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#and i LONG for the day when sasuke will be able to benefit from his relationship with kakashi in the same way
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1 and 12 for the controversial Naruto asks?
1. Most overrated character?
Oh. Oh gods. There are so many. I mean, there are a lot of underrated characters, too, because Kishimoto gave us such an interesting and diverse roster only to run out of time to expand on them, but overrated characters... maybe it's just the part of the fandom that I'm in, but I see a LOT of Madara and Obito wanking. Master tacticians? Sure, I'll give them that. Proficient strategists? Fuck no.
Madara really just entrusted his life's work to a fourteen year old teenage boy who didn't even like him and told Jesus to take the wheel. He had NO garuntee that his half-cocked plan would work out because he bet almost everything on being able to beat Hashirama at the Valley of the End decades ago. Madara plopped his rinnegan eyeballs in a civilian boy— an Uzumaki, to be fair, but I'm pretty sure Nagato's parents were civilian doctors— and guess what, Obito wasn't even originally going to revive Madara at all! Kabuto was the one who threw that option into the mix!
Obito, meanwhile, never gave us even a hint that there was anything else to his plan aside from throwing 100k White Zetsu at the Allied Forces. The main reason why the Allies lost half of their manpower in A SINGLE DAY was because they had to deal with Kabuto's reanimations of the two-dozen-or-so strongest shinobi who ever lived, on top of the White Zetsu! If Edo Tensei hadn't been in play, I fully believe that the Allies would have won relatively easily, because Obito was dumb enough to give up his advantage of surprise by announcing the war at the Five Kage Summit instead of, I don't know, storming/seiging the villages that were supposed to be hosting the last two jinchuuriki remaining?? Or hey, maybe he could have made a more concentrated effort on killing the daimyo, because the hidden villages wouldn't be able to keep up a strong war effort for long without their financial support, because the village coffers aren't meant to do that!
12. Who should've died in the war arc?
Gai. Definitely Gai. Look, don't get me wrong, Gai and Lee both embody the original theme of Naruto better than our protagonist himself, at times. I love the dude, but it would have been extremely narratively satisfying for him to die after pummeling Madara into the ground, especially after his passing on the torch speech about fallen leaves providing nutrients for new growth. I realize that this series is of the shounen genre and not seinen, but considering the world that it's set in, I will forever gripe about the lack of grave onscreen violence and deaths, nevermind deaths that would actually make the audience mourn. Neji happened, yeah, but that didn't really feel like enough.
Also— some people are going to yell at me for this— Sasuke.
I know it's not good to romaticize death, and gods know Sakumo didn't exactly do the right thing when he committed seppuku on his living room floor, but I've always been unsatisfied at the happy ending the Sasuke got. Realizing that not only his actions but that of his beloved clan have caused widespread pain for generations and deciding to end the cycle by stopping the line with himself? As in, putting his life in its entirety on the line to stop Madara and then Kaguya with no intention of making it past this war intact, to pay for his sins? Mm. Good shit. Plus, this way, we might have gotten a Naruto that realized forcing his feelings on others ("forgiving" Sasuke, going back to the village, becoming Hokage just to make everyone love him, etc) isn't the way to go, and a Sakura that could have developed beyond being a Sasuke fangirl in the epilogue. Yes, I pity the little boy who lost his world, but the man that he became would have benefitted from a sacrificial ending, not too different from the path that his brother once walked.
Bonus: it would have been nice if Neji lived. I think there's an interview where Kishimoto revealed that Neji had been slated to die during the Sasuke retrieval arc, only for his plans to be waylaid when his editors pointed out Neji's popularity, which is why Neji doesn't get much meaningful screentime in Shippuden. I would have liked for him to die back then, but considering how far his character ended up being dragged, why not keep him around at that point? Put the Hyuga Clan in his hands in the epilogue and mark his character as a force of motivation for meaningful change?
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panharmonium · 3 years
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do you ever just sit and think about this
mizuki telling iruka that naruto is going to take revenge on the village for lying about the fox, and iruka replying “no...naruto isn’t like that” orochimaru telling kakashi that sasuke is an avenger whose heart desires only one thing, and kakashi replying “you think you can take advantage of that?  not sasuke.”
iruka thinking “naruto...he’s just like i was back then”
gai thinking “he reminds me of you, kakashi...when you were young”
mizuki manipulating naruto for his own benefit (“he used you to get the scroll for himself, for his own power!”) and using a big reveal (“they’ve been lying to you your whole life, naruto”) to damage naruto’s trust in the person who’s actually trying to help him
madara doing the exact same thing with sasuke
kakashi telling iruka “actually, you are the only one who can reach naruto’s heart/i believe if you can just hang in there a little longer, you will find the way”
kakashi later being put in a position where he’s the only adult who has a chance of getting through to sasuke...the only adult who even bothers to try
kakashi telling iruka that reaching naruto is “your personal ordeal,” the task he’s meant to complete, the task that he isn’t allowed to quit, even when he goes to the hokage to try and resign 
sakumo telling kakashi “it seems you have unfinished business waiting for you back home/there must be something you’re still meant to do” as kakashi gets yanked out of the afterlife, because kakashi is living out his own personal ordeal now and he isn’t allowed to quit either
i know you have your reasons, but as your teacher i can’t just walk away
i know that’s how you feel, naruto (i *do* know how you feel)
i’m in charge of this child’s safety (i’ll protect you with my life) 
he’s going home with me.
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i think about this a Lot.  in particular, i think about the ways in which the ability to make (or not make, as the case may be) a connection to a single trusted adult has such a dramatic effect on the trajectories that naruto and sasuke’s lives take later.
naruto finds “his” grown-up - someone who’s lived the same life he has and who can understand him in a way that others can’t - and that in turn leads him to more connections, more adults to look after him, an entire surrogate family to believe in him/support him/make him feel like he belongs.  sasuke, for his part, also finds “his” grown-up - but in his case, the situation is much more complicated, and he’s never able to reap the attendant benefits.  events conspire to send him running before he can become truly connected to a loving community, and so he never has a chance to build the larger support system that naruto does.  he never finds a jiraiya or a tsunade or a yamato or a bunch of animal sages to give him guidance or a class of peers to fight for him or a village to admire him and protect him.  he has no support network.  every adult he’s met since leaving the Leaf has been someone who’s trying to exploit him, and the instant he realizes that he might be starting to feel the faintest connection to taka, he ditches them.  to this day, the only friends he’s ever made (and i use that term loosely, because even when sasuke was still in the Leaf his relationships weren’t a first priority for him) are sakura and naruto.  and the ONLY adult he’s ever had a true connection with, post-massacre, is kakashi.
sasuke’s going to need all three of these people if he’s going to survive, but i’m focusing on kakashi in this particular piece, because if ever there were a kid who desperately needed a trusted adult to help them navigate their life, sasuke is it.  sasuke has been left to his own devices for years and years (everybody remember that time when a seven year old who witnessed the mass murder of his entire extended family was allowed to wake up ALONE in a hospital room and walk out of the building and revisit the crime scene without anyone noticing he was gone?  i do!).  he has never had an adult to take care of him or help him process the things that happened to him in a semi-healthy way, and nowadays he’s a disaster driving itself off a cliff.  he has zero coping skills that aren’t completely self-destructive.  he won’t accept advice or assistance from anybody who doesn’t understand what he’s going through (and understandably so - why should he listen to anybody who isn’t feeling what he’s feeling, who hasn’t lost the way he’s lost?  what can they possibly have to offer him?).  he needs somebody who can come to him from a place of credibility, someone who can say “i *do* know how you feel” and not be talking out their ass.  that’s what naruto gets from iruka when they finally make their connection - a relationship with an adult who accepts him and believes in him and (most importantly of all) understands him.  that’s naruto’s first step on the way to him reaching the place he inhabits now, where the lonely and shunned orphan he used to be is beloved by everyone, blessed with multiple parental figures, and supported by innumerable friends both at home and abroad.  meeting an adult who could say “we’re the same” and have it genuinely be true instead of just empty talk is what allows naruto to finally feel like he isn’t alone.  it’s what enables him to eventually become part of a community.  
naruto has these opportunities because he finds His Person - a mentor and caretaker who can say with complete honesty “we’re the same.”  sasuke found someone like that, too, and in truth he still has that person chasing after him, but circumstances being what they are, he hasn’t been able to benefit from that relationship the same way naruto has.  he was removed from kakashi’s supervision at the exact moment when he needed it most (and at the exact moment where they had just broken new ground in their relationship), and because of that, he’s remained incredibly isolated.  naruto has steadily accumulated friends and comrades (and five different people to be his dad), but sasuke has connected with no one.  he’s completely alone.  he is - as neji aptly put it - in the darkness right now, and he’s in there all by himself, without friends to support him, and without the only adult who can point him in the right direction.  
honestly, the only thing that makes me feel better about this is knowing that sasuke still has these people waiting for him whenever he comes home.  it’s high time he was able to have his own iruka and benefit from the same network of loving connections that naruto was able to build.
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ikeromantic · 3 years
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In the Spotlight
A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction, approx. 1700 words. This scene occurs after the events of the romantic epilogue and includes some of what happens in the part 2 introduction. Mostly fluff!
First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden
Previous: Uncomfortable Questions
Kyubei bowed low and held the position. It wasn’t his first time to report to Nobunaga, but it was his first time to do so without explicit instructions from his lord. He was nervous, but it didn’t show. Kyubei could hold an icy composure as well as Akechi.
“Report.” Nobunaga’s tone was flat, hiding his own frustration.
Hideyoshi and Masamune weren’t trying to hide theirs. The one-eyed dragon was pacing and Toyotomi’s scowl could have peeled paint.
“There is no evidence,” Kyubei cleared his throat, “that the forces at Kasugayama are involved in the attacks on Azuchi. However -” he paused. This was the part that made him sweat. “The disappearance of Lord Akechi and the lady chatelaine coincide with the vanishing of their ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke.”
“I don’t believe it.” Masamune stopped, one hand dropping to his sword hilt. “There’s no way that ninja got the drop on Mitsuhide.”
Hideyoshi nodded. “Agreed. My guess is that they are working together.”
Kyubei interrupted. “I find that unlikely, my lord. At least, in the manner you suggest. If I may?”
Nobunaga indicated he should continue.
“My sources tell me Shingen Takeda is ill, and between the loss of his ally and his ninja, Kenshin is unstable. Seeking conflict within his own forces as well as outside. It is unlikely he is aiding Kasugayama. Though he must have known Sarutobi's absence might . . .” He frowned, wondering how much he should imply, what he could suggest.
Ieyasu saved him the need. “Mitsuhide was making plans for an extended absence. I think we should consider that he has left, with Sasuke, to visit the chatelaine’s homeland.”
Mitsunari nodded. “This would make sense. There could be something about the events of the night he disappeared that forced them to leave sooner than he expected.”
“There’s more to it, and if I know that snake -” Hideyoshi’s rant was cut short by Nobunaga’s raised hand.
“Enough. I did not wish to bare Akechi’s secrets, but Ieyasu is correct. Mitsuhide sought my permission to take the chatelaine to her home. He was uncertain how long they would be gone.”
The room exploded with sound, warlords talking over one another. Hideyoshi was ranting about safety and plots; Masamune demanded permission to seek them out. Keiji was laughing. Ieyasu and Mitsunari were relatively silent, waiting for the excitement to die down.
Nobunaga’s carnelian eyes quieted each man in turn.
When he could be heard again, Kyubei continued. “I made contact with Ranmaru. He is seeking out the forces responsible for the attack on Azuchi, along with other spies in our network.”
“Ranmaru? That boy is afraid of his own shadow. Completely unreliable,” Hideyoshi muttered, not unkindly. “He should be here.”
Kyubei couldn’t help the slight smile at that. He didn’t approve of Ranmaru’s tangled loyalties, but one could not argue with his ability to act a part. “Of course, my lord. But Ranmaru insisted. And he does have many friends to rely on for information.”
Ieyasu stood. “This doesn’t answer my questions though. Where is the chatelaine? Is she safe? When will she return? We all know Akechi has his . . . plans. I’m not worried about him. He’ll turn up when and where he wants to. But she’s -”
“You’re worried about her!” Mitsunari beamed. “I knew you were just trying to hide it when you told me-”
“Shut up.” Ieyasu glared. “I’m just . . . the enemy could use her against us. We need to know where she is.”
“Agreed,” Masamune spoke up. “I will put together a team. We’ll find her.”
“My lords, I am afraid she and Mitsuhide are beyond any team.” Kyubei sighed. “The greater concern is what this impacts and how it will be used against us. The Ikko Ikki are moving. The Mouri clan have resumed pirating, and we know it was Kichou that executed the attack on Azuchi. In addition, we have rumors the shogun in exile is drawing a new following.”
Mitsunari frowned. “Yes, I reviewed several shipment records and troop movements from old loyalist daimyo. It appears we are not done with the shogun as of yet.”
Kyubei bit his lip. The scribe they’d installed should have been satisfied to live in luxurious exile, but it seemed the old shogun’s loyalist stirred his greed. Or maybe they were using him as a puppet. He had no way to know, as the spies in Ashitaka’s court had all fallen silent.
Nounaga spoke again. “Hideyoshi, you and Keiji will pursue the Mouri. Masamune, I want you to make contact with Kasugayama. Offer a truce. See what they can offer up about their missing ninja. They may be willing to hunt down our enemies with us, as it does them no benefit to see this land descend into chaos.” His gaze fell on Ieyasu. “You will join Kyubei’s efforts to track down Mitsuhide and the chatelaine. Your research and his current knowledge will yield results.”
“May I assist Lord Tokugawa?” Mitsunari’s innocent smile could have been worn by an angel. He was completely oblivious to the sudden grimace on his friend’s face.
“You may, in your spare time. I need your mind fixed on calculating provisions, troop movements, bridges, and roads. There will be fighting soon.”
Mitsunari acquiesced with a bow.
Kyubei delivered the rest of his report, and then was dismissed. He went straight to the Akechi mansion and opened a bottle of sake. Alcohol was a vice he rarely indulged in, but today he felt like he needed it. He’d exposed some of his lord’s business without permission. He had no idea how or if this would impact Akechi’s plans. And now . . . he’d be working with Ieyasu. It would be difficult to keep the secrets he needed to keep.
He kept drinking until the room spun and the lights all wore halos. Kyubei might have kept it up, but he ran out of bottles and couldn’t make the walk to fetch more. Instead, he fell asleep, sprawled out on the floor of his lord’s office.
***
Mitsuhide felt a mix of relief and distress when his little one explained the plastic stick on the bathroom counter. It meant they were not having a child together. Not yet, at any rate. And this was good. He was in no position here to father a child. But . . .
The image of himself holding a child. His. Hers. His heart felt too big for his chest, thinking of what such a child would be like. His very own son or daughter. One with his love’s sweetness. His eyes. Her nose. His perception. It made him ache, as if he had an old bruise, a wound that hadn’t healed. Which was completely irrational.
He looked out the train window at the rapidly passing countryside. Trees. Hills. Houses. Different and not so different from the world he knew. He should be spending this time planning the next few days, not moping. Kitsunes did not mope.
“Are you ok? Are you nervous?” His little mouse put her hand on his leg, comforting.
“Yes and yes.” Mitsuhide turned his head to give her a sideways smile. “I have never had to meet the parents of my betrothed.” He had expected Nobunaga to marry a woman to him for political purpose. Some well-bred woman who knew how to run a house and had courtly manners. A woman he would never love, but could put up with, at a distance. Yet here he was.
She laughed. “It will be ok, really. I talked to okaasan and she is excited to meet you. She’s happy for us.”
“And you father?” Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow.
“I’m sure he’ll get used to the idea. He’s just . . . to him, I’m still a little kid. But I’m sure once he sees us together, he’ll come around.”
Mitsuhide was less certain about that. He’d known several fathers and they fell into two categories, most of the time. There were the men who could care less about their children beyond their use to the clan. And there were the men that treated their children as things of wonder. Not that they coddled them - but they cared. About their education, their work, their friends. He was sure his lover’s otousan fell into that second group.
The train stop came sooner than he might have liked. The two of them disembarked. There were only a handful of people getting off the train here, so it was easy to spot her parents.
They were dressed conservatively. Her father was a little shorter than Mitsuhide, and a little thicker around the middle. His greying hair was thin on top, and he wore glasses. Her mother was small and wore a smile he would have known anywhere.
The parents caught sight of them at about the same time Mitsuhide’s study of them finished.
“Otou-chan! Okaasan!” His little mouse flung herself across the platform, and was swept up in a hug from both sides. Tears ran down her face, and her cheeks were stretched in a wide smile.
Mitsuhide felt out of place in this moment of familial warmth. He had no such experience himself, and did not want to intrude either way. He stood quietly, holding their bags. Waiting as they exchanged hugs, kisses, and stammered apologies and explanations. As if they could make up for half a year apart in a few minutes.
Her father finally looked up and met Mitsuhide’s eyes. His were dark and suspicious. Protective. “You.”
His little one smacked his arm. “Be nice, papa. This is my fiancé, Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide, this is my father, Minoru, and my mother, Youko.”
Mitsuhide bowed low. “I am pleased to meet you both.”
Her father didn’t reply, but her mother did. “We are so glad to meet you too! It was such a surprise . . . our little girl . . . disappearing and then -”
“And then coming back with a weird boyfriend,” her father interrupted.
Oh yes. This was already going very well. Just as expected. Mitsuhide straightened and put on his best ‘trust me’ smile. “If there were any way we could have done it differently, I promise we would have. I hope we’ll be able to lay any worries you have to rest.”
She stepped over to his side and took his arm. “Yes, I plan on explaining everything.” His little mouse was the one to look nervous now. And no wonder. After much discussion, they’d decided on telling her family a version of the truth.
In fact, Sasuke and Miyake were supposed to come out the following day to provide backup evidence for their story. But even with that, they were asking her parents to accept a lot all at once. Mitsuhide did not see their chances of success as being very high, but for her, he would try anything.
Next: Bonding
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writer-akihiko · 3 years
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...i would like to request a part 2 of the Kennyo×Reader×Y!Nobunaga plz only if you want to I understand if you cant/dont want to I just loved it so much 😣💘❤
All For Her - Yandere!Nobunaga X Reader X Kennyo PT 2
PART 1, ALTERNATE ENDING
Not gonna lie to you, it was so hard to pick an ending for this. I enjoyed writing the conclusion to this work that I'm sad to see it end. Don't worry, I have many Yandere works I'm still working on!
Because you requested for a second part, I decided to make this a bit of a more hurt/comfort type since I wanted to give you some happiness in this work.
TW: Yandere, Self-Poisoning, Hurt/comfort
"How would you like to rule the world by my side?"
Those words…
Those words were your death sentence.
~○~
"Your death will surely be my greatest victory," Nobunaga cried, swinging his sword at the monk. "The people would find it heroic how I rescued my bride from the Ikko Ikki's leader―"
"You defiled her!" Kennyo roared, unsheathing his staff. He blocked the rampant parries of the Devil King. "And you think that's love."
~○~
"This will be the last time you hold her, Kennyo."
He roared, howling at the pain of the sword. Kennyo fell to the ground, the stab to his shoulder numbing all of his senses as the blade cuts deep into his flesh.
"Perhaps YN would cast you away if I scar your face once again… Oh… How adorable she'd look to you in horror with the new scars I give you," Nobunaga teased, his menacing tone only edging his sword. "Or, I should kill you right here, and your head should be my bride's present…"
"Not so fast, Nobunaga."
A uniform of dark blue came to view, and two twin shining katanas.
"Masamune… Should I consider this a betrayal or a duel?"
"Consider this your loss," Masamune confidently chided.
"Why... Why do you defend a demon One Eyed Dragon?!"
Masamune struggles against Nobunaga's sword, pushing him away and giving distance between them. "Abbot... I'm not defending you. I'm doing this for her," He said, smiling at the man who won his Kitten's heart. "I'll let her be happy with you. Anything, just anything away from the Oda. Now go."
"You'll be in my prayers, Date."
Kennyo hung onto Ranmaru, the swishing of swords and cries of confusion dying down as Ranmaru escorts him away from the battlefield.
Masamune heaves out, taking a large blow to his chest as the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven holds a sword to his neck.
"How would you like to lose the other eye for treason, Date Masamune?"
SHING
"Apologies Lord Nobunaga."
"You owe me one, Masamune."
Ieyasu and Mitsunari raised their swords at Nobunaga, blocking the oncoming attack from reaching Masamune's neck.
"Oi, Date Dragon, don't fall just yet…" Keiji said, holding onto Masamune, with Kojuro trying to stop the bleeding from Masamune's armour.
"I won't Keiji… Not until I see her happy…" He said, passing out from the fight.
~○~
"Kennyo!" You were frightened by the red stains on his kimono as Ranmaru brought him in from the battlefield. Before you confronted Kennyo, Sasuke bowed to you, joining up with his group.
"YN, I'm glad we meet again but I must go on with Kenshin's plan."
You bowed to both Sasuke and Ranmaru, appreciating their help.
