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actuallysaiyan · 3 years

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okay omg i’m so excited because Suigetsu never gets enough love. could you possibly do an nsfw alphabet please?

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Suigetsu is pretty sweet after sex. He likes to get you both something to drink and to just relax together while you both catch your breath. He’s also super into taking a bath together just so you can rehydrate and relax. The man needs water and cuddles after sex.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

While it’s not really a body part, Suigetsu loves his ability to turn into liquid. He thinks it’s super awesome he’s able to use such a power at his disposal and that it serves him very well.

On you, he loves your smile. It makes him feel so damn warm and happy inside. Whenever you look over to him and give him that loving smile, he is weak for it. It reminds him that there are some happy things in the world.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He’s got a huge cum fetish. He wants you painted up with his seed, your face covered with it and he’s going to want to pump so much of it deep inside of you. He loves it messy and he wants to see you enjoy it as much as he does.

Suigetsu is such a damn tease, so you can expect to be edged like crazy. He wants you to feel like you are going to cum so hard only for him to completely pull away. He loves the way you whine and plead for him to make you cum.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He loves the idea of you being fucked by someone else while he watches. He wouldn’t really mind if Sasuke wanted to completely dominate you while he got to watch and command you to fuck his friend. It turns him on to think about how big of a whore you’d be willing to be for him.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s got no experience. He was Orochimaru’s experiment for a long time, so he didn’t really know what he was doing for a long time, but he slowly learned how to please you and what to do to make you feel good. You helped him with it as well, letting him know what was good and what felt amazing.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Suigetsu is crazy for you riding him. He loves how your tits jiggle up and down as you ride his cock and touch yourself at the same time. It’s just such a gorgeous sight for him to see you in that position. He’s also into any kind of position that’s going to be fun for the both of you. He loves it when you are contorted in all kinds of sexy positions for him to fuck you as well.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

You know he’s going to be so goofy and funny during sex. He loves to have fun and enjoy himself and if you guys end up laughing while fucking, then it’s a win. He loves the sound of your laugh while he fucks you hard, and when he fucks you in that way that makes your laughs turn into loud moans, he’s such a sucker for it.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

So, he’s fairly hairless. It’s all pretty smooth. The little hair he does have is nice and fluffy, and it’s white in color just like the hair on his head. He doesn’t have to do much maintenance to keep it clean, which he enjoys.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Some nights, Suigetsu wants to feel close and loving to you. He’ll get needy and he’ll hold you close as he fucks you sensually. Most of the time, sex is high energy and lots of fun. You’ll be laughing and smiling and just enjoying yourself, unless you're pleading for him to let you cum because he’s edging you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He likes to masturbate whenever he’s got the chance and you aren’t around. He has a few toys he likes to use and he loves to masturbate in the shower so that it’s an easy clean up and that he stays hydrated as much as possible. It’s a good time for him to be able to fantasize about how he’s going to fuck you next.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Well, the most obvious kink that Suigetsu has is aquaphilia, but he’s open to other kinks as well. Begging and domination are huge for him, he’s also into bondage as well and of course a little choking is nice as well. All in all, if it’s something fun and turns him on, he’s going to want to try it out with you.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He loves fucking in the shower. It’s so damn wet and hot and makes everything so slippery. He also loves being able to fuck in the bathtub as well. It’s all steamy and your slippery skin feels good against his as he pumps into you. Suigetsu loves fucking in the water, but he’s also into fucking you on your bed.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Hmmm...he loves it when you’re being cheeky. If you show up wearing something revealing and just flirt with him, he’s putty in your hands. He wants you to flirt and just have fun with him. If you flash him your smile, he loves that too. Put your hands on his thighs and just wink at him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’s not going to do anything that’s going to harm you seriously. He loves a few painful kinks, but he will always make sure you enjoy them too before he even considers doing them with you. He hates the idea of you being hurt for real.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Suigetsu is a bit of a pillow prince. He fucking loves it when he just lies there and you suck on his long cock. The look of you with his cock in your mouth and you’re moaning around his length and you are touching your wet pussy while you blow him...fuck he’s used that as thoughts to get him off while masturbating more than once.

But he’s not greedy. He loves eating your pussy and making you scream his name. He’s very good at oral actually, but his sharp teeth scared you at first. He had to make sure he was very gentle to get your trust for that.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Suigetsu always fucks somewhere in the middle. He loves making sex fun and exciting. He loves seeing you bounce on his cock and setting the pace as well. He wants to see you take control a lot of the time, because he could literally pound you into the abyss. It all depends on how you are feeling.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He absolutely loves them. They are fun and make the two of you feel so good. It makes him want to risk it whenever you’re both somewhere kind of public. It’s one of his favorite things in the whole world. Life doesn’t wait for anyone, so you need to make the best of a situation and fuck whenever you can.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He loves taking risks. He’ll try all kinds of new things with you and make you cum hard. If you aren’t expecting him to do something, he’ll definitely want to do it then and there. Like if you were at dinner with other people and you’re wearing a skirt, Suigetsu wants to finger you under the table.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He’s got great stamina, but sometimes he gets worked up a lot and he’ll cum fast. He always tries his best to make up for it. He can go a good number of rounds and his refractory period is a little shorter than the average.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Suigetsu loves toys! He’ll use all kinds of things on you to determine what your favorite toy is going to be. Vibrators that are waterproof are of course his favorites. He loves handcuffs for when he’s going to tease you. He doesn’t mind having toys used on him either.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He’ll tease you a lot. He loves to tease you about the cute sounds you make when he fucks your tight pussy, but he also loves to edge you until there are tears in your eyes and you are literally begging him to let you cum.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He’s so loud. He loves to talk and laugh a lot during sex and just make sexy remarks or talk dirty to you. He’ll grunt and groan a lot, and if you blow him, he’s going to moan so loudly. Right before cumming he always moans, “Fuck I’m gonna cum!”

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Suigetsu will often want to fuck on the beach. He brings lots of towels and blankets, and then he’ll take you out to the water and he’ll just thrust up into you. You both have a wonderful time fucking in the seawater and trying to keep it a secret from all the others who might be at the beach that day.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

He’s got a good body and he’s very well built. His cock is very long, it’s about 10 inches and it’s average girth. Its got lots of nice veins that rub up against your walls making you feel so damn good.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Suigetsu has a very high sex drive. He always wants to fuck you any chance he gets. It’s one of his favorite things. Just having your pussy around his cock is just pure heaven to Suigetsu.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep. Once you’re cuddling with him, he’s going to feel so relaxed. He’ll fall asleep faster if you play with his hair and just whisper sweet things to him.

