lifestyle dictated by their place of living, Yukinohana Shokumin. That means less and less people even remember Yukinohana exist in the first place.

Ironically, shinobi with a certain culture about ninja history would more easily remember Yoshino’s mother’s clan, the Kokuyoseki, because they were a fierce ninja clan (ichizoku) who possessed a peculiar and strong kekkei genkai, Kakogan no Hada [Skin of Granite], even if now their clan doesn’t exist anymore except for the last two Yukinohana heiresses, Ainai and Yoshino (one who inherited the clan’s bloodline limit and the other who received the fatal illnesses derived from Kokuyoseki’s genetic mutation).

As long as their reputation among the other clans is regarded, the only clan who I can see having a sort of lingering memory or remembrance about Yukinohana would be the Senju clan, since Tobirama and Chang’e (the second Yukinohana chieftain) worked together to ensure new territories to Yukinohana and military help to Konoha.

I would love to think that, after Yoshino’s tragic death, Shikamaru starts compiling an encyclopedia for Yukinohana history using Yoshino’s tales of her people and also by doing independent research (visiting Yukinohana Shokumin, consulting other tomes on shinobi history, etc.) to keep Yoshino’s memory alive not only as the first lady of Nara, as Kenchona Mejika [The Great Doe], but also as the princess of Yukinohana.

My trivia for this is how upset Yoshino gets when someone mistakenly calls the Yukinohana ‘a clan’ instead of ‘a tribe’: she has had her fair share of people spitting this kind of misinformation in her youth and will chew somebody’s ear off with all her explanations about the difference between clans and tribes.

[vinodiriso]

Yoshino's sun sign is PISCES, her moon sign is ACQUARIUS and her rising is SAGITTARIUS. Under the read more a break down.

SUN SIGN: PISCES

Those with the Sun in Pisces are often highly imaginative, sensitive and impressionable people. They sometimes struggle with the fundamental duality in their nature. It could be said that one half of them is attempting to chart a realistic course through life whilst the other half is seeking ways to escape it.

Their empathy and compassion means they sense where others are coming from, and so can relate on a certain level. This awareness gives Pisceans the ability to deal with any situation, and they do well in any area which involves understanding others. They may not like what they see, but their ability to respond to what is in front of them means they can appear to be both experienced and open.

Pisces is known as the sign of least resistance and sometimes Pisces will seek the easy way out. They become victim to some kind of habit or circumstance that ends up ‘validating’ their belief that they need to be rescued.

Should they believe is that life is hard, cruel or dangerous, then the only apparent route open to them is escape, either into some kind of addictive habit (drugs, alcohol, romance), or into victimhood. (Violence, for Yoshino.)

When they become depleted by exposure to others or simply to negative influences they can become become overwhelmed by emotions which blocks the ability to maintain a clear sense of self.

It is highly therapeutic for Pisceans to spend time in creative pursuits, either through their own creative projects or simply immersing themselves in some one else creative work. Through imagination they find ways to leave the everyday and stay self-contained.

Another level of expression can come about through finding ways to be of service. Pisceans are often gifted with compassion and have a strong urge to be of service to others somehow. Here they bring special gifts.

Because they so easily empathise, they know instinctively what others need to hear. Because they can at some level comprehend all facets of human experience, they do not tend to judge. Instead they can offer unconditional service based on pure acceptance.

As ever though, they need to be on guard against tendencies to give the self away. Many Pisceans seem to have an inner conviction that in order to be of service, they must also suffer in some way. This is part of a potent cultural belief structure which suggests it is in fact noble to suffer in the act of service.

The willingness to sacrifice is a highly commendable virtue, but the idea that they need to be suffering if they are to be of true service is slightly displaced. Pisceans can be more effective, and inspiring to others, if they simultaneously demonstrate self-care.

The willingness to sacrifice is a highly commendable virtue, but the idea that they need to be suffering if they are to be of true service is slightly displaced. Pisceans can be more effective, and inspiring to others, if they simultaneously demonstrate self-care.

MOON SIGN: ACQUARIUS.

With the Moon here, you may also tend to operate as an outsider or lone wolf, preferring to maintain a detached view that is only possible from the outskirts. The Moon here often generates an instinctive sense of somehow “being different” or “on the outside”, and this can then amplify any tendency to withdraw from emotional experiences.

