#hokage candidacy

[x-authorship-x]

Jokes aside the idea of Shisui smartly winning a place as Fugaku's right-hand man and using Mangekyō fuckery against ROOT is so cool? Also Fugaku doesn't strike me as someone who would be a super bad Hokage- would he be the best? No. But would he be the worst? I don't think so, especially with Shisui at his side

And who knows?

Maybe with time things will get better and Konoha will accept Fugaku as their new Hokage. I know I would 🤭

- Koto-anon

It depends on how you judge success/badness/goodness specifically towards leadership in Narutoverse!

Disclaimer! This is all my opinion! I don't want to be lectured! I'll keep deleting bullshit!

I'm gonna try really hard not to start spiraling into historical analysis of power structures and perspective bias etc etc but knowing me that's what's going to happen anyway so let's just get into it 🤣

So, fandom usually looks at Hokage candidates by their raw strength which makes sense, considering all the talk of "Strongest in the Village" and looking at who we have in Canon:

Hashirama was the God of Shinobi

Tobirama was a genius with Jutsu and assumed to be a good policy maker too

Sarutobi was 'the professor' and was pretty spry against Orochimaru even as an old man

Minato was a genius sealing master and the 'fastest man alive'

Tsunade could crush mountains and perform healing miracles

Kakashi is a (you guessed it) genius and the man of a thousand Jutsu

Naruto is literally the Jinchuuriki Favourite Child of "God-God" Sage

But, honestly, discounting Tobirama... Who here is actually fit to be a leader and not just...a glorified general?

We need to understand what the Hokage actually does. Jokes about paperwork aside, how does the mantel of Kage fit within the broader sociopolitical framework, what role do their advisors and council play into the system?

So let's make some assumptions.

From examples across time and space, we know that Generals can be just as much in power as a civilian politician or the biological heir to a dynasty. I'd recommend looking at the Hokage as a hodge-podge of these:

The Hokage are all connected to each other. Hashirama-(brother)->Tobirama-(student)->sarutobi -(student's student)->Minato-(sensei's teammates/saru's other student)->Tsunade-(predecessor's student)->Kakashi-(student, sensei's son)-> Naruto

They're military leaders and the power structure of the villages are based on this Shinobi prowess

They are also in control of their civilian population (if there is a civilian council, I doubt they report to anyone but the Hokage) and they mediate with Daimyo etc.

Hashirama was the Senju Clan Head, a mantel that maybe passed to Tobirama but more likely passed to Hashirama's mysterious children.

Tobirama was, at the very least, his brother's closest advisor. That's some political practice, right there.

Sarutobi, we assume but then...maybe not!, was the pretty important to the Sarutobi. And there seems to be a fair few of them looking at that one panel of them all breathing smoke and shit (assuming that they're not just a huge pack of brothers but most are part of their own family unit)

I don't think Asuma has a dozen brothers. Maybe he does but, frankly, I'd be disappointed if they all didn't have daddy issues with the Sandaime as well.

I'm going off tangent🙃

MY POINT is that Sarutobi possibly had some experience with bureaucracy before becoming Sandaime. Maybe Tobirama punished them all with paper pushing, idk

Minato.... I don't know what to tell you but I'm tempted just to...skip... him because frankly his term of office was so short he probably hadn't even redecorated or got the smell of smoke out of the furniture yet! Regardless, being smart with seals doesn't mean he's a good judge of politics, economics, or social welfare! He gets brownie points for being a thinker, tho

(Does Konoha function as a welfare state? Surely with the injuries on a regular basis, as well as the crazy working schedules and the turn over of retiree veterans, they've got to have some impressive infrastructure- No, don't get me started-)

Tsunade. Right, listen, she's a doctor yeah but this woman really had no clan left to learn leadership for and she's been wandering the continent for a decade in a drunken stupor. I love her but there's a reason she's smashing desks and it's because she's been confronted with problems she can't pummel or resuscitate. Tsunade didn't get a medical degree (did she????) just to have to study MORE bullshit. She's frankly wasted here but better her than some of those fuck-wits.

Kakashi. 🥹 Leading the Hatake? No. ANBU? Does Captaincy really count as anything but even more field experience. Result: Why (i love you but SEND THE MAN TO THERAPY AND GO TO THE SPA)

Naruto. Well... They wouldn't let him jump from Genin to the Hokage. Is this because they know he's so uneducated and needs to go back to school or is this purely because you HAVE to climb the pecking order in order to hit the top. Both? Both is good

So there's just... A lot here. And I can speculate to fucking hell and back but there's very little actually elaborated on in Canon. What do they even do in the Hokage Tower? Is it just all mission paperwork or does Konoha function more like... Idk a principality? What is the involvement of the Daimyo?

This is where fanfiction reaaally takes the reigns and I love that for them ✨😤

So what would make a "bad" Kage?

Danzo.

Danzo is a SHIT Kage and not just because I hate him. We're looking at someone who poisoned the previous - relatively successful - leadership, worked with foreign powers to manipulate other nations as well as his own village, orchestrated and then ordered the slaughter of thousands of Konohan citizens, kidnapping and experimentation, sabotaging political rivals (whether they considered themselves rivals is a different matter all together), bolstered social conflict and international tensions, bloodline theft and forming a private army who were indoctrinated and sealed to his will-!

So if that's the "shit" end of the scale, where do the other Hokage line up?

Hashirama: congrats on building the village! However, it's really contested whether you actually met your new allies on equal standing and it's left a lot of social pressure that will explode down the line 🥺 you get points for spirit but the execution (whoops) might prove a bit wobbily

Tobirama: congrats on being the best of an....interesting bunch. You seem to have had a good head on your shoulders and, pre-founding antics aside, you've committed to the bit. Unfortunately, you have an evil student :/ oh, right, and those social issues? You're probably making them worse

Sarutobi: well. You sat there. Congrats on living so long, I guess. You taught a few loose canons big names, you signed your name on the top of the exam, you held onto peace for a good while by the skin of your teeth. Unfortunately any good you mightve done or process made has been massively underscored by allowed your live-in nuclear-weapon-child to be abused and reviled, your students have either fucked off or were chased out after performing atrocities against the population, your teammate tries to get the last student of your (brief) successor to kill you... Yeah. It's a lot. Oh, also your own son flipped you the bird for a decade to go live in the Capitol instead. Oh, yeah, and you must either live in a bubble of ignorance (ignoring that crystal ball you've got going on) or you're wilfully ignoring Danzo squirreling funds to his private army ;/ all in all? Not great signs of leadership control, you rotten motherfucker

Minato. Is it even fair to list him when he martyred himself before anything could happen? All i can say is... Yikes. Also congrats on dying so quickly that you were immortalised as the faultless golden hero of the village ☺️ all in all, Minato is just lucky to be here

Tsunade: um. She fucked off for decades, loudly proclaiming her disgust/revulsion of Konoha and how stupid anyone would have to be to become Hokage, and hasn't exactly been graceful or pleased since being strong armed into taking the job. I'm not saying I don't sympathise but at the same time... Not a good start. Idk about anyone else but if my (dictator?) leader loudly hated the job and the village and had also gone AWOL for years living it up whilst the village was kinda imploding... I would be pretty resentful. Girl Power can only fly you so high 😔✊

Kakashi: I'm sorry that they made you do this 🥹 you are smart and you've seen a lot of shit but... He might be long-suffering for his duty but, like with Tsunade, you've got to weigh up if they'd be better elsewhere. Kakashi is high on the list of Hokage we've got to work with, however. Well. If you ignore that he was hated for most of his life, first for his father and then for being a little brat, and then for being an "eye thief", and then for being a Friend Killer, and then for being a Pervert- well. His reputation abroad is much better but there's a reason most leaders have, at least loosely, a cult of personality (Narutoverse is bad for this, btw). He has similar problems to Tsunade but he wins out on loyalty.

Naruto. I'm not going here because it's Boruto territory and that's a hard pass.

So what makes a bad Hokage? The usual things, I'd imagine:

pathological power grabbing (war mongering isn't good for your own minions and it's not good for international friends)

ignoring the wants and needs of the wider population (revolutionaries 🤷)

Inconsistency (people watch their leaders extremely carefully and so do their enemies)

lack of attention (^^^)

lack of control (you're running a military dictatorship, commit to the bit)

too much control (Danzo, I'm looking at you)

selfishness (it always bites in the ass)

pure ignorance (Sarutobi, I'm looking at you)

a focus on the brute side of things instead of the subtler arts (Sarutobi isn't brute strength but, unfortunately, he's on the other end where appeasement is making things worse)

So, looking at this, what makes a good Hokage?

Someone who knows what they're doing? 🥴

Someone who wants to be there or at least has dedicated themselves to the roll in its entirety without going on a power trip or burning out in a short period? 💀

Dedication

sensitivity

an awareness of social pressure and tensions (literally read the room)

a firm hand to the law (you gotta keep the minions in line)

support for both the backbone of society (Shinobi and Clans) as well as attention to the majority and minority (civilians hold a lot of sway in the every day realities of Konoha, don't let the Jutsu fool you) and knowing when to invest so neglect doesn't bite you in the ass (or rip everything up by the roots - ROOT, lol)

You need intimidation/respect (they are mercenaries after all) abroad as well as devotion and reverence at home (good old propaganda to keep the masses contained)

looking at the various downfalls of previous Hokage, you gotta deal with threats close to you with scary efficiency.

Another disclaimer: this is a profile for a leader in Naruto. I don't want to hear shit about me promoting aggressive foreign policy or totalitarian ideology, omfg

So! Bearing all this in mind, and incorporating an awareness of canon context... Would Fugaku be a good or bad Hokage?

I think he'd be a very important and decisive one. Good? That's a little more nuanced. Let's get into it-

Fugaku has the "good" qualities:

He's Clan Head, so about as much experience as any of the others had, but then he's also Police Chief (ACAB, whoops) so we're dealing with someone with intimate knowledge of the letter of the law, navigating Konohan crime and punishment as well as legal bureaucracy, and he's already a direct authority within the village and - get this - with the civilians.

Fugaku didn't personally want the Coup but he's a leader listening to his clan and they're getting desperate (and, therefore, more explosive). He's managed to hold his own against all these influences around him. Should he have completely shut them down? Maybe, but then what if they tried to usurp him? The Uchiha Clan can't exactly afford to split into fractions

He's called Wicked Eye for a (mysterious Mangekyou) reason. The fact that his skills aren't discussed in canon only gives us even more leeway to make him a total BAMF. He could also, apparently, go head to head with Golden Boy Minato. Am I sensing a badass? I think I am

He's surrounded by trustworthy BAMFS. Hashirama had Mito and Tobirama (Madara too, not to incite commentary, lets stay focused). The others struggled with this: Tobirama's successor is a little bitch and Danzo was devil spawn, Sarutobi was trapped between Danzo and his wild-card/war criminal students, Minato's Kushina died with him and everyone else doesn't seem on the level, Kakashi's bestie is literally a major antagonist, Naruto is (BORUTO REDACTED). Fugaku, however, not only has a bamf Clan who seem pretty devoted to him as a leader (we don't see a lot of dissent) but he's got Itachi and Shisui right there. They had a problem with the Coup, not necessarily with Fugaku himself although I think (looking at their characters) interpersonal strife would be set aside in favour of the bigger picture. All in all, there's a reason why he was thought of as the 'father' of his Clan (but what if you have daddy issues 👀)

Does Fugaku also show signs of being a bad Hokage?