#writing #reader requested #anon requested #suigetsu hozuki #suigetsu hozuki x you #suigetsu hozuki x reader #suigetsu hozuki x y/n #suigetsu x you #suigetsu x reader #suigetsu smut #suigetsu hozuki smut #naruto #naruto shippuden #team taka #team hebi #suigetsu

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awintersrose · 4 years

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Day 5 of Kinktober — Karura/Rasa or Orochimaru/Rasa?

Kinktober Day 5 - Corruption / Thigh Riding

Pairing: KaruRasa (though I really wanted to do both...)

(From this list of prompts - requests are still open!)

A reminder that all Kinktober fills should be considered explicit unless I say otherwise.

Working late again. It’s the start of the fiscal month and there are copious ledgers to be settled for the village. This is the case every month, and Karura is somewhat used to it. Her husband on the other hand, carries the stress in a taut line that begins right between his eyes and twines all the way down to the small of his back, lacing his whole frame with tension.

Every cycle is the same, taking its metaphorical pound of flesh and manifesting in migraines and exhaustion. With his increasing absence at home, Karura begins to worry for his heart. That is, until she decides to take matters into her own hands.

The chamberlain greets her as she walks the long stretch of hallway leading to Rasa’s office. Karura can picture him there, slumped over the books and frowning, with an untouched cup of tea nearby from a pot that has long gone cold. Such posture never helps, it’s another thing she may have to address, but one thing at a time.

One does trap more flies with honey than with vinegar, after all.

The door swings open to his dispassionate voice. “I said I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

Karura secures the door behind herself and approaches his desk without pause. “Your staff doesn’t deny me entry, darling.”

Rasa looks up in an instant, and for a moment it's as if a sense of relief crosses his face, only to be followed by regret. “Karura… I’m sorry, there is simply much to be done before the week’s end and the departure of shipments from the merchants’ coalition--”

The stamp of exhaustion is all over him, just as expected, but he is too driven, too proud to put himself first. The lamplight burns a bit too dim, as usual. Rasa has always been frugal with resources, lamp oil included.

“You don’t have to apologize, love.” She smiles sunnily, setting a well-packed furoshiki on the desk. “I just think your work would be better served if you took a meal at home once in a while. The children miss you.”

Her hand finds his cheek and Karura bends to place a kiss opposite the caress. “I miss you.”

Grey eyes look up at her face with that same look of stoic regret, but Rasa still tilts his head toward the warmth of her touch. “I have work to do, Karura.”

As usual, your actions contradict your words, my dear.

She leans into his personal space, placing a hand lightly at his throat and nudging a knee between his legs. “You can spare some time for me, I know you can, dear husband.”

The atmosphere shifts as he exhales, making room for her without pause. Karura smiles at the pulse of his cock as it slowly flutters awake against her thigh, and her heart races in answer to his shuddering breath. Just as he serves the village, he’s also hers - he’s always been hers - and though he may be a powerful man, he’s always needed the respite only she can give him.

“My sweet Ra-sa… so careworn and tired. Let me take care of you for a little while.” Her lips find the strong curve of his jaw, pressing forward so that he’s pinned against the back of the chair. “Don’t I always give you what you need?”

“You do, my lady,” he stammers through gritted teeth, head falling back as he arches up to grind against her.

The hand at his throat - never harsh - guides their movements in tandem and Karura kisses him like a woman starved. There is no lie in stating that she misses him. Their bed is cold these nights, and she hates sleeping alone.

She can feel Rasa tremble beneath her tender grip, taste the breath shuddering out of his lungs. It doesn't take long at all to feel him straining against his trousers, as his hands find stability at the small of her back.

“You’re going to let me love you, then you’ll come for me exactly when I say so, and not a moment sooner, aren’t you, darling dear?” she croons, rocking into him slowly as the dam finally breaks and he moans against her neck.

Her husband, often the stern picture of Sunan values, is so beautiful behind closed doors and lost in submission.

“I--I am… thank you, my lady…”

“Such good manners. Then you’re going to eat the nice dinner I’ve brought you, pack up your files, and come home to sleep a while. Isn't that so, my love?” Karura purrs, and his assent is not far behind.

Incentives do have a way of working out in the end.

#karurasa #karura #rasa #naruto #naruto shippuden #kinktober #lemony lemonade #my fanfics #awintersrose #if you enjoyed it please let me know?#thatshipcat

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365daysofsasuhina · 4 years

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[ @sasuhinabigflash2020 || Day Three: Don’t Laugh ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Orochimaru ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Like Magic ] [ AO3 Link ]

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Another September...another year at Hogwarts.

Sitting in a train compartment with a few other Hufflepuffs she vaguely knows, Hinata mostly just daydreams about arriving at the school. Because despite the fact that she’s now a third year, Hinata has...well, very few friends. And with her nature as a wallflower, she’s often overlooked, anyway.

So, it’s mostly classes and learning that she enjoys during her time away from home. And, well...being away from home.

But she tries not to think about that.

Instead, her excitement grows the closer they get to the school. And by the time they make it to the carriages, she almost bounces on her seat after giving the thestral pulling it a greeting pat.

She’s always been able to see them.

...she has her mother to thank for that.

The Great Hall is just as she remembers it, as is the feast. Clapping for every new addition to her house, Hinata gives them shy smiles, reminiscing over how nervous she’d been before being Sorted. Her father had been hopeful for Ravenclaw, his own house.

But, as usual, Hinata disappointed him.

The common room of the Hufflepuff dormitory is lively that evening, Hinata sitting along the edge and watching with a smile as the new Puffs are given the grand tour. Bright-eyed and slack-jawed, it’s clear they’re just as in awe as she was.

But she turns in early, wanting to be on time for her first class in the morning. Excitement and wistfulness, she knows, will mean sleep will be hard to come by. All the same, Hinata closes her eyes and does her best to relax.

And next thing she knows...it’s morning! The first out of bed, she dresses and dashes for the hall to get her breakfast, looking over her schedule yet again.

Oddly enough, the first class of the day is Potions.

It brings about a duality in feeling. On one hand, it’s a useful class. Given she wants to be an Herbologist someday, knowing what many of the plants she’ll be working with are for is good knowledge to have. But, on the other hand...the professor scares her. A slippery, sharp-eyed person she still doesn’t know the gender of. All she does know is that Professor Orochimaru scares the living daylights out of her. Which, most days, makes learning in their class rather...difficult.