You tried to wrap and dress his wound as quickly as you could, salvaging any amount of salve you could. Kennyo winced in pain, enduring it for now.
After dressing his wound, you couldn't stop shaking. He was weak at the moment, barely opening his eyes. You could feel his hand reach out to yours, and you brought it to your cheek.
"YN… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…" He said, trembling under the thought of the battle.
"He… He did this to you…" You whispered, frightened of the thought of Nobunaga and the terror he brought on to the battlefield.
Kennyo tapped your palm once again, bringing you to listen to him. "The Date Dragon saved me, YN… For that I am grateful…" He coughed, pressing his hand down on his chest. You quickly cleaned up any saliva that seeped out, begging him to take rest.
Enough was enough, you thought.
You couldn’t afford anyone else to be hurt.
Be it your friends in the Oda; Masamune, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu…
Or be it your friends you met through Kennyo; Kenshin, Ranmaru, Yukimura…
You couldn't.
Not for your selfish reasons.
Once Kennyo had passed out, you kissed his temple, whispering your affections and apologies.
"My love… I'm sorry… Live for me, won't you?"
~○~
You ordered one of the guards to carry you on horseback as swiftly as the horse could to the battlefield. You clutched the napkin carefully, your eyes searching for the warlords.
Without hesitation, you jumped off the horse, running up to where Ieyasu and Mitsunari were holding off Nobunaga.
Ripping off your hood, you revealed yourself to the warlords. "NOBUNAGA! I CALL TRUCE!"
Nobunaga saw your face, and he blocked off his allies, reaching out to you.
"She said, she called for truce," Kenshin said, standing next to you and guarding you.
Once all the troops had returned, you allied yourself with the Uesugi-Takeda warlords as the warlords of the Oda alliance reluctantly sided with their commander.
Nobunaga spoke first, "Now, my Princess, did you call truce to willingly return to me?"
You firmly replied, casting away your anxious subconscious at the sound of his voice, "I'd be a fool."
"Instead," You spoke again. "Let the Uesugi-Takeda leave. Let me stay with them, in exchange for the Oda claiming this land and the resources here."
They did not word it, but Kenshin and Shingen stood by you with no rebuttals. Your heart stilled at their silent agreement and support.
Shingen added on, "Consider the Princess collateral for your war, Nobunaga. With her, the alliance has reason to believe you won't be a threat to us."
Nobunaga was unimpressed, reaching for his katana. "What half-assed words… There is no benefit to the Oda in this arrangement."
The other warlords of the Oda were dumbfounded. Hideyoshi spoke up, "My lord! This is considerably generous-"
"Do not cross me."
You shivered, remembering the cold tone of that voice. No, this was not the time to give in. You threatened the warlords, revealing the needle closer to your skin. "Let me go, or you will have nothing to live for, Oda Nobunaga."
Those manipulative eyes quickly looked in horror as you pricked yourself, the poison quickly drawing into your system.
"YN!" Sasuke cried out. Yoshimoto quickly caught you, but you stopped Yoshimoto from touching the wound.
"Suffer as I did, Nobunaga."
The Devil of the Sixth Heaven, in front of his vassals, fell to his knees.
"Ieyasu!" He roared. "Heal her!"
The Tokugawa lord did not budge an inch.
Ieyasu curtly responded. "Call off the war, then I'll do it."
"Too little too late, Nobunaga," Masamune said, sheathing his katana. "Your allies will abandon you if you go on with this war."
"Lord Nobunaga, no, Nobunaga," Hideyoshi claimed. "Return the admirable lord I served, not one who falls so easily."
Kenshin chipped in, "I will retreat my troops as well, Oda. You're not a worthy opponent now, so fight me once you've gained your honour."
The Uesugi-Takeda warlords stood behind you, as Yoshimoto clutched your poisoned body.
"Foolish girl, you knew this would finish him," Yoshimoto whispered, trying to discretely draw out the poison.
"It's done. The Oda will retreat."
The moment Nobunaga said those words, Ieyasu rushed to your side, immediately drawing out the poison from your blood. "Honestly, you're such an idiot after all this time," He scolded, a tear or two slipping down his cheek.
"And not one of you has changed," You said. "Ieyasu, everyone, thank you…"
All you saw was your dearest friends crying out for you as the world turned black.
~○~
Days later, you woke up in your room at Kenshin's place. Nothing but seeing Kennyo entered your mind, as you raced to his room.
"Kennyo!"
"YN?" He was well and up in his futon, being visited by the Uesugi-Takeda group.
You jumped into his arms, finally being able to feel his warmth.
"I heard what you did, my dear…" He said, sitting you on his lap. "Thank you."
You shook your head, "It was for you, for everything you'd granted to me. My freedom, my livelihood… and love," You said, looking up to your lover. "For that, Kennyo, may I marry you and can we stay together until our time ends?"
Kennyo himself was shocked, not expecting such words from you. He turned red, and unexpectedly the warlords still didn't leave the room.
"C'mon old friend! Your lovely lady proposed to you!" Shingen cheered on.
Sasuke and Yoshimoto nodded. "What a wholesome ending," Yoshimoto added on.
"Gosh, why do I have to witness th-"
Yukimura was quickly silenced by his lord and his best friend. Kenshin simply smiled, drinking his sake in response.
Kennyo hugged you, his tears soaking your kimono. "My love… I will. I will live for you and stay with you until our time ends."
"You swear on it?"
"Of course, it’s all for you."
~○~
"LN Kenta! Are you listening?!"
The boy slumped his head to the desk, reiterating the history lesson, "-And the leader Ikko Ikki was rumoured to have escaped the battlefield with Lady LN YN but no proof has ever been found except for a bear made by Lady LN left in Kennyo's temple…"
"Right!" The history teacher exclaimed. "Next test will be about Oda Nobunaga's married life, including the tale of Lady LN and all relating battles…"
Kenta shuffled out of the classroom, slinging his jacket over his shoulders and then and there, he saw his lover Mai waiting for him.
"You could've eaten on your own…"
She smiled at her boyfriend, leaning on his shoulder. "Well, food's better when you're around people you love!"
Unbeknownst to the couple's eyes, a stalking figure of the captain of the baseball team watched them, his gaze envious at LN Kenta.
"Oi! Oda-senpai!"
"Oda Nozaki! Hurry up!"
The dark haired boy shifted away from his hiding spot, putting on his cheerful façade in front of his kouhai and friends. "Guys! I'm here…"
"Sheesh… Took you long enough…"
"I bet Oda-senpai was staring at the Drama Club's tailor again… Katakura Mai-san right?"
Nozaki shushed his teasing kouhai, shoving their caps straight on. "Hey, don't waste your time on gossip. We've got a war to train for."
"It's just a friendly match Nozaki!"
As the group went ahead, Nozaki trailed behind, taking one more glance at his beloved Mai.
It's alright, my little fireball. This rivalry between me and Kenta…
It's all for you.
105 notes · View notes
rinneqan · 3 years
Text
just friends?; uchiha sasuke
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uchiha sasuke x reader | 1.7k words
warnings: one night stands/ friends with benefits, cursing, arguing
genre: angst with a happy ending
summary: sasuke and you weren’t necessarily exclusive. it was a friends with benefits situation and unfortunately, you had caught feelings for the man. one day, you see him out in the village but what happens when you see him with another girl?
a/n: i know i haven’t been posting at all lately but school has been such a struggle recently and i’ve become unmotivated :( once thanksgiving break comes around, i’ll be able to get to all the requests! please be patient w/ me but in the meantime i’ll be posting fics that have been in the drafts for wayyy too long!
masterlist ♥︎
You and Sasuke had a lot of history.  It wasn't rare to find Sasuke knocking on your door in the middle of the night looking for company. You didn't mind at all. As much as you wanted Sasuke to stay, you knew it would never happen. He always left before the sun rose and you were left cold and empty in your bed. You two never spoke about it, but it was implied that he was trying to keep it strictly as friends.
Although you two tried so hard to keep things as friends, feelings developed unknowingly.
Your relationship with Sasuke didn't bind itself to your bedroom either. It was rare to see Sasuke out with friends, but if he knew you'd be there, he made an effort to show up. Naruto would always make it a point to mention your name in hopes that Sasuke would perk up a little. Practically everyone around you could see the tension between you two. It was undeniable and painfully obvious. During his nights out, he'd share knowing glances and flirt with you. When you had a plus one to any event, Sasuke was always your go to.
Nothing was official between you two, but you prayed that one day things would be. You had spent countless days crying over the black-haired ninja and frankly, your friends were fed up with it.
-
You found your way into Ino's house laid your head on her lap while she ran her fingers through your hair.
"You saw they way he was flirting with me right? But then he just acts like I'm nothing to him. Ino, I don't think I can do this anymore." You looked up at her ceiling with glassy eyes and her fingers stopped in their tracks.
"If you can't handle this anymore, the only thing I suggest you do is break it off. I know how much you love him Y/N, but he clearly doesn't see you like that."
A tear slipped down your cheek and Ino quickly brushed it off.
"You shouldn't be crying over a boy, Y/N! What about we have a girls night tonight!" Ino suggested and a smile tugged at your lips.
You let out a thank you to the blonde and she pulled you up from the floor. Much to her disappointment, the next night you would be letting the same Uchiha into your house. She could tell by the way your head hung as you walked into her flower shop the next morning. She didn't pry at all, but she was concerned for your well-being.
Sasuke was also dealing with his own inner turmoil. It initially started out just as a one night stand, but you kept drawing him in. He was enchanted by you. You had captured his attention and every moment he spent around you was purely euphoric. Simply being in your presence made his head spin.
He enjoyed the little bouts of flirting you shared and he loved the way you looked at him. He always thought that you wanted to keep it strictly as friends so tried his hardest to pretend like those cheeky moments were reality for the sake of his own fantasies. From there, Sasuke knew what happened to him. He was falling hard and he couldn’t save himself.
The way your voice played a symphony in his ears, the way your eyes twinkled when you saw him, the way a blush made its way up your cheeks when he complimented you. Those nightly visits weren’t just a thing of pleasure anymore, Sasuke needed those visits. He needed you.
He didn’t think he was good enough for you. Even though he had a composed air around him, doubts weren't a stranger to him. His mind was constantly filled with questions surrounding you. Why would you go for him when there are other people in the village? He could never treat you the way you deserved to be treated and he sure as hell wasn't doing it now. He tried to keep you at a distance to save you, but you always made your way into his heart. He was stuck and didn’t know what to do.
-
A few days later, Ino had called for a girls day out to help get your mind off of Sasuke. Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten had decided that retail therapy would solve all your issues.
You and the four girls made your way down the village, bags in tow, looking for something to eat. You suggested to go to Yakiniku Q and the four girls agreed. As you were walking to the restaurant, Ino turned around abruptly and stood right in front of you blocking your path.
"Hey, Y/N! We should take another way to Yakiniku Q. There's a store around the corner that I really want to check out."
You looked at her oddly. "Can't we just take a look after eating? I haven't had anything all day."
Ino's eyes darted to the other girls silently pleading for help. Tenten put a hand on your shoulder and smiled.
"Y/N, we should just check out the store! I bet Ino will be quick."
Even though Tenten tried to give you her most convincing smile, you could sense something wasn't right. Sakura and Hinata agreed with Tenten and Ino and tried ushering you the other way, but you shook their hands off of you.
You gave them a look of confusion. "We're literally almost there, can't we just stop and eat for a bit?"
The girls began trying to block your path and you knew something was extremely off.
You pushed past them. "What is up with you guys today?!"
Ino looked at you with sad eyes. You took a glance up ahead and saw Sasuke with another girl. Your posture instantly slouched and an overwhelming amount of emotions hit you all at once.
Hinata looked at you. "I'm so sorry, Y/N."
A shaky sigh left from your parted lips. You knew what you were getting into and yet it all hurt the same. You put on a sad smile and looked back at the four girls surrounding you.
"No, no everything's okay. I swear. Can we just leave?"
The girls nodded in sympathy and whisked you away from the scene.
-
You didn't come home until late. Your feet were absolutely sore from being dragged place to place. You set your bags down in your bedroom and changed out of your uncomfortable clothes. As you made your way back into the living room, you heard the familiar knocking. Your body automatically raced to the door and although your mind was telling you to stop, your hand was already on the doorknob and you let him in. You sighed deeply. Your frustration built up inside of you and you were going to let it out on him, not caring about how he felt in the slightest.
"Hey Y/-"
You cut him off abruptly. "What were you doing today, Sasuke?"
He raised a brow at you. "I was just hanging out with a friend."
You scoffed. "Oh, a friend, huh? Is that it?"
He stared at you with furrowed brows. What was up with you?
"Yeah, I was just out with a friend. Look, if you’re going to get onto me for who I’m around, then I’m leaving." He turned around but was caught off guard by the sudden firmness in your voice.
"I just want to know who that girl is. That’s it."
"Y/N, you and I are just friends, right? Who I’m with should not concern you in the slightest. I’m leaving. I'll see you later."
Sasuke held his hand up as a farewell and turned to the door. You felt the tears and emotions bubble up within your body. You were teetering on the edge with Sasuke for so long and another moment spent playing this game of chase would break you.
"Don't you dare leave right now! We're not friends and you fucking know it!"
The Uchiha stopped in his tracks and brought his hand away from the doorknob. He'd be stupid if he said that he didn't have any feelings attached to you. He wanted you, he craved you. Everyone knew not to get involved with him, so why did you desperately cling onto him? Your faint sniffles brought him out of his thoughts.
"If you leave right now, don't come back. If you see me in the village, don't even bother looking at me and don't even think about talking to me ever again. II can't do this anymore."
Your tears began to freely roll down your cheeks. Sasuke turned around and looked at your crying figure You looked up at him with red eyes and something snapped within him.
He rushed towards you and cupped his hands around your face. He placed a harsh kiss on your mouth and you cried even harder.
Sasuke wiped the stray tears on your cheeks as you buried your head into his chest.
"I'm sorry, Y/N."
You grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and sobs racked your body. "Do you know how much it hurt? Everyday I let you in hoping you find something that would make you stay. I love you so much to the point that it hurts.”
He rubbed soothing circles on your back in an attempt to calm your crying figure. With each cry you wailed, Sasuke understood how much this was hurting you. This wasn't what he was expecting. You loved him. All his life he tried running from people. He couldn't bear to lose anyone else, but knowing that you were feeling the exact same way as he did made him finally realize his errors. You wanted every single part of him and he felt the same.
As the minutes passed, your cries became hushed and your breaths became stable. He carried your sleeping figure into your room and gently laid you down on the bed. This time, Sasuke was going to stay. He was tired of running away from you and his feelings.
You woke up with dry eyes and an arm securely wrapped around your body. You turned to find Sasuke sleeping soundly. You placed a hand on his cheek and one of his eyes opened. He pulled you in closer and placed a kiss on your forehead.
He whispered three words against your skin and if the room wasn’t silent, you would’ve missed them entirely.
"I love you, Y/N" He mumbled and hid his face in your shoulder.
A sudden warmth spread within your body and your heart began racing. You laughed and smiled widely.
"I love you too, Sasuke."
179 notes · View notes
belit0 · 3 years
Text
@tinypaperwhispers​
Heyy! I love your blog so much, can't believe you don't have more followers!:o I wanted to ask a request, I didn't even see it on tumblr anywhere ever so i hope you'll like it:)). Could you do Madasaku and Izusaku headcanons?👀 both sfw and n*-fw. (I saw you also write about Sakura besides the Uchiha - i love these pairings💟) Thankks!
Thank you, beautiful! My blog is relatively new, so I’m growing by baby steps :) thanks for your support!!🧙🏻‍♀️🖤✨
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MadaSaku [SFW]
These two had trouble getting along at first, just like two thick skulls! We know Madara for his awful temper, but nobody talks about Sakura’s as much as they should.
Being such a strong and independent woman, this kunoichi could never comply with the stereotype that this Uchiha is used to frequent. Having such a dominant character, he enjoys subduing others.
But when his path impacts her, everything takes a turn. She is not someone who will easily carry out his orders like anyone else, and this presents a challenge, something that intrigues him.
How did they end up together? Let’s say that, after the war, Madara survived, but his chakra paths were destroyed with the rise of Kaguya, so it is decided that he is no longer a threat, that he can be valuable to the village. Thus begins his rehabilitation, which Sakura has to take care of.
Before they realize it, they are dancing before a fire that grows between them, and there is no way to avoid it.
The relationship is quite balanced. Sakura compensates for all the mental health that Madara does not have lmao. No, but seriously.
Before his intensity, she is calm. In the face of his anger, she is the peace. In front of his tyranny, she is patient. They say that the opposites attract each other, don’t they? The best example is this couple.
Madara is a broken man, but Sakura helps him to recompose his soul piece by piece, to learn to love again, to see life with hope one more time.
He doesn’t trust anyone but her, so it’s not uncommon that their activities as a couple are all indoors.
Reading together in front of the fireplace with some tea, team cooking, cleaning the house together, training in the garden.
Because he was always very cultured, it is not strange to see him write down his knowledge on scrolls, which she then reviews and expresses her opinion on the subject in a lively debate.
Very occasionally, Madara accompanies Sakura to her work. Feeling rejected by the eyes of others about his person, he locks himself in her office until she ends the day, like a frightened cat in the presence of humans.
IzuSaku [SFW]
I have a very crazy idea of how this couple could have been formed, pay attention. After the final fight with Madara, Hashirama is aware that he is alive. At the same time, Tobirama finishes creating Edo Tensei. Both brothers decide that the only one who can make Madara see reason is Izuna, therefore, they revive him, and without manipulating him, they allow him a complete resurrection (breaking the Jutsu, as well as Madara in the war). They ask him to bring his brother to his senses and Izuna seeks him out to show him that he has come back to life. When he finds him (let us suppose that Madara developed the Rinnegan ahead of time and not just before he died) he believes that he is being deceived, and without being able to handle his new power yet, he sends his younger brother into the future = IzuSaku.
The Uchiha is upset, really upset. The one who killed him has just brought him to life, his brother is suffering and now he is in who knows where. But his bad predisposition changes when a pink-haired young woman appears in his sight.
What a curious, adorable, beautiful, and well-intentioned person. Sakura, her name suits him. Such beautiful eyes.
She is frightened by the symbol on his back, and it helps him to determine his situation. Time travel, change of periods. What a lovely woman, definitely her clan did not exist in the original time of Izuna, otherwise, he would remember such gorgeous features.
She decides to help him, and hiding him in her house is when their bond becomes closer.
Sakura had only interacted with one Uchiha in her life, and suddenly she cannot believe how affective the one that is now with her is. Love 24/7, the intensity of this clan is real.
Surprise hugs from behind, tender kisses on the neck at any moment, caresses on the face, arms, thighs.
Something that Sakura enjoys a lot is to comb Izuna’s hair after he gets out of the shower, usually, he falls asleep lying on her after a long time.
After a difficult day, he welcomes her at home with a good massage session, having become an expert in reading her body expressions to detect her mood.
Izuna lends himself as a test subject in Sakura’s work, he finds it very amusing. He loves to receive as much of her attention as possible.
When the kunoichi is working on a new poison, the Uchiha loves to sit near her workplace and observe her movements, her concentration, the effectiveness of her creation.
If Sakura has a very tough time today, Izuna refrains to make some tea for her and to support her with his company.
She loves the face he makes when she brings him sweets, after leaving work. His appetite for sugar… he’s like a child.
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MadaSaku [NS-FW]
Fire in the room.
The fact that Madara no longer has a chakra does not mean that he has lost his unequaled strength.
Oh, but wait… Sakura has hers too.
The constant struggle for who dominates who, which brings a very funny dynamic when it comes to intimacy.
Sakura enjoys deeply when Madara holds her strongly against any surface, demonstrating his desire and need to be the one who leads.
The situation eventually turns around when she is too hot to his touch, and subdues him to her strength, forcing him to stay under her control.
This arouses Madara even more, who appreciates having a woman by his side who knows what she wants and fights for it.
Their sexual dynamics are overwhelming and devastates everything. Several tables had to be replaced after Sakura’s back hit them.
Madara had to fix different holes that he made in various walls with his fists while he held Sakura’s hips on his shoulders and devoured her pussy without mercy. The tugs in his hair that she supplies him with on each occasion make him lose his mind, and holding her in the air at his mercy pushes him to the limit.
Purple and greenish bruises decorate his thighs when she pays special attention to his limb with her mouth. Every time the Uchiha rushes his hips towards her face trying to get deeper into her throat, the kunoichi squeezes his legs, making he slows down and groans in pain.
Of course her aftercare includes healing the rudeness imparted upon her lover.
IzuSaku [NS-FW]
Thanks to being the object of research for Sakura, she is highly aware of all the visual abilities that Izuna possesses. That Sasuke was her partner does not mean that she knew the true extent of the Sharingan, the same applying to Kakashi.
The room of both soon fills with highly exciting and kinky games, where she is subjected to numerous Genjutsus from him, destined to make her reach her maximum pleasure peak constantly.
Izuna loves to capture Sakura’s glance during different moments of the day, trapping her surprisingly in his world of passion, making her scream until her body trembles in an uncontrollable way.