Well, the timing might prove deadly against him. A revolution when the wider population is so anti-Uchiha would tear Konoha in two. But... That's if you're thinking that a Coup would be... Well, what you'd imagine. But if it's performed by Uchiha, the masters of genjutsu and manipulation? Taking liberties with Fugaku's Wicked Eyes and possible OC Uchiha characters, who knows if it would be a seamless transition? (In a fic, maybe Shisui's use of Kotoamatsukami on Danzo and ROOT would be the tip of the iceberg on what happened in the Uchiha Revolution. The Sandaime deciding to united the fractions of Konoha with Fugaku as his successor....?)

Fugaku isn't power snatching and, if he was, it wouldn't be directly for himself like Danzo's is. Danzo might sugarcoat it as an ideological difference, a variation in his vision of Konoha compared to others, but it's really all about him. Fugaku feels... vindicated.

Fugaku wouldn't be unwilling, uncomfortable, under qualified, or underpowered.

Personality-wise? He'd be like Tobirama, who i think was the best previous Hokage. Would this turn Konoha into a police state? Wasn't it always that in some form, anyway?

Overall, I think Fugaku would be a good Hokage, if he was extremely careful and played his cards right (and, considering his dedication and shrewdness, there's no reason to think he wouldn't be)

#torship #torship talks #ask #anon #koto anon #uchiha coup #no uchiha massacre #uchiha revolutionaries for the win #fugaku #shisui #hokage #hokage candidacy #naruto worldbuilding #Hashirama #Tobirama #sarutobi #minato #danzo #tsunade #Kakashi #naruto #itachi #clan politics #this took four hours 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[adhdnojutsu]

Fugaku sucks.

Fugaku Uchiha was a fucking moron.

That is the only explanation for his delusion that his coup would succeed. Unless he knew it wouldn't.

Real Life Parallels

I'm Israeli with a dual citizenship for Germany. As a result, I was able to wander the West Bank for the better part of a decade. I also have family and friends not in high places, but with access to the latter. I'm also not illiterate. So I know things.

It's why I know just how fucking stupid the coup idea was. And before you tell me to check my privilege: I agree the Uchiha were right to want to revolt. I agree they were oppressed. And yet, you can't conflate an unsolicited dickpic with a r*pe, assault the sender, and call self-defence. Both are wrong, both are harmful, but only one is an immediate threat, and Konoha was not an imminent threat to Uchiha lives before the coup became a thing.

Here's what Konoha did to the Uchiha: 1. put them in a clan-exclusive compound like all the other clans. I'm aware the latter was a pretext for the previous.

2. cut police budget

3. deny Fugaku Hokage candidacy (and nobody can prove why they did, but he revealed himself to be unqualified due to his conditional loyalty)

4. surveillance of public spaces within the compound

All of these measures are unjust and come from a place of bigotry. None of them kept a single clan member from thriving. None of them constituted an imminent threat. None of them made diplomatic solutions impossible, even if it meant waiting for the council of elders to die.

All oppression is not equal, because let's see what happens with a real life ghetto like the Gaza Strip:

you can only leave through armed check points with special permission - or get gunned down

amenities are regularly shut off, including water in summer or electricity in hospitals

whenever one person steps out of line, their whole neighbourhood gets bombed

the oppressor fabricates scarcity and poverty while sabotaging the delivery of relief or establishment of a stable economy

anyone can be kidnapped and tortured at any time for any reason

Once that sinks in, their occasional missile or car ramming attack becomes pretty understandable. Now imagine the Uchiha police force firing missiles at random Konoha targets over comparably petty measures. The rule of appropriate force in self-defence also applies to systemic oppression. Yes, the system is ableist, yes, you're disabled, but no, that doesn't make it reasonable to put an aircraft through the Capitol and endanger the lives of not only government officials, but civilians and your own kids. That's the issue here. Fugaku's coup would not have happened in a vacuum. It would have gotten innocents killed.

Saying all oppression is the same and should be met with the same ruthlessness, is like saying verbal sexual harassment should be met with a taser because forcible r*pe would warrant it. It's like equating the refusal to serve kosher food to a whole pogrom. Both come from the same mindset and one can lead to the other if left unchecked, but that doesn't mean both warrant equally harsh measures off the bat.

Now here's where Fugaku being a moron comes in. The daily cruelty Israel commits against Palestinians (individual killings, demolitions, blackouts, denial of water etc.) do not only pursue the immediate goal of whatever effect those things have. The main goal is provocation. We all KNOW Hamas is gonna fire missiles over that demolition, kidnap, or "accidental" shooting of a civilian. And that is exactly when Israel can say "welp, it's self-defence time, we feared for our lives" and carpet-bomb Gaza. This is also why they provoke escalation during West Bank or Jerusalem rallies. They WANT Palestinians to (seemingly) cast the first stone, so Israel has an excuse to cast lead. Portioned genocide. I documented a Palestinian protest once. I saw the Israeli side actively aiming for escalation, going as far as running police horses into produce booths to destroy livelihoods.

Konoha did the exact same thing. Put the Uchiha in a situation that is humiliating, but not life-threatening, so when they predictably snap, Konoha can say it had no choice but to wipe them out. And Fugaku played right into it by announcing the coup, aka a violent uprising, in retaliation to non-violent (as in, violence that threatens life and limb) discrimination.

Fugaku stans need to learn the difference between victim blaming and common sense. While most retaliation is justified, some specific manners of retaliating can be predicted to harm the victim more or involve innocents, and that's where common sense shouldn't be shot down as "victim-blaming".

The coup failing, or the Uchiha massacre, each entailing pointless loss of life, were absolutely predictable outcomes and here's why.

Common Sense

Remember the planned Wagner uprising that ended before it began, because a handful of people marching on Putin is a bad idea no matter how justified?

I don't know what people base their numbers on when saying Itachi killed hundreds or thousands of Uchiha. I counted the people attending mandatory-for-all clan meetings, and while I don't remember my exact top count, the clan cannot be more than 60 strong, and that's including non-combatants. I mean, ANBU surveillance would have caught hundreds or even thousands of people all disappearing in that shrine that doesn't outwardly seem able to accommodate that many.

Fugaku depended on Itachi to help with the coup. No matter Itachi's abilities, just how bad are your odds when you feel compelled to put your 11-year-old child in the line of fire? Basically, Fugaku knew the coup stood and fell with that child. If a tween running his mouth is all it takes to bring you down, you never stood a chance.

But let's say the initial stage of the coup had worked out. The Uchiha kidnap the Hokage and Fugaku takes power. Then what? Unless the Uchiha rule Konoha with an iron fist and in doing so, become the new oppressor, how is Fugaku going to hold power? Who would his successor be? Uchiha nepotism forever? Because only then can they be reasonably sure some future administration won't turn on them.

What are less than 60 people gonna do about all the ANBU, Root, and various jonin? How will they secure the people's genuine loyalty after 4 generations of Hokage brainwashing Konoha into always siding with the status quo? There is NO WAY the Uchiha could rule in a way that isn't a dictatorship with nocturnal disappearances of dissenters. The other shinobi nations won't stand for it either. So we have a 2 digit number of Uchihas up against the 5 great nations. The Sharingan isn't that great, or else 2 men couldn't have wiped out the whole clan in a matter of hours. "But they were sleeping" no they weren't, and even if they were, Uchihas have to sleep eventually, and that's when the five nations can strike. That's no way to run a village. "But Konoha would understand" okay so why didn't Konoha express solidarity with the Uchiha clan, like, ever? Konoha was NOT going to accept a violent Uchiha takeover!

So even without Itachi's betrayal, the coup was doomed. When you act out of (righteous) humiliation for immediate relief but with no long term strategy, the word you're looking for isn't revolution, it's tantrum. In the case of an armed uprising, it's a suicide mission. A last hurra, except they dragged innocents into it. Because your anger can be righteous and you can actually be oppressed, and still be wrong in how you're handling it. The moment Fugaku dragged his children into what could be predicted to ruin or end their lives, he was wrong. His idea of a bloodless revolution was short sighted and delusional and hence wrong, end of story.

But also.

Fugaku: "Hey Itachi, look at all these bloody corpses, war is terrible!" Also Fugaku: "Hey Itachi, help me wage war." The man was a loose cannon with 0 common sense. What the fuck was he doing leading a clan and raising kids. The man was incompetence incarnate.

#fugaku uchiha #itachi #naruto

[pachu09]

Not me, finally remembering I'm supposed to drop this...😅

A/B/O AU

Hashirama in all his infinite wisdom ( and without Tobirama’s permission ) decided spontaneously to enter his brother’s name in Konoha's first ever...

Scent-based matchmaking service.

The other Clans were shocked/surprised to find out that the Senju Heir is a Delta. Quite a feat in itself when Deltas are a near mythical Gender. Most of the Clans had scrambled to even convince the Hokage into letting his brother attend the service without an escort. But alas, it wasn't meant to be; when Touka or Mito herself are the ones who accompanied the reluctant Albino to the matchmaking service.

The problem starts for the service when the Uchiha Clan tried to hijack/ruin all of the Senju Heir's matchmakings...

The other Clans were immediately in uproar about it. They didn't understand why the Uchiha isn't playing fairly. ( there's incidents where an Uchiha set fire to a Montsuki-haorihakama and Homongi of several candidates, accidentally assaulting other competitors etc...) The other Clans were forced to either combat/assault the Uchiha attacking them or retract their candidacy. ( The Naras are quite efficient from dropping out of the competition. )

While these silent war is happening — Tobirama himself was oblivious that there's underhanded tactics that is being used to win his hand. He was too overwhelmed that there's too many suitors applying to be his Husband or Wife. The scents of aggressive different genders made his nose seriously itch. It also made his head ache from sensing too many hostile Chakra that surrounds him for hours...

At the end of each and every matchmaking session. Tobirama had refused/rejected to meet up with any of the candidates again. ( Which made most of the candidates pouts and sulks...)

The only exception to this was the Uchiha Clan Head ( who had made sure that only his scent would be accepted by the pretty Delta ).

Most of the Clans had instantly assumed that Uchiha Madara had sabotage their chances. ( And oh, how right they were..) Only they lacked sufficient evidence to present it to their Hokage so the Clans are left grumbling as they witness the only Delta in Konoha gracefully accepted the Uchiha Clan Head formal courting.

A week later, it was revealed that the candidates didn't stood a chance to snag Tobirama for themselves when the Uchiha Clan revealed that Madara is...

An Enigma.

~●~●~

If anyone's confused what the fuck is an Enigma and Delta..here's a brief explanation..😅

Enigma's are the highest gender role in the A/B/O. They can control other Genders. Entirely depends the how's/why to the Authors...Intimidation, sweet talk, manipulation. They aren't affected by any Genders Heat/Rut. They actually can decide when to have a Rut. What makes them special is that they can impregnate any Genders and yes that includes Prime Alphas/ Alphas...😉🤭

The Delta's are pretty much the same as Enigma's. Can't be influenced by another Gender Cycle. Can decide when to have Heat. What makes them special is that they're the only one who can give birth to more Enigmas and Deltas...🙂

#madatobi #mdtb #unconventional a/b/o #enigma #delta #uchiha madara #senju tobirama #naruto fanfic #amsen writes

[leportraitducadavre]

Female empowerment in the Naruto Fandom

This is probably one of the most difficult posts I have made to date yet, not because I’m shy when it comes to discussing these types of things, but because of the emotional and political baggage that this particular topic carries -independently of the Naruto fandom.

There’re so many things to point out in this particular subject that I’m not sure I will even get to cover every aspect of it -and yes, this is an invitation to either debate, or add any element that might be missing, but I will do my best as to convey, respectfully (so I encourage to whoever wants to, to do the same), as much as I can.