They’re also set to have said class as a double with the Slytherin third years. While Hinata does her best not to be biased, there’s a handful of them that, admittedly, give her a rather bad feeling.

Still...it’s a necessary evil, either way. She’ll make due. Nothing can beat down her determination to learn all she needs to know. Not even creepy teachers or jeering classmates.

So, once breakfast is over, she fetches her book, her cauldron, and her ingredients...and heads down down down into the castle dungeons for Potions.

Thankfully, she isn’t the first one there, nor the only Puff. They all give each other subtle, knowing glances. Even if they aren’t close friends, they’re still allies in this rather...unfortunate predicament.

Not long before the bell, the professor emerges from their office, looking them all over with thinly-veiled disdain, while a glance to their Slytherin students earns a thin-lipped smile. “Welcome, third years, to our first Potions lesson of the year. Luckily for you, we are to begin with a brewing. If you’ll open your books to page seven…”

With that, the lesson begins, and everyone follows along as the potion in question is detailed.

“Now, to encourage a little...cross-house friendliness, I want each of you to find a brewing partner outside your house. You will be graded on whichever potion turns out least favorable, so you must work together. Slytherins, I expect you to help your Hufflepuff colleagues.”

Several Puffs manage half-hearted glares at the obvious jab, but do as they’re told. Most pairs sit across from one another, clearly wanting to be as far apart as possible.

Hinata, finishing up her notes, finds herself to be one of the last without a partner until - of his own volition - one takes the other seat, making her jump.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hex you,” he drawls, setting down his things. “Are you Hufflepuffs always so on-edge?”

“I...I didn’t see you come over,” Hinata mumbles in explanation, turning a flustered pink. “...um...I’m Hinata,” she then offers. “Hinata...Hyūga.”

At that, his head snaps up, eyes wide. “...Hyūga?”

Oh dear, here we go. “Y...yes.”

“...pleasure. Sasuke Uchiha,” he greets, holding out a hand for her to gingerly shake. “I didn’t know there was a Hyūga in Hufflepuff.”

That gets her to shift a bit. “My, um...I have a cousin, he’s - he’s in Ravenclaw.”

“Neji, right? I’ve heard of him. Decent Chaser.”

“...you play Quidditch?”

“Team Seeker,” he replies with a smirk, clearly happy with his position.

“Oh...I-I don’t play, but um...I-I watch matches when I can. Mostly Neji’s and...my house’s.”

“Hufflepuff usually doesn’t fare well, does it?”

She quiets. “...I guess not. I...don’t pay the standings much mind. O-or houses. I just...keep to...myself…” Her tone fades to a somber silence.

To her surprise, Sasuke looks at her strangely, expression one she can’t read. “...it’s not for everyone,” he then replies nonchalantly. “What do you like, then?”

“Herbology!” At her sudden, loud reply, Hinata flushes pink again. “I-I mean...I like...herbology…”

“Never been much good with plants myself,” he replies, beginning to measure ingredients as Hinata fumbles to do the same. “I like Potions. Transfiguration isn't bad, either.”

“Charms is...is one I enjoy.”

“Not really my speed, but that’s all right.” Rifling through his bag, he then frowns. “...do you have a spare rat tail, by any chance? I could have sworn I brought one…”

“Um…” Fishing in her own, Hinata hands him one.

“Thanks. I’ll pay you back.”

“It - it’s fine.”

“Fair’s fair,” he counters, sounding resolute as he adds it.

A bit taken aback, Hinata watches him for a moment before smiling.

Maybe not all Slytherins are jerks.

They keep on for a time, double-checking one another’s work as they go. Sasuke’s right: he’s good at this, catching a few mistakes she nearly makes and making her blush in embarrassment every time. But for some reason he’s patient with her.

“All right, next is...powdered dragonfly chitin,” he notes, taking out a vial and unstopping it. “Apparently this makes it pretty volatile, so do it slowly, all right?”

Hinata nods, cautiously measuring the right amount and sprinkling it bit by bit into her cauldron. Small sparks fly every time it impacts, and she can’t help but flinch back.

And then, the unthinkable happens.

Sasuke sneezes.

Right over the top of his spoon.

Causing the entire load to fall in at once.

With a flash, a cloud of smoke and sparks rises up from the brew, drawing every eye in the classroom, including the professor’s.

Wide-eyed, Hinata leans back as the din clears, Sasuke coughing and trying to wave it away.

...his eyebrows are gone.

Clearly completely unaware, he squints against the smell of burnt potion, face sooty. “...see what I mean?” he manages to note with another cough.

“S...Sasuke…?”

“What?”

“Your…?” She hesitantly points at her own brow.

Reaching up, Sasuke feels at his, slowing to a stop as he feels not hair, but smooth skin.

The entire dungeon is silent.

Looking to Hinata in equal surprise, he moves his hand to point to her. “Don’t...you dare...laugh.”

Staring, stupefied, Hinata only feels the urge as he speaks, drawing her lips between her teeth.

“Hyūga…”

Her head shakes.

“I’m warning you.”

“Given that your potion is now completely ruined, mister Uchiha,” Orochimaru then cuts in, “you might as well go the hospital wing for those little burns on your cheeks. And seeing as your partner is finished with a…” The Slytherin head of house leans over her cauldron, looking mildly impressed. “...adequate potion, I will average your grades...and she can accompany you to make sure you don’t blow anything else up on the way.”

Looking entirely annoyed, Sasuke clears his cauldron with a wave of his wand, packing up as Hinata bottles a sample to be fully graded, then doing the same and scurrying after him.

“You don’t need to escort me.”

“But...but the professor said -?”

“The professor can kiss my ass,” Sasuke growls, making Hinata stumble at the sudden coarse language. “It was the last step! We both had it perfect! I just -!”

“I-it’s okay! Maybe...maybe we can have a do-over, if...if we ask nicely?”

“Tch, fat chance of that.”

Chastised, Hinata nonetheless keeps up, giving him the occasional glance. His face is still smudged with soot, but...she can’t take her eyes off his bare brows.

“Something funny?”

“N-no! I...I’m sorry that happened...do your cheeks hurt?”

“...a bit. I’ll be fine. Five minutes in the hospital wing and I’ll be right as rain. Maybe I’ll even get my eyebrows back.”

Before she can stop it, Hinata looses a snort.

“...I told you not to laugh.”