When he brings her back to reality, he laughs maliciously at the exhausted expression of the kunoichi, and carries her to the bed in his arms, where they both rest.
If Sakura wants to take revenge, she avoids looking him in the eyes and takes advantage of any moment of distraction to use the clear benefit that her strength gives her.
Sitting on his lap on the sofa, getting into the shower with him and pinning him against a wall, straddling him when they are in bed.
Izuna cannot fight her Taijutsu, and because the kunoichi learned to avoid his glance, he has no way of escaping the torture.
All that remains is to submit to the fiery touches with which Sakura enjoys teasing him, feeling his cock squirm at every touch.
Anyway, both also love soft, delicate, and romantic sex. They alternate their encounters between uncontrolled, passionate situations, adding sweetness and delicacy.
Feeling Izuna’s light kisses travel all over her body is something that drives her crazy, and while he pays special attention to her nipples, leaving slight marks, she massages her clit at a slow pace.
Before the sassy image of Sakura touching herself under him, the Uchiha cannot avoid imitating her, and moves his hand slowly over his member while he continues paying special attention to his lover.
When their bodies finally unite, the heat is too much, and it does not take them long to finish both at the same time. Their nights are eternal when they take their time praising each other in this peaceful way.
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uchihasakurawrites · 3 years
Text
Manifest (1)
Rating: T for language & depictions of violence
Summary: Their soulmate bond is borne of blood. With war on the horizon and tensions rising in Konoha, Itachi and Sakura try to navigate their newfound connection while balancing the growing demands of their own worlds. [Non-Massacre AU; Soulmate AU; ItaSaku]
Word Count: 3,394
Warning: This chapter contains somewhat graphic depictions of violence, so please wait until chapter 2 if that's difficult for you to read.
Note: Itachi doesn’t actually appear in this chapter. Chapter 2 will focus more on Itachi’s POV while the events of this chapter are happening - if you’re looking for ItaSaku interactions right away, please wait until I post the next part before you start reading!
(Also, heads up that I’m studying for graduate school & changing positions at work right now, so my updates on any multi-chapter fics will be slow this spring/summer. Thanks to everyone who’s still sticking with me!)
Cross-posted on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net
_____________________________________________________________
Two careless hand signals from her captain telling the team to scatter and engage  bring Sakura’s pristine ANBU record crashing down in blood-soaked shards.
Every logical fiber of her being had screamed at the silent command, her near-decade of experience with Team 7 having seared the importance of teamwork into her mind. If not for the rogue nin on their heels, Sakura would have pressed the issue, arguing for a tactical retreat with the information they had gathered on the budding Iwa-Ame alliance.
Not that her rookie captain - a Hyūga with a superiority complex that could have easily topped Sasuke’s during his genin days - would have listened.
Staying together was the only way they stood a chance. Their mismatched ANBU squad was as well-balanced as Tsunade could manage with the current strain on Konoha’s ANBU forces. Impending war stretched ANBU thin, and those who weren’t assigned to diplomatic security details were saddled with near back-to-back missions; in the past six months alone, Sakura had almost doubled the number of missions she had completed in her entire first year with ANBU.
Intel of a meeting between Ame and Iwa leadership reached Tsunade’s desk when most of her veteran ANBU had already been dispatched. Amegakure, which had never fully recovered from the previous war, had remained neutral despite increasing tensions between the five great nations, and it was imperative that they remain so.
Losing neutral territory that bordered both Suna and Konoha would provide the enemy a staging area far too close to home, so Tsunade scraped together the best reconnaissance team she could with the resources she had left. Sakura knew from the grim look in her mentor’s eyes as she explained the parameters of the mission that she was assigned to this team for the sole purpose of dragging them all back home alive, as was usually the case any time she was assigned outside of her unit.
Sakura counted herself lucky that there happened to be a Hyūga and an Aburame available for the mission to make infiltrating the meeting undetected easier.
Out of her four-man cell, Sakura had the most field experience with just over ninety successful ANBU missions under her belt. The Hyūga had only recently been promoted to captain, and she could read his need to prove his worth in the way he carried himself: nose held a touch too high in the air, a smirk twisting his lips, and an arrogant sway to his hips as he strutted into the Hokage’s office.
A small part of her mind, the one that kept her entertained on particularly mind-numbing missions, absently wondered if punting him halfway to Suna would fix both his ego and his stride.
Pride had no place in ANBU.
The Aburame and the boy who looked as though he had been promoted three years to young were tolerable enough. She’d seen finer control of the Aburame Clan techniques during her occasional work with Shino, but Tetsuya still managed to get the job done and relayed enough information back for Sakura to record in a sealed scroll that she would deliver to Tsunade upon their return.
Kaito, who she discovered had joined ANBU less than a month prior, had surprised her with his fine-tuned tweaks to the strategy she had laid out once she’d managed to get their captain to shut the hell up  for two seconds and listen to input from his team. Sakura became rather fond of the younger boy during their two-week mission, perhaps because his personality reminded her of a teenage Naruto.
When she witnessed Kaito’s chakra control firsthand, she’d proposed the idea of recruiting him into the ANBU medical program. She could hear the grin behind his mask through the string of eager questions he endlessly chattered about as they sprinted home. With a laugh, she promised to file the request with Tsunade as soon as they got back to Konoha.
What she didn’t expect was for him to be slaughtered as they crossed the border into Grass.
With the odds stacked against her team 3:1, Sakura decides retreat is the cleanest option for their team and turns towards her captain, expecting him to reach the same conclusion and give the order.
His two hand signals and the team’s immediate obedience lock her muscles in disbelief; sure, taking a prisoner from this situation could provide another well of information, but that was only if her team somehow managed to win the fight.
Reporting back that their team had been pursued by Grass nin would have been enough information for Tsunade to work with. A different team could have been assembled to follow up, and Konoha would have at least been warned.
Her team is at a severe disadvantage fighting on unfamiliar terrain after a full day of running at top-speed to clear Earth’s border. Torrential rain means that they will have to fight almost blind, and the Hyūga seems to have forgotten that the rest of his team doesn’t have the same benefit of a dōjutsu.
Sakura won’t even be able to provide adequate medical support for her team if they scatter, as summoning Katsuyu would both expose her identity and require more chakra than she should expend with how much further they have left to go to reach home.
Well aware that her actions could give her captain adequate grounds to write her up for insubordination on the off chance they survive, Sakura takes off in the same direction as Kaito. He’s the most likely to accept her assistance, and the faster Sakura can drag him back to regroup with their teammates, the faster they can leave.
The third rule for all medical nin rings clearly in her mind: No medic shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.
Sakura has yet to lose a teammate on a mission, and she’ll be damned if the Hyūga’s reckless call changes that.
She catches up to Kaito quickly, calling out a quick Doton: Doryu Heki to throw up a fifteen foot mud wall between him and an enemy lunging at his back. She adjusts the flow of chakra to her feet to use the slickness of the ground to her advantage, releasing some of her traction on the mud to slide underneath the swing of a sword and slash chakra scalpels across the assailant’s heels. In a single fluid motion, Sakura thrusts herself up from her crouched position and follows through with a fist into the man’s back.
The sensation of muscle and bone snapping underneath her knuckles is so familiar that she doesn’t falter when the ANBU’s spine snapps clean in half. At some point, she’d lost count of the number of shinobi she’d broken with her hands alone.
Sakura doesn’t have time to check their surroundings further, opting instead to shunshin to Kaito’s right and weave her chakra into a Doton: Iwa no Doomu jutsu. It’s a strategic move to conserve chakra, building on her last jutsu as she wrenches additional walls from the ground to enclose them in a rock-solid dome.
She grabs Kaito’s wrist before the chokutō he jabs in her direction can make contact.
Kaito’s emotions are again an open book, even with his cloak and mask still intact. She can read the fear in the trembling left hand that clutches his shoulder, where a katon has seared his uniform into his skin.
His hoarse “S-Sakura-senpai!” instead of her codename broadcasts his inexperience; it’s pure luck that none of the Grass ANBU have gotten close enough to guess her identity. They don’t need the bounty on her head further complicating the situation.
Sakura makes a mental note to personally track down whoever gave this kid the green light for ANBU. He’s talented but clearly needs more field experience before he’s ready for ANBU-caliber missions and the heightened risks that come with them.
They have just under thirty seconds before she needs to release her hold on the dome. The Grass nins’ lightning jutsu grate at the threads of her earth-natured chakra, and there are already too many negative strategic implications for staying in one place as long as they have.
“Monkey,” Sakura speaks in code in hopes that hearing it will snap Kaito back to his senses. “I’m going to cast a genjutsu over the surrounding ten square meters. Escape underground, and get to Ant. Regroup with taichou and retreat. Move!”
She punctuates the command with a chakra laden smack to Kaito’s uninjured shoulder, just forceful enough to startle him out of the daze he had slipped into. With a shaky nod, Kaito snaps through the signs for the Earth jutsu and vanishes into the ground. Sakura drapes her genjutsu over the area just outside the dome and follows right behind.
Tetsuya is spread across the ground in pieces when they arrive at his position.
Choking down the bile that rises in her throat at the gruesome display - most field kills are more clean-cut, partly for efficiency and partly out of respect, even for an enemy shinobi - Sakura forces herself to focus on nothing but strategy and the enemies fully prepared to kill her next.
The rate she’s been burning through jutsu isn’t sustainable, but there are too many enemies left for her to engage in close-combat, and the ground is too wet to shatter. She’s already having to direct additional chakra to both her eyes for visibility and her cardiovascular system to maintain body heat.
She and Kaito are going to have to make a stand here, at least until they can thin the enemy’s numbers enough to create an opening to their team leader. With what little she’s seen of his abilities, their captain should be able to hold on for another few minutes.
Sakura is painfully reminded of why she prefers to work with her regular team when Kaito dives toward the nearest ANBU, the faint glow of lightning-natured chakra humming down his blade.
Team 7’s battle formations were second nature; they discussed mission-specific strategy setting out, but their battles were almost wordless. In this situation, Sasuke and Naruto would have taken on the long-range fighters as Kakashi drove the mid-range fighters into close-range combat with Sakura. Sai would have provided aerial support focused on mid-range fighters if Sakura had her hands full at close-range.
She resolves to never complain about her teammates’ penchant for turning every fight into a damn competition again - even with their dramatics, she’s never once doubted that her team will be there at the exact moment she needs them.
She’s yet to feel that level of synchrony with any other team, and she certainly doesn’t feel it now.
Sakura keeps Kaito in her peripheral vision as she catches a blade with her kunai and tries to fit his style into one of ANBU’s standard formations. New ANBU squads typically operate on variations of a standardized set of battle formations, as the sets allow for more flexibility between teams.
Kaito’s style, however, is erratic, driven by fear as his eyes stray towards every piece of his teammate he manages to spot on the ground. His stilted movements are more focused on keeping the enemies closest to him back than coordinating an attack with her.
Sakura adds yet another resolution to her increasingly long list, but she’s viciously stubborn that she’ll get back to Konoha and check every one of them off. She’ll need to speak to Tsunade about integrating more teamwork scenarios into ANBU’s training regimen.
Lashing out alone is the fastest way to die in the field.
Sakura sweeps her thumb along the seals on the underside of her left wrist-guard and launches a set of poisoned senbon at the three ANBU closest to her. She doesn’t actually expect the senbon to hit, and they don’t as the ANBU either dodge or deflect. Instead, Sakura takes advantage of the split second distraction to shunt chakra into her feet and drive close enough to an ANBU to trace a chakra scalpel neatly across their jugular.
The body hasn’t hit the ground before Sakura has the ANBU’s katana out of its scabbard and moves towards the next target.
She manages to hold her own for several more minutes, exchanging blows and countering a handful of A- and B-rank elemental jutsu with her own, until a scream cuts through the air. It’s the desperation in the scream - a wet, terrified noise almost ripped from Kaito’s throat - that draws Sakura’s attention from her own fight.
Time seems to slow as she realizes she’s not fast enough to stop what’s about to happen. She can almost hear Sasuke’s constant harping for her to work on her speed over the rushing sound in her ears.
Kaito stands frozen, mask shattered to pieces on the ground, as he locks gazes with one of the Grass shinobi. Before Kaito even has the chance to realize he’s ensnared in a genjutsu, the Grass nin’s companion brings his sword down on the boy’s neck.
Desperation immediately overshadows any grief Sakura might have felt over Kaito’s death as she finds herself surrounded by seven of the original twelve ANBU. Her natural chakra reserves are just over a third full, enough to push out a few elemental jutsu with her level of chakra control, and most of the wounds she’s sustained are minor sans the two-inch deep gash in her thigh. Her eyes burn from the strain of the chakra she continues to circulate through them, and she can feel the rain leeching warmth from her body.
She’s not hopeless, not yet. Not until long after she’s tapped out her byakugō and the scrolls at her waist. She’s got plenty of hell left to give.
That same desperation begins to give way to mounting anger at the brutal way her teammates have been killed, but she shoves it back in hopes of finding her captain in this mess and getting out. If they can lose the Grass ANBU even for a few seconds, she can use one of her personal genjutsu to hide their presence until they can work out a safe route to Konoha.
Her strategy is promptly dropped when the same man who captured Kaito in a genjutsu motions to one of his own teammates. Hyūga Ryota’s body drops unceremoniously to the muddy ground, at the best angle for Sakura to see that his eyes have been taken.
She’s only slightly relieved to notice the weak rise and fall of his chest.
As the pieces click into place, Sakura realizes that the attack with this large of an ANBU force was too well-timed to be a coincidence. If Grass had known there would be a Hyūga on their squad, this was an inside job.
A Leaf traitor had cost her two teammates.
It’s all Sakura can do to keep her breathing under control and steel herself against the steady voice in her mind that calls for blood. She gives Ryota a quick once over and decides that he may not survive long enough for her to retrieve the Byakugan and get them somewhere she can provide proper medical treatment.
Kakashi’s first lesson to her team - that those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum - runs through her head to damn the decision she comes to, but this is war, and she’s confident she can accomplish both objectives if she plays this smart enough. Her mind is already running through every possible scenario in which she can find the eyes in time to get Ryota out of there.
Sakura shifts into a defensive stance and surveys the ANBU who form a staggered circle around her, but curiously have yet to move against her. She promptly discards that observation, as she’ll gladly take the first move. She doesn’t even try to pretend she has a chance against all of them at once, so she prioritizes.
She’ll start with the ANBU who had been carrying Ryota and work her way through the masks she doesn’t recognize from her and Kaito’s earlier fights if that one doesn’t have the eyes.
A low laugh catches her just as she makes her way into the signs of a suiton jutsu she’d intended to use to capitalize on the relentless rain. Again, the voice is there, edging closer to the forefront of Sakura’s mind and clamoring for her to make the man who finds this amusing bleed.
She’s not sure how much energy she cares to spend continuing to stifle that voice.
“Haruno Sakura - the Tsuchikage requests your presence back in Iwagakure. Come quietly, and I’ll have the Hyūga boy dropped safely back in the Land of Fire near a well-traveled trail so he’ll be picked up soon.”
Sakura slowly drops her hands back to her sides, one with an active chakra scalpel and the other resting on top of her kunai pouch, as she unpacks that one statement. It’s evidence that Grass has joined the long list of smaller countries aligning with the enemy and that the contact in Konoha is privy to sensitive information beyond ANBU, who don’t use those regular trails.
She also notes the implications of how the Grass shinobi, who she pegs as the leader, phrased his statement - the Tsuchikage seemed to want her alive, most likely to lure the rest of Team 7 into enemy territory. It gives her a bit more leeway, since she’ll be the only one fighting to kill.
Baring her teeth, Sakura bites out a tart response:
“You can tell the Tsuchikage to go to fucking hell. Keep each other company once I take you out, asshole.”
Another laugh. The circle of ANBU take a step closer. Red tinges Sakura’s vision as the leader twists his sword into Ryota’s palm, earning a broken whimper she can still hear clearly through the rain.
Sakura’s moving with a speed even Sasuke would have been proud of in the next moment, her kunai bearing down on the man’s throat. She meets his gaze head-on, wanting to see the life drain out of them, and instead sees the world melt into an inverted grey-scale before she can even nick his skin.
The lead Grass nin is a fucking Uchiha. A shinobi from one of the Leaf’s most powerful clans turned rogue.
“You traitorous bastard.”
Sakura’s low growl is met with a louder, clearer version of the laugh she’d just heard seconds before that echoes in the empty space around her.
“Just say the word when you’re ready to come willingly, Sa-ku-ra-chan. Or don’t.”
The world around her goes dark. It’s an empty, infinite blackness without the sharply defined edges that come with shadows in reality. This is a formless, all-encompassing sort of darkness that threatens to steal the air from her lungs and breathes a chill of terror down the back of her neck.
It’s a genjutsu. Focus, Sakura.
Over the course of what feels like days stretched into weeks stretched into years, Sakura watches as her friends, family, and comrades are taken apart piece by piece. She feels the phantom pain as Sasuke’s Sharingan bright eyes are torn from their sockets, all while he rages at her for being the same annoying, useless, pathetic girl she was as a child.
Escape, Sakura. Focus.
She feels the slicing and tearing of a hundred swords piercing every inch of her body as she watches the same happen to Kakashi until he bleeds out, all while he spits venom about having ever been assigned to teach such a useless little girl who has no business playing kunoichi. Dead weight, he calls her.
She screams through the torture of having her skin flayed from her bones as Naruto is stripped of his. The image of his bright smile faltering into a silent scream follows her even as she tries to close her eyes.
Lee. Neji. Shikamaru. Kankuro. Hinata. Chouji. Tenten. Shizune. Sai. Ino. Tsunade. Okaa-san. Otou-san. On and on and on.
Sakura snaps. Black lines twist out from her seal, etching themselves down her cheeks and arms. She doesn’t even notice as the force of her chakra and rage shatters the genjutsu around her, the mantra of kill kill kill ringing through her mind as she lunges to the first sign of movement.
Soaked to the bone in blood, Sakura doesn’t notice the red string that knots itself around her wrist as her hand plunges through the chest of her enemy.
_____________________________________________________________
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I was a little hesitant to post this since another one of my works starts with a fight scene as well, but hopefully I was able to convey the emotional difference between the two. A Lesson in Practicality will be a Time Travel AU (eventually), while this one is obviously a Soulmate AU! I've also never written ItaSaku, so fingers crossed.
Please let me know your thoughts if you have the time. Your feedback means the world to me. ^_^
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laine-o · 4 years
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SasuSaku Month 2020 Day 14: Battle Scars
Traveling SS/ Blank period
Collaboration with writer: @ss-tyytyy (please give her a follow!!!!) and artist: Laine-O (me!)
Rating: T
Note: Thank you for taking the time to read and please let us know your thoughts! Also, thank you @ss-tyytyy for being so lovely to work with. ^_^
“Tch. Rain.”
Hearing the annoyed comment come from her traveling companion, Sakura looked up and to her side at him before turning her gaze to the sky. Just moments before, it had been clear, though cloudy. Now though, the clouds had become much thicker, darker and the smell of impending rain was prominent. It was a smell so natural and earthy, Sakura quite liked it.
There was something about the rain that was calming and gave her a sense of ease, but Sasuke didn’t appear happy about it in the least.
“The inn isn’t too far up ahead, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura offered him a reassuring smile and reached over to give his shoulder a soothing rub. 
Sasuke hummed knowingly, cutting her a glance with his lone visible eye. “We can’t afford to have you becoming ill.” He muttered and she clamped her mouth shut as he removed his cloak and placed it over her shoulders. 
The kind act warmed Sakura from the inside out and her smile remained present as they walked ahead. She didn’t say anything nor call him out, having already learned how easily flustered Sasuke was. She didn’t wish to make him uncomfortable, so she just accepted his kindness and affections silently—repaying them as often as she could.
By the time they reached the inn, the rain had picked up, coming down hard and fast upon their bodies until there was no help. Even with Sasuke’s cloak, Sakura wound up soaked from head to toe and Sasuke was just the same. The rain brought about a drop in temperature too, making their wet bodies feel chilled as well. Sakura was shivering as they stepped into the room they’d be sharing. She knew Sasuke was just as cold, but he hid it well.
“Get those wet clothes off, I’ll grab a towel.” Sakura said to him, passing him a glance on her way by him. 
“Ah,” Sasuke agreed, thinking nothing of it as he turned his attention to his shirt and went about removing it.
So cold! Sakura musingly thought while entering the bathroom.There was a small shelf stocked with towels and washcloths. Before reaching for any, Sakura took off Sasuke’s cloak and hung it on the back of the bathroom door, then slowly peeled away her drenched top, hanging it over the shower. She also quickly removed her boots and was soon padding back into the open room, barefooted and wearing nothing other than her compression shorts and her chest bindings.
Sakura’s priority was Sasuke and not herself, but she knew he wouldn’t think that way, so she made sure to dry herself adequately on her way to him. He’d stripped out of his wet clothes like she told him to and was waiting on the bed. When he turned to look at her, Sasuke’s mismatched eyes widened a fraction before averting from her completely, a slight pout forming on his lips as he faced away from her.