If I talk about female empowerment, and while Naruto manga does possess a varied (as varied as a shonen can be expected to have) range of females, there’re two characters that are often tied up with the concept: Haruno Sakura (mostly portrayed as the only feminist lead, whose flaws are explained by misogynist characterizations of the author), and Hyuga Hinata (depicted, particularly by the Sakura fandom, as the idealization of the female figure by the patriarchal vision).

Let’s see how these characters (and their fandoms) interact with the “Female empowerment” concept:

'Female empowerment is exclusively used for women who excel in a usually male-dominated field

I know this particular point comes with a lot of baggage because to this day the possibility of women (particularly of color) to access/grow in historically masculine fields is almost nil, but still, the glorification of these spheres over those culturally considered feminine presents a problem: There is nothing wrong with giving credit to women who, having an environment against them, develop in a usually masculine space; but then those "masculine spheres" are presented as spaces intrinsically superior to the feminine ones.

There is no questioning about patriarchal norms, rather, certain women are given a superior status over others who fail to shine in those specific fields, or to those who decide to develop in a usually "feminine" environment because, for them, it’s only natural to be good in such spaces (so no recognition is necessary).

In this sense, Tsunade is a better example as far as canon goes: she gets the position of Hokage -the maximum authority of Konoha, after Jiraiya declines to be the leader, and manages to establish her presence as a capable political figure (Konoha’s politics, that is).

However, many fans of Sakura proclaim that she would be a far better option than many male characters who aspire to become Hokage (Naruto, Kiba, even Sasuke) for no really good reason other than because she’s a woman, and that would be -somehow- progressive (reform comes in the aspect of another female Hokage, rather than a political system change). And I get it, watching women acquire positions of power that are usually given to men is always great (the three previous Hokage were males, as were Tsunade's two subsequent successors), but other than her gender, what does Sakura bring to the table?

Female capacities, much like in the patriarchal sense, get solely tied to their gender -but, unlike in the oppressive-male vision where women’s competence is degraded, here her abilities are magnified with no actual logical reason. Sakura knows exactly nothing about how to rule a village, but she’s the female protagonist, hence, she somehow deserves the position.

(No. I do not endure Naruto’s candidacy to become Hokage for the same reasons I won’t endure Sakura’s: They are both equally inadequate to politically manage a village, Naruto only has a far better chance at becoming the leader because he’s physically more powerful than Sakura, but beyond that, they’re similar in their incapacity.)

Feminist role models are women with archetypical male traits.

- And those who possess archetypical female behaviors are less valuable, despite their accomplishments. -

Very tied to the previous point comes this one, which you might notice has been summarized in the title. In this regard, we have the two female characters previously mentioned as models of both ends of the spectrum: Sakura represents the tomboy archetype (people want it to be Tenten, but she doesn’t have enough panels to become a role model at all), while Hinata is the overly-childishly feminine figure.

(I shall clarify this again: this point and the previous one are intrinsically tied to one another, I only divided them to make a more detailed analysis, but we can’t separate the notion of female empowerment being tied to women who excel in culturally male dominated-fields, of the idea of women dressing with “male” features)

Sakura always presented characteristics usually associated with male characters: A strong and rebellious personality, usually aggressive to the point of being capable of physical aggression, and with techniques associated with male heroes, possessing enough female traits to make her desirable to the protagonist (that is, showing concern on how appealing she might be for the men around her, particularly Sasuke).

She becomes the feminist role model par excellence because she detaches herself from the exaggeratedly feminine role to break in into the one usually reserved for the masculine gender, but in using her as a feminist’s standard, we commit -at least- two crimes:

1- We deny the relevance (in the plot and in the feminist movement) of other women who decide not to behave in the culturally associated male-manner.

Yes, I’m particularly speaking of Hinata, who sits at the exact opposite corner of Sakura, but I also include other female characters who are dragged for that very same reason: Ino and Mei, who sit in a comfortable middle (unlike Tenten, Anko, Tsunade, and Temari, who side with Sakura, Kishimoto made a point of doing female characters with strong personalities, it seems). Hinata becomes the enemy: an archetype we should destroy, the type of women we should not defend, who has no voice in the movement.

And while Hinata, particularly, does bring nothing to the discussion, Sakura -surprisingly- does it neither, this is because:

2- We do not question the patriarchal notion of power, rather, we model ourselves (the female characters that represent us) to meet those patriarchal standards, in order to be “rewarded” with some relevance.

And yes, this is absolutely tied to the first point of the post, women who usually excel in culturally male-dominated fields are shown to have also culturally associated male behaviors, that is no coincidence.

Sakura is often believed to be the strongest kunoichi, why exactly? Because she’s the female lead and has massive strength. That's why. Logically, there’s no reason to believe so, her power comes from healing, her strength, and Byakugou no Jutsu (which is a technique that allows her to heal fast, using no seals, but shortens her life span). A person with good speed and/or middle or long-range attacks and a decent chakra pool could be able to take her out -I’m not diminishing her capacities, but she’s particularly blown out of proportion-.

But why am I bringing this up? Sakura uses the type of techniques often portrayed by male heroes: massive strength, and that, for some reason, gives her an advantage in the fandom over other female characters who do not possess such technique.

Hulk, Captain America, Superman (although he does possess other powers, mainstream media loves to show him punching people), etc; all of them considered almost invincibles, share the same technique Sakura possesses: strength, a skill often used to portray male-physical (superior to women) power. We don’t need to go far to find similar examples: Valquiria (Thor Ragnarok) shares a similar tomboy personality and physical strength as Sakura -and she’s on the good side, so, female empowerment.

Physical strength (again, a technique usually associated with men), is then believed to be an almost-impossible-to-overpower technique; and many feminist like to think that the importance of Sakura having it is because she breaks the “only men can be physically strong” rule, but that is false: one, Tsunade is the one who came up with the technique, two, it works by enhancing your strength with chakra, so basically almost everyone can perform it if so they desire, and third, Sakura’s character does not question the patriarchal view in the importance of physical power (associated to men!). She cements it.

Female accomplishments mean nothing without the male's validation

If a woman accomplishes something and there isn’t a man to see it, does the woman really accomplish anything? For as long as I have been here, the female characters in Naruto are tied to the male character’s perspective. That is nothing but blatantly shown when it comes to Sakura and Hinata, whose fans use panels of Naruto (particularly) acknowledging Sakura (and Hinata) feats to either justify their ship, or the character’s growth.

Naruto recognized their capacities, therefore, their talent is a canon fact rather than a biased belief based on the affection Naruto has for them. I am not saying that both Sakura and Hinata’s accomplishments aren’t canon, but that the male’s validation of those accomplishments is far more important (for a large part of the fandom) than them having the actual skill.

Sasuke’s character is often attacked because he refuses to acknowledge Sakura’s skills, therefore, he doesn’t “deserve her”, despite the fact that his lack of recognition does not diminish the ability she has to perform. Even canonically Sakura states this, saddening at the thought that her efforts were “for nothing” (she doesn’t literally express this, but is not a reading difficult to make), because she lacks Sasuke’s expressed congratulations.

Women can’t do any wrong

The flaws that Kishimoto gave his female characters are either brushed aside or solely tied to the misogynistic beliefs of the author, excusing several toxic behaviors by labeling them as examples of “male authors not knowing how to write women”.

I will not deny that Kishimoto, as most male shonen authors, has sexist beliefs and those are reflected in his work, but if you choose to reduce Sakura and Hinata’s characterization as the result of a misogynist mindset, therefore, denying those of any relevance; then their accomplishments as ninjas should suffer the same fate.

Sakura is shown, for a large portion of the manga, as mean-spirited: she often punches her male companions (those might be for comical purposes for the most part, but she punched Sai for the sole reason he bad-mouthed Sasuke, had Sai retaliated, he would have been reprimanded, Sakura wasn’t), speaks badly of her female comrades and often denigrates them in order to lift herself up (x). Her fandom purposefully brushes that behavior aside, excusing it with bad writing, but then my question is, aren’t female characters allowed to be mean?

As feminists, we preach for equal rights and treatment, but when Kishimoto presents us with a flawed female character that escapes the typical female protagonist prototype (the kind girl who follows the main character around), we can’t handle having a female lead that isn’t meant to be universally liked.

Sakura’s behavior (and even Hinata’s, don't think I forgot that she stalked Naruto and brought up Neji’s slave condition during their match) is either excused because she’s a girl or because of Kishimoto’s lack of writing skills. And both perspectives are unjust because Sakura is a decent written character meant to show a girl (and later on a woman), with deep unresolved self-esteem issues and frustrations.

Furthermore, excusing her behavior or diminishing the negative impact that it has on others is to be condescending of a woman’s capacity to cruelty, which is (behold!) a patriarchal belief.

Women are not intrinsically good, there’s a novel called Madame Bovary (that is considered one of the best feminist novels of all times) written by Gustave Flaubert (yes, a man), whose lead character is a woman who’s deeply frustrated with her life (spoiler):

She hates her husband, the church, her child, her gender (and what it implies in society) and seeks to have various affairs. She resents her life so much so, that she ends up committing suicide.

Truth be told, the author did not write her to be liked, but to be an example of what happens to young girls who don’t align with society, and yet, Madame Bovary surpassed the initial role it had: she became a memoir of women’s frustrations, of women’s lengths to cruelty (it's -for what I can remember-, described how Madame Bovary takes pleasure in mistreating her husband, who she hates for his lack of ambition and pride) and how a woman tries to fight an oppressive system.

Madame Bovary, flawed and full of resentfulness that eats her from the inside out, fights against the patriarchal system in a much more impactful way than Sakura does -especially if we destroy the flaws that make her a unique protagonist.

The idea that women need to be always kind perpetuates the belief that, because of our well-spirited nature, we need protection -either physical or mental, and as consequence, our harmful actions shall receive no punishment.

We aren’t fighting against the patriarchal belief, but we are twisting it to our benefit.

If readers do not allow female characters to face the consequences of their own actions, choosing instead to blame another (male) character or the (male) author, then they are denying the female characters their agency: Sakura made the decision to punch Sai, manipulate Naruto’s feelings for her own benefit -whether she considered to be doing it for the greater good does not negate her ulterior motives, and poke fun at Tsunade's age. If we don’t hold her accountable for such actions, then we strip female characters of actual decision-making: therefore, it's not about women making their own choices (they aren't given free will) but forcing them to follow the path we want for them. It's still controlling the female characters to "protect" them.

In that sense, if women can’t be responsible for their decisions, then women can’t be put in positions of power (such as the Hokage’s seat), since those spaces demand whoever occupies them to be responsible for their actions. Hence, if Sakura can’t be held accountable, then she doesn’t deserve to be the leader.

In the same manner, if Hinata is not responsible for her words during the chünin exams or her chosen ignorance on the matter of her clan’s slavery (even after Neji blatantly exposes it for what it is), then she’s definitely not fit to be the clan leader.

And here I'll add: Being accountable for their decisions does not mean forcing them to change things. For instance, in Hinata's case, it means to take a position about whether she endorses or not clan slavery and stick with it, if she knows it's wrong, but still chooses to support it, she'll have to deal with the political and moral consequences. Instead, we're allowing her to exist in a void that spares her from any consequence and gives her no actual political relevance.

Why is Sakura or Hinata not allowed to be flawed? Is it because their characters revolve around men? I have news: not only female characters have that trait. Naruto’s obsession with Sasuke is as enormous as Sakura is (and there’re fans that found it as equally romantic as SS), Gaara’s whole character revolves around obtaining Naruto’s approval/friendship after the chünin exams. Pein never got over Yahiko’s death, as neither did Konan and so on. We are more trained and prepared to see those types of things when it comes to female characters, but Kishimoto distributed fixation traits in equal measures.