“I’m sorry, it just s-slipped out!”

To her surprise, then does the same. “It’s fine, Hyūga. At least you know what I meant about the chitin now, right?”

“Y...yeah.”

Thankfully they take Sasuke right in, and Hinata - not knowing what else to do until the period ends - lingers awkwardly outside until he’s released.

And with both eyebrows, to boot.

“You didn’t have to wait.”

“Well, um...I-I didn’t want to go back,” she admits sheepishly.

“Me neither. Think I’ll just get a head start to my next class.”

“That’s...a good idea.”

Glancing to her thoughtfully, Sasuke offers, “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Hyūga.”

That gets her to jolt a bit in surprise. “I...yes! I...I guess you will.”

“And I won’t lose my eyebrows next time.”

Her lips curl before she thinks to hide them behind a sleeve cuff.

Smirking back at her, he gives a mock salute. “Later, Hyūga.”

“...bye!” Waving as he retreats, Hinata checks her schedule. Transfiguration next, single class. Hopefully this one is a bit less...eventful.

...but...well, maybe she’s finally making a friend.

And a Slytherin, to boot.

...well, so much for my doing these in decent time xD Here it is almost two am and I’m just posting...whoops. Annnywho, some Harry Potter verse! With a shy Puff Hinata and a smug Slytherin Sasuke because of course. F in the chat for Sasuke’s eyebrows. Not gonna lie, this was fun to write xD I like this crossover, so I’ll try to do more of it if any further prompts make sense for it. But on that note, I had a long day, so I’m gonna call it a night~ Thanks for reading, lovelies!

#sasuhinabigflash2020 #shbf2020 #sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #orochimaru #like magic [ au ]

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celticfeather · 5 years

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Akatsuki Fic: Campfires

A brooding clan-killer and a man who prefers to see himself more shark than human are not the most likely, or friendly, of new partners. But hunted and hated, their backs on are the wall, and the Akatsuki starts to form a complex refuge for its members. Their missions blur the lines between men, beasts, and gods, and Itachi must either accept his complicity in evil, or contemplate revolt.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13409132/1/Campfires

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21019778/chapters/49992863

-Chapter 1: Dawn

The tongues of flames danced against the stars like heathens frenzied before a war, springing into the night with a fibrous crackling. The one called Pain stood like a preacher, tall and black, his shadow painted by the leaping blaze onto the rockface behind him. His voice was low and commanding, yet vibrant, like velvet over steel. From everywhere and nowhere it echoed around the chasm like the voice of a god. “And if you join us, Uchiha Itachi, make clear your mark.” Itachi raised his arm and the thick kunai glinted black and orange. The metal fang plunged down, and with a jumping spark, the knife slit a ragged slash across his headband’s gentle leaf. “You are damned to the world, Itachi. May you find refuge in our Dawn, and together we shall light the world in the rays of a new peace.” No devilish cheering welcomed their new member. There stood a half dozen of his new comrades in black robes with red clouds, their dark eyes peeking out from high collars. Among them he noted the bandages of a Mist swordsman, and he recognized the grinning snake eyes of Orochimaru.

Now at least, damned by his nation as he was, Itachi had no orders to follow but his own. He would protect the Leaf from the shadows. And from this Akatsuki, whatever it was. He was washed with a strange sense of peace. It was not relief. What was done was done. Compared to yours, our pain will be over in an instant, his father’s last words echoed through his mind. He was unsure if they were sympathetic or the curse of a dying man. But it mattered not. The deed was done.

He wondered what had happened to Sasuke. The Hokage himself must be consoling him now. Maybe the boy would be sent to live with another family, or an orphanage. No, probably not, unsavory types would be waiting to adopt the boy. “Hey, you.” Itachi looked over, his thoughts of family broken. A man older and taller than he had prodded him on the shoulder. “Name’s Kakuzu. Follow the rules, don’t be brash, and I won’t kill you.” He gave Itachi a small leather pouch. “What is this?” “Ten thousand yen.” An unexpected gift. But since his days in Anbu, Itachi was reticent to show surprise around people he wasn’t sure he liked. “That’s for the month. If you need food or an inn, buy it. Petty theft is beneath us, and attention costs money.” Ten thousand yen was hardly generous for a month’s travels. In fact, an ordinary human would die of exposure. The inflation rate had been such that fifty years ago one could travel a few weeks on 10,000 yen. Now it would suffice for only a few bowls of ramen. “Hey now, Kakuzu! Let him live a little bit! No one lives forever! Oh wait, you do, heheHAHA!”

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes hatefully at the interruption. The high pitched voice sounded like it belonged to a teenager. Itachi looked in its direction, and giggles simmered from the orange mask. Kakuzu growled, and ‘Tobi’ yelped and wilted. Finding the boy sufficiently scared, he did not press his advantage. Itachi suppressed his unease: the disguised, giggling, Madara was also alive far beyond a human lifespan. It unnerved him to see him manifest this boyish farce after they had worked together only hours prior to massacre their clan. But Itachi‘s face was an aloof, slightly irritated mask. “Rumor has it,” a woman’s cool voice uttered to him, “Kakuzu fought the first Hokage.” “Is that so,” Itachi echoed. If true, this Kakuzu would be eighty-five years old at minimum. He only looked forty. It seemed that Orochimaru and Madara were not unique among those who experimented with eternal youth. He would have to tread carefully here.

Itachi studied the woman. She was older than him, early twenties maybe. Her hair was bluish. He had only now seen her leave Pain’s side, and she was the only female member of the group. He wondered if she and pain were romantically involved. It was strangely like an academy clique: the one woman had chosen the highest ranking man of the group. “Konan is my name,” she told him. “I hope you can find a home here.” “Uchiha Itachi. A pleasure.” She did not seem terrible. The mist ninja with the executioner’s sword and red face paint stepped forward to Itachi. He smiled his mangled, filed, teeth at Itachi, and extended his bandaged hand. “Looks like you’re the only other shoe without a mate, kid. Biwa Juzo.”

“Now,” the gravelly voice of Pain claimed order. “Our organization needs to gather funds if we are to achieve our goals. You have your partners and your missions-- you are dismissed.” (keep reading)

A long time later, Juzo was dead.

Itachi did not know if the swordsman understood he would die when he jumped to shield Itachi from the Misukage’s strike, or if it had been an impulse he did not live to regret. The Kage’s blast had shattered his sword, and sated its iron-hungry blade in its owner’s abdomen. Not risking a burial, Itachi had returned the hilt to Juzo’s hand and fled the Land of Water for his life.