“Sakura—you—”
“I know you’re freezing, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura commented, brow slightly furrowed as she clambered on the bed behind him, wasting no time in beginning to pat his skin dry.
Sasuke’s jaw tensed and he could feel his skin heating from his neck up, blood filling even his ears at the proximity and the vivid image of Sakura in nothing but those shorts and the bindings. They’d been traveling together for a few months at this point, but he was always careful not to view her in any such revealing instances. Sasuke always respectfully gave Sakura her privacy, but he didn’t consider until now that it was more for his own benefit than hers.
One glimpse of the not so subtle curves she possessed that were normally hidden beneath her clothes had Sasuke hot and bothered. Embarrassed. Suddenly aware of his own lack of clothing, though he was only shirtless and it was a regular occurrence. He was a man. It was only that he couldn’t believe Sakura could be so brazen around him—but she was always proving to him that she was truly a wonder. 
Beautiful. Confident. Strong.
“Even you have battle scars, huh?” She murmured, green eyes taking in the scars littering his back. 
Sakura had finished drying him for the most part and draped the damp towel over her shoulder, her touch still lingering on his skin, tracing the scars she found each in turn. Some were faded until they were barely noticeable while others were painfully obvious. Her medical knowledge permitted her to know how grave each injury had been for the scars to form how they had.
Sasuke was a man full of imperfections, but to Sakura, he had always seemed perfect.
Even when he made mistakes.
The question pulled Sasuke away from his wayward and unwanted thoughts—thankfully. “Scars?” He questioned, voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and added, “Well, I don’t think about that, but I suppose everyone does.”
She, of course, had her own. Her deeper, more noticeable scars went beyond mere blemishes of her skin, reaching to the deepest recesses of her heart and mind. Sakura’s battle with Sasori flickered through her mind, the memory one she knew she would never forget. The scar was one she could no longer feel as she carried it around proudly upon her back—but it was one she thought of on occasion. One she carried in the back of her mind at all times. 
Though she wondered if Sasuke remembered the causes of his deepest scars and if they plagued him at times, Sakura didn’t question him on it. She only committed each one to memory, wanting there to be nothing of him that she didn’t know and understand so long as she was able. Sasuke was patient and kind to a fault—he felt so deeply, cared so much and Sakura was one person who understood that, while most thought him to be cold and unattached. That just wasn’t who Sasuke was. It was once who he tried to be, but he clearly regretted those days now.
“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura called, voice that of a whisper as she stared upon his shoulders, still patting his pale skin dry. He made a quiet noise to let her know he was listening, a familiar ‘hn’ that had her smiling fondly. “Thank you.”
The words of gratitude surprised him enough to have him turning to face her, but he made sure to keep his eyes on hers and nothing more. “What for?”
“For caring about me… and letting me travel with you.” She told him, smile brightening though there was a lingering, subtle shyness as she spoke. 
It was Sasuke who had once again become flustered, ears burning red. He turned back around much more quickly than he had turned to face her and Sakura did her best to stifle a giggle. She felt blessed and grateful to be the one to see this side of him. To see all sides of him and love him unconditionally. Sakura had loved him for as long as she could remember and she would continue to do so—to support him wholeheartedly and care for him no matter the distance between them or the circumstances.
They both owned their own battle scars and though it was likely that they would obtain more over time, each one would have its own story and with it—more memories. 
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obithoes · 4 years
Note
SASUKE CHEATING ON SAKURA OR NARUTO CHEATING ON HINATA PLEASE 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 (I don’t condone cheating irl, by the way), and maybe catching feelings after a while 🙊 I just think that these two boiis have such dry love lives okay!!! they both deserve someone better 🙈🙃
unfinished business: naruto uzumaki
warnings: smut, unprotected sex, past lovers
authors note: i do not condone cheating either, however i do agree that they have some dull love lives.
word count: 1471
It felt too natural to ever be considered wrong. Your body pressed against his, labored breathing filling the large office; whimpers leaving your lips that he had to stifle with his hand. It was late at night, way past the time Naruto said he would be home. He knows he’ll use the same the excuses as always: there was too much paperwork, he lost track of the time, he nodded off.
Naruto couldn’t help himself — the hokages personal assistant. The minute he laid eyes on you he knew this was a mistake, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to release you from the position. Shikamaru was down his throat enough as it is — he wasn’t getting through the paper work fast enough so help was needed. If he knew Shikamaru would recruit you, his old fling that no know was aware of, he would’ve denied the need for help immediately.
He remembers the day you walked into his office, smile bright as always and alluring. You were well liked among the village; it was hard for people to dislike you, you were just one of those people. The air left his throat when you walked through the door, there was no hostility between you two — it was more like things were left unfinished.
Throughout the years you two spent part, Naruto built a beautiful family with a wife he loved; Hinata Hyuga. The ever dotting housewife, although he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. Their relationship lacked passion. As time past he felt that their marriage was just a duty they were fulfilling. The last time they were intimate was years ago when conceiving Himawari.
Naruto was reluctant on having you as his assistant. Seeing you again brought up old feelings, that he needed to bury once again. He thought about how much earlier he would able to return home, how much more time he would be able to spend with his family; increasing the strength of their bond. He agreed solely for these reasons. Things were running smoothly up until the three month mark of you working for him.
The sun had already set, yawns fleeing Naruto every other minute. His shoulders were tense and his back ached from sitting in his chair all day. You were seated on the opposite side of him, zooming through your pile of paper work. Taking a break, Naruto watched you — you were more beautiful than he could remember. Adulthood treated you right in all the right ways, aging you like fine wine; he couldn’t help but appreciate it.
Realizing what he was doing Naruto shook away the thoughts — you have a wife and two children at home what are you doing, he thought to himself. Noticing his discomfort you averted your eyes from your paperwork his agitated figure. “Is something wrong?” He took note of the concern in your tone and gave you awkward smile. “I’m fine it’s nothing really” Not believing him for a second you raised your eyebrow at him.
Lifting his arm up, Naruto reached it behind his head, scratching his neck . “Seriously I’m fine my back just hurts” At this you raised from your seat, circling around him. Naruto choked up realizing you were approaching him. “What - What are you doing?”
Giving him an reassuring smile you placed your hands on his shoulders. “Relax I’m just helping relive some tension” Nodding Naruto turned forward, slumping his shoulders. Although you two barely kept in contact Naruto still saw you as a friend, so there was no harm in you giving him a back rub. After 15 minutes of silence you spoke up. “You know Naruto I really missed you, I forgot how nice it was to be in your company” your tone was nothing but light, but it felt heavy.
Turning around Naruto stood up and faced you, placing on hand on your shoulder, a bashful look took over his features. “I want to apologize for not keeping in contact. It’s just...” You didn’t need him to continue, you understood what he meant. You and Naruto used to be — what you could call friends with benefits. From your knowledge no one knew about the situation between the two of you.
When Naruto wanted to take it to the next level, you refused; you didn’t want to be in a relationship. You were scared, thoughts of him eventually leaving you for someone better shook you to the core.
After arguing about it for hours you came to a mutual understanding. Never voicing your true reason, Naruto accepted the fact you didn’t want to further your relationship, it crushed him — he wasn’t the only one. The two of you remained friends for a short time before slowly drifting apart, once he started dating his now wife.
So yes, you understood why it was difficult for him to keep in touch with you. After realizing his hand had been on your shoulder for too long Naruto went to remove it. Going against his brain and following his heart he instead slid it down your arm taking hold of your hand and pulling you into. Catching you off guard you stumbled into his chest. The air in your lungs was knocked out the moment you met his gaze.
“Naruto, we - we shouldn’t do this” Pushing a misplaced strand of your hair back behind your ear he nodded. “Yeah you’re right”
Instead of removing yourself, you found comfort in arms; oh how you missed this. Cupping your cheek Naruto pulled you into a longing kiss. His lips were slightly chapped, yet so soft. Pulling back to gawk at your reaction, Naruto was quckily pulled back in to a needy kiss; tongues overlapping and teeth clashing.
Pushing you against his desk, you blindly reached behind you swatting the piles of paper away; scattering them across the floor. Without breaking the kiss Naruto lifted you on his desk. Heavy panting filled the room as both of you shedded articles of clothing off of each other.
The entirety of night was packed with hot needy sex. He fucked you on his desk twice, holding you close to his chest before hauling you up against the window in his office and taking you there. After recovering from the mind blowing orgasms, soft kisses where exchanged along with promises of keeping this a secret.
Six months later he had you in a position you were all to familiar with. Spread out on the top of desk, cum smeared across the scattered paper work covering his desk, as he plowed into you. His eyes were half-lidded gazing down at where you to were connected. Your legs secured around his waist pulling him in with each thrust.
The whimpers that you couldn’t hold back left your mouth at an alarming rate. Removing a hand from your hips Naruto stuffed three fingers in your mouth in an attempt to silence you. Taking advantage of this you closed your mouth around his fingers, circling your tongue around them, coating them with your saliva.
Pushing his fingers further down, Naurto let out a low groan and picked up his pace, thrusting sloppily into you. You knew he was close, you could feel it in his movements. Removing his fingers from your mouth Naruto wiped them across your lips, dragging them down, leaving a trail of spit across your chest.
“You’re so beautiful” his voice came out as a raw whisper in the air, you’re just too pretty like this; so vulnerable and accepting. The desk creaked underneath you, pulling you closer to the edge, Naruto started fucking you with great force. Just as a moan almost roared from your throat he silenced it with a kiss. Your back arched up dramatically as your orgasm wrecked through your body.
After working you through your orgasm Naruto pulled out and released on your lower belly. Before he could pull away your arms wrapped around his neck pulling him in for another kiss. “I love you” the eight letters left your mouth in a rushed whisper; a secret you could no longer contain. You meant it wholeheartedly “I love you Naruto, I never stopped” Tears fell from your eyes at your sudden confession, one you wish you would’ve said sooner.
Turning away from you Naruto rested his head against your chest. This was wrong, he was married — but it felt so right. Naruto felt beatific here with you and it pained him. The women he longed for — for so long, finally admitting what she was too scared to do years ago.
Naruto didn’t notice he was crying until he get your hands cupped his face, wiping his tears away. He needed this, he loved his family but he needed to be with you. “I love you too”
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nad-zeta · 4 years
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Hi!!! May I ask for hc for Ikesen characters (your choice! But please do include Kenshin) reacting to a MC who hates using chopsticks? (Cuz she's half Japanese half English and her whole life she's used to just forks and knives)~~~ I love your blog!!! Yay~~~
Hi hi, love! Thank you so much for the request!❤🌻 Awww u are so sweet and kind *hugs*😆 Lol, I am also super bad at using chopsticks and would 100% choose a knife and fork over chopstick any day of the week, to spare me the embarrassment of not actually being able to use them hehe!😳😳 Anyways hope you enjoy this love and i hope you have a good day! ❤❤
Headcanon: MC that hates using chopsticks feat: Kenshin and Mitsuhide 
Kenshin
You had never eaten with Kenshin before 
(◕‸ ◕✿)
The two of you cuties have been in a relationship for all of three months now and somehow you had managed to avoid eating in front of your beloved God of War ( ̄ω ̄)
For you see you had a secret ꈍ .̮ ꈍ
One that you were low key pretty embarrassed about, and it was that you couldn’t for the life of you, use chopsticks (*ノωノ)
You low key blamed your parents, even though your family was part Japanese, you had adapted more to your more English roots in using knives and forks 🍴
You dramatically clenched your fist in the air, “Dammit mom and dad, what am I going to do tonight, thanks to you guys I’m ganna embarrass myself in front of my lover and some fancy visiting princess.”
(ノ#--)ノ\。゜。
You fell back onto your futon and covered your face with your pillow (/ε\*) 
Perhaps it was time to come clean (っ´ω`c)
You rested your eyes for what felt like a second, when you heard a knock at the door (๑ᵕ⌓ᵕ̤)
Sasuke had come to get you for the evening’s banquet |・x・`)
You stared at him in disbelief and looked out the window, “Just how long did you sleep.” (´-εヾ )
You groaned as you quickly got ready for the banquet
You had taken your rightful place beside the love of your life which had now perked up since your arrival (✪‿✪)ノ
The two of you chatted and laughed, and was legit having the best time
that was until the food was placed in front of you (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ)
You sheepishly picked up the chopsticks and tried your best to pick up the braised piece of pork, but as you carried it to your mouth, it fell down and landed straight on your lap ʕ⊙ᴥ⊙ʔ
You looked around nervously to see if anyone had noticed, thankfully not
You tried again, ending in the same result 
(╯ಠ_ಠ)╯︵ ┳━┳
At this point, the visiting princess was definitely sending a judging look your way, and you knew exactly what she was thinking, as she gave you a smirk * Lord Kenshin could never love a fool like her, look she cant even use chopsticks* (¬‿¬)
Kenshin notice the look of distress on your face and the pieces of pork that had fallen in your lap now staining your light blue kimono ⚆ _ ⚆
He gave you one of his bright dazzling smile and pulled you into his arms to sit you down on his lap (。◕‿◕。)
“What is the matter love,”  he asked as he nuzzled your cheek 
Worry and love for you filled the bunny warlords eyes (◕⍸ ◕✿)
“I-I-I I don’t know how to use chopsticks, I grew up using knives and forks, so I never learned how to eat using them” you squeezed your eyes shut and clenched your hands in tight fists
 (/≧ω\)
This is it, Kenshin was going to dump you in front of all these people
‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
That’s when you suddenly heard Kenshin lightly chuckle ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )
You cracked open one of your eyes only to see Kenshin kiss the tip of your nose, “Is that all, then I shall teach you.” (✿◠‿◠)
He gave you his chopsticks and placed his hands over yours, he then all while guiding you, brought a piece of the pork to your mouth
(•‾⌣‾•)و
You took a small bite, while breaking out into the biggest blush
(*≧∀≦*)
Just then, one of Kenshin's fluff balls jumped up onto your lap and stole one of the chopstick straight out of your hand, the other bunnies saw this, and another one hoped up to the two of you and stole the other one
(ㅇㅅㅇ❀) (≖ᴗ≖✿)
You were shook, the only ones in the castle who had known your secret were the bunnies, that’s when Umi hopped up to you and dropped a small pouch in your lap (≖ᴗ≖✿)
The bunny then pushed your hand with his little nose as if urging you to open it (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)
Kenshin looked at the whole scene unfold curiously and before you could pick up the brown pouch, Kenshin grabbed hold of it and looked inside (人◕ω◕)
He pulled out the contents and to reveal a silver knife and fork, the ones you had been using since arriving at the castle, gifted to you by the Oda forces who teased you heavily for your dislike in using chopsticks  🍴
Kenshin chuckled and handed them over to you, “Seems like the bunnies have revealed your secret” 
You continued to sit in his lap, and the two of you happily shared the meal (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
No one dare say a thing about you using a knife and fork to dine, otherwise, they would have an adorable mad fluffy army after them, a lesson that was learned the hard way ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
As when the visiting princess started loudly mocking you, your army of fluff pounced on her (;一_一)
No one dare disrespect their beloved princess and get away with it
Since that day you and Kenshin often dined together, the fear and embarrassment long-forgotten (っ˘ڡ˘ς)
He would eat with chopsticks, and you would eat with your knives and forks \ (•◡•) /
And the bunnies would steal the vegetables of your plates and cuddle with you two cuties as you ate
Mitsuhide
During one of your princess lessons you and Mitsuhide sat and ate together (・∧‐)ゞ
The kitsune eyed you curiously as you went to your handbag to retrieve a plastic knife and fork wrapped in a napkin (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ) 
“Little mouse might I ask just what you are doing.”  ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )
“Same as you, eating obviously.” (≖ᴗ≖✿)
Mitsuhide smirked as he watched you continue your meal (─‿‿─)
This sneki boy found it incredibly interesting that you never once used chopsticks when you ate, and it seemed that your magical bag, had contained a limitless amount of these strange other eating utensils ≧☉_☉≦
“Little mouse may I ask you a question,” he asked in the middle of one of your lessons on economics, you rolled your eyes and nodded almost predicting what he was going to ask 
(;一_一)
“I have noticed you do not use chopstick when you dine, is there a particular reason for that.” (・ω・`)………..
“I just really HATE, using them, plus I never really learned considering I grew up using a knife and fork.” 乁( ⁰͡  Ĺ̯ ⁰͡ ) ㄏ
Mitsuhide nodded thoughtfully and then continued on with the lesson 
A few days later he came into your room carrying an array of food, courtesy of Masamune ლ(•ω •ლ)
“Your next princes lesson little mouse will be, how to eat using chopsticks”, you groaned you really didn’t want to (¬_¬) 
“Mother dearest will scold you for 3 days if you attend tomorrows banquet without knowing how to use these” (¬‿¬)
It was the longest lesson of your life and by the end of it instead of learning how to use chopstick you had actually convinced Mitsuhide about all the benefits of not using chopsticks 
(ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
The next day at the banquet, your lesson had paid off and you were successfully eating with your hated chopsticks (ლ ^ิ౪^ิ)ლ
You turned to Mitsuhide to show him how well his lessons had paid off when you spotted something in his hands ⊙0⊙
Is that a… SPOON (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
It seems the sneki snek had raided you bag ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
You walked your way over to the kitsune and loomed over him “Well well well and what do we have here” you narrowed your eyes at Mitsuhide as you took a seat beside him ಠ⌣ಠ
“It seems, mouse, you were correct in your use in this strange cutlery, I find it most amusing, and efficient” He demonstrated by scooping up a large helping of his mixed together meal and popped it in his mouth
“Princess were you the one that introduced lord Mitsuhide to this wonderful contraption,” Across from you and Mitsu, Mitsunari beamed as he too was eating with your stolen knife and fork 
“Told you, they are great,” you said with a triumphant grim  (。◕‿◕。)
He returned the smile and handed you over a gift ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ
You carefully unwrapped the present and you couldn’t help but beam when you saw what was inside 。◕‿◕。
A SILVER CUTLERY SET! (◕▿◕✿)
He had visited the western traders earlier that day with Nobunaga and spotted it in one of the shops
The two of you now sat together and ate your banquet dinner with the silverware although your happy victory was short-lived, as soon the mother hen descended upon the two of you 
“Just what do you think you are doing, why are you using those strange things to eat” (ʘᗩʘ')
You smiled and handed your fork over to Hideyoshi “cause it’s waaaay easier and quicker to eat like this” (≖︿≖✿)
He carefully took the fork from your hand, picked up some stewed vegetables and brought it to Mitsunari's lips to feed him, he was in one of his book trances
Mitsunari opened his mouth and took a bite of the food, Hideyoshi narrowed his eyes he can't deny that this was slightly easier...  (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ)
Since that day you had managed to convert the Oda forces to occasionally eat with knives and forks (◠‿◠✿)
I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you have a super good day! 😆🌻❤
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panharmonium · 3 years
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THAT is the importance of an adult who Understands.
one of the things that i always come back to when i think about sasuke is that sasuke has virtually everybody in the village fooled.  you couldn’t find a more messed up kid in all the hidden leaf if you tried, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him, because he can’t afford to acknowledge or display weakness - firstly, because weakness means he isn’t strong enough to take on itachi, and secondly, because signs of struggle on sasuke’s part might mean that an authority figure tries to involve themself in his life, and sasuke doesn’t want anyone interfering in something he sees as a personal quest.  he doesn’t see himself as a child who needs to be looked after by adults; he sees himself as an adult in a frustratingly small body, and he wants all the other adults to leave him alone and let him do what he needs to do.  he doesn’t want meddling.  he wants everyone who has the power to potentially keep him from getting what he most desires to remain oblivious to his true state of mind, to not look too closely, to never see a child in distress, because if he ever lets on that he doesn’t have his shit together, it’s possible that one of the leaf’s less negligent grown-ups will swoop down on him and start trying to intervene/“parent” him, which to sasuke’s mind just means “get in the way.”  
sasuke, who has long felt like he’s already an adult dealing with adult problems, won’t tolerate that.  so he masks his issues, to the point where he has virtually everyone around him completely deceived.  his regular schoolteachers don’t worry about him - he’s a high achiever, he gets perfect grades, he’s top of his class in everything, he doesn’t make trouble.  his classmates don’t worry about him - they buy the ‘i’m so cool, nothing fazes me’ act and worship at his feet, even as he demonstrates that he wants nothing to do with them.  the rest of the leaf village doesn’t worry about him, either - they see him as a source of village pride (and a source of entertainment/drama, like when they’re all so excited to watch The Last Uchiha fight for their nation during the chunin exams).  even though sasuke is so messed up on the inside, the exterior facade he presents to people is specifically designed to prevent any wondering about how he’s doing.  as far as the world can see, he’s doing Just Fine (and while everyone is busy not wondering about his health, he can get down to the business of getting his revenge).
sasuke’s strategy for relating to other people is, essentially, the opposite of naruto’s approach.  naruto, in his early childhood, draws as much attention to himself as possible, causing all sorts of mayhem, in the hope that someone, somewhere will see him.  he makes trouble and causes problems precisely because he desperately wants someone to acknowledge his pain, and that’s how he ends up landing iruka as an adult support figure, because iruka notices what’s happening and decides to get involved.  sasuke, in contrast to naruto, doesn’t want anyone to acknowledge or even notice his pain, because if they do notice it, they might try to stop him from pursuing what he thinks is the only way to alleviate it.  that’s not an acceptable outcome for him, so instead of making a scene and calling attention to himself, he hides in plain sight. 
sasuke doesn’t want people to get involved in his life.  he wants to be left to his own devices.  he doesn’t think he needs (read: deserves) anybody’s help, and some tiny part of him knows that a Responsible Adult might raise their eyebrows at what he’s doing to himself, so he uses his “high-achiever, too cool for school” persona to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.  and he almost succeeds - until kakashi enters the picture.  kakashi, who can’t be fooled.  kakashi, who has known from Day One, Minute One exactly what goal is driving all of sasuke’s high achievement, and who knows that sasuke is NOT okay, in either the head or the heart.  kakashi, who in the above gifset can tell that sasuke is having a crisis without even turning around.  kakashi doesn’t need to be shown evidence before he gets concerned.  he’s known from the very start that sasuke is struggling, because he lived through similar pains and tried to cope with them in similarly unhealthy ways (remember: “useless things like emotions only get in the way”/“having too many ties in this world will only lead you astray” + “everyone you’re talking about has already been killed”/“they’re all dead...because i wasn’t strong enough to save them”).
sasuke still tries to put up the front.  a few scenes prior to the above gifset, sasuke is the one who is making fun of naruto for freezing up - you’re not hurt, are you...scaredy-cat.  and he completely fools his peers with his attitude - sakura’s got stars in her eyes, naruto’s super jealous; both of them think sasuke’s So Cool and Super Powerful and Not Afraid of Anything!
but when sasuke himself is confronted with a serious, imminent threat to his life (one against which his supposedly “advanced” skills are useless, one from which he can’t protect himself; aka, one where he’s suddenly reminded that he’s actually a twelve year-old genin and his safety is out of his control, just like it was the night his family was murdered), he’s the one who panics.  the other kids are scared, too - but sasuke completely loses it.  he almost kills himself to get away from the intensity of his fear.  *cough* it’s the ptsd *cough* but anyway -
kakashi is able to sense this without even turning around.  he’s preparing to fight an aggressor under the least ideal circumstances possible - they were supposed to be on a mission where it was four people protecting one man, but because tazuna lied to them, they’re now in a situation where it’s one man protecting four people, including three children - and even with all of that competing for his attention, kakashi is still focusing closely enough on each individual kid to sense that sasuke is going off the rails.  without even turning around, he knows.
we all remember this, right?