As for romantic developments, it’s often that this fandom puts the female characters as the sole victims of the romance dynamics presented in the ending: SS and NH are a testament to how the male characters were trapped in a relationship they never expressed they wanted to be a part of. Furthermore, Sai never canonically expressed during the manga to want to be both in a romantic relationship and with Ino specifically (she did, however, voice interest). So how come we mostly treat romantic interest as coffins for female characters, instead of a two-way street?

Sakura is a character marked by her obsession with a boy, her lack of confidence, jealousy, and frustrations, in that sense, she clashes against the typical notion of a female co-protagonist, who’s brought into the manga by Hinata’s characterization only to be mocked.

Sakura, much like Madame Bovary, carries inside the Narutoverse the idea of an active libido, she’s driven by her awakening sexual desire over Sasuke -and her distaste for Naruto; she goes against the innocent role that the public expects of her, which gives her more depth and feminist relevance than the version the fandom chooses to worship.

(And no, Sakura's character is not groundbreaking either, Kishimoto is not that good of a writer: she does share similarities with other female co-protagonist, like their harsh demeanor. But Sakura is consciously and purposefully mean, while other female characters tend to have 'cruel moments' more in regards to their unconscious abrasive nature).

Hinata however, by being presented as the feminine archetype, does not have actual relevance to the plot while at the same time (pretty literally), lacks a -significant- voice. She’s not even allowed her own defense, which is in exchange carried out by the male protagonist. Whether Kishimoto intended the metaphor or not, that does not change the fact that might be read as such.

Lastly, why are the females’ questionable behaviors reduced to “Kishimoto’s bad writing”, while male behaviors (like Naruto’s rude attitude or Sasuke’s arrogance) are attributed to their character’s personality? Shouldn’t they receive the same defense as their female companions?

“Potential” is often used as a word to replace the fandom’s unfulfilled wish.

The idea that female characters had the “potential” to be great yet Kishimoto undermined them in order to both uplift the male characters and to introduce romance is, at least, debatable. For instance, the idea that Sakura should have gotten over Sasuke not only has no claims in canon (at no point in the manga did Sakura stopped being infatuated with Sasuke, therefore, she getting over him had no actual potential to develop), but also ignores Sakura’s expressed wishes: she made the conscious decision to chase after him.

Both Sasuke and Naruto are people that surpass shinobi standards, even Hashirama and Madara are considered inferior as Asura and Indra reincarnations, so why is Sakura being inferior so hard to accept? Kakashi, another fan favorite, also pales considerably against them, why is Sakura or any female character robbed of their potential, but male characters aren’t?

In that sense, “potential” and women empowerment are less about female characters' expressed desires and more about them choosing the path/romantical partner that the fandom wishes for them to choose.

Kishimoto owes nothing to the fandom.

The last point and the most controversial one: Kishimoto owes nothing to the fandom. He’s a male author that started a manga in 1999, having been raised in Japan under a patriarchal system.

His views on female characters are, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, far more open-minded than many mangas published during the same period. Furthermore, during the time Naruto was being published, Kishimoto allowed the fandom to have a say in many aspects of his creation, thus affecting the final product.

Kishimoto literally gave the public an off the norm female co-protagonist, choosing to show a deeply flawed individual (who does not acknowledge her imperfections, but the plot does it for her), and yet the fandom still is dissatisfied with the result.

Sakura and Hinata are, by no means, my favorite characters at all, but the way he wrote them is a challenge of the norm in itself; I understand that he accomplished little when it comes to appealing female characters (personal beliefs aside), but he gave them enough ground to move on.

The fandom is more focused on having overpowered women (being chased by male characters rather than the other way around), than having morally complex ones, thus, having three-dimensional women is not the actual fandom’s desire, but having prototypical male characters’ traits in feminine designs.

By following that path, we don’t challenge the norm, the notion of power and its patriarchal established significance gets cemented, and our individuality as females is then forced to mutate to reach the masculine standards to get relevance as a reward.

Addition: Male characters that either present culturally associated female behaviors or male characters that the fandom perceives as female-coded.

This specific point is more inclined towards, in its majority, yaoi shippers (such a fanbase mostly consists of female readers) that create and develop romantic dynamics between two or more male characters. The creation of such relationships isn't bad or toxic per se, however, many of these fans portray these types of relationships with a heteronormative premise, in doing so, they give one of the two characters involved female-coded behaviors.

It's interesting to note how most of the time the male characters that the fandom links to such prototypical feminine conducts are Uchiha characters (particularly Sasuke and Madara), which are both the most beautifully designed (it's often brought up in the manga how alluring they are), and the ones canonically accused of having a "biological" condition that makes them too emotional and therefore dangerous.

It's, again, a patriarchal and misogynistic mindset that associates females (or the characters associated with such archetypal conduct) with emotional responses due to biological conditions that they have no control of in order to diminish their merits, dismiss their ideas, downgrade their participation in government affairs and deny them of any political power.

[And let's not forget that many of the people reproducing such beliefs also consider themselves "feminists" whose idea of activism is creating female characters that follow the patriarchal standard analyzed previously -like many Sakura fix-it fanfictions].

Furthermore, they "balance" such chaotic behavior from the female-coded characters by pairing them with "virile" characters (often using Naruto, Hashirama, and Tobirama) that are able to "control" and/or withstand the emotional responses from their partners.

It's still a sexist mindset and conduct that gets merged with their idea of feminism, destroying the actual purpose of the movement and consequentially reproducing both the misogynistic values that downgrade and/or diminish women (and males with female-coded behaviors) and fetishize LGTB+ relationships, reducing them to a prototypical patriarchal heteronormative dynamic.

#naruto manga #naruto meta #feminism #female empowerment #anti sakura #anti sakura haruno #anti sakura fandom #anti hinata #anti hinata hyuuga #anti hinata fandom #anti ss #anti sasusaku #anti nh #anti naruhina #anti saiino #anti naruto fandom #kishimoto #anti konoha #anti shinobi system #ino yamanaka #mei terumi #tsunade senju #temari #konan #konan naruto #sabaku no temari #karui naruto #tenten

[itachiboutit]

Choices

Prompt: Forgotten/Dreams

Rating: G/T (I never know how to rate these things, sorry😅)

A/N: This is the first story I’ve posted exclusively on Tumblr, not to mention the first one shot I’ve written in a while, and I’m pretty hecking nervous about it. If you do happen to like my work, do me a favor check me out!

….

Naruto sat in the hallway of his home, head in hands, deep in thought. He’d thought he’d come in quietly enough, as late as it was, but his wife was always up, waiting, just for him.

He heard her light footsteps and looked up, giving her a tired smile.

“Welcome home,” Hinata said quietly.

Naruto only sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

She noticed immediately, “What’s the matter? Was it the briefing with Lord Sixth?”

He shook his head, “No, it was fine.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

He laughed a bit, shaking his head then finally looking up to her, “What would you say if I said I was having second thoughts?”

She frowned and he could already tell that he was in for a scolding, “Naruto, that isn’t funny.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not joking.”

“What?” Hinata was dumbfounded, “B-But becoming Hokage, that’s your dream. It’s been your dream for forever.”

“And it still is my dream. I just…” He drew his legs up, wrapping his arms around them.

Hinata had come to sit beside him, “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

“That’s it. Nothing’s wrong. Things are perfect.”

“I...don’t understand.”

“It’s you,” He looked at her and smiled. “And Boruto and Himawari. I never thought I could be this happy and that my life could be this perfect, but it is.”

“We’re what’s holding you back?” Hinata repeated quietly. Naruto could tell that he upset her, which isn’t at all what he was trying to do.

“No, no, no, Hina,” He grabbed her hand. “You guys aren’t holding me back, I swear. Ever since I was a little kid, I’d wanted to be Hokage.”

“Yes, I remember that very well,” she teased lightly.

“That’s not all, though. I wanted to be Hokage because I had no one. No family or anything. Becoming the Hokage would mean that everyone would be my family, that I would never be alone. But then all that Hero of Konoha stuff started happening and I was a something of a celebrity for a while and I was never alone. But it didn’t really feel like family, you know? The way I feel with Iruka-sensei, mom and dad when I met them, and even Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade. Then we got together,” Naruto squeezed her hand. “Had a family and… Hokage seemed a little less important after that.”

She was listening intently, eyes averted as a blush dusted her cheeks.

He continued, “I think before, I never had anyone to worry about leaving behind. Never thought I would either. Now I have three people, and I don’t ever want you guys to feel like that, you know?”

“We all talked about this though. Remember? Boruto and Himawari both.”

Naruto sighed a little at that. Two year old memory is selective at best and he wasn’t quite sure Boruto was completely listening either, being the hyperactive ball of energy that he was.

“Yeah but just this morning before I left, Himawari practically begged me to stay. She knows I go on missions and I’m sure she just wanted to play or something but at the end of the week I’ll have to leave for a long time for this diplomatic tour Kakashi-sensei wants me to take. I don’t know if I could do it.”

“She did seem a little down today,” Hinata mumbled to herself, really only making Naruto feel worse. She leaned her head against his arm. They didn’t say anything for a while.

Naruto was beginning to feel even worse, thinking that she had fallen asleep on the floor, tending to him and his irrational anxiety, until she finally spoke, “I know this must be a hard decision for you to make, I’m sorry I hadn’t thought of it like that before. I knew that this wouldn’t be easy. I’d be lying if I said that the prospect of you going away for so long and so often doesn’t make me sad. But to me, the answer is simple.”

He looked down at her curiously. She lifted her head, smiling at him, “Whether you decide to be a candidate for Hokage or not, know that we'll support you no matter what you choose.” She punctuated her statement with a kiss on his cheek.

His eyes softened and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He’d been trying to make a decision all day actually. So much so that it’d almost been torturing him. Sitting outside his children’s rooms wasn’t the most unbiased approach, but it was something he had to seriously consider. Boruto and Himawari were older now and Hinata and Naruto both agreed that he could start his candidacy. But given his newfound doubt he wished he could’ve waited until they were just a bit older. Childhood was a very delicate time and he wanted to be there as much as he could. Alas, he was on the clock. Kakashi-sensei wouldn’t wait forever.

But Naruto wanted to be there for his family. He’d never thought he was capable of such love before now. They were the most important thing in his life.

He had a dream. The same dream since he’d been little. To become Hokage. His ambition for the position only increased as he got older. Naruto still wanted to be Hokage. And yet he didn’t. He didn’t want to risk time with his family. But Hinata… thoughtful, wonderful, beautiful Hinata, the best wife in the whole world, let alone best mother, was right there and always had been right there. Whether it was a timid “good luck” that he’d been too stupid to hear at the time or giving him the reassurance he needed to continue fighting. She was always going to be at his side.

Naruto pulled her into his arms, lugging her onto his lap, almost squeezing her to death.

“What are you doing?” She giggled, desperately trying to keep quiet.

He released her enough to look her in the eye, face and tone now full of seriousness, “I love you.”

She flushed, blinking, “I-I love you too.”

The stoicism on his face melted away in favor of his trademark smile. Squeezing her once more, he stood, cradling her in his arms.

“Naruto,” she whined, laughing all the same, “Put me down!”

He shook his head, grinning widely. He felt overwhelmingly loved, how could he not share the happiness he was experiencing? In that instant, Naruto cursed himself for being such an idiot for the first twenty years of his life. Hinata was the greatest person in the world and he’d only realized it at 19. He wondered if she could ever forgive him. (In retrospect, their wedding bands seemed as much of a sign of forgiveness as any.)

Hinata was still trying to wriggle free, saying something about him needing rest. He pressed his lips to hers, instantly stopping her squirming as she brought her hand to rest against his chest.

Naruto still hadn’t made any type of decision, yet once again, Hinata relieved him of all his worries. It made him so unbearably happy to know that he had not one but three people who would always be in his corner.