He wondered if he was still there— if the crows found him. He hoped they had. If it were him, he would prefer crows to the Mist intelligence corp-- and especially Zetsu.

Itachi’s newest partner introduced himself a few hours ago. The eyes that now walked beside his were white and devoid of mammalian emotion, and Itachi had not yet noticed Hoshigaki Kisame blink. The ex-mist ninja was of hulking stature, maybe two meters, which brought Itachi’s highest hairs up only to his jaw. He might have been thirty, but he had a strange face and it was hard to tell. His skin carried a faint bluish sheen, and his cheekbones were slashed with what could best be described as partial gills. Itachi had once pondered a similar thought with Orochimaru: Were you born looking like an animal?

Itachi found the Mist ninja’s desire to be partnered with him ignoble. By the end of the bizarre introduction speech involving live shark births, this Kisame seemed to advocate fratricidal cannibalism. Respecting Itachi because he killed his family was a poor way to gain his admiration.

“Isn’t this a mission for state ninja?” Kisame’s voice broke his thoughts. “A jounin could handle this.”

“The Land of Iron has no ninja village,” Itachi said. “The Ishikawa tiger, too, is an endangered species, and I do not think the neighboring waterfall ninja would agree to hunt it.”

Earlier, the pair had debriefed each other on their strengths and strategies. Kisame, as far as he had trusted to self-report, had massive stamina, lethal dexterity with water style, and was skilled with the chakra absorbing sword he carried. Itachi had listed fire style, shuriken, and genjutsu as his advantages. It seemed a profitable marriage of skills.

“Hm. Now, how to find the poor sap?”

“My tracking skills are… above average,” Itachi said. Red gleamed out from under his high collar.

“Right. I’ll let you lead.”

His world flared in the expanded spectrum of colors and avian detail of the sharingan. Itachi looked at the tree limbs above them, where a bird’s nest balanced lithely on a swaying branch. In the nest’s carefully woven lining was a tiny tuft of orange fibers: a mixture of orange guard hairs and slightly lighter whitish underfur. Among the orange was a single black hair of the same length.

A few minutes later he saw some twigs broken by a large quadruped. Then he saw a smeared paw print with retracted claws. They continued into a shallow ravine. Kisame followed quietly, but a crackle came from his direction: his living sword was excited.

Itachi peered from the bushes and signaled to Kisame. Through a leafy window they spied a massive cat, far larger than an ordinary animal, nearing the size of a horse carriage. Bunches of muscles rippled on its haunches as it lapped a sandpaper tongue at the creek. Facing profile to them, it yawned, and fangs longer than kunai flashed in the light. Itachi reached into his robe to draw a single knife. A strike to the brain would be sufficient.

“Allow me,” Kisame said, unshouldering the huge, blunt, Samehada from his back. “Pity to let such nice chakra soak the sand.”

Itachi tipped his knife back into his robe in consent. More than he would like to see this over, he would like to observe how this Hoshigaki Kisame operated.

Kisame alighted before the beast in the clearing. Surely the tiger was unaccustomed to being approached by anything living, especially not something smaller than it. It sprang with coiled fury at the man that dared, but its front claws met only earth. Shiny brown river pebbles sprayed loudly into the air and clattered back down to the ground.

Brandishing the thirty-kilo sword, a grinning Kisame landed spritely five meters from the tiger’s impact. With the darting grace of a tropical fish, he danced away from the cat’s frustrated strikes, his sword carving the air around it, but never cutting it, until the cat grew weak. At last it stared at the two men, panting, black lips curled back over yellow teeth.

Kisame had to turn his whole head to look at Itachi. For, perhaps like a shark, he was incapable of moving his eyes much in their sockets. “Can you sedate it, Itachi?”

The cat’s pupils, black slashes on yellow disks, dilated to wide spheres as Itachi set the animal under a genjutsu. It was always a strange procedure with beasts. Genjutsu involved manipulating chakra flow to the brain, and in a brain that was not human, it was a coarse process. Itachi could not communicate complex images like he could with humans, so instead he instilled it with feelings of darkness and warmth.

Kisame approached the sleeping tiger and drew the broadside of Samehada along its jugular. The sword’s scales rippled, and Itachi knew the cat was dead. Itachi revealed his kunai.

“Could probably get some gold for the pelt, too,” Kisame said, slinging the purring Samehada to his back.

Probably they could. But Itachi was not Kakuzu, and he did not desire to carry a bloody tiger pelt around for a few extra yen. Itachi crouched over the carcass, and with careful incisions he removed its teeth. They clattered against each other in his leather pouch. Whatever some royal leech would do with them to cure his presumed impotency, Itachi did not know.

“Someone’s coming,” Kisame warned him.

“Just merchants,” Itachi said. The rogues sprang into the trees. They heard the surprise of the men to find the freshly killed tiger. They’d feed the village! Get drunk! They invoked the gods for their luck. Kisame smiled devilishly but Itachi was unamused. Soon enough, the two rouge ninja were over the border of the Land of Rice.

Obtain the teeth, the scroll, the real or metaphorical scalp-- the object was the only variable. Then he brought them to a collection office. He gave the reward to Kakuzu and awaited further orders. The string of missions seemed to be the only constant in Itachi's life since the Uchiha massacre.

The sun yellowed and sank as they traveled. Juzo, his senior, was usually the one to suggest respite. But now that Juzo was dead, Itachi supposed this responsibility fell to him now. He slowed, halted, and sprang down from the tree to the clayish earth. A shaded wood surrounded them, and willow boughs trailed gently on a narrow, clear river with a sandy bank. The sinking sun painted dappled golden strokes on the surface of the water, and fish tail slapped from the waves. Kisame alighted after him.

“What do you say, Itachi? Fancy a fish dinner? We’ll see who can catch the most.” Kisame’s gently rough voice was surprisingly only baritone for a man his size. As many fish as two elite ninja could catch? “What a wanton slaughter.” “I can eat a lot of fish,” Kisame said. “We’ll do first to catch five,” Itachi decided. “Fine.” Kisame strode to the bank. With a blur of signs and motion of his arm, a sphere of water rose, and a wriggling green bass shimmered inside. He released it from the water prison jutsu and the first thrashing fish tumbled to the earth, and he removed its gills with a stomp. Kisame raised his hand to snare his next victim. Itachi slid kunai between his knuckles like bear claws, three in his right, two in his left. He ignited his sharingan, and like an osprey he saw through the water like glass. He pinpointed the motion of five adult fish, observed the current, and noted the water’s angle of refraction. He jumped high, extended his arms, and let the kunai fly. Easily as wooden targets, each knife struck its living mark. “Impressive,” Kisame said with restrained mirth, dispelling a ball of water and depositing a fish on the bank. “But in my book, fish don’t count as caught when they’re pinned to the bottom of a creek.” There may have been a flicker of perturbance on Itachi’s face. But it must have been a trick of the light. Itachi was not annoyed.