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it doesn’t matter how much of an act sasuke puts on.  kakashi has been there.  he knows better.  he can’t be fooled.  he calls for sasuke by name and pulls him back from the brink.
kakashi interrupts this crisis so effectively.  not only is he able to snap sasuke out of his panic, but he’s also careful to then extend his reassurance to everyone present, accomplishing the dual purposes of calming everyone else down and also redirecting attention away from sasuke’s more extreme reaction, which the others haven’t noticed yet.  it’s deftly done.  it addresses sasuke’s crisis on an individual level without putting him in the spotlight.  it works.  the way sasuke relaxes in that last gif...man.
calm down.  i’ll protect you with my life.
i’ve already talked a little bit about how much it would mean for somebody with sasuke’s particular history to hear that (especially when those words are spoken by an adult who follows through on the promise every single time), but here i just want to focus on the fact that the only reason sasuke is lucky enough to receive this reassurance in the first place is because kakashi isn’t fooled by sasuke pretending he doesn’t need to hear it.  kakashi and the kids are very new to each other at this point, but even so, kakashi still understands sasuke better than any other adult in the hidden leaf.  he’s the first authority figure who sasuke hasn’t been able to trick into obliviousness - sasuke can’t pretend away his problems in front of someone who used to have all those same problems himself!  kakashi is too savvy to be waved away with the whole ‘i’m super advanced for my age i don’t need any help don’t look behind my mask’ charade.  kakashi invented that game.  he knows it’s one you don’t want to win.  he won it himself, when he played it, and winning just meant that everybody took him at his word when he acted like he was fine and nobody ever gave him the kind of help he needed.  he’s not going to let another kid get away with the same self-destructive shenanigans, not when he’s around to call their bluffs and be the kind of support structure he himself could’ve benefited from when he was younger.   
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ranmanjuu · 4 years
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Me again sorry if I’m spamming can request how the boys react to going to the future with mc be everywhere’s in lockdown thank you and stay safe love you~ (๑ゝω╹๑)
there’s probably a shit ton of them hcs around these parts and i feel like i’m just re-wording a lot of things so like,, ahaha i’m sorry. also the character cast is u-t forces cause ngl we have a lot of oda forces request previously and the coming requests dw just showing love to my kasugayama boys
—shingen:
the moment you stepped into the good ol’ modern times, the first thing you realized was that there’s a pandemic going on and with shingen being immunocompromised, it’s surely a danger more than ever. without a word, you quickly drag him into your apartment first thing’s first.
you quickly told him to take a shower (to which he’d probably jokingly invite you in, but to be fair, he doesn’t really know how bathtubs and shower heads are used). you didn’t have men’s clothing, not for his size so to say, so you just settled with your big, stretchy jackets you had.
after explaining the situation, you did consider going to the hospital for his treatment,, on one hand, if shingen doesn’t do it, he’ll. . .you know. and if he does, there’s a chance that he could get infected (with hospitals being a breeding ground for the virus). 
in the end, you decided to do it.
even after that, you were always careful with things like going out, mostly you taking care of the shopping and everything. you kept reminding him to wash his hands, social distance, etc.
and frankly, while he understands social distancing, he doesn’t like it. he just wants to hug and kiss his deity lover! prepare for the man to just recite poems so damn dramatically for this.
(^ this includes the amount of pickup lines increasing by a lot. the fact that he can now search some up from google doesn’t help.)
there’s a lot of things you do in quarantine, and you’ve found that the amount of carpentry has increased significantly prior to this.
said carpentry ranges from tables and chairs, to small decoration carvings of birds and the likes. the smell of wood now wafts in the air more than ever.
you’ve now replaced yukimura for his dieting of sweets. his illness may be gone, but teeth problems could still arise! but shingen can have some modern candy once in a while, as a treat. 
as for the reaction of the future in general—shingen finds it so, so warming how relatively peaceful it is compared to the sengoku. yes, protests are happening and there’s practically a new type of war going on (he most certainly advocates for human rights, etc), but it’s a step to a new light. a world he wants.
—kenshin:
you’ve had conversations of the future before—most of them on a,,, bizzare note, with the topic being on swords and war (or lack thereof), etc. a silent agreement was made between you two to not have kenshin be in the future since he’s missing one of the things he ‘needs to live with’ (them being war, sake, and you).
but a lot of improv had to be done when the wormhole was much more stubborn and managed to pull you through.
right after you figured out what happened, a security guard immediately came and told you to wear a mask (considering it’s a must). you had to haul kenshin back to your house before he attacks the guard with his sword.
after cleaning the two of you from any virus, you began running things over to him about the future. aaaand he’s already thinking about keeping you in your house by any means so you don’t get caught by it.
but you managed to convince him otherwise, you did have to go shopping and the thought of kenshin doing it with all the foreign technology around him made you sweat nervously.
no, kenshin, sake isn’t a need but you will buy it for him cause he won’t be able to survive, you feel.
you thought a peaceful modern world was bad enough for kenshin to reside in, ohoho, wait until you realize he can’t even go outside and fight sasuke and all that jazz.
a thought crossed your mind to learn how to duel and fight using mop sticks but he shot down that thought.
in the meantime, most of your days were spent in the garden with his sea of bunnies (how they got there, you don’t know) and mostly tending to them so they don’t contract the virus (kenshin almost flipped when you told him that rabbits could do that).
and by night, you spent it by looking out to the city skies (but the light from the buildings doesn’t hit like the stars do) and drinking sake.
he’d also be against social distancing, but—unsurprisingly—only to you. after a while that rule goes out the window as he cuddles you to death from being touch-starved.
i feel like he’d be interested in the past (or future, to him) wars just because. he’d read up about the wars from all sorts of places. and sometimes, you’d catch him with a deadly smile and say, “that sounds like a great idea, i should wage one like that.”
you had to remind him no, you can’t start a war cause you want to.
—yukimura:
he’d flip straight up by the idea of there being a pandemic in your time. you never talked about this when you told him you came from the future!
he’d probably groan at first with the thought of having to hole up for a long time, but he’d quickly understand. it’s for the benefit of the immunocompromised and the old, he’d like to help by following the rules.
besides, he has you. he’ll cope.
at first, his plan was for you to just let him do all the work during lockdown, like going out and stuff. he was non-chalant, if a bit stubborn.
until you mention groceries.
you start firing him questions, do you know what we need? do you know how much of it we need? or which one is which at all?
he shuts up after that.
yukimura will definitely do those workout things on youtube, and you’ll probably be roped into it. rip to you but you’re gettin’ buff during these lazy times.
small, silly arguments would most likely be the norm for you. it’s a bit of spicy bickering back and forth, you both find it amusing and it’s a way to stimulate the brain, no matter how stupid the topic is.
it can range from if mugwort mochi is better than chestnut dumplings, and you’ve even gone out to search for light topics to have small debates over.
occasionally, he’d invite you outside to watch the skies. the colorful lights from the tall buildings kind of reminds you of the loud fireworks during the festival back in the sengoku—only if they became stars instead.
much like shingen, yukimura is thankful of the positive changes in the future. horrible things may have stayed, but as long as there are people advocating for a fair and peaceful world, he can spend his days beside you.
—sasuke:
as any situation, sasuke was prepared as ever. the second you went to the modern days, he pulled out a spare mask (dw it’s clean) from his pocket and handed it to you. remembering the rule of mandatory masks, you quickly put it on.
you couldn’t really have a discussion about time-travel in the open, so you both went to your apartment.
sasuke is definitely well-versed in the virus, dumping most everything he knows unto you to better arm you with it yourself.
somehow, he could calculate how much groceries and overall shopping in any timeframe. a month, two, etc. so you find yourself bringing him out shopping with you.
since he’s now in the modern world, the amount of him being holed up kinda increases. if he’s learnt so much from a youtube tutorial, imagine the absolute machine he’d be by the end of it.
yeah he’s that guy who learns 45 million skills.
sasuke might seem unbothered by having to keep distance from you, but he really isn’t. you can tell; by the way his lips tighten, or the way his eyebrows furrow sometimes.
would regularly remind you to wash your hands, and would always say to take a bath each time you go home from the outside. if you’re ever sick, he’ll somehow have the perfect medicine ready.
you binge watch shows all the time, it’s another form of bonding cause you two already know about them. you’d spend nights on the couch with a blanket and snacks, discussing about things ranging from theories to crack cotent.
you really wouldn’t trade it for the world.
—yoshimoto:
honestly, yoshimoto isn’t even much interested in the future. mostly just how far art’s gotten (and trust me, it’s gotten so far). such is the situation when the wormhole caught you two.
he probably got sidetracked from the first art he could see (probably street art in this scenario) after you barely identified you went to the future.
again you must haul this pretty man after being told off by a security guard for not wearing a mask.
your biggest problem is probably his massive fascination with modern art. endless hours were used to have a talk that, no, he can’t go to an exhibit right now.
so you improvise.
you gave him a hand-me-down phone, or just share a laptop, and teach him the concept of digital art, along with how to operate certain social medias so he can browse around.
downside is he is currently—and unknowingly— planning to get you broke by commissioning artists. also he may or may not’ve been doing posting questionable things on his accounts (you really shouldn’t’ve given him one,,)
and so to fix the problem created to solve a problem, you decided to take it into your own hands.
popping out all the drawing supplies you’ve ever had, you began to doodle anything and everything, every day. and each one, you’d show it off to yoshimoto like a child to their parent.
and each time, he still looks at them so lovingly, no matter if it could hypothetically be classified as chicken scratches. as long as you make it, in his mind, it’ll be something worth cherished for.
but your strong suit has always been stitching, so you start a lot of projects of art on clothing. it counts as the one above.
oh—you know those pretty cloth masks? you now have about 100 of these at least, courtesy to yoshimoto.
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writingwhimsey · 3 years
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The Tiger and The Oda Princess Ch. 8
Chapter 8
It wasn't long after Shingen returned that Kenshin and Sasuke had arrived, having heard of Ava's capture. "We wanted to help." Sasuke said, when he and Kenshin had entered the council room.
"Thank you." Shingen replied. He knew that Sasuke cared a great deal for Ava.
"What do we know?" Kenshin asked.
"She was taken by a group of pirates who have been posing as merchants." Shingen answered. "It was three days ago now."
"They've taken her into Oda territory." Yoshimoto added.
"You don't think...maybe Nobunaga..." Sasuke spoke up.
Shingen shook his head. "No. If the devil were going to try and get her back, he would come himself."
"Get her back?" Yoshimoto asked, not knowing of Ava's connection to the Oda forces.
"A story for another time." Shingen replied. "Right now we have to focus on getting her back."
Just then another of Shingen's spies came to report. "They've finally arrived in a small village. It's part of Oda territory. It's only an hours ride outside of Azuchi. They have taken up in an inn in the village."
"I see." Shingen said, a plan beginning to take place in his mind.
"We also found this." The spy said, handing a letter to Shingen. It was from Ava's captors.
Shingen looked at the letter. "He's...challenging me to come with my full forces."
"We can't do that...especially that close to Azuchi." Yukimura said. "The Oda would easily see that as an act of war even if they have nothing to do with this."
Shingen nodded. "It appears whoever this pirate is, he wants to start a war between the Takeda and the Oda again."
"I would gladly accept that challenge." Kenshin said. "I'll fight the Oda for you while you rescue Ava."
Shingen shook his head. "It wouldn't be the good fight you're looking for." He said. "Besides...I have another idea."
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this idea?" Yukimura asked.
"Because I think you already know what it is." Shingen replied.
Shingen then discussed his plan and gave Yukimura his orders. He then gave orders to his spy network and his plan was set into motion. Everyone began to prepare, getting their things together to leave at first light.
Shingen stood in his and Ava's room, staring up at the moon. He had ordered everyone to get rest for the night, but he knew that there would be none for him. He turned his gaze from the moon to the empty futon.
"I'm sorry I failed you, my love." He said. "I will rescue you, I promise you that."
The morning came and Shingen and a small group o his forces took off. Kenshin and Sasuke joined them, ready to aid in Ava's rescue. Asuna came as well. Once they had Ava safely back, she would likely need professional medical care and she would be sure that she had it.
While riding, Asuna noticed that Yukimura wasn't there. "Where exactly did you send Yukimura, my lord?" She asked Shingen.
"To get help." Shingen answered. "He left last night to be sure he was ahead of us." While Shingen had worked out most of the details of his plan and explained them to his men, this one aspect he had not. He had left this part only to Yukimura.
After two days of hard riding, the Takeda arrived just outside of the small village. They did not go inside nor did they get close enough that they could be detected. Shingen's plan was delicate and it required a certain degree of agility and stealth. Though he hated the idea of waiting, especially not knowing exactly how Ava was being treated, he knew that it was safer if he did not give the bastard the chance to hold her in front of him with a knife at her throat.
Ava...
I had lost track of how long I had been in Motonari's hands. I knew it was days, but how many I couldn't say. Once arriving in the small village, we stayed there, as if he were waiting for something. I was kept locked in a room alone. Motonari or his men stayed guarding my door at all hours. There were even guards outside. Not to mention that my room was on the second floor, so it's not like I could have climbed out the window even if I had wanted to...not like I could easily squeeze through the window either.
Every day Motonari would bring me my meals. I didn't trust him, but yet I had to eat. "You still think I'm gonna poison ya?" He asked, his tone almost teasing. "A dead hostage is a useless hostage, you know. I need ya alive."
"What exactly is your plan, Motonari?" I asked. "What do you get by holding me hostage? What is it you want Shingen to do?"
"Shingen is known as a brilliant strategist. Not to mention he had almost defeated Nobunaga before and then he defeated him again, this time taking back his land." Motonari began to explain. "He's the only one strong enough to bring about the party I'm wanting."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Motonari smiled the smile of a mad man. "We're in Oda territory love. And I've made sure your husband has been able to glimpse my numbers. He'll need a force equal to mine...his full force and they'll march in here and the Oda will see that as an act of war. We aren't far from Azuchi. It'll be a bloodbath."
I felt my blood turn to ice in my veins. "No." It was my worst nightmare come true.
"The peace they're all trying to work for. The mask that they wear will be ripped off and everyone will be able to see this world for what it truly is." Motonari went on. "Then only the strongest will survive and the world will be as it truly is."
"You're a monster."
"You're not wrong about that, m'lady, but so is everyone else. I'm just honest about it." He then laughed again before exiting the room, locking the door behind him.
I sat on the futon shivering from the cold I had felt at his words. He was one of those watch the world burn types it would seem. I couldn't believe that he would be using me to start a war and between people that I cared deeply about.
I could see everything and everyone I cared about burning in this world that Motonari wanted. I have to find a way out of here. I thought. I have to. I can't let him use me to hurt the people I care about.
I sat there for what felt like hours, trying to work up some kind of escape plan, but utterly failing. It was then that I heard a ruckus coming from the floor below me. It didn't sound like fighting, but more like a party. I then heard the laughter of multiple women.
This noise went on for a while and I even heard some of them coming up the stairs and going into the rooms next to me. "Don't get too distracted or drink too much, fellas!" Motonari shouted at his men, his voice was just outside my door. Then he was coming inside.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Just my crew taking a little leisure time while we wait for the show to start." Motonari answered. "Which should be just about any day now. I'm sure the Takeda have already started marching this way and the Oda probably know."
"You're the worst, slimiest, sorriest, excuse for a human being I've ever met."
"Thank ya, m'lady."
"Why aren't you with one of those ladies?" I asked.
"Someone has to guard ya." Motonari answered, smiling. "Besides, I like hearing those compliments ya give me. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."
I picked up the pillow from the bed and threw it at him. "You're disgusting."
"There, those compliments." He said, smiling. "I thought you'd be one of those bleeding heart types that cares about everyone, but seems you can sure hate me."
"Just leave me alone."
Just then there was a knock on the door. "Shojumaru." A woman's voice called from the other side in a sweet seductive tone. It was then opening and she was walking inside.
I wasn't sure why, but she looked so familiar to me. "What do you want?" Motonari asked.
"I heard the captain didn't have any company. I thought you might like some." She replied, laying it on very thick. She was then walking over and reaching out to Motonari.
He smacked her hand away. "Don't touch me." He said, his voice almost desperate and something like fear showing in his eyes. "You can keep the lady company." He said, walking out the door.
Once he was gone the woman turned to me and smiled. She came over and knelt down next to me. "How are you Lady Ava?" She asked. "Have they hurt you?"
"How do you..."
"I'm Miyuko. Lord Shingen sent me." She answered. "A few of the others girls are part of the Mitsumono as well."
My eyes widened in surprise. Though knowing Shingen, it made perfect sense that a good portion of his spy network would be ladies of the night.
"Don't worry about a thing my lady. Lord Shingen will be here soon. He has a plan." She explained. "Though that Shojumaru fellow being immune to my charms was not part of it...nor the fact that he and his men aren't drinking much of the sake."
"His name isn't really Shojumaru." I said.
"Who is he then?"
"He said his name was Motonari Mori."
"But he's supposed to be dead."
"To be fair, Shingen and Kenshin both let everyone think they were dead for a while, too." I reminded her.
Miyuko gave me a smile. "True, there are definite strategic benefits to playing dead." She agreed.
"He said his plan was to use me to force Shingen to march into Oda territory and start a war between the Takeda and the Oda. And he doesn't even have a reason for it. He just wants the chaos." I said. "I can't let that happen."
"I know." Miyuko assured me. "And Lord Shingen has already taken precautions for that."
I was about to ask what she meant when we heard footsteps heading up the stairs and towards this room. She quickly pulled out a dagger and placed it in my hands. "Keep this and use it when the moment is right." She whispered to me.
Though I wasn't sure I could stab anyone, I quickly hid the dagger within the folds of my kimono and nodded.
Just as the door to the room came open, Miyuko started giggling, putting on her act very quickly. "And that my dear is the true secret of how to please a man." We both looked up at Motonari came into the room. "Ah, have you changed your mind, Captain?"
"Yeah, I want you and your girls to leave." Motonari answered. "My crew don't deserve this nice of a reward for too long." He was then handing her a sack of coins. "For your trouble."
"Well, thank you Captain." She replied. "Though it is a shame I didn't get to enjoy your company."
"Just get going." Motonari ordered.
"Alright." She agreed before leaving.
Once she was gone Motonari smiled at me. "Getting tips from a courtesan huh? You plan on trying to use your feminine whiles on me, m'lady?"
I glared at him. "In your dreams."
Motonari laughed. "You sure are a feisty one. I think I'm startin' ta see why the Tiger of Kai fell so hard for you."
"If you're just going to poke fun at me, just leave me alone."