No matter what, they were going to be okay.

...

#nhweek2019 #nhweek #naruhina #hinata #naruto #himawari #boruto #sunshine family #look at me writing fluff #thats rare

[oc-lootcrate]

@kcnkei : [x]

‘ i apologize , takuma-san. i suppose i allowed my tact to evade me for a moment there. ’ honesty was shimo’s strong suit , no doubt , but he normally worked to put things delicately rather than plainly in order to avoid unnecessary confrontation. ‘ of course i will vouch for your candidacy to become hokage when the time comes. all i’m trying to say is the job isn’t what it’s made out to be. ’ he should know , after all; the responsibilities of being yukigake slowly creeping up on him despite the current yukikage being perfectly capable of the work. he was next in line , he knew it well and so did his people. did he want the job? absolutely not. ‘ i hope the council takes my word into consideration , i’ve worked with konohagakure closely these last few years so i’m sure it won’t be a problem. ’ as an ambassador for an ally village to konoha shimo’s opinion on the next hokage was important , just like any other ambassadors opinion was considered important.

     Takuma frowned like a child as reality hit him in the face; well, more like Shimo backhanding him across the face with the truth even though he half expected to hear it. The Hokage position was a lot more than he was making it out to be, he assumed that much, but he couldn’t help but want to know more about it. Not to mention he had a bet with Uzumaki Naruto on who was going to snatch it first.

                                  ❝Look, I’ll be honest with you, buddy,❞ Takuma placed a hand on the other’s shoulder as he looked him straight in the eyes, ❝I gotta take that position from my dweeb of a friend, no matter what it costs. I can’t give him the satisfaction, y’know?❞

     Takuma could be a devious little shit when the time called for it, though he wasn’t sure how far it would get him in a situation like this. The most he could hope for at the moment was that his words had some sort of effect on the other that motivated him to, you know, secure it. Was it possible? Probably not, but he’s desperate. 

                                  ❝I’m what the kids call a “broke bitch” Mo—can I call you Mo?—and I’d hate for him to win. Help a fella out, right?❞

#Sassador The Ambassador [ Shimo ] #The Next Hokage In Line [ Takuma ] #[ kcnkei ] #{ ooc;; Thank you! <3 } #{ ooc;; Don't mind me and my son acting like the idiots that we are :) } #{ IC;; }

[indigo-rainn]

Keep Me Close

Chapter 2 – Dream

Sakura struggled up into a seated position against the wall, the tiled wall cool against her shoulder blades. Her heart fluttered dangerously against her ribcage. At least six nurses crowded around her, blocking the florescence and badgering her with questions that she swirled together in a dense loudness. She inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before exhaling and opening.

"Back up, everyone," she ordered evenly, using the wall to help herself to her feet. Although there remained a faint ringing in her ears, whatever had so violently gripped her had left. Sakura allowed herself a moment to regain her balance, shooing away with staff who remained with a gloved hand. She refused eye contact, keeping her narrowed gaze on the tales, tracing the outlines methodically.

Something had happened to Sasuke. That much was clear. The chakra signature that had entered her, the screaming in her head – it was all unmistakably his, and that knowledge frightened her. He had never tried to contact her before, and this escalated far beyond anything like that. His last known contact had been in Kyreen – much too far away for chakra signatures to be detected and to contact one another. Yet, somehow, he had done that.

Now, it was her turn to respond. She needed to do something, immediately. She had to get to Naruto.

"Everyone, back to your business. You, please come with me," barked Sakura. Her favorite nurse trailed her as she blustered out of the emergency room. She blew into the locker room, ripping off her scrubs and yanking on her shinobi garb while she spoke:

"Koira, what happened in there?"

"You passed out, m'am. It looked like a seizure, but you were quite conscious." The nurse's voice trembled with nerves.

"Did I say anything? Could you hear any screaming?!" Sakura demanded, rounding on the nurse, her voice lurching on the verge of maniacal.

"N-no, m'am. Screaming? No," the nurse said quickly.

Before the nurse could stutter another word, Sakura took off. She sprinted down the hall, slammed through the main doors, and flash-stepped up to the roof. She darted as fast as she could across the town, leaping from building to building, her eyes trained on the Hokage building.

Terror gripped her still. How could something like this happen? She couldn't get the sound of Sasuke's screams out of her head. She never thought anything would happen to him – he and Naruto were unbeatable... So, what the hell had happened? She had never felt something like that before, that visceral tug wrenching at her chest over such a great distance. Had he done it on purpose? Was he trying to call her? Was he alive? She had an image in her head of him stuck somewhere, alone in the dark, hurt and unable to move, and a single tear snuck past her defenses and cascaded down her cheek. She needed to help him. She couldn't leave him out there. Wherever he was, dead or alive, she needed to be there. She had to protect him.

When Sakura arrived at the Hokage building, she burst through the doors to find Kakashi's chair empty. Naruto stood on the porch outside, his back to her, surveying Konoha with a distant expression.

"Naruto-kun!" she shouted, rushing across the room to meet him and bursting past the sliding glass door. She stopped at his side, and looked up at him. Naruto's eyes were darkened, glazed, his jaw set in a firm line, and he didn't move to look at her. She could feel the fury radiating from him like a heat, and when she set a hand on his shoulder, she felt him trembling beneath his orange jacket.

"You felt it too, Sakura?" he muttered. She nodded, wavering on her feet between fury and fear. She wanted to smash the culprit into tiny, insignificant pieces, but she couldn't undo what had already taken place.

"I was standing right here," he continued, eyes falling to his sandals. "Kurama held me up so I could really feel it. It was like this fire of chakra I didn't even know was there – like a part of the landscape or something – suddenly leapt up in size, towering over everything, only to wink out in an instant…" he trailed off. "And now it's gone. All of it."

"This is so bad, Naruto," she whispered, hands flying to her chest. "W-we need to go after him. What if he's hurt? Or worse, we need to get a team together–"

Naruto turned to her and gripped her shoulders. His bright blue eyes gleaming, he forced a grin: "Sakura-chan, breathe. We'll get him back. We always do. And I already called Taka. Suigetsu and Juugo are going to meet you and another team member at the crossroads. Shikamaru and Hinata are both back and rested from their most recent mission, so take your pick."

"Aren't you coming too, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde shinobi's expression tightened, his blue hues flecked with gray. He fell a step back and clasped his hands together, twisting them together as his brow knit up. His lower lip stuck, sapphire gaze flickered up to the clouds tilting overhead.

"I'll be right behind you," he said finally. The words visibly tugged at him, his hands balling into fists. "I'm standing in for Kakashi for the next day or so, and it's sort of a trial run. The counsel votes on my candidacy next week."

Sakura reached out and took Naruto's wrists in each of her hands, uncoiling his fingers and coaxing the palms flat in the space between them. Her small hands dwarfed in comparison, the Kyuubi's heat tingling against her skin. She grasped his hands firmly, emerald eyes darting up to capture Naruto's before he could look away. She could sense the turmoil lashing out in his chakra – his instinct to protect his friend far outweighing his responsibility to stay in Konoha. The scarlet and crimsons energy pulsed into the air around her, and she squeezed his hands tighter.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," she breathed, holding his cerulean gaze. "You need to stay here. Let us help make your dream come true, this time. I can't let you throw away becoming Hokage – I will handle this. We will handle this."

"Sakura-chan, I can't just leave him out there, I need to go–" Naruto twisted around, about to hop up to the railing and launch.

Sakura balled her hand into a fist, and made to jab him in the chest, stopping just short. Her knuckles hummed against the fabric of his t-shirt, and could feel him rise to meet her touch with every thump of his heart. He froze, mid-stride.

"No, Naruto," she said, her eyes alight with flecks of searing gold. "Become hokage. You've earned it, and we can't afford to lose that spot to someone else who won't be able to protect us like you can. Hinata and I will get a head start, and you will meet us as soon as you can."

Naruto's jaw slackened, then reset.

"Sakura-chan..." he trailed off.

"Wait for my raven. I'll see you soon." With that, Sakura brushed past Naruto and leapt up to the railing ahead of them. From there, she charged up the soles of her boots with chakra and launched to the next building, wind tugging moisture from her eyes. When she tucked into a roll on the landing, she stole a glance back.

Naruto, still just outside of the office, rose a hand in salute. Sakura exhaled. He had really grown.

Cold.

That was the first sensation that rattled his core when he finally came to. Darkness – the sheer blackness pressing down – came second. The third, pain, arrived more distantly. He was aware of the wounds on his body, tearing at his skin, but he couldn't put his finger on any of it. As if the sensation swam around him, surrounding him, without an anchor.

His senses, apart from those three, didn't come to him. No smell, no touch, no sight. Like a soul detached from a body that he too, could not see.

Death. This must be death.

Then, a voice. Muffled and unrecognizable, but a voice. So far away. He tried to listen, tried to turn toward it, struggling against the blackness for a sense of being.

Wake up.

He recoiled. The voice was sinister. He didn't want to wake up. He fought back.

Wake up.

The pain that had once been so distant drew closer. He writhed away from it now, but he had no leverage, and it wrenched him into the light.

Sasuke awoke, choking. There was something over his eyes, and a wet piece of fabric over his mouth. He was choking, violently, and he couldn't breathe. He tried to move, but was bound tight with ropes that cut and burned at his skin. Beneath his bare shoulder blades, a cold metal table. Immense pain erupted in his leg, made worse as he jerked and fought against the suffocation. Voices above him, a chorus of rough hands holding him down.

Then, someone lifted the fabric from his face. Water spewed from his mouth as he hacked and choked in the air. Breathing. His heart hammered against his chest, his lungs on fire. His mind felt numb from oxygen deprivation, and he still couldn't see.

"Sasuke-kun," growled someone next to him.

He didn't recognize the voice. He began assessing his own body as the voice continued, trying to determine the state of things. His knee was busted, his wrist broken. A stab wound in his side. Cuts and burns that weren't there before on his chest. His chakra supply so depleted that he could scarcely lift a finger.

Assess.

He was being held captive, he knew that. He knew he was being tortured. He didn't know where he was, or who was doing this to him, and he didn't know why. How long had it been? He didn't know that either. Was anyone even looking for him? Would they know where to look? An unfamiliar discomfort twisted in his belly, and shoved the sensation down, but it coiled its way back up.

Fear.

Without warning, something hard drove into the wound in his side – someone's hand? – and he cried out. He tasted iron in his mouth and groaned, turning his head away. An intense nausea gathered in his throat.

"When I speak, you listen," snarled his assailant, standing above him somewhere. Sasuke was too disoriented and too weak to pinpoint where the voice came from, the darkness blinding.

"I'm assuming you know who Sasori is," said the speaker.

The Akatsuki puppet master? Sasuke tried to tether the thought down. He'd heard whisperings, long ago, that a certain rose-haired kunoichi had taken the guy out. Orochimaru had mentioned it, during training. He nodded once.

"Well, good, that's a start. I take many of my cues from Sasori-san, even in his death…" the voice trailed off, lifting with more sincerity than Sasuke was quite comfortable with. The speaker, whoever he was, had declared himself a lunatic follower of a dead man. Not a good start. Sasuke listened as the man trailed across the room, picked something up off of a metal surface, and paced back and forth. The echoing betrayed the presence of walls – they were in a relatively small room, from what Sasuke could tell, in a lab or hospital.

"He was on the right track. Using bodies as puppets? Genius…but his research never reached its full potential," the voice rang with pride. Footsteps, tapping on tiles across the room, approached. Sasuke blew out a held breath, fighting to stay calm.

"I asked myself – why stop at dead bodies? Why kill the host? So much of a body's strength lies in its living abilities…it seems so obvious."