Itachi shed his robe and with a few launching steps he pierced the chilled water in a shallow dive. The fish were weighted by the knives to the riverbed, their eyes wide and mouths open. He snatched the knives by the handles and kicked hard towards the surface. When Itachi breached, he looked to the bank to see Kisame perched on a tree root, one elbow on his knee, grinning widely. His five fish were lined up in size-order at his feet, each about the length of a sandal. “A bit too slow, unfortunately,” Kisame grinned. “I knew I lost the moment I had to dive in,” Itachi said, stepping drenched to the bank. Having to retrieve the fish was a technicality— losing gracefully was not a skill Itachi had to often practice. “No, Itachi. You lost the moment you humored a shark to a fishing match.“ Doubtful, Itachi thought. But he said nothing as he removed the knives and placed his five fish on the bank. “Would you go find some sticks to spit them on?” the victor asked with a gesture to the forest. Itachi did so. Upon returning, Kisame had gathered kindling and larger branches, and arranged them into a conical shape

“Be a pal and light us up?” Itachi wove a sign and blew a thin jet of flame at the base of the cone. Which, aerating nicely, set the tiny pyre ablaze. “We both have our fields Itachi. You’re not terrible... for a leaf ninja.” Kisame said. The two rogues speared their ten fish in a radial pattern around the flames. Perhaps a bit too soon, Kisame selected a fish and sank his huge teeth into its head. A wretched, wet, splintery sound crunched across the flames as Kisame ate his catch skull, spine, organs and all. Maybe he was doing it to see if it would bother Itachi. Kisame grinned. Or maybe that was just his face. Either way the mist ninja’s huge triangular teeth made quick work of the food. Itachi bit into the side of his fish, now especially careful not to eat its needle thin ribs. Its flesh was moist, hot and salty, and he felt strength flowing back into his body. He allowed his spine to sink against the tree trunk he leaned against. He was cold and tired, and it felt good to have a hot meal around a fire… Even with company as reptilian as Kisame.

At that moment, a sudden jab of pain split behind Itachi‘s eyes and he coughed into his hand. He discreetly curled his fingers into a fist to conceal the blood on his palm.

“Eat a bone?” Itachi cleared his throat and swallowed the blood. “No.” Kisame grunted, his eyes flashing from his soaked partner to the icy stream. “Do you drink, Itachi?”

“Not alone.”

“You might as well start the fun kind of sinning. It’ll warm you up.” Kisame tossed the greasy stick into the forest and reached for the next largest fish. As he bit a steaming, flaky hunk out of it, he reached for a waterskin on his body. He removed the cap, and passed it to the young man. “Kakuzu would not be pleased to hear what you spend your allowance on,” Itachi said. “That stinge gave me his speech. He can try to punish me.”

“Kakuzu has already killed two members of the Akatsuki.” Kisame laughed. “You’re kidding!” “Afraid not.” “Did Pain punish him?”

“No. Our leader has many killers, but only one bookkeeper.”

“Hm. Better hope we develop new talents then, eh?”

Itachi took a few swallows of the sharp but sweet rice wine and returned it to Kisame. Kisame sniffed the lip of the waterskin: he closed his eyes but made no remark.

The fire flickered lower. Itachi had gathered a little pile of fish bones at his feet. Fish were pretty animals, not frivolous, with graceful spines and streamlined skulls. He counted three heads in his pile. He was comfortably full. Kisame had eaten seven of them, bones and all.

“I learned something today. I wasn’t sure you could use genjutsu on a tiger,” Kisame said. He picked his huge teeth with a shard of rib, then chewed on it as if it were a stem of wheat. He did this until it was pliable, and then swallowed it.

“Men and beasts are very different,” Itachi said.

“Are they?” It was a challenge rather than a simple reaction. Kisame’s contracted eyes studied him.

“Unquestionably.” Itachi held his gaze.

Kisame grunted but said nothing. Instead of glancing down in defeat, his hard eyes swept deliberately and coolly to the side. Thus, Kisame postponed a conclusion to their discussion, at least until he was certain he could win it. The mist ninja sat with his hands clasped over his stomach. They rested by the fire until it elapsed into smoke and the spirited flames sobered into glowing black and red coals.

“So Itachi, how does this work? Do we sleep on the ground? Take watches?” “In peaceful conditions, I don’t watch. But I do sleep in a tree for concealment,” Itachi said. “Leaf ninja,” Kisame muttered. “Sleeping in trees like a bunch of monkeys.“ In a flicker, Itachi had climbed the oak above them to its lowest fork. Kisame covered the ashes with a kick and leapt to the limb opposite him. They faced each other for a moment, chins down, listening in the silence for possible observers. Sensing no one, Kisame turned his back and fastened Samehada to the underside of the branch. The weave of his robe was tight and warm, and Itachi tipped his chin inside its high collar. His breath filled the cavity with warm air, and it was not uncomfortable. Crickets chirped. Neither of them said good night.

Day 2----

Dawn corded its cold light through the pine needles and onto Itachi’s eyelids. As he parted their red curtains, he saw a young crow. It stared for a moment, curious at the oddly placed human, then shuffled its wings and darted off. Rising gently, Itachi stepped to the other side of the trunk to rouse his new partner.

Round fish eyes opened on his approach. “Did you know, sharks never fully sleep?”

Great.

“Let’s get these teeth to the collection point,” Itachi said.

He led the way until the building became visible from the forest. As was often the case, the underground bounty office had its cover as a mortician’s practice. Morticians had plenty of space for storing bodies, and arriving there from the country with a corpse on one’s shoulder was considered only slightly rude.

“Who goes in?” Kisame asked.

“I’ll go. You watch.”

Itachi entered the building: he tipped his chin under his collar until only his coal black eyes peered out. Itachi was not an immediately intimidating man. He was of average height, average build, perhaps even thin. There was nothing special about his coloration. But the representative at the counter knew the red-clouded robes, and rising from his collar, Itachi’s eyes gleamed garnet.