"But you're too much fun."
I just glared at him. Shingen is coming. Just hang on a bit longer. I thought to myself.
"Oh if only looks could kill. Then you'd be in luck m'lady. Be able to get out of here on your own." He told me mockingly before leaving the room once again.
I let out a sigh and sent up a silent prayer. Please let Shingen get here soon and unharmed. And without a war starting.
Shingen...
Shingen stood with his men on a cliff overlooking the village Ava was being held captive in. It was then that the sound of hoof beats approached them from behind. Shingen turned to see one of his most hated enemies riding up.
Nobunaga arrived with his closest men and a small force. Of course Yukimura was with them as well, as Shingen had sent him to Azuchi to get their aid. "You sent word for help." Nobunaga said as he dismounted his horse and walked up to Shingen.
"The only choice I have given that she was brought here." Shingen answered.
Hideyoshi still sat on his horse glaring at Shingen. "I can't believe you allowed her to be captured." He spat at Shingen.
"Big talk coming from the group who had her stolen from them in the first place." Shingen responded.
"You know this plan of yours isn't going to work if you guys start fighting right here." Yukimura interjected.
"What is this plan exactly?" Nobunaga asked, eyeing Shingen.
"That depends on the report I am about to get." Shingen answered.
As if on cue, a woman appeared from a foot path in the forest. She was dressed in bright colors and heavy makeup. She was quite clearly a concubine. She bowed before Shingen. "Lord Shingen, I am sorry to say we filed to get Lady Ava out." She told him, a truly sad look on her face. "There was no way to safely do so."
"Give me your report." Shingen said, gritting his teeth.
"She is being held captive by the man claiming to be named Shojumaru, as you suspected." She answered. "They are keeping her in an inn in the middle of the village. The girls and I tried all of our tricks, but well...I couldn't distract Shojumaru. He wouldn't fall for any of the usual tricks. No one drank much sake either. And even if we had been able to get them drunk enough, we couldn't have gotten Lady Ava out of the inn. He has his crew hidden all over the town, though they are not so inconspicuous."
"Damn him." Shingen breathed.
"I was able to see Lady Ava though. Other than some rope burns on her wrists, she appears unharmed." The woman explained. "She also said that Shojumaru told her that he wants to start a war between the Takeda and the Oda, just for the chaos it would bring...he also told her his name was actually Motonari Mori."
"But he's supposed to be dead." Shingen said.
"Yes, well it appears dead men are rising from the grave all over." Nobunaga said, looking at Shingen pointedly.
Shingen glared at Nobunaga briefly and then turned back to his spy. "Thank you for your work Miyuko."
She bowed again. "I wish I could have done more." She then left.
"So, that's how your master spy network works." Mitsuhide said. "It does make sense coming from you, though."
"Women are able to slip in and out under much less suspicion." Shingen replied. "Now to focus on the matter at hand."
"How we are going to get Ava out of there." Nobunaga finished for him.
The men sat down and discussed strategy. The village being part of Nobunaga's domain, he had a man who was from the village and knew they layout well. They soon had the plan figured out and began laying the ground work for it.
As they waited Yoshimoto couldn't help his curiosity. He walked over to Shingen and asked for a moment alone. "Why exactly are the Ida helping us rescue your wife?" He asked. "And how did you even know that they might?"
Shingen sighed. "Before she became my wife, she was with the Oda forces. She had saved Nobunaga's life that night at Hono-ji and for it, he declared her a princess of the Oda clan and gave her shelter in Azuchi."
"Then how did she come to you?"
"As I said before, a story for another time." Shingen replied. "We have a lot of work to do to get ready for tonight."
Ava...
I sat in the room of the inn, a lantern and the light of the full moon shining in from the window all that kept darkness from engulfing the room. I looked up at the sky, keeping the words Miyuko had told me close to my heart. Shingen was on his way and he would be here soon.
Though spring was well on its way, I couldn't help but to feel a coldness that wouldn't go away. It had stayed with me since I had woken up a captive. I missed Shingen and his warmth. It was in that darkness that I felt the movements of the baby growing within my belly.
I placed my hand over my belly where I felt the baby kicking. Though he or she still wasn't quite big enough for those movements to be felt through my hand just yet. I still felt that connection to my child. "Don't worry little one. We'll be out of here soon." I whispered. "I just hope that whatever your papa's plan is it works."
It was then that I heard shouts from the floor below. Then there was the sound of steel clashing against steel. I jumped up as this sound continued. Then hurried footsteps came up the stairs and down the hall. Motonari was soon bursting into the room.
"Dammit, this was not what I expected." He said, his eyes wild.
"What's going on?" I asked.
He then looked at me. A feral smile played across his lips. He was coming over to me and of course I had nowhere to go but to back myself into a corner. He quickly grabbed me by my hair and then yanked.
"Ah!" I shouted as the pain from having my hair pulled hit me.
He was dragging me in front of him then. It was then that the door was being broken down and a sight I had not expected to see greeted me. Shingen rushed in, his sword drawn. Yukimura and Kenshin were with him. But what truly surprised me was when Nobunaga and Hideyoshi came in through the door as well.
"You've been beaten Motonari, let her go." Shingen practically growled at Motonari.
"You must be somethin' truly special m'lady." Motonari said, not even addressing Shingen and the others. "I didn't think the Oda and the Takeda would work together."
"You must not know the true value of the woman you have taken hostage then." Nobunaga spoke up. "You see before she was Shingen's Ava is a princess of the Oda."
"Ah, I see. I guess I should have done more research." Motonari said.
"Let Ava go now and we might let you live." Shingen said.
"You've clearly been defeated and are outnumbered." Kenshin added. "You disgust me, trying to bring about chaos in place of a nice clean war."
"Let her go or face the consequences." Nobunaga declared, his voice deep and cold as ice.
"What consequences?" Motonari asked. "You could clearly all rush me and run me through, but by the time that happens, I'd have the little lady in the path of your swords and you'd be killing the very thing ya came together to protect."
"You're a coward, hiding behind an innocent woman." Hideyoshi spat at him.
"If you gentlemen want the little lady back unharmed, you're gonna have to face each other. Whoever wins, I'll let have her." Motonari spoke of me as if I were some prize.
I felt tears stinging my eyes at the hopelessness of the situation. Shingen had reached out to Nobunaga for help in rescuing me to keep a war from breaking out. Nobunaga and my friends had all come to help. They were all working together for my sake.
"Ava..."
I looked up at the sound of Shingen saying my name. My gaze found his. I saw the pain in his eyes. It was in that pain I saw in his eyes, I found my determination. The dagger Miyuko had given me earlier felt heavy against me in my kimono. My hands were free, so I reached in my kimono and pulled it out. I unsheathed the weapon and swiftly lifted it up and back, cutting my hair.
I instantly started to tumble forward as Motonari had been holding me up by my hair. I heard some gasps as I pitched forward. Familiar strong arms wrapped around me, catching me before I could fall. "I got you." Shingen's voice was at my ear, as he caught me and righted me, keeping an arm around my waist and pulling me to his side, shielding me.
"Looks like you lost your shield." Shingen declared.
The others then began to rush Motonari, but he didn't hesitate. He headed for the window. "Thanks for the party fellas, but I won't go down that easy." He was then jumping from the window.
Shingen and Nobunaga both ordered men to pursue Motonari and any of his crew who might have gotten away. Asuna, Yoshimoto, Sasuke, and the remaining Azuchi warlords were soon coming into the room. I couldn't hide my surprise at seeing them all together.
"Ava, are you alright?" Shingen asked, looking at me, lifting his hand that wasn't holding me up to cup my cheek.
"Yeah." I answered with a nod. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." He told me.
"You got here just in time." I replied.
"Thank goodness you're safe." Hideyoshi said.
It was then that the stress and tension I had been carrying these last few days began to leave my body. I hadn't been able to sleep much and suddenly felt very exhausted. Black began to form at the edge of my vision.
The last thing I heard before passing out was Shingen and the others all calling my name.
Immediately after Ava passed out, Shingen caught her in his arms. "Lay her down on the futon." Asuna instructed. Shingen followed the midwife's instructions and then moved out of her way.
"Let me help." Ieyasu said.
"Fine." Asuna agreed. "But I need the rest of you to leave the room. It's too crowded in here."
Shingen and the others reluctantly left while Asuna and Ieyasu instantly got to work examining Ava. Shingen and the others waited in the hall for what felt like hours before Asuna and Ieyasu came out of the room.
"She's alright. It's mostly exhaustion and a little bit of shock." Asuna said.
"We've given her some medicine, but she needs rest." Ieyasu added.
"And more medicine that isn't here in this village." Asuna added.
"We have plenty back in Azuchi." Ieyasu said.
Shingen and Nobunaga looked at each other. Nobunaga spoke up first. "Then we bring her back to Azuchi...you are welcome to come as well and stay as long as Ava needs."
"That would be the best course of action for Lady Ava and the baby's health." Asuna said, seeing the doubt in Shingen's face. "Even after she wakes up, she will need to rest for several days. Traveling back to Kai too soon...it would be bad for her and the baby."
Shingen nodded. "Alright."
Ava...
I woke up sometime in the middle of the day. The sunlight streamed in, illuminating the familiar room. It was not my room in Kai which I shared with Shingen, but my room in Azuchi castle.
"There's those beautiful eyes."
I turned my head at the sound of Shingen's voice. He sat on the floor beside my futon. I started to push myself up, but he gently placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back down in bed.
"You still need to rest my love." He told me, gently stroking my cheek with a finger.
"What exactly happened after I passed out? How long have I been out? And how did we end up in Azuchi?" I asked.
"Asuna and Ieyasu examined you. Declared you were exhausted and in slight shock and said that the medicine you needed was here along with plenty of rest. Nobunaga agreed to allow us to stay until you were well enough for travel back home." Shingen answered.
"So...not only did you get Nobunaga and the others to help you in my rescue, but now they're letting us stay here?" I asked.
Shingen gave me a smile. "I don't think you realize the power you hold over people."
Before I could say anything the door to my room was opening and Asuna and Ieyasu were walking in. "You're awake, that's wonderful." Asuna said.
"Yes, it would have been a pain if you were still out." Ieyasu agreed. "It's easier to give you your medicine when you're awake."
"How are you feeling, Ava?" Asuna asked me, coming to sit on the other side of me.
"Okay." I answered.
"Any cramping?" She asked. "No signs of...bleeding?"
I shook my head. "No, in fact the baby is kicking right now."
"Okay, good." She said with a sigh of relief.
Ieyasu gave me some medicine before heading out, saying he would go tell everyone I was awake. Just as I was about to ask Shingen and Asuna something, I heard two familiar voices in the hall. Two voices that I would not have imagined together at least not without the fighting.
"How is it you make something as delicious as these dumplings?"
"I've been perfecting my cooking all my life. Food is what keeps us alive. And quit trying to take more dumplings. These aren't for you."
The voices stopped at my door before sliding it open. "Heard you were finally awake, lass. Thought you might be hungry." Masamune greeted as he walked in the room, carrying a tray. "Had to defend the food from this guy though." He added the last part gesturing to Yukimura who had been walking with him.
"Good food should be appreciated." Yukimura replied. "Besides dumplings are my favorite."
I wanted to say something, but I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Masamune and Yukimura were talking to each other and getting along almost as if they were old friends instead of enemies.
"What's that look on your face for, lass?" Masamune asked, as he sat the tray of food down beside my futon. "You didn't think I'd let you starve while you were here, did you?"
"You still in shock or something?" Yukimura asked. He then looked at Asuna. "I thought you were good at this kind of thing. Can't you find a way to snap her out of this?"
"I'm in shock alright." I replied. I then looked over at Shingen. "This is real right? I'm not having some kind of fever dream or something? Did I hit my head at some point?"
Shingen smiled at me. "I assure you everything is real and you are awake, my princess."
"I can always pinch you, if you want Ava." Yukimura teased.
I glared at him. "No, I'm good."
"Alright, you need to eat lass." Masamune said.
It was then that the aroma of the food that he had brought wafted over to me. My mouth began to water and my stomach let out a hungry growl.
Masamune laughed. "Sounds like the tiger cub in your belly is hungry. You better eat up."
Shingen was then helping me to sit up. Masamune placed the tray in my lap and handed me chop sticks. I took them and dug into the meal. The flavor burst across my tongue, sweet and savory. "Mmm, delicious as always Masamune. Thank you." I said smiling at him.
"Good, I made all your favorites. Don't worry while you're staying here, I'll keep you fed."
I noticed that Masamune and Yukimura had left the door to my room opened and that was when I saw Hideyoshi and Mitsunari appear in the door way. Hideyoshi was carrying a tray of tea.
"Good to see you awake, Ava." Hideyoshi greeted.
"Yes, we were so glad to hear the news, Lady Ava. I see Lord Masamune has already brought you food."
"We thought you might like some tea. It's a special herbal blend to help with regaining energy and strength."
"Thank you." I said, smiling at them.
"Wait a second, what herbs are in that tea?" Asuna asked.
"Why would you ask?" Hideyoshi countered.
"She is pregnant there are some herbs that are dangerous for her to have you dunce." Asuna replied.
"I thought she only talked to Yukimura that way." I said to Shingen.
"Like you, she doesn't hide her feelings when she's passionate about something." Shingen replied with a smile.
Hideyoshi then listed off the herbs that were in his tea. Asuna listened and gave the okay when he had finished. "Alright, those are all safe."
I had finished eating and was then taking the tea, when Mitsuhide appeared in my doorway with Sasuke of all people. "You are quite a fascinating ninja." Mitsuhide told him.
I was further surprised when Nobunaga and Kenshin were following behind them. "Of course he is. I trained him personally." Kenshin spoke, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Yes, but to become such a master in only four years, that is quite a feat." Nobunaga said. "Sasuke, if you ever find yourself wanting to serve a new lord, come see me. I could use a man of your talents."
"So now it's a party?" I asked, taking note at how pretty much everyone was in my room.
"That would explain why that sourpuss Ieyasu left before the rest of us got here." Masamune said. "Though someone did have to bring us all the news."
"It is good to see you are awake, Ava." Nobunaga greeted me.
I looked around at everyone. Most of these men were enemies and yet they were all here and tolerating each other, some of them seeming to get along quite well in fact, all for me. I felt the emotions in my chest as the tears began to gather in my eyes.
"Ava, what's wrong?" Shingen asked, his voice soft, a gentle hand coming to my cheek to wipe away a tear that had escaped.
"Nothing's wrong...I'm just so happy." I answered. "You guys all put aside you differences and worked together...all for me."
Shingen put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "There is nothing I wouldn't do for you." He whispered to me.
"You're still part of the Oda forces." Nobunaga said.
I couldn't help it, I started crying harder then. This was such a touching moment and I just couldn't help it.
Shingen reached into his kimono and pulled out the handkerchief I had made for him and used it to dry my tears.
"Come on lass, no need to cry." Masamune said gently from beside me.
"I...can't...help...it...it's...the...preg...nancy." I replied, blaming my complete lack of control on the hormones raging inside my body.
"Says the most emotionally expressive woman I've ever met." Mitsuhide teased.
"Just hush...you." I replied, starting to calm down.
"You think she's crying now, just wait till she realizes the mess that is her hair." Yukimura said.
That was when I remembered that I had cut my hair with the knife Miyuko had given me. I reached my hand up to touch my hair. My formerly waist-length hair was now well above my shoulders. "How bad is it?" I asked, afraid to know.
Shingen reached a hand up to stroke my hair. "Not bad at all."
"That was quite a bold move you made, cutting your hair like that." Nobunaga praised me.
"I'm disappointed I didn't get to witness that move." Sasuke said. "I thought that only happened in the movies."
"Movies? What in the world is that?" Mitsuhide asked, catching onto Sasuke's modern term.
"In the our hometown, it's a type of play." I answered, figuring that was the best way to explain things.
"I see." Mitsuhide said.
"So women cutting their hair to escape a captor is something that happens in these...movies?" Nobunaga asked.
"Yes and it usually signifies a great change for the female character." Sasuke explained. "Usually a personal growth kind of moment."
"I see." Nobunaga replied, eyeing me.
I wasn't sure what it was, but there was something almost warm in his eyes as he looked at me.
It was then that Shingen was moving closer to me and wrapping both arms around me. "It was a brave move that allowed us to get you out safely."
Something flashed in Nobunaga's eyes then. Then a grin came to his face. "Yes and I am glad we were able to help. And of course you are welcome to stay here as long as you need...or you never have to leave Ava. Clearly you would be safer here."
Before I could respond Shingen was speaking. "Are you implying I cannot keep my wife and child safe?" He asked.
"I am not implying it." Nobunaga replied. "I am only stating the truth. Motonari tricked you to lure you away and then stole her away."
"Says the man who was here in Azuchi when she was stolen away in the first place." Shingen countered.
"A mistake I wouldn't make again." Nobunaga replied.
Shingen had released me by this point and was standing. Nobunaga stood as well, both taking fighting postures. "Perhaps I should prove you wrong."
"That's enough out of the both of you!" I shouted.
Shingen and Nobunaga both actually looked abashed. At this moment, they reminded me of two children who had just been caught by their teacher before a fight could start.
"We were having a nice moment and time here and then you just had to start a fight!" I said, feeling hot tears of anger stinging my eyes. "Nobunaga, you just had to start in on Shingen and that's not right."
Shingen looked at Nobunaga at my chiding with a smug grin.
"Shingen, wipe that smug grin off your face. Just because Nobunaga started in on you doesn't mean you had to take the bait." I continued.
This caused Shingen's face to fall and Nobunaga to get a slight grin. The other warlords sat there silently watching, all with stunned looks on their faces.
"Alright, I think you all should get out now. You're causing my patient undue stress." Asuna said. "Ava needs to be resting and you're all no longer helping with that."
The guys all began to file out, Shingen the only one lingering. "I meant you too, Lord Shingen." Asuna said.
Shingen looked surprised. "You can't..."
"I mean it now get out." Asuna said, putting her hands on Shingen's back and shoving him out the door. She then closed it behind him. She looked at me with a fond smile. "You are truly one brave woman, my lady."
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"You just yelled at the Tiger of Kai and the Devil King, scolding them as if they were small children." She answered. "That takes guts."
I sighed. "I don't know about that..."
"Let me touch up your hair for you." She said heading over to a table in my room and picking up some scissors.
"It's really bad isn't it?" I asked, glad for the subject change.
"Just a bit uneven is all." She answered. She grabbed a couple of towels that were in my room, laying one behind me and then draping the other around my shoulders.
"So, you've cut hair before?" I asked.
"I used to help cut my mother's." She answered. "And I keep my own trimmed. So, don't worry you're in good hands."
"I know." I replied. "Thank you."
Asuna could tell I wasn't just talking about the haircut. "You're welcome. That's what I'm here for."
The warlords...
After being shooed out into the hallway, the warlords all looked at each other, feeling stunned. "I can't believe you two." Kenshin said, looking at Shingen and Nobunaga. "Letting a woman scold you like children. The Tiger of Kai and the Devil King, pfft." He was then walking off.
The rest of the men made excuses and walked off, leaving Shingen and Nobunaga alone in the hall. Nobunaga looked at Shingen. "Do you play Go?" He asked.
"I have yes." Shingen replied. "Why?"
"Let us have a game." Nobunaga replied turning to head for the tenshu.
Shingen looked at the door to Ava's room and sighed. He knew she was right, but Asuna was also right that Ava needed her rest. He also knew that Asuna could actually cause him pain and if she used the techniques she knew, could easily incapacitate him. He followed Nobunaga.
They made their way to the tenshu and Nobunaga pulled out a goban. The two men sat across from each other and began their fame. "Why am I not surprised you would make your room in the tenshu?" Shingen asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Nobunaga replied, placing his black stone on the board.
Shingen thought for a moment before placing his white stone on the board. "You enjoy ruling from high and lording over everyone."
"Think as you wish." Nobunaga replied.
"The real question is why did you bring me here for this game?"
"I promised you sanctuary while Ava recovered...but a battle in Go is close enough to a fight with you." Nobunaga answered. "And in Go no one dies. You can fight a strong opponent over and over again."
Shingen caught a note of emotion in Nobunaga's voice. "I see." He replied, observing his enemy.
"I have also been thinking...we should work together."
"How can you even suggest that?" Shingen asked, having a hard time hiding his disgust and hatred.
"You have Kai back, which you took fairly in battle." Nobunaga began. "We did work well together for Ava's sake."
"It was the only way to get her back and not start a needless war." Shingen replied.
"I know." Nobunaga replied. "But you did also help to free a village in my territory of an invader. It was thanks to your spies we were able to free the villagers and rescue Ava without any innocents falling to harm."
"I don't know how to feel with words of praise from you." Shingen replied.
"If you worked with us, we could keep more battles ending in a similar fashion. It would also bring peace and unification sooner." Nobunaga replied.
"What makes you want this?" Shingen asked.
"I have made mistakes in my quest for unification, with your help I could avoid repeating those mistakes." Nobunaga answered.
Shingen narrowed his gaze at Nobunaga suspiciously. Nobunaga met his gaze and for once Shingen could see the weight of the lives Nobunaga had taken did indeed weigh on him.