Sasuke felt fingers curl around his arm, and the prick of an IV going into his wrist. He struggled across the chakra-infused bands that bound him to the table, with no success. They zapped what little strength he had, and his body went slack

"The real prize is in the kekkei genkai and preexisting skills of a living shinobi. Without those, the body is a husk, and the puppet is weak. I want the whole thing, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke felt his body go warm, his fingertips tingling as he drifted into unconsciousness.

The pinkette kunoichi darted out of the shade of the trees, dropped to a crouch, and surveyed the valley that dipped below them. Her dominant hand snapped to the kit strapped to her leg, fingers dancing between the weapons and scrolls tucked within. Hinata slid in behind her, her white eyes flashing as she checked for signs of approaching shinobi.

"Clear," the Hyuuga prodigy breathed, tucking a loose strand of jet-black hair behind her eat.

The women took off down the hillside and onward. They'd been running for three days, and the late afternoon sun shone golden on the trees spread ahead of them. The valley would take the rest of the day to get through, and the coast waited for them on the opposite side, beyond sight. There they would meet and camp for the night with Team Taka, and then make their final push north to Kyreen the following morning.

"Sakura-chan," called Hinata after some time had passed, darting up to run at her side through the tree tops. "Thank you, for taking me with you."

Sakura found the statement somewhat strange. After her conversation with Naruto back in Konoha, she had burst into Hinata's house unannounced and nearly dragged the poor girl out of the gate to get the mission started. It was hardly worth gratitude. A berating, maybe.

"What? No, don't be–"

"I mean it, Sakura," Hinata stammered. "It means a lot. Back when we were kids, I didn't understand. You and Naruto, and getting Sasuke back, it just didn't make sense to me, and I didn't help like I should have. I want to make that up to you. I get it now, and I am going to make it right."

She smiled at the rosette, her eyes glimmering. Sakura grinned, reached out, and gave her hand a tight squeeze.

"Thank you, Hinata. That means the world. I'm glad you're here, too."

The two kunoichi sped off into the evening, smiling into the setting sun. They would get their friend back, no matter what.

Suigetsu splayed out on the ground, in the middle of the campsite, his limbs outstretched in sleep. His mouth lay open, drool dribbling down his chin, his teeth exposed and glittering hazardously. Juugo stepped over him, grumbling something unintelligible as he dropped a pile of firewood next to the flames he'd put together. When he sat next to the fire, wrapping his shoulders with a blanket, a songbird landed to join him. He stirred the pot of stew he had heating up over the fire, and the bird watched intently.

Abruptly, a human whistle sounded out from the trees, and he responded in turn. Minutes later, the Konoha kuncoichi tiptoed into the light

They both stumbled with exhaustion – betrayed by the disheveled hair and clothes and the dark circles beneath each of their eyes. Sakura had a particularly hallowed look to her, her eyes flickering nervously around the campsite. Hinata, although tired, seemed slightly more calm.

Juugo motioned for the women to join him, and they sidled up to the fire gratefully. He reached into his pack and pulled out bowls, handing them to the girls along with a ladle and spoons.

"Juugo, this is so much. Thank you," murmured Hinata. They both devoured their first helpings, and went back for seconds. Juugo smiled, but said nothing before turning and giving Suigetsu a good kick in the side. The Mist nin yelped in his sleep, but did not wake. Juugo rolled his eyes and returned to the kunoichi.

"We should get some sleep," he mumbled. "We can brief each other tomorrow morning. Good to see you both. Despite the circumstances."

With that, Juugo lumbered to the opposite side of the clearing, and saw to laying out his blankets. Sakura and Hinata followed suit.

The exhaustion took Sakura as soon as her head hit the ground. Her eyes fluttered shut.

A knock at the door, one summery evening. The sunset light streaming in through the windows, dancing on the floorboards. Sakura wearing a slinky white nightgown that clung to her thighs, curled on the couch with a medical textbook. She wasn't expecting anyone.

She pulled a robe over her shoulders and opened the door, drawing back in surprise. Nearly year had passed since she'd seen him last, and here he was again. Obsidian eye glittering, dark hair long and unkept. Just standing on her doorstep as if it were any other day.

"W-what are you doing here?" The words bubbled from her mouth as she overtook the initial shock. She noticed that the dark lines under Sasuke's eyes had deepened, and he looked more like his father than she remembered.

"I was in town," he muttered, eyes holding hers so intently that she blushed.

"You… were in town," she repeated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hn." Agreement? Acknowledgment?

"So, you decided to just drop in?" He raised his eyebrow at the statement, as if it were obvious, and shrugged. She shook her head incredulously, then turned back into her apartment.

"Well, come on in then."

She poured two glasses of wine, and they went out to the porch to watch the sun settle beyond the horizon together. They spoke for a while, exchanging stories and news from abroad. Sakura peppered him with questions about his travels, which he answered with as few words as possible, but answered all-the-same. They enjoyed the silence, too.

As the light dwindled, replaced by stars overhead, Sakura rose to her feet. She turned to him to say something, but found him suddenly closer than she'd realized, his hand gliding to rest on her shoulder.

His face hovered a breath from hers, porcelain skin as smooth as she remembered, his dark eyes softened, ever so slightly, staring impassively into hers. He drew closer, rested his forehead against hers, their noses nearly grazing. His hand lingered to cup her face, the brush of his thumb gentle against her cheek. His breath warm and sweet. Slowly she moved her hands to rest on his back, fingers tracing the sinew of muscles that moved and flexed as he did.

When his lips found hers, it was soft.

She'd never known him to be uncertain, but when he drew back, his expression was of veiled concern, searching her face for something to read. It occurred to her that he didn't know if this was okay. He didn't know if she was alright. A small smile moved across her face, and she drew him back in and kissed him back.

A/N

Thank you for reading, lovelies! Would love to hear what you think so far. :3 Happy New Year!!

xoxo

Indigo

#sasusaku #Sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #sasusakusara #team 7 #sasusaku fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #naruto #naruto shippuden #otp #@fanfiction #keepmeclosess

[jacksgreysays]

Okay you asked for prompts so you're getting prompts: Tobirama Is Actually A Cat, part 3, reuniting with his team.

A/N: … so… I actually forgot about this ‘verse? Aaand… I also don’t remember what I had planned, either…

Which I guess just makes this a free for all for me?

Yeah, okay, let’s do this.

~

Curiosity Kills (Satisfaction Guaranteed), 3/? (2017-12-07)

(four)

Tobirama is used to having eyes on him. His appearance, when he was younger, until he could rightly earn those looks because of his abilities. The Senju’s second strongest son.

And then, after Hashirama’s death, the strongest. The Hokage.

Yes, Tobirama is used to having people’s attention–negative more than positive–and while he might never handle it as well as Hashirama did, at least he could walk tall with his head held high.

Or, at least, he used to.

Now he slinks under everyone’s gaze, ashamed at being seen so. At the fuss everyone is making over him, over mistaken sorrow–an embarrassing tale for his students to hold over him later.

“Kitty!” a high voice calls out, before Tobirama is roughly grabbed, his legs pinned to his body, awkward, bordering on painful.

Still, he does not unsheathe his claws.

“Tsunade-chan, sweetheart, put him down,” Mito says–her voice he would recognize anywhere, thick with grief as it may be. Not as if it’s the first time, anyway.

Thankfully, Tobirama is let go–somewhat reluctantly dropped–and so he indulges his brother’s granddaughter the lingering pets.

To his surprise, Mito drops to her knees–ceremony and age be damned–and runs her own hand over his head. “Oh, Tobirama,” his best friend sighs, a familiar refrain.

For a moment, he thinks everything will be okay.

Then she starts to cry.

—

(There is no changing back.

As far as everyone knows, he is dead.

That may as well be true.)

—

He is free to come and go, the guards letting him through with fond if subdued smiles–never mind that he doesn’t need permission, chakra still keyed to the gates– but he doesn’t go far.

Tobirama walks the streets of Konoha, patrolling, protective, even if he can no longer be Hokage. This is still his brother’s village. His  village, too, and even in this cursed existence he will defend her to the death.

How lucky that it appears he can do so multiple times.

Outside the Senju compound, quiet and constant, everything is in flux.

They are at war still, of course, but more than that there is internal controversy. The people have lost their leader: while field promotions may hold for the ranks of soldiers, the council is reluctant to hand leadership over to a teenager.

On top of that, there is dissension in his team–damned politics muddling his straightforward decision with talks of candidacies and clan support.

Inside the Senju compound he is a reminder of a respected relative lost.

Outside, he is a critical pawn in his own succession.

~

A/N: … didn’t get to Team Tobirama just yet, sorry, but this seemed like a good place to end part 3 even if I did cop out the whole “he can’t change back” thing.

I mean, that is the premise anyway, so going through the story of how he tries and fails would just be redundant.

~FICTIONAL POLITICS ARE THE BEST POLITICS~

This series is based on @blackkatmagic’s ’Tobirama is actually a cat: discuss’

(Also, Ask Box Advent Calendar is on!)

#jacksgreyson #prompt response #to-someplace-else #ask box advent calendar #fanfiction #writing #naruto #tobirama senju #tsunade senju #mito uzumaki #curiosity kills (satisfaction guaranteed) #tobirama is actually a cat: discuss

[cyb-by-lang]

What is Kei's opinion about the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Konoha's Hokage?

Hashirama Senju: Boisterous dude, but probably not great at corpse identification. Kei mostly thinks of him in vague terms, in that she’s thankful he created the shinobi village system (because it’s better than the mess of the Clan Wars era) and yet still not sure why he dropped the ball so hard with Madara after it’d already become clear that the whole mess was going to explode in his face. The dude had a known habit of murderous tantrums.

Tobirama Senju: Respects his contribution to village logistics and administration, but otherwise not thought much about. The Konoha MPs may have been his brainchild, and she did realize that Tobirama’s objections to Madara’s candidacy (which everyone aside from Hashirama understood instantly) were well-founded. But since Kei deals with Obito most of the time, she has mixed feelings about Tobirama. 

Hiruzen Sarutobi: Mixed feelings, again. While Hiruzen is the Hokage of her childhood, Kei doesn’t view him as an idealized figure. His particular failings (like Orochimaru and Danzo) have specifically haunted her life, so she’s somewhat less than happy with the man even if he tries to basically be everyone’s grandpa now.

Basically, she prefers Minato above all others thus far.

#catch your breath fanfic #keisuke gekko #asks #anonymous #tobirama senju #hashirama senju #danzo shimura #hiruzen sarutobi #Orochimaru #minato namikaze

[kuriquinn]

Not Too Late

Summary: Sasuke is friendly with her – a friendliness that is simultaneously a relief and torture. Their friendship is as it always was, but she finds she is no longer satisfied by that. [SasuSakuMonth2017 – Day 2– Prompt: “Something More”]

Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author’s own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. You will be thrown into a pond if you are found plagiarizing.

Warning(s): Road To Ninja OCness for the characters. So flirty, dreamboat Sasuke and emotionally stunted Sakura :P

Fanon Compliance: Takes place several years after The Flip Side

AN: Again, sorry for the lateness, unpacking is kicking my ass. But I now can see my kitchen table, so yay for small victories! Editing will be done at a later date.

This fic was inspired by Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery (my favourite author growing up!). For some reason, the scene where Anne finally figures out how she feels about Gilbert struck me as being a believable way for RTN Sakura to figure out she’s in love with Charasuke.

The clouds are rolling in, threatening a late summer storm, when Sakura finally sets foot through Konoha’s giant gates. Weary and covered in road dust, she waves at Izumo and Kotetsu, before beginning the long trudge into the centre of the village.

She’s been away for almost a month, teaching a series of seminars on antidotes throughout the five shinobi countries. As the foremost medic in Konoha (after Lady Tsunade, of course, though the Hokage is too busy running the village to make many trips these days), Sakura is in high demand for her poison expertise and field training. Although she’s proud of her skills, and the networking will be a step up when it comes time to put forth her candidacy for Hokage, she can’t help feel exhausted.

This trip felt longer and more stressful – possibly because it’s the first one she’s undertaken alone. Her former teammates are so busy these days with their own pursuits. Menma is often away on missions with ANBU – although he’s sworn to secrecy on the matter, she’s pretty sure that he’s the new ANBU commander – and Kakashi is inspiring the next generation of shinobi at the Academy. As for Sasuke, he’s been taking on more responsibility within Konoha’s military police and among his clan, and so rarely has time to spare.

He doesn’t even have the time to flirt anymore, she thinks with grim humour as she passes by the Uchiha district.

It’s quieter than usual, she notices a beat later; most days it’s bustling with activity even late into the night.

The Uchiha are one of the oldest and most respected clans in Konoha, after all, and are usually at the centre of every village tradition and activity. The atmosphere here was always such a stark contrast to her own quiet upbringing – even more so after her parent’s deaths.

Whenever she and Menma used to come here as genin to pick up Sasuke or visit him on their days off, they always ended up running into someone who needed help around the house or with their chores. His older cousins would tease him good-naturedly, and his little cousins would take along with them, in awe of their status as ninja (even if they were only genin at the time).

Sasuke would complain about it, but both Sakura and Menma could always tell that he secretly loved it. He liked people relying on him, would go out of his way to help his older aunts and uncles, and even got his teammates to help him tend to his mother’s garden.

He was even more dedicated in the years after his brother left.

He’s a good guy, that wheedling voice at the back of Sakura’s head reminds her. He’ll make someone a good partner one day.

But she shrugs away that thought, because she’s made her feelings on that particular subject very clear – both to Sasuke and herself.

Being Hokage is an important job, and demands a lot – she’s seen as much with Tsunade; there’s no way she can dedicate herself to that and a family. Besides, as Hokage she might one day end up in the same position as her parents and have to sacrifice herself for the village. The idea of leaving her child or children to grow up orphaned haunts her; she knows from experience there’s no fate worse.

Besides, there will be no shortage of children to look after in the village, especially with all of her agemates pairing off and starting families.

Ino is engaged to a civilian art expert named Kyoya, and somehow Shikamaru managed to charm the Kazekage’s painfully shy sister over the course of the past few chuunin exams. There’s to be a state wedding in Suna next month before Temari officially relocates to Konoha. Choji just recently returned from a trip to Kumo, a soft-spoken bride in tow – apparently, he didn’t want to deal with the fuss of a big wedding.

And then, of course, there’s Menma.

Sakura recalls how a few months ago, Hinata stalked across the town square and flat-out told him they were getting married. And then he sighed, like it was a huge imposition, but accepted.

It should have been the most painful moment of her life, but all Sakura could feel was happy for her friend. She has long-since grown out of her one-sided crush with the Uzumaki boy (and doesn’t it gnaw at her that Sasuke accurately predicted that!), and despite Hinata’s overbearing nature, they’ve developed a mutual respect.

I guess it’s true that they say – that people change, she muses as she leaves the Uchiha district in her wake.

She considers whether she ought to stop at the Hokage Tower first, or home, and decides on the latter. Her mission wasn’t an urgent one, so there’s no need tor report in immediately. Besides, Suna’s desert is still clinging to her skin and her hair feels stiff with sweat. She needs to bathe before she can in good conscience enter the Hokage’s presence.

ロードトウニンジャ

Sakura takes her time once she’s home, enjoying a long shower and the feel of clean clothes on her skin. She even takes a short nap before heading out into the village; there’s no food in the house, and she doesn’t feel like getting groceries this evening.

As usual she heads for the Yakiniku Q, expecting to have a nice meal and perhaps some conversation. There’s always someone around to chat with – one of the double-edged perks of being the child of heroes, she supposes.

When she arrives, she sees a table at the back where a few of her friends are sitting quietly. It’s another oddity – usually her friends are the loudest in the room – but she chalks it up to the lateness of the day.

“Sakura!” Ino gasps when she sees her. “When did you get back?”

“About an hour ago,” she replies, sliding into an empty space. “Have you all ordered yet?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Hinata sneers. “Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”

“I’m not due to start any shifts for another day or two,” Sakura replies, frowning at the animosity. Hinata is never pleasant per se, but she’s stopped being so confrontational since her engagement.

“You…have you spoken to anyone else since you’ve been back?” Neji asks, eyes shifting to Tenten, who shakes her head incrementally.

“No, I haven’t,” Sakura says slowly. “Guys, what’s going on? Why are you all acting so…suspicious?”

“If anyone’s acting suspicious, it’d be you,” Hinata returns. “Then again, maybe it’s just who you are. I knew you were cold, but I’d think you’d be a little more upset that your fall-back guy is dying.”

“Hinata!” Tenten objects, eyes flitting anxiously to Sakura.

It takes about ten seconds for her to understand who exactly the Hyūga heiress is talking about, and five more before the meaning behind her words sink in. Once they do, she can only stare at the pale-eyed girl in disbelief.

“What?” she echoes faintly, feeling the blood drain from her cheeks so fast that she feels dizzy.

“Shut up, Hinata,” Ino says with uncharacteristic sharpness. She regards Sakura with the air of someone preparing to diffuse an explosive tag. “Sakura, don’t look like that, it’s – Sakura, do you hear me?!”

“You shouldn’t have told her so suddenly, Neji chides his cousin, who crosses her arms unrepentantly.

“She’s strong enough to take it. You beating around the bush wasn’t doing her any favours.”

“Is it…is it true?” Sakura asks her best friend in a voice that doesn’t sound like hers. “Is Sasuke…?”

“He’s very ill,” Ino confirms gravely. “He got sick about a day or so after you left on your mission.”

Almost a month ago!

“I’m surprised Lady Tsunade didn’t mention it to you when you got back,” Neji remarks.

“I…I just went straight home,” Sakura explains faintly. Her decision to luxuriate in the shower and nap suddenly seem ridiculous and selfish in the face of this new reality. “What’s wrong with him?”

“We don’t know,” Ino says. “Whatever it is, it’s bad enough that his parents brought him to the hospital. The healers don’t – Sakura, please don’t make that face!” Because if the Uchiha, who tend to have their own private family healers see to their needs, brought Sasuke to the hospital, it has to be serious. “He’s strong – you know how strong Sasuke is. He’ll pull through.”

“Shizune was here earlier and she figures there’s no hope,” Hinata remarks, taking a sip of sake.

Ino’s jaw sets, and in a move that is utterly uncharacteristic of her, she promptly marches the Hyūga girl away before Sakura throws a punch at her.

Not that she is at all in the mind frame to do so, because she is still struggling to make sense of what all this means.

“Don’t worry, Sakura,” Neji tells her, resting comforting hand on her shoulder. “Sasuke is Uchiha. They have strong constitutions. I have no doubt that he will pull through.”

But she doesn’t miss the slight waver in his voice, as if he isn’t sure what he’s saying is completely true.

Numb, Sakura shrugs off his hand and stands to leave. She barely hears her friends worriedly call her name as she steps out into the street, staring unseeingly ahead of herself.

The rain has started in earnest since she went inside and now beats down in sheets. Passersby sprint through the road, trying to find shelter, but she barely feels the water on her skin. The air throbs with energy, vibrating with the thunder, and three blocks away, Sasuke Uchiha lies dying. 

“Don’t be such an idiot.���

“You’re so annoying.”

“If you spent as much time on your jutsus as you do on flirting, you’d be better than Menma.”

“Why would I go on a date with you, you playboy?”

She remembers every single time she told him to leave her alone, or wished he would move on and get out of her life. Now that he might just do that, Sakura realises that it would be like cutting out a vital organ.

She begins to run.

ロードトウニンジャ

“What’s wrong with him?” Sakura demands as she bursts into the Critical Care ward, not bothering with a greeting.

“S-Sakura-sensei, you’re not supposed to –!”

 “Symptoms, Ando, or don’t bother speaking,” she barks.

“P-patient presented with…with shortness of breath and coughing,” her intern stammers. “Within a day it transitioned into full-fledged hemoptysis, resulting in the family admitting him to Critical Care. He’s required constant monitoring and daily healing sessions to keep his lungs clear.”

“Anything else?”

“I’m really not supposed to –”

“Then don’t – pass me his chart! He’s dying and you’re wasting my time with red tape!” she snarls, grabbing the clipboard from the flustered teenager and storming down the hallway to the wing where the patients dying of terminal diseases are housed.

The fact that Sasuke has been placed there makes her want to vomit.

Upon turning the corner, she finds her way blocked by two familiar figures. Kakashi and Menma are like two pillars against the doors, both of them looking a little pale as she marches toward them.

“You can’t go in there, Sakura,” Kakashi tells her as she gets within arms reach; his usual exuberance has disappeared, replaced with a sombreness that matches Gai’s.

“The hell I can’t,” she growls. “Move before I make you move.”

“It’s Lady Tsunade’s orders,” Menma tells her. “You’re not permitted to treat a loved one, Sakura, you know that. It’s hospital policy and standard in the four laws of medical ninjutsu.”

“I am the student of the Sannin Tsunade,” Sakura bites out, thumbing at the seal on her forehead, “and I am exempt from those laws.”

“Not today, you aren’t,” Menma maintains. “If you step foot in that ward, Tsunade will stop treating him and restrain you herself. Are you willing to gamble with your friend’s life just to feel useful?”

His words cut a chink into the desperate fury that has been driving her since she left the restaurant.

Under the empathetic eyes of her friends, Sakura is forced to make a difficult decision: either stay here, useless, and let Tsunade do her best to heal Sasuke, or kick up a fuss and delay him getting the treatment he deserves.

She swallows a painful lump in her throat.

It’s really no choice at all.

Her shoulders slump and she lets Kakashi guide her out of the Critical Care ward and into the general waiting room. 

She spends the rest of the night pacing every other hallways and demanding news from the nurses, until Lady Tsunade sends Shizune out and tells her she will be drugged and sent home if she doesn’t stop. After that she adopts a lone window that looks out onto the Critical Care ward across the courtyard and waits, trying not to imagine the horrors that could be happening over there right then.

That Sasuke’s died, or that the damage to his body is irreversible.

Her vigil lasts the night, through hours of the storm raging outside and the darkness that threatens to consume her. Kakashi and Menma come and go in the background, trying to tempt her to go home and sleep or eat something, but she ignores them, refusing to acknowledge anyone unless it’s someone with news of Sasuke.

Because Sakura has come to a bitter, belated revelation: that she is in love with Sasuke Uchiha. That she has always been in love with him, and she knows that now.

Her knowledge comes too late, because now she might not even get the chance to tell him. She has been so blind and foolish, so focussed on becoming something worth her deceased parents’ pride and trying to impress the one man who would never see her as more than a sister that she wasted their time.

Tsunade is right: Sakura shouldn’t be anywhere near him right now. She doesn’t deserve to be near him.

But…but if he dies…he’ll go without ever knowing how I feel. He’ll die thinking I don’t return his feelings and then…

And then she’ll be left without him.

Instantly, Sakura can see it – years and years of emptiness stretching out in front of her, all of her other dreams and ambitions fulfilled, but pale and colourless shadows of what she hoped for. Hollow, because there will be no one to share it with.

She presses her head against the cool window, feeling the vibrations of the raindrops on the other side of the pane, and for the first time since she lost her parents, she wishes she could die too. If Sasuke leaves her, if he dies without a word or sign or message between them, she won’t make it. Nothing has any value without him.