The collection man’s knuckles tensed a tendinous white as he stared at the approaching Akatsuki. Itachi halted, and hailed him as stipulated:

“What rings the Dawn, and shall bring Man to his haven?”

“Our world glimpses Death’s yawn: the hoarse call of the raven.”

Good. Itachi placed his pouch with the teeth on the counter. The man inspected the smooth oranged teeth and accepted them. He set a case of cash on the counter and displayed it to the Uchiha. Itachi did not count the money: no contractor had been foolish enough to short change the organization since a recent incident involving Kakuzu.

One million yen. Not bad for a glorified pet hunt. Now they just had to deliver the money to the Akatsuki’s ancient master of coin or one of his henchmen. The zombie pair were conducting a mission some forty kilometers away; they could meet them in just a few hours.

“I’ll carry that,” Kisame said when Itachi emerged with the large briefcase. Itachi gave it to him and they set off north. They traveled a quiet hour before Kisame spoke.

“I smell blood.”

Itachi had sensed nothing unusual. Kisame’s strengths were complementary to his indeed. With a gesture of his hand, Itachi instructed Kisame to lead. The shark-ninja’s sense of smell was better than his, but not at the level of a ninja hound’s, because in just another few long leaps, Kisame had grounded himself on a dirt cart path.

Hung upside down on a tree was a human body. The victim’s feet were tied together with a strip of cloth and jabbed through with a stake into the trunk. Itachi thought the man was less than thirty minutes dead. Blood dripped down from his death wound, down his sternum, his throat, to collect on the jut of his jaw and dye maroon swirls in the muddy water of the cart treds.

“Huh,” Kisame surmised, wrinkling his wide nose. He looked at Itachi.

“This is the Akatsuki’s doing. One of us makes such displays,” Itachi said.

Itachi cut down the corpse. He strode powerfully, urgently, along the path. Between the trees appeared a traditional inn with the peaked roof of mountain tribes, dark wood paneling, and pale stucco walls. An inn of the piquant sort, judging by the oiran fan and floral carvings on the upper balconies. A familiar black robe with red clouds lay discarded on a bench outside. “Do Akatsuki go to brothels?” Kisame asked. Itachi didn’t answer. On the ground outside the brothel was a circle drawn in blood. “He’s going to kill those women.” “So?”

Itachi rushed forward.

At the instance of his arrival, an individual strode out of the building’s door. He was young, zealous, handsome, and walked with his smooth chest bared bared. His muscled arm was wrapped around the thin waist of a pale woman with long black hair. Mid sentence, he recognized Itachi.

“Hey hey, Itachi! Wouldn’t think I’d find you at a place like this. Where’s your new partner?” Hidan greeted.

Itachi’s voice was low. “You paid these people for a service. Their deaths were not part of that.” Like a friendly dog Hidan smiled. A friendly dog, who just in case the friend was a foe, smiled to remind him he had teeth. “Well! I haven’t paid anyone yet, and I think Lord Jashin will appreciate their talent!”

The woman’s smile faltered. No sooner had she realized the danger, Hidan threw her against the wall and held her by the throat. He drew his pike.

That damn Kakuzu. Maybe if he wasn’t squeezing Hidan’s purse, the cultist would not have extra incentive settle his debts with death. Or maybe Hidan would just kill anyone weaker than him regardless. Itachi’s patience for negotiation had elapsed. Flickering, he grabbed the girl and deposited her next to Kisame in the yard. “What am I supposed to do with this?” Kisame said, but Itachi had already flickered back to Hidan some ten meters away. Now Hidan’s teeth flashed impatiently when he spoke. “You’re annoyingly noble for a member of an evil organization, you know that?”

“Where is Kakuzu,” Itachi asked, though as customary for his questions, his voice lacked a submissive rise pitch at the end. The bothersomely rational waterfall ninja would surely restrain his partner from this idiocy if he were around.

“Think I need him, huh?”

“Idiots require supervision.”

Shrieking, Hidan raised his scythe and sprang at Itachi.

Sharingan! Hidan froze. Inside the fictional realm, Hidan was tied to a tree trunk. Itachi created a replica of the retractable pike he tried to use on the prostitute, and with its sharp point, Itachi punctured the man’s intestines. Drawing it out, Hidan flexed his fingers in convulsing pain and howled like a jackal. Itachi felt a presence in his realm he did not invite. A hulking black monster lumbered out from behind the trunk, humanoid in shape with flesh of black fire revealing a white skeleton. It had a skull like a goat and its glowing pink eyes regarded Itachi hungrily. Hidan’s trembling lips parted in rapture as he beheld it. With a bony talon the monster pressed Hidan on his sweating forehead. The brothel, the forest, the yard had returned. The genjutsu was broken. Itachi seized a reactionary few steps back. Hidan was not skilled enough to break out of that on his own. What was that skeletal monster? Did he just witness his god? “You,” Hidan said breathily. Trembling and weakened, he leant on his scythe as he stood. "You'll pay for that!" he swore, swinging the blade at Itachi's throat Itachi would have to fight Hidan without genjutsu. His ninjutsu wouldn’t kill him. And close quarters taijutsu was risky, since one graze could make that blood ritual of his troublesome. He would have to incapacitate Hidan. Chop off a limb. That was how he would win.

Hidan swung at Itachi with the graceless zeal of a chunin, and each time, his weapon only met the air. Itachi drew his tanto blade. Hidan smashed his scythe into the earth on another missed strike, which grounded him. Placing all of his strength in the blow, Itachi cleaved through Hidan’s tibia, crushed his fibula, and Hidan was gracelessly grounded, separated from the bottom half of his leg. Bleeding heavily, Hidan’s severed shin spun to a halt a few meters away.

“FUCK!”

In the corner of his vision Itachi was aware of Kisame standing tense: he had been ready to act, but must have decided it unwise. Itachi paced forward, shortsword swinging, and when he swung it through the air, the blood leapt off in a fine spray to speckle a tree in red. The blade had cracked beyond repair: he had been reckless to cleave the two bones in Hidan’s shin in one strike. To the music of Hidan’s curses, Itachi began to wipe the soiled blade in the grass. He would have to bury the thing, better children did not find it.

The toothed crown of a plant, like a venus fly trap, emerged from the grass nearby. Zetsu’s head had materialized from the dirt and Itachi’s hands stilled in surprise.

“Hello, Zetsu,“ Itachi greeted the head.

“Hello.“ Then, “They’re here, Pain,” the strange plant ninja said.

Pain appeared. Robe billowing, he stood between Hidan and Itachi. His presence was magnetic and every head turned to him. “What,” Pain growled, “is the meaning of this infighting?” “I was just... behind on my sacrifices...” Hidan breathed from the ground, and struggled to prop himself up. “When this prick insulted me, gutted me in a genjutsu, and then. Lobbed. Off. My. Fucking. Leg.” “Hidan. Killing civilians and leaving witnesses awards you with the bounty of the five nations. We can not afford this attention.”

“Sorry about that, sir,” Hidan muttered, looking diffusively at the ground.

Pain’s attention swiveled to the next unruly young adult. “Itachi, we are no heroes. Never compromise our goals by attacking our members.”

Itachi dipped his chin in an acknowledgement that was not quite submission. Pain strolled forward to the wooden building. The brothel’s matron, three prostitutes, and a few men stared out at the colorful flock of S ranked ninja from the porch and balcony. Pain extended his right arm. “What are you doing?” Itachi demanded. Pain unfurled his fingers. “Shinra Tensei.” The wooden house exploded in a rain of splinters and structure. Wooden beams and ceramic roof tiles hailed down around them. Itachi searched Pain’s expression for a reason. Instead, Pain’s ringed eyes fixated at the surviving girl who stood shivering next to Kisame. “Kisame,” Pain ordered. Massive Kisame took the girl, placed either hand on the side of her face, framing it in a gesture that seemed almost intimate. But a ligament in Kisame’s forearms twitched, and she was dead before her corpse hit the ground.

Fire erupted from the uprooted gas pipes and ravenous flames quickly devoured the wooden house. The black beams stood like a skeleton among a roaring, moaning fire that devoured the wood and paper structure. The intense dry heat prickled against the moisture of Itachi’s scleras, but despite it, he could not blink. Pain rounded on Itachi. Backlit by the flames, he saw his own face reflected in the rippling fog-colored eyes that locked him.

“Our enemies hunt us as we speak. Because of you, Itachi, too many saw too much. If I decide that anyone is disloyal to the Akatsuki, I will kill him.” Itachi stared into eyes more ancient, more evolved, and more knowing than his own. He learned then he was not free in his outlawry. Even he must tread the line between light and dark as closely as he dared. Should his steps toward the light be too obvious, he would find his own neck on the rope, and dead men can protect no one.

—

Author’s Note:

暁 Akatsuki = Dawn

A step away from my usual work, but I recently fell in love with Naruto Shippuden. I have chapter two, Cannibals, about finished and will post it soon.

*Special thanks to myochiikurin for her hard work beta reading this chapter and the next!

I thought the life of Itachi and the others members settling into their lives in the Akatsuki was the most compelling and underexplored aspect in the Naruto universe, and thought I’d give filling the gap of this organization my try.

Feedback is greatly appreciated,

Celtic

Next Chapter on Tumblr: https://celticfeather.tumblr.com/post/188589156066/akatsuki-fic-campfires-ch-2-cannibals

(Follow on FF or Ao3:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13409132/1/Campfires

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21019778/chapters/49992863 )

#I worked on this fic for months #basically a fic on life in the akatsuki #with a twist #I have 40 pages already written #naruto #akatsuki #itachi #kisame #kisaita #if you squint #campfires #naruto fanfiction #this is on both FF and Ao3 #celticfeather #thanks for reading all my embarrassing tags

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drindrak-art · 7 years

Text

Named After a Hero IV

Sasuke was terrified. He didn't like admitting it, but he was. The woman-man-snake, whatever it was, had appeared with a gust of wind and separated him from his teammates. Naruto found him quick enough. Him not knowing a single bit of the password was sufficient enough for Sasuke to recognize the blond. But Sakumo… that thing disguised itself as Sakumo. It had given the password well enough, but there was just something about it that prompted Sasuke to ask it, “What do you think of the White Fang?” And for a split second a disgusted sneer appeared on his ‘teammate’s’ face. That was all the confirmation Sasuke and Naruto needed to attack the false Sakumo. And then everything went to hell. That thing survived a full blast fireball to the face and had done nothing but peel its own skin off. Sasuke thought he'd vomit right then and there. Through some impressive teamwork with Naruto and some wirework, Sasuke had had the thing cornered and fired off a Dragon Flame Jutsu point blank. But when the flames died down, the thing had melted and disappeared. Now he and Naruto were hiding on a branch, carefully plotting what to do next. Many of their plans consisted of them simply running, finding the real Sakumo, and hightailing it out of the forest. Whether to the tower or over the fence they didn't care. Sasuke had a small twinge of wanting to finish the exam no matter what, but the dark-haired boy had learned a lot about caring for his friends. And that was what Naruto and Sakumo were. His friends. Sure he wanted to be a Chunin soon, but waiting six months was preferable to dying. Sasuke felt his eyes itch to blink. He hadn't for a while, since he had activated his Sharingan a few moments ago. He looked around for that thing. “Sasuke!” Naruto shouted pushing the Uchiha away. Sasuke flipped midair and his eyes widened upon seeing a large snake land where he had been hiding, the thing crawling its way from the snake’s head.

“Kukuku…” The thing chuckled, yellow eyes focusing on Sasuke’s Sharingan. “My, my, Sasuke-kun, what splendid eyes.” Sasuke felt his skin crawl. The thing was after his eyes?! A thud came beside him and Sasuke dared a glance to see a furious Naruto. The blond’s usual blue eyes were bright red and slitted; his whisker-like birthmarks had also darkened, giving him a demonic look. “Who the hell do you think you are, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto shouted. “What do you want!” The thing chuckled again. “My name is Orochimaru. As for what I want…” The thing - Orochimaru - looked to Sasuke and smirked. “I want Sasuke-kun’s Sharingan.” Orochimaru’s smirk widened. “Why, I might just rip the boy’s eyes out right now.” Before Sasuke could process that, Naruto had flung himself at Orochimaru with a feral screech. The elder ninja easily dodged the enraged blond’s attacks, quickly snatching him up with his tongue. “So this is the Kyuubi Container? Pathetic.” Sasuke’s mind raced. Kyuubi? The giant fox that attacked the village? Naruto was its container? Sasuke shook his head. No way that was true. ...right? It does make sense… Sasuke shook his head again. It doesn't matter. Not right now. But he and Naruto were going to have a serious talk if they survived. Orochimaru grinned as his fingers lit