The look in Nobunaga's eyes only lasted a moment, then a devilish grin came to his face. "It would also allow me to see Ava more freely."
"I knew you were at the head of the line." Shingen replied.
"What line is that?"
"The line of men who are waiting for me to mess up with Ava so they can swoop in and take her from me."
"Says the man who took her from me in the first place."
"She's too good for you." Shingen replied. "Too good for me, too."
"And yet you still married her."
"Because for whatever reason she chose me."
"I know."
The two men sat in silence for a while then, the only sound was the clacking of the stones on the goban. They continued the game both lost in their own thoughts. Finally the game ended...in a draw.
"Hmm, strange no one has ever come so close to besting me at Go." Nobunaga declared.
"Fitting that the man who bested you in actual battle would be such a challenge for you in Go." Shingen replied.
"Indeed." Nobunaga replied. "Think about my offer while you stay here."
"I will consider it." Shingen answered.
"While you consider it, we should form at least temporary truce." Nobunaga replied.
"You mean to remove the mutual thorn from our sides that is Motonari?" Shingen asked, though the question was rhetorical. "I had already begun to consider that possibility...and that one I can agree to. I can't let that bastard get away after what he did nor can I let him accomplish his goal."
"Agreed." Nobunaga replied.
The sun had already set during their game, the light of the moon and some lanterns were the only thing that kept the room lit. Shingen took note of this. "It is getting late. I had better return to my wife." He said standing up. "I can't let her sleep alone."
Nobunaga smirked. "If she isn't still angry with you, you mean."
"She has forgiven me for worse." Shingen replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Have a good night." He was then leaving.
Nobunaga was now alone with his thoughts. He reached for his cup and a bottle of sake. "There is no need for you to remind me she is yours now." He said, as he filled his cup. "That look in her eyes is enough." He then let out a sigh.
Ava...
After Asuna had finished evening out my hair, she handed me a small hand mirror. I looked at my reflection, seeing my golden brown locks were now to my chin. I reached up with my free hand and touched the short locks.
"Just remember, it will grow back." Asuna assured me. "And you being pregnant will help with that. It will probably grow faster than it would have otherwise."
I nodded.
"Plus, I think it looks pretty cute this way." She added.
"You know, this isn't the first time I've had my hair this short...but it's the first time in several years. I feel kind of...naked without it."
Asuna smiled at me. "I'm sure you'll get used to it."
"Yeah." I agreed with a sigh as I set the mirror aside.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she set about cleaning up the mess. "I know this isn't just about your hair?"
"I just...was I too harsh earlier? With Shingen and Nobunaga I mean?" I asked, unable to stop thinking about their argument earlier.
"No." She answered. "They were acting like big babies and you treated them accordingly. It's good practice for you as I am sure this is only the first child you and Lord Shingen will have together. I'm sure you'll have to break of many fights between them."
I couldn't help but to laugh a little at Asuna's words. "But was I expecting too much? I mean they've been enemies for so long. I can't really expect them to get along just because of me."
"You don't realize it at all do you?" Asuna asked me.
"Realize what?"
"True they've been enemies for a long time, but that argument earlier wasn't about that. It was about you."
"What? Nobunaga was just egging Shingen on."
Asuna shook her head. "Shingen isn't the only man in love with you."
I looked at Asuna. "What? Are you trying to say Nobunaga is in love with me? That's ridiculous! He just thinks of me as a lucky charm."
"Uh-huh. Sure and I'm Buddha."
I felt my cheeks burning out of embarrassment. "Well, then I guess you should come over here and let me rub your belly in that case because you're clearly wrong,"
Asuna just laughed. "Lord Shingen sees it. That's why he responded the way he did. He was jealous."
"Shingen being jealous, I do believe. Mostly because he and I have discussed it before."
Asuna and I talked for a while longer, moving on to other subjects. Masamune returned with dinner after a bit, but Asuna told him he wasn't allowed to stay. I ate the delicious food and noticed that it was starting to get late. Asuna had already lit a lantern.
"Don't worry I am sure Lord Shingen will be back soon." Asuna told me.
"I just wish I could get up and go find him." I replied. I had already started to feel bad for yelling earlier.
Just as I was beginning to get worried, the door to my room slid open and Shingen was stepping inside. Asuna was taking that as her cue to leave. "Well, I will leave you guys alone." She declared, heading for the door as Shingen stepped out of the way. "Oh, and I feel his should go without saying, but knowing you two I have to say it. Especially since you look quite apologetic Lord Shingen and I know you will be making up here soon. No intimacy." She was wagging her finger at us.
"But..." I found myself beginning to speak up.
"No. You need to rest. Everything is fine so far, but too much excitement could cause you to go into early labor and we can't have that." Asuna said.
"We will behave." Shingen replied.
"You better." Asuna said before heading out of the room and sliding the door shut behind her.
Shingen came to sit down in front of me on the futon. He reached a hand up to stroke my hair. "Asuna did a good job evening it out, it seems." He said.
I nodded. "Yeah."
We were both looking at each other a moment and then opened our mouths to speak at the same time. "I'm sorry."
Shingen smiled at me. "I know what I'm sorry for, but why are you apologizing?"
"Because i was thinking maybe I got a little too worked up and I shouldn't have lost it on you and Nobunaga like that." I replied.
He shook his head. "No, you were right. I let my jealousy get the better of me and let him get to me."
"I understand you feeling jealous, but you really have nothing to feel jealous over." I told him. "My heart, my body, my soul, all of me is all yours."
Shingen reached a large hand to cup my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. "You know when you say things like that, it makes it harder to do this no intimacy thing." Shingen replied. "I just want to take you in my arms and make love to you until the sun comes up."
I smiled at him. "Once Asuna gives the all clear, I won't protest that idea."
Shingen chuckled and moved around to sit behind me and then pulled me into his lap. I responded by leaning back into him. I felt Shingen lean his head down and a feather-light kiss was pressed to the nape of my neck. "Hmm, I think I like your hair this short. It makes it easier to get to your neck." He whispered, his breath tickling my sensitive nape, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
"You would find the silver lining." I replied.
"You know, I still think you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Shingen assured me, trailing more kisses along my neck.
"Hmm, I know." I replied, enjoying the feeling of his lips. "You should...probably stop that."
"Probably." Shingen agreed, continuing to kiss my neck. "It's just so hard." He placed a few more kisses before sighing and then resting his chin on my shoulder, his cheek against mine.
"I wish she would have given us a time frame." I said with a pout.
"I'm glad to know you miss me as much as I miss you." He replied.
"I can never get enough of you, Shingen."
"And I can never get enough of you, Ava." He replied. He was then placing his hands over my belly. "But you need to rest...and we have to keep you safe little one."
"Have I ever told you how much I love it when you talk to the baby?" I replied.
"Just have to make sure she knows Papa's voice." Shingen said, smiling.
I placed my hands over his. "You know, I'm glad that Nobunaga is letting us stay here and that everything is okay and whatnot, but I can't wait to get home."
"Have I ever told you how much I love it that you think of Kai as home already?"
"You know, in my time they say home is where the heart is...my heart is with you. So for me wherever you are is home."
I felt Shingen's embrace gently tighten around me. "And here I thought I was the master of words." He was then lifting his hand up to place his fingers beneath my chin, drawing me to turn my head and face him, then bringing my lips to his for a tender kiss.
When we broke the kiss, we leaned our foreheads against each other. "I love you, Shingen."
"I love you, Ava." He replied. He was then stroking beneath my eyes with his thumb. "You look like you're getting tired, my goddess."
"Maybe just a little." I replied.
Shingen was then lying us back in the futon, still keeping me wrapped in his arms. "While I can't make love to you all night, I can at least still hold you all night." He said, kissing my forehead.
I nestled into his embrace. "It's my favorite place to be." It was then that I thought of something. "So, what were you up to while Asuna put you and the others in time out?" I asked, my tone playful.
Shingen laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He replied.
"Try me." I said.
"Playing a game of Go with the Devil King."
I looked up at Shingen and could tell he was telling the truth, and yet I still just couldn't picture it.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me, but I swear it's true."
"Oh, I believe you, it's just, I think trying to picture it has caused my brain to short-circuit."
Shingen laughed. "It was a very interesting game."
"Why do I feel like you aren't talking about the actual game?"
"We have decided to work together on a temporary truce." Shingen explained. "Motonari did get away and he clearly wants to cause problems...nor can we let him get away with kidnapping you."
"So, you guys are planning to work together until you can stop Motonari for good?" I asked.
"Yes, at least that much."
"What do you mean at least?"
"You really do catch on to every word I say, don't you?" Shingen asked, looking at me with a smile.
"I just try to be a good listener." I replied. "Now what did you mean by that?"
Shingen sighed. "I hate to say this, but he did offer me a more permanent truce. Asking if I would be willing to work with him to help unite the country and finally bring peace."
I felt a surge of hope in my heart at Shingen's words. I did my best to keep my excitement down. "And what did you say to that?" I asked.
Shingen smiled at me. "I hear that hope in your voice, no need to try and hide it." He said. "I didn't say no...I said I would consider it."
I nodded. "Well, it is a lot to think about and I know you have to consult your men and the council you created...and the bad blood to get over."
"I know you're hopeful." Shingen replied. "It does make sense...and it does seem like he's changed and sees the advantages of my information network."
"Well, I won't try and persuade you. I know you know how I feel, but it's a decision that only you and the others can make. I'll just be crossing my fingers." I replied, smiling at him.
"And if the council and I make the decision not to agree to the more permanent alliance, will you be okay?"
I could see the honest concern in Shingen's eyes. "I'll be disappointed, but I'll understand. And I'll still hope that minds can be changed later. I know there's more than just my feelings to consider in this matter."
"How did I ever get such an amazing woman to be my wife?" Shingen asked me, kissing my brow.
"Just lucky, I guess." I replied with a cheeky smile. "And only because you're such an amazing man and I'm pretty lucky that you're my husband."
Shingen drew me closer to kiss me gently on the lips. "Rest well, my love."
We snuggled closer and then I was drifting off to sleep safely in his arms.
Shingen lay there, watching Ava sleep. He brushed her now short locks back from her face. "I'll keep you safe and I will do what I can to make sure the rest of your time here in Azuchi is restful." He whispered to her sleeping form.
Shingen gently tightened his hold on Ava, snuggling her closer. She let out a contented sigh in her sleep and nuzzled his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head before joining her in the land of dreams.
See what happens next below :)
https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/656174952403386368/the-tiger-and-the-oda-princess-ch-9
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dimigex · 3 years
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Healing Hands Chapter Six (YamaSaku)
Chapter six is finally available! You can find the full story here on AO3 and FF as well, but here’s a snippet (more below the cut). 
As Sakura navigated the darkened streets toward the hospital, she took stock of how much she'd had to drink. The truth in Kazuko's words rankled more than she cared to admit, both the implication that what they'd been doing was a mistake, and that Sakura needed to sober up before using medical ninjutsu. True, she'd drunk a couple of beers and as many shots over the night, but hours had passed since then. She didn't feel impaired, but his accusation was worth considering.
As irritating as it was, Kazuko had a point. Sakura could be needed at any moment for Anbu. If she were well and truly under the influence, someone would die on her watch. There was no one else to shoulder the burden of caring for the worst injuries. Sakura didn't have a backup waiting in the wings like Tsunade had. Vaguely, she wondered how her mentor had balanced her love of sake with her responsibilities.
Ignoring the question for now, Sakura slipped into the serene lobby of the hospital. The difference in the atmosphere between when she'd left earlier and now couldn't have been more pronounced if someone had staged it. The frenetic pace of doctors and nurses rushing into rooms had diminished to quiet footsteps and softly beeping machines. The staff were more likely to be gathered around the desk than the exam rooms, while their patients, no longer in need of urgent care, slept. No where near the urgent environment she expected to find.
Though Sakura knew that she wouldn't have been paged for a minor injury, she felt a stab of annoyance after the day she'd had. Hurrying through the halls at a clipped pace, she spoke to no one, intent on her destination. The walk had sobered Sakura further, and the memory of what had almost happened between herself and Kazuko kept trying to push to the forefront of Sakura's mind. She quashed down the questions as a problem to solve another day. Sakura couldn't deal with the fall out from Kazuko; tonight, she had an injured shinobi to take care of.
The near silence that permeated the shinobi wing made the skin on Sakura's arms rise in gooseflesh. On the other floors, there was a constant hustle and bustle of patients and nurses throughout the evening. Here, it was silent as death. When Sakura had left for the day, none of the beds had been occupied. Now, there was at least one critical patient. Brilliant fluorescent light beckoned from the end of the hallway.
Pausing, Sakura drew a deep breath and released her worries about Kazuko and what might be on the other side of that door. She had trained for this. Only the patient mattered; there was no room for more mistakes. After removing every ounce of emotion from her features, Sakura pushed the door inward.
There were three people in the room, but Sakura only had eyes for her patient. An unfamiliar woman stared back from the bed, surprisingly conscious; that was a good sign. A shock of bright green hair fell across her face, partially obscuring unfocused, golden eyes. She swiped the strands away and grimaced. Chiasa, one of the few nurses assigned to Anbu, stood beside the bed prepping an IV line. Bags of fluid awaited Sakura's approval.
"Haruno-sensei," the familiarity in the rough voice surprised Sakura. She turned to the third person in the room, frowning as gloved hands came up to remove the porcelain cat mask. Sakura missed a step, stumbling over open air when she recognized Yamato.
The spattering of blood across Yamato's chest plate warned Sakura that the man had been in battle. Even so, she wasn't prepared for the mess beneath his mask. Yamato's left eye was swollen almost completely shut, angry red streaks darkening toward purple on the skin. A gash followed the curve of his prominent cheekbone, ending in a busted lip. Dried blood flaked from his chin.
Sakura nearly reached toward the man, then caught herself. If Yamato had been the reason that she'd been called to the hospital, he would be the one in bed. Shaking off her surprise, Sakura tossed her bag onto the small table beside the nurse and dug out her stethoscope. "What do we have?"
"Concussive injuries," Chiasa answered, taping off the needle she'd inserted into the woman's wrist. Sakura spared a single glance for Yamato, curious why he hadn't been the one to speak. "Splintered wrist, probable internal bleeding."
"'m fine," the woman on the bed mumbled, golden eyes glaring over Sakura's shoulder at Yamato. She fought into a sitting position, body swaying with the movement. "'didn't need to come."
Stepping forward, Sakura placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and guided her back to the bed with as little force as possible. "I'll be the judge of that," she interrupted. "Now, do you know where you are?"
"Obviously at the hospital," the girl snipped. The anger previously directed at Yamato shifted to Sakura, and fire entered the woman's voice even though she looked one strong breeze from falling over. "I know that my name is Saiyo. Go ahead, and hold up your fingers. I can do that trick too."
"Saiyo," Yamato warned, but Sakura waved him away. This was far from her first time dealing with recalcitrant patients. She'd treated Kakashi after all. Rather than meeting Saiyo's sarcasm, Sakura accepted a pen light from the nurse. After a grudging nod, Sakura thumbed the woman's eyelids wider..Her pupils were sluggish, but they responded to the light's influence and shrunk as they should have.
Sakura nodded to herself, that too was a good sign. "How long has it been since she was injured?"
Chiasa remained silent, so Sakura turned back to Yamato. The man paused the drumming of fingers against thigh and glanced at the clock. "Approximately twelve hours."
Frowning, Sakura studied Saiyo. Except for the poorly splinted and wrapped wrist, the girl looked in far better shape than Yamato. At least, on the surface. The fact that Saiyo was conscious and presumably walking after the injury was another good sign. "Did she lose consciousness?"
"She is sitting right here," Saiyo groused, pushing back into a sitting position to glare at Sakura. The movement jostled her injured arm, and the girl winced. "You don't have to talk over my head. You can talk to me."
"Would you know if you'd lost consciousness?" Sakura asked, failing to keep the annoyance from her voice. She'd had one hell of a day already, and she didn't particularly feel like convincing an entitled brat that she needed medical care. "I assumed that your captain would have been able to view the situation more clearly than you might have."
Saiyo scoffed under her breath. "I'm Anbu, not some genin too busy mooning after a boy to do my job. I don't need someone to watch my back."
Memories of Sakura's genin days and chasing after Sasuke burst through her mind and mingled with the earlier, almost mistake of Kazuko. Hot shame washed through her stomach, quickly obliterated by anger. She forced a breath into her lungs and reminded herself that she'd taken an oath to do no harm, at least not at the hospital. She opened her mouth to respond.
"Enough," Yamato growled, voice sharp enough that Sakura involuntarily straightened like he'd been able to read her thoughts. She had heard Yamato use that tone with Team Seven, mostly directed at Sai and Naruto, but she remembered it well. The man let out an exasperated sigh. "Stop acting like a child, or I'll pull you off active missions until you learn to keep a civil tongue."
Sakura expected Saiyo to grow angry at the reprimand, but spots of color appeared on the girl's cheeks. She swallowed her retort, then erased the emotions from her face. If Sakura hadn't known the same tricks, she would have been impressed. Yamato ran a hand through his hair, and Sakura realized he wasn't wearing the head protector she'd always seen him with. Vaguely, she wondered where it was when he nodded toward Saiyo. "She lost consciousness briefly, no longer than a minute, I'd say."
Humming under her breath, Sakura wondered how much healing ninjutsu Yamato's team had at their disposal on missions. She and Tsunade had discussed the need of medical nin on every team that left the village, but Sakura was no closer to making that dream a reality. Obviously, Anbu needed that knowledge more than most, but everyone could benefit from it. How many shinobi did they lose in the field that even a medic still in training could have saved?
Turning her eyes back to Saiyo, Sakura examined the girl's wrist. The splint and wrapping were messy, imperfect by medical standards, but adequate for what they'd probably had to work with. A long piece of fabric lay next to Saiyo's hip, presumably a sling that Chiasa had removed before Sakura got there. She couldn't help but wonder who had stabilized Saiyo before the team came back to Konoha. Had Yamato done it? Was there anyone on the team besides Yamato and Saiyo? Sakura realized that she knew precious little about how Anbu missions worked.
Sakura shook the thoughts away and brought her attention back to the beeping machines beside the bed. Chiasa had gotten everything hooked up and prepared for Sakura's arrival so they could jump straight to treatment. Saiyo's blood pressure and heart rate were slightly elevated, but neither was surprising with the injured wrist. Her oxygen saturation was near perfect, pointing to healthy, undamaged lungs from whatever had happened. Sakura would check everything with chakra, of course, but Saiyo appeared to have gotten away lightly. Sakura almost laughed at the idea that a concussion and splintered wrist were considered insignificant in this line of work.
"I can't promise that this won't hurt," Sakura warned as she stepped closer to the bed. Saiyo ground her teeth together, either against the expectation of pain or to hold back another biting comment, then nodded.
Exhaling, Sakura focused chakra in the hands hovering just above Saiyo's damaged wrist. She eased the flow against Saiyo's chakra, felt resistance, then pushed harder. Saiyo grunted, her body jerking at the invasion, but Sakura hardly noticed. Her mind was already sorting essential information from unimportant distractions. She ignored the bruises, cuts, and aches in favor of checking Saiyo's internal organs for bleeding. Anything that felt out of place was a warning sign that Sakura couldn't afford to miss.
After ensuring that nothing substantial had affected Saiyo's internal systems, Sakura moved to the girl's wrist. The two larger bones had been realigned before being splinted, a feat that impressed Sakura and made it easy to encourage regrowth. What would have taken months for a civilian would be completed in a matter of days with chakra's help. The complex, tiny bones nearer to the fingers needed to be shifted ever so gently to the side-a sharp gasp from Saiyo tugged at Sakura's concentration but she forced herself to continue, picturing the carefully inked pictures that Tsunade had made her study.
Sweat popped out on Sakura's forehead as she realigned the pieces like a puzzle, but she hardly noticed. Maintaining the delicate flows of chakra required every ounce of her attention. The edge of alcohol in her system made it more difficult than it would have been otherwise, but it was nothing Sakura couldn't handle. One slip up here could be catastrophic; she had to maintain focus until the end.
Content that the wrist would heal on its own soon, Sakura focused her attention toward Saiyo's skull. Concussions were tricky to diagnose on the best day, impossible on the worst. The loss of consciousness, sluggish pupils, and slurred speech were enough to suggest that Saiyo had one. Even the woman's combative nature could have pointed to a concussion, but Sakura thought that was more personality than injury. Rather than looking for bruising indicative of a concussion, Sakura checked for active bleeding inside Saiyo's skull. The girl's brain would repair itself far better without Sakura's interference unless it was life or death.
Content that she'd done everything in her power, Sakura released her chakra and opened her eyes. For a moment, her vision doubled with exhaustion. She had the vague sensation that her knees might collapse, but she held herself erect despite the weakness that warned that she'd pushed herself too far today. Saiyo groaned and sank back against the pillow, face ashen.
"I've stabilized your wrist," Sakura began, running her tongue over too dry lips. Even talking felt like a struggle, though she knew the sensation would pass. "It should be good as new in a few days. There were no signs of internal bleeding, but I want to keep you for observation overnight to make sure we didn't miss anything."