She belongs to him and he to her, and he’s always known that and she always insisted it wasn’t true.

The storm rages all the rest of the night and into the morning, the winds and thunder seeming to keep time with her pacing. Only as the heavy raindrops fade away and Sakura can’t take one more moment of sitting uselessly in the waiting room does she hail one of the nurses.

“Have you heard anything about Sasuke Uchiha this morning?” she asks, forcing her voice to remain steady and professional.

Under normal circumstances the staff aren’t allowed to share information with anyone that isn’t family, but everyone here knows Sakura and her desperation is clear on her face.

“The last I heard, he’s better,” the nurse says. “Lady Tsunade pulled him through the worst of it about half an hour ago. I heard her tell Lady Shizune that he’s going to make a full recovery.”

“And they’ve…they’ve figured out what was wrong with him?”

“Yes. Some underlying genetic condition, I believe. Once Lady Tsunade figured it out, she was able to heal the cause – oh! Lady Sakura, what’s wrong?”

Stunned and thankful, Sakura has burst into relieved tears and flees the hospital.

ロードトウニンジャ

In the wake of Sasuke’s recovery, Sakura avoids going to see him.

Menma and Kakashi press her on it, but she can’t properly explain to them what the problem is; eventually they give up trying, but she sees their judgemental looks and knows she deserves them.

How is she supposed to explain that she’s afraid to face Sasuke? His family were by his side through his sickness, while she was off pursuing her own interests for a month. No one thought to inform her of his condition, because she made it utterly clear how she felt – or didn’t feel – about him, and it was only when he was dying that she let go of her stubbornness and accepted her feelings for him.

That after everything, she hardly deserves to be his friend, let alone to love him. Even if she still has his friendship, she has no idea what to say.

The self-flagellation continues unendingly for a while, even days after Sasuke is up and about. Hinata holds a party one night to celebrate his recovery (and also to apologise for her lack of tact when she told Sakura about it), and they run into each other there. They make easy conversation, exchange pleasantries and then Sakura makes an excuse that she has to work.

For the first time in their lives, Sasuke doesn’t bother to flirt with her, and she tosses and turns in bed that night thinking what that means.

A week later he comes to see her at the hospital.

“There’s a familiar sight,” he remarks, taking note of her hunched over several charts.

Sakura jumps and stares up at him, her cheeks warming both at the sight of him and being caught unawares. “S-Sasuke! What are you doing here?”

“My final check-up was today,” he says, speaking to her in the same easy tone as he always did. “As soon as I get the okay, I’m headed to the training grounds.” He pauses, and then with the same comradely grin as always, suggests, “You want to come along? It’s been a while since we sparred, and I think Menma’s picking out china patterns or something.”

Sakura looks at him rather blankly.

“I wish I could,” she says slowly, “but I can’t. There’s a viral epidemic two towns over, and Lady Tsunade has me watching vaccine samples all night. There’s no way I can get away.” She bites her lips and offers him an apologetic glance beneath her lashes. “I’m really sorry. I’d actually love to go with you.”

“What about tomorrow afternoon then, after you’ve gotten some sleep?” Sasuke asks, apparently not put-off by her refusal.

There’s a beat of hesitation, but Sakura musters a smile. “That works for me.”

Their eyes meet for a beat longer, and then she looks away.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, then,” Sasuke states. He pauses, and then adds, “Don’t work too hard tonight, or you’ll be too tired.”

He leaves before she can think of a response.

Sakura looks after him as he goes away and sighs, throwing down her pen.

Sasuke is friendly with her – a friendliness that is simultaneously a relief and torture. Their friendship is as it always was, but she finds she is no longer satisfied by that.

She wants more than his friendship, but also more than the cheap rose of a momentary fling. Without his usual one-liners or appraising looks, she can’t tell if he’s finally moved on or is just better at hiding it. She  worries that maybe he no longer feels anything for but friendship, and wonders if all her years of rejecting him have finally taken.

Sakura groans and presses her palms to her eyes.

“This is ridiculous,” she says out loud to now one. Within barely a fortnight, true love has reduced to one of those insecure girls that obsesses over a man. “I’m not doing this. I just need to…to get over it.”

If Sasuke can apparently get over her so easily, she’ll figure out how to do the same. By throwing herself into her work, if she has to. Success and ambition will have to take the place of love, and she tries to comfort herself by the fact that she’ll do great, noble work as Hokage one day, especially without having to worry about her own heart.

Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t believe herself.

ロードトウニンジャ

When Sasuke comes to pick her up from her house the next afternoon, she takes more care than she ever has with her appearance. She knows they’re only going to train, but something in her wants him to notice her as a woman – perhaps flirt with her the way he used to.

They take the long way to the training grounds, passing through the forested paths where the trees are just beginning to change their colours.

“It’s been a while since I came this way,” Sakura says, only to fill the silence between them that falls just short of companionable.

“Me too,” Sasuke says. “I think I only ever used this way because it took longer to get to the training grounds.”

“And we still always got there before Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura agrees. “Because he always had some kind of life-or-death competition with Gai-sensei that he had to finish before training.”

“Remember our first battle as a team?”

“Yes! You passed out, I got thrown into the pond and Menma ended up buried up to his head in the ground.”

“That was still less embarrassing than having to introduce ourselves,” he says.

“That’s right! You talked for ten minutes straight about your tomato garden and how much you liked salad!”

“And Menma had that huge speech about how it was his duty to repopulate the Uzumaki clan throughout the five shinobi nations,” Sasuke remembers, shuddering. “And then Kakashi figured that was a prime teaching opportunity and gave us the sex-talk.”

“That was mortifying!”

“Speak for yourself, you didn’t have him follow you home to assure your parents that he had “dutifully ensured their son would be responsible in all matters of a sexual nature”,” Sasuke says, rolling his eyes. Then he winces and says, “Sorry.”

“No, it’s…it’s alright.”

They are quiet again.

“You were always so strong in the face of that,” Sasuke says after a while. “I don’t even know what I would do without my family, but you…it just made you stronger. Even back then, you dreamed of becoming Hokage to make them proud or die trying.”

“Well…that last part of the dream has changed,” she says lightly. “Most dreams do, over time.”

“And some don’t,” he says seriously, something resolute entering his voice. He stops walking, and Sakura is forced to do the same, staring up at him in surprise. “Things haven’t changed for me – not really. There’s something – someone – I’ve always wanted, even from back then. Maybe it was always a dream, but I’m going to keep wanting it, even if it can’t come true.”

Sakura opens her mouth to speak, but the words get stuck somewhere in her throat. It’s as if she’s been struck dumb with disbelief and a mounting terror that if she speaks she’ll break the spell of what’s happening.

“I want my family to be whole,” Sasuke continues. “I want my brother back. I want my parents to grow old surrounded by grandchildren. I want my wife to be the woman I love until I die.” He peers at her intently. “In that dream, my wife is you.” Sakura barely has a chance to acknowledge the burgeoning feeling of happiness, when he takes her hands in his. “I know I said I’d wait for you, but I’ve been thinking it over. And perhaps it’s not waiting that’s the problem. Perhaps I’ve been asking you the wrong thing all these years. I’ve been asking you out on dates, when I should have been asking you to marry me.”

Marry?!

“And so…” he takes a deep breath, vulnerability crossing his features for the first time since he started speaking, “if I ask you differently today – if I ask you if you want to spend the rest of our lives together – will you give me a different answer?”

She still can’t speak – her brain is stubbornly stalled somewhere around the word ‘love’. Instead, she lifts her eyes and gazes into his for a long moment, trying to convey her answer - nstead, she lifts her eyes and gazes into his for a long moment, trying to convey her answer – yes, yes! A million times yes, you annoying man! – and he seems to understand, because he breaks into a breathtaking smile.

And then she can’t to much else but grab him by the lapels of his shirt and drag his lips down to her own.

He makes a noise of surprise, but a beat later realises what’s happening, and then his arms are around her, pulling her in closer to him. His mouth is unexpectedly soft against her own, but it becomes harder and more demanding as the kiss deepens.

Eventually they pull away from each other, and Sasuke stares down at her, breathless.

“Is that a ‘yes’?’ he pants.

“It’s an ‘I love you’, you annoying man.”

His eyes soften. “I love you.”

She blushes and hides her face in his chest.

“I don’t understand how you could keep loving me after all this time when I’ve been such an idiot,” she says, hoping that her words are lost in the fabric of his shirt.

“I tried to stop,” he says, causing her to pull away and stare up at him in anguish. “Not because you’re an idiot – you’re not – but because it’s hard to compete with someone like Menma.”

“You’ve competed with him your whole life.”

“Yeah, on arenas where we were evenly matched. When it came to your affections, he already had them without even trying.”

“I got over Menma.”

“I know that. But I still figured I needed to give you time after he and Hinata became engaged. He was your first love, after all. If I approached you right after, it would have felt like I was rubbing it in your face,” he explains reasonably. “And I…didn’t want to be your rebound.”

“You are not my rebound,” she tells him fiercely. “And Menma was no my first love.”

He cocks his head to one-side, inquisitive.

“You were,” she says, looking away and feeling her cheeks redden. “But then one day you showed up and started handing out roses to every pretty girl within a ten foot radius and I decided I didn’t want to be just another one of your admirers.”

He stares.

“Sakura, that was before we were genin even. You already…?”

She crosses her arms, defensive, cheeks red.

To her surprise, Sasuke groans and slaps himself in the forehead. “I’m a moron.”

“A bit, yeah.”

“And here I though I needed to do something dramatic like almost die to get you to accept your feelings for me, when you already had them!”

Sakura shudders.

“Don’t joke about that,” she begs, “It’s too soon.”

Sasuke sobers. “When I was sick, Tsunade told me about how you reacted. She said you almost took out Kakashi and Menma to get to me. You’d be amazed how determined I was to get better after that.”

She smiles wanly at that and shivers.

“I’ll never forget thinking you were going to die,” she whispers. “I knew right then. It was like the world shifted. I knew and…and I thought it was too late. I thought I would lose you and have to pay for my mistake by being alone forever.”

Sasuke’s eyes soften and he pulls her close, cradling her protectively in his arms. They stand like that for longer than Sakura knows, though she doesn’t care. If he wanted to stay like this forever, she would agree without hesitation.

Except he doesn’t, because he pulls away.

“Let’s make an agreement,” he suggests. “No more waiting.”

“huh?”

“We’ll tell my parents tonight and get married as soon as we can find someone to perform the ceremony,” he goes on. “And you’ll move in with me and my family, and then you’ll never have to be alone again.”

“Move in with your…Sasuke…that’s a bit…soon,” she protests weakly. “Besides, what if they’re no…alright with…with me?”

“You know my mother loves you. And my father respects you, which he’d say is more important than liking you, but he’ll learn to. If by some fluke they disapprove, we’ll just elope.”

“They’ll disown you!”

“So what? That just means they’ll have two disowned sons. It might give them the motivation they need to accept Itachi back home,” he snorts.

“Sasuke!”

“Besides, it’s occurred to me that there’s never been an Uchiha Hokage,” he continues with the air of someone musing one of life’s greatest mysteries. “No one in my family will have a problem with my wife once you succeeds Tsunade.”

Sakura blushes darkly. “I haven’t even officially said ‘yes’ yet.”

Something dark enters Sasuke’s eyes.

“I guess I’ll have to keep convincing you then,” he tells her, and then his lips are on hers again.

She decides she likes his form of persuasion.

終わり

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#ssm17 #ssm17d2 #naruto fanfiction #sasusaku #rating: teen #sasuke uchiha #charasuke #sakura haruno #rtn sakura #something more #drama #romance #angst #kuriquinn