Often, this born with the Moon here feel very different from the environment in which they grow up. the outsider experience is felt at a very early age. Accordingly, you may be so aware of your unique qualities that you tend to instinctively keep yourself separate from others, unconsciously believing that you are likely to be rejected by them, so best to get in and reject their support and nurturing first.

On the deepest unconscious level, it is your own fear of closeness and/or rejection that keeps these behaviours in place, and may keep you from true intimacy with other people.

Moon in Aquarius can also suggest a degree of eccentricity, and you may be highly original in some way. If you have creative interests then this placement can give a very unorthodox way of seeing the world. Aquarius is also a sign associated with radical change, and you may find that you have a need to rebel or break away from situations you perceive as being stagnant.

At its best, Aquarius is an egalitarian and freedom-loving sign. Born with the Moon here, you are likely to have an innate need to establish space and equality in your own and others lives. Your sense of objectivity is your best asset, and your ability to connect with others is based mostly on your capacity to simply see others for who they are.

RISING SIGN: SAGITTARIUS.

Self-awareness comes about through expanding your horizons – at either physical, mental or spiritual levels. You are likely to approach new experiences with a sense of optimism and hope – an expectation of success.

When your Ascendant is Sagittarius, every situation can be viewed as an opportunity to learn. You are likely to feel a sense of restlessness and need to have the freedom to roam, explore horizons and see how far you can go. This might happen at physical, mental or spiritual levels.

At times, your life could feel like a pilgrimage, where the need to find the holy grail of your own “truth” is paramount. A way to express this approach might be – “I see the goal; I reach the goal, and then I see another”.

Gifted with energy and inspiration, you are often able to inspire and uplift others. You are typically broad-minded and so happy to let everyone live their own lives. Charged with faith and optimism, you can look for symbolic meaning wherever you go, finding portents in life’s circumstances and omens to guide you on your way. Usually, every event is seen as part of a larger, connected whole. You find meaning in patterns and serendipity at every turn.

Yet there may also be times where you allow your faith to dwindle. If you fail to find the answers you seek you can become despondent and cynical in the extreme. You must be careful not to set yourself up for crushing disappointment by setting expectations that are unrealistic or too big to achieve.

You are likely to be passionate about the pursuit of knowledge, and so it is important to allow yourself plenty of opportunity to explore new horizons, and broaden your sphere of reference.

[vinodiriso]

Jiraiya’s puns are dealing psychic damage she is vulnerable to.

[vinodiriso]

Chakra virus (CV) is a genetic condition for which chakra units attack tissue cells, destroying muscles and organs.

The only way a person affected by this condition has to survive is holding back chakra: blocking the amount of chakra circulating through the Chakra Pathway System, the sistematic destruction of cells is slowed down; in addition, chakra inhibitors (which are normally used as drugs, mixed to poisons, to hinder opponents) can help by reducing the amount of chakra stored in the body.

Of course, this implies it is harder for CV-ridden people to carry out normal routines and to reach strength levels of other, sane ninjas, because they lack the special resource that makes training easier for shinobi.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHAKRA ISN'T BLOCKED OR REDUCED?

CV is a condition that destroys cells. Common symptoms are: fatigue, chronic pain, cramps, tremor, fainting, paleness, general weakness, nausea, migraine.

When chakra starts attacking organs, chakra units start multiplying rapidly and consuming the subject's body faster. When the process is in full motion, the person's CPS slowly becomes visible though their skins: chakra vessels are outlined with a darker coloration (result of blood mixing with tissue and exhausted chakra cells) throughout their entire body.

Usually, when this particular event happens, it means the subject has reached their limit and that their chakra is out of control. Death is due few hours after the darkening course ends.

[vinodiriso]

Where do you hold your love?

YOSHINO + SHIKAKU. 愛 + 客

in your heart

you hold your love in your heart. love is intrinsic, inevitable, love is the beating core of everything; love is also hard to talk about. your love comes out with more rareness, mostly shows up for the big things in a big way- this doesn't mean it doesn't beat for the small stuff, you feel it all, in fact you feel it more intensely than most which is why it's so hard to get out. you hold your love inside you because it matters, it might be the only thing that does.

tagged by: @peepingtoad​ tagging: @shikkotsunin​ / @nightiingaled​ / @icecurse​ / @eriidanus​ + whoever wants to steal it