Sakura braced herself for an argument, but Saiyo closed her eyes with murmured agreement. Sakura frowned. Chakra healing took some of its energy from the patient, but Saiyo had been overbearing only a few minutes ago. Now, she looked completely spent. "Saiyo? How are you feeling?"
When Sakura didn't get an answer, she glanced at the monitor. Saiyo's heart rate had dropped significantly, much closer to the range that Sakura expected of a physically fit shinobi. She doubted that removing pain from her wrist would have created such a dramatic effect. Had she missed bleeding somewhere? "Let's run-"
"She's fine," Yamato interjected, stepping closer. Sakura spun to face him and immediately regretted it when the room tilted at the edges. Yamato's demeanor had changed. He practically bounced on his toes with unspent energy now that he knew Saiyo would live. Sakura opened her mouth to question him, but Yamato spoke over the words. "She took a soldier pill, and they fade quickly. In a day or two, she'll be back to her normal, moody self. Thanks to you," the man added as an afterthought.
A low growl left Sakura's throat. "You didn't think that we might need that information?"
"How do you think she got here with a broken wrist and concussion?" Yamato snorted humorlessly in the back of his throat and shook his head. When he saw Sakura's expression, the man moderated his tone. "Anbu is a different world; we push our bodies past their limits all the time."
"And, I'm the one left picking up the pieces," Sakura shot back. Anger rolled through her in waves that she didn't fully understand. Regular shinobi used soldier pills sparingly, only in life and death situations. The stimulants inside each capsule could keep someone going for up to twenty-four hours, but then, their body would more or less shut down for the next two days to recover.
Embarrassment followed quickly on anger's heels. Sakura should have asked if Saiyo had taken anything, she should have surmised the effect of stimulants on the girl's blood pressure and heart rate. She'd been too tired to do a thorough examination before jumping to healing. Tsunade would have punished Sakura for such a slip up, making her do charting instead of seeing patients for weeks.
Unaware of the self-deprecating thoughts in Sakura's mind, Yamato's mouth curled into a condescending smile. She'd never seen that expression on his face before. "Anbu rarely have the luxury of a medic on the team."
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, internally grumbling over the old argument. Yamato would never convince her that things in Anbu didn't need to change, and she would probably never convince him that they should. Sakura was too tired to argue the point tonight, and she didn't know enough about the organization to critique it well. Not yet, but she planned to find out. She'd push Kakashi for more information as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Turning back to Chiasa, who had been quietly making notes in Saiyo's file, Sakura nodded. "Go ahead and start the fluids, we'll try to flush some of the stimulants from her system. And, you'll page me if there are any changes?"
"Of course, Haruno-sensei," Chiasa murmured, already reaching for the fluids that she'd laid out before Sakura arrived at the hospital. The woman's quiet, efficient manner put Sakura at ease.
"Thanks," Sakura began, pausing when a sound drew her attention. She turned to find Yamato replacing the cat mask over his face. The loss of familiarity left her uncomfortable. True, she only saw a portion of Kakashi's face, but somehow just the shadowed brown of Yamato's eyes was different, like he'd pushed a barrier between them. She arched one eyebrow. "And just where do you think you're going? You were injured as well."
The man shook his head, adjusting the black compression glove on one arm. "I'm only here because of Saiyo. And, unlike her, I actually am fine."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'll be the judge of that."
Yamato shook his head again, then bent to scoop his pack from the ground. Sakura hadn't even noticed it there until now. "I have been doing this long enough to know when I need the hospital and when I just need a hot shower. Today is the latter, and I have a report to make."
The man dipped his head in an almost acknowledgement to Sakura's silence, then raised his fingers to chest height. Before she could think of a convincing argument, Yamato shunshined from the room. Despite his injuries, Yamato was probably right. His body would heal on its own, and Sakura didn't have much chakra or energy left to put into another healing. She looked at Saiyo, already lulled to sleep by the exhaustion of healing and her body coming down from the stimulant.
As much as Sakura wanted to analyze everything that had happened, she exhaled that urge in a long, measured breath. She needed rest; tomorrow would be soon enough to sort through all these problems.
(Don’t forget to check out the rest of this chapter and story at the links above on Fanfiction and A03)
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rinneganwritings · 3 years
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Never Far Away; Chapter Twenty Five: Static Electricity
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Word count: 3,006
Summary: Tamako begins her new life in Konoha as she finally makes amends with her teammates. As she continues training to become a jounin, something goes terribly wrong.
Warnings: Canon type violence, mentions of hospitals
Masterlist
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Tamako wakes up in her bed, and for once, she isn’t completely haunted by the thought of Itachi. She feels a little relieved to not have had nightmares about him last night. She wonders if confessing to Yumiko about what happened helped get it off her chest, or maybe she’s really trying to move past all of this.
She makes her way to the bathroom to have a shower and she hears voices from Yumiko’s room. Tamako smirks as she realizes that the other voice belongs to Kakashi. It was so sweet to know that he and her sister had finally come to terms with their feelings a little more than they ever had. Tamako knew things had been a little competitive and they had a rivalry as they were children and growing up wasn’t any easier, but now that they were both adults, maybe they could finally grow to love one another and trust each other.
Tamako turns on the water, allowing it to get to the right temperature. Today, she was planning to do more training and to definitely go see Akina and Ezume. She knows there’s almost no chance that Sasuke will talk to her, but maybe he’ll come along eventually. She misses his company a lot. He’s grown some since she’s been gone and she wants to comfort him like she used to. They were so close.
Tamako washes her hair and thinks about the excitement of the chunin exams in the village. She remembers when she took her chunin exams with Akina and Ezume. It feels like so long ago. Tamako realizes how much she’s changed since those days. She remembers how hurt she was feeling when she fought against her opponent. How she barely paid any attention to Akina and Ezume. She starts to feel really guilty about how she’s treated those two in the past.
I have to make it right with them. I want them to know how much they mean to me.
After her shower, Tamako gets dressed and heads to the kitchen to get started on tea and some breakfast. Kakashi and Yumiko are sitting at the kitchen table, and Tamako can see the blush on both of their faces. Tamako doesn’t ask any questions, instead she just starts on her own breakfast.
“So, Kakashi...do you think your team has what it takes to become chunin?” Tamako asks, trying to break the ice.
“I guess we’ll see. I think this is a good opportunity for all of them,” Kakashi answers and Yumiko raises an eyebrow at him.
“How is Sasuke? I wanted to talk to him again, but it seems like he’s written me off for good now.” Tamako questions as she sits down across from Yumiko.
“He’s doing well, Tamako. He will come around eventually,” Kakashi tells her, and Tamako feels her heart flutter slightly.
“Everyone’s been telling me that, but I’m worried I’ve completely ruined the bond and trust between us. Please just make sure he is okay. I would hate for anything bad to happen to him.” Tamako looks down at her tea and Yumiko pipes up.
“You should probably go talk to Ezume and Akina. They’ve been asking about you lately,” Yumiko tells her.
“I was planning on doing that today, Yumi. I need to make amends with them.” Tamako explains, and Yumiko smiles.
“You aren’t guilty of anything, Tamako. You are still a good person,” Yumiko comforts. Tamako offers a sweet smile, but yet she does know she needs to talk to her teammates.
And this is where she finds herself, at the training grounds working on some new techniques. Ezume and Akina walk over to Tamako, hand in hand. Tamako watches them carefully and her heart swells with happiness as she realizes that her teammates have finally found love within each other.
“Tamako!” Akina yells out, running over to her. The two women jump into each other’s arms, which causes them to fall to the ground. Akina is laughing while Tamako just chuckles.
“You two are completely hopeless,” Ezume scolds but he rushes over to them. He watches as Akina helps Tamako up and they all meet in a hug.
“I’ve missed you both so much. I’ve been such a jerk,” Tamako says as she allows tears to well up in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Tamako. We don’t hate you.” Akina assures, but Tamako shakes her head.
“I’ve treated you both so poorly for so long, and I never realized how much you both truly mean to me. We are such a great team and I feel like I’ve always taken that for granted.” Tamako explains, and this time Ezume interjects.
“Tamako,” he says as he places his hand on her shoulder. “You are a good person. You don’t need to atone for anything. We love you,” He blushes as he confesses this and Akina leans up against him.
Tamako smiles, “So when did this happen? I always thought you two were perfect for each other.” She claps her hands together excitedly.
“I just asked him out one day while we were looking for you, and it just blossomed from there.” Akina says and Ezume groans as he realizes how awkward this is.
The trio decides to go over to the ramen shop to eat together and reminisce a little about the past. Tamako feels good about talking to her teammates. It was almost like they could all move past this little hump in the road and continue on. It was helping heal her heartbreak as well.
On their walk back to the hideout, Itachi remains silent while Kisame struggles to find the right words to comfort his teammate. He never really knew what he was getting himself into when Itachi decided to go after Tamako, but he decided that the less he knew the better it could go.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Kisame finally asks, but he’s immediately regretting it.
“Of course, Kisame. We need to focus on the task at hand. The Akatsuki is what’s important now.”
Silence befalls the two of them as they continue walking, not realizing that a pair of eyes watches them silently from the bushes. Itachi is hurting so badly inside, but he knows this was the best course of action for Tamako. He wanted her to return to the village so that she could live a normal life, and for her to be able to watch over Sasuke.
Itachi knew he’d never be able to give Tamako what she needs in life. She needs a stable life as a jounin with a reliable husband who can give her all the love. It’s just killing him inside to know he’s never going to be able to be that person for her. He’s had a taste of her now, and he just wants more. He’s become addicted to that smell. The lotus perfume. He hates how he can smell it everywhere now. It’s just been so ingrained in his mind that he could never forget such a wonderful smell.
“That girl...she’s the one you’re in love with, isn’t she?” Kisame asks again, and this time he’s going to pry a little. He needs to know how Itachi is feeling. Sure, they didn’t always get along but Kisame does like Itachi. He cares.
“It’s fine, Kisame. You don’t need to talk to me about this. We should just get back.” Itachi doesn’t want to keep talking about Tamako. He wants to get back to the hideout and drown his sorrows.
“I know it’s not fine, but…” Kisame decides to not press his luck. He knows that Itachi is hurting already, but he doesn’t want to make it worse.
At the hideout, Zetsu is already there with lots of information for Madara. Madara is delighted to hear about what happened in the forest. He doesn’t need Itachi to be distracted by more troubles in his life.
“I think she’s out of the picture now,” White Zetsu explains to Madara.
“She was only holding him back. He needs to break away from this,” The black part says.
“You’re correct. We have better things to think about now,” Madara says. Still, he wonders if recruiting that girl could be a good idea. It would keep Itachi distracted, but her kekkei genkai could be very useful.
“He’s very hurt,” White Zetsu says with concern in his voice.
“There’s no need for him to be. He did what was right for the group.”
Madara hums in response as he thinks about what should happen next. He decides that maybe everything should just stay the same. Itachi let go of his love, and soon he’ll be back with Kisame in tow. Neither of them have to talk about what’s happened, and Madara decides it’s probably best to just stay quiet about the situation.
“I’d like for you to go watch the girl a little more. I might have plans for her in the long run, but I need to know more about this volatile kekkei genkai before I make any more decisions.” Madara explains.
“Certainly,” Zetsu says, leaving the room.
Madara realizes that he could set this up to benefit himself in the end. If this volatile kekkei genkai is worth it, he could keep this girl as a ploy against Konoha and the rest of the ninja world. And, it could keep Itachi from misbehaving if that were to happen. It’s just all working out for him, and Madara couldn’t be any happier.
As the days go by, Tamako spends lots of time with Yumiko as the Chunin exams continue on. It’s exciting to both of them to see the other villages coming to take their exams here. Tamako has been mingling a little and socializing to help heal the wound of her broken heart. It’s odd to be home, but she finds something very comforting about it regardless.
She’s in the training grounds today, working on kekkei genkai. It’s always been volatile, and with her father deceased, she’ll never really know the true secrets of it. Tamako knows her grandparents still reside in Konoha, but neither of them would even dare to talk to her, much less so about the kekkei genkai they so hastily stopped using years ago.
Iruka is watching her from afar and he’s been helping her with a few things during her training. They both are evenly matched now, but Iruka still has some good advice. Tamako has been very grateful that he's been here for her.
“Wind style: Hurricane Jutsu!” Tamako shouts as she finishes weaving her signs. The wind picks up in front of her and cycles in the air, becoming heavy and humid.
Iruka watches in amazement as Tamako finally has the perfect hold on this jutsu. She directs the wind towards the trees and watches happily as it causes the trees to whip around. Tamako senses a power in her growing, but she chalks it up to the adrenaline and the kekkei genkai.
“Yeah! Tamako!” Iruka cheers as he runs over to her. He sees her turn around to face him, but her cloak has not dissipated.
“Iruka!” She yells excitedly and runs over to him, but he lowers his arms. He was going to give her a hug, but now he thinks something might be wrong.
“Tamako, are you okay?” Iruka asks as they are finally within feet of each other.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be? I just mastered that jutsu!” Tamako pumps her fist in the air, but Iruka is now concerned.
“Your cloak is still surrounding you. You look different.” Iruka states as he watches Tamako. Her eyes are glowing as the cloak gets more powerful.
The air is thick with static and Iruka watches as his and Tamako’s hair starts to stand on end. There’s electricity flowing through her fingers as she’s watching what’s happening to her. Then, she’s suddenly collapsing on the ground and crying out.
“AGH!” Tamako whines as she holds her sides. She’s letting out little bits of electricity with every movement.
“Are you okay?!” Iruka asks, wanting to help her up but he knows it’s a bad idea.
Tamako looks up at him and he can no longer see her pupils. Her eyes are glowing gold, and her skin has a yellow tint to it. The cloak has completely overtaken her as she whines.
“I don’t know,” She says. “Something is wrong. I need you to get Yumi if you can,”
Iruka frowns as he realizes it won’t be easy to get her. He needs to get Tamako to a hospital, but he doesn’t want to get shocked. Yet, he’ll feel very guilty if he just leaves her here to get help.
“Come on, Tamako. I’m taking you to the hospital.” Iruka offers his hand to her, and she takes it. Immediately, he can feel the heavy electricity coming from her.
It hurts him where he’s holding her hand, but he helps her to her feet. Tamako sways as she stands up, but she’s steadied by Iruka. She continuously shocks him as she leans into him, but he doesn’t care right now.
“I’m gonna take you to the hospital, everything is going to be alright.” Iruka says as they begin walking towards that direction.
“We need Yumi! She’s the only one who knows how to control this!” Tamako argues, but Iruka doesn’t listen to her right now. Yumiko is too preoccupied with the Chunin exams to even be able to help right now.
They slowly walk over to the hospital, and Iruka has to stop every so often to let go of Tamako. Her condition hasn’t changed at all, and lots of people are staring at them now. A few people offer to help, but Iruka says he’s fine. He won’t let others get shocked like he is.
Finally, they make it to the hospital and the staff rush into action. They notice how weak Iruka is and how Tamako is a danger to others right now.
“She needs help! Her chakra is slowly draining!” Iruka explains, but they don’t know how to proceed.
One of the doctors places Tamako on a stretcher and he tries to figure out how to get the cloak to dissipate. He’s wearing rubber gloves which prevents him from being shocked.
“Nobody knows how to calm this down,” the doctor admits. “We’ve seen this in many people from the Shōrihibana clan experience this before long ago, but nobody has been able to calm it.”
“What do you mean!? Is she just going to die?!” Iruka is beyond furious with the doctor right now.
The doctor frowns at Iruka, “Well, I don’t want to say anything too hastily...but,” He stops for a moment. “Not everyone has survived this. We’ve lost members of the clan to this.”
Iruka feels speechless. He’s unsure how to respond to that. He feels responsible for Tamako right now, and if she dies it’s going to be horrible. He doesn’t want her to die. He wants the doctor to do his job and help her.
“What the hell?! Can’t you do anything for her?!” Iruka asks, clearly angry.
The doctor sighs, “Look, the best we can do for her is allow her to rest. We’ll do all we can, but we can’t promise anything. I can try to keep her chakra flow down, but she may be overwhelmed right now. She needs to relax before I can even try to do anything.” The doctor turns towards the nurses and lets them bring Tamako to a room.
Iruka feels helpless as he watches them wheel her away. Tamako is groaning and whimpering in pain as the cloak doesn’t let up. He’s never seen either her or Yumiko in this state ever.
“She has a sister,” Iruka tells the doctor. “She might know how to help. She’s the only person who’s ever really been closer to mastering this kekkei genkai other than their father.”
“Nakachi’s daughters…” The doctor mutters to himself.
Just then someone else comes in and he springs into action. Iruka groans in frustration as he realizes there’s almost nothing he can do. He wants to get Yumiko, but he knows she’s busy. He decides to get her anyway. This could be very serious and maybe Yumi has a few answers that the doctors don’t.
He can feel his body aching from where Tamako was leaning up against him for support. There’s a few burn marks on his clothes and hands from the sheer amount of static shock she was letting out. He’s never seen anything so powerful like that before. Especially not from a single person. She was completely different. She looked different...she even felt different.
Iruka finds Yumiko walking back from the edge of the village where the Chunin exam was taking place. She’s talking with another proctor who is also taking a small break.
“Iruka!” She calls out to him, and he races towards her.
“There’s something serious that’s happened, Yumi.” Iruka is almost out of breath from everything that’s happened.
Yumiko’s smile falters. She worries about Tamako immediately, just thinking the worst. She wonders if Tamako has run off again and she hopes that it’s something else that’s happened.
“Tamako needs your help. She’s in the hospital. She was training, and then her cloak wouldn’t let up and…” Iruka is talking so fast, Yumiko can barely keep up with what he’s saying.
“What’s going on?” Yumiko is trying to make some sense out of it.
“Something serious happened with Tamako. She’s in the hospital, but the doctor doesn’t know how to help. It’s about the kekkei genkai,” Iruka explains a little slowly.
Yumiko can feel her blood run cold. She’s not sure what’s happened, but she just knows her baby sister is in the hospital and she needs to get there now. Yumiko takes off running without looking back. Her heart pounds as she feels tears well up in her eyes.
Please be okay, Tamako. I’m almost there. Just hang on a little longer.
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shanksbaby · 4 years
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You make me feel better- part 1
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Sakura and Kakashi are friends with benefits,they promised themself that was only sex, but Sakura will be able to keep her promise?
She and his ex- sensei  had undertaken a relationship of only sex, this was start shortly after the end of the Fourth War: they both needed that and they  knew each other well so why not? They promised themself that they would not fall in love with  each other, because it should have been only sex. Sakura were reluctant to become friends with benefits, because she knew of easily could be in love, but c’mon she was talking about Kakashi Hatake, there is no way that she could have feelings for him or so she thought. He was so damn good in bed, and he made her feel loved, more than any other. They meet each other almost every night in his place, and the day after, before he woke up, she left his house. 
When they had sex, he took away the mask, she  considered as gesture of trust. After all, he never took off the mask with Naruto or Sasuke, and never with any woman or men, so she feel special for once in her life.
She was walking through the village with shopping bags, she had to hurry back home as in a few hours she would start her shift in the hospital.She was immersed in her thoughts, trying to decide a dish to cook quickly, but something took her away from her thoughts: Kakashi, her ex-sensei, and a woman who spoke all too close. Honestly, she had never thought that he could make conquests beyond her, in those years that she knew him he had never shown to be a type that filtered . Of course, during "their sex sessions" Kakashi murmured dirty word but she could not imagine that he filtered and moreover made conquests.
Even though she couldn't hear anything what the girl and her ex-sensei were saying, as it was about across the street.But it wasn't her business, after all she and Kakashi weren't a couple. But they were friends, and friends intrude on their friends' lives, right? So she had the right to move a bit in their direction to listen to "a few" words.
And it has confirmation: they are filtering. Oh no, maybe the girl saw her looking at them, so she turns around, and pretends to approach the shop that is across the street. And when she turns to take a look, they are already gone
Isn't she jealous, also because she should be? She wouldn't have the right, she and her ex-sensei were friends with benefits and that's it, besides friends, they weren't a couple. She's not jealous, but she can't stop the pain in her chest, the same she had when she was still in love with Sasuke and saw Ino too close to him.
She realizes that many are staring at her, most likely because she has remained to regret it for too long without walking. After glaring at the people who were watching her, she heads home, walking slowly, rethinking the scene she had seen. She just can't get that scene out of her mind, he never filtered out of the sheets with her! Indeed, outside of them he acted as if she were his simple ex-student, if they were in public he did not even touch her, and instead that girl had touched her hair and even a thigh.
Now that she's at her house, she grunts. Damn Kakashi-sensei! Perhaps she is ashamed of her, perhaps she never believed that she was a real woman and did not believe that she was female. And instead the girl she was talking to was so beautiful, so orderly and elegant in her ways. . . No,she can't get down like this, she would have shown Kakashi that she is also a real woman. That's why she writes to the man to come to her for the first time.
there is a part two ( with sexual content ) but i wanted to know if you like this story <3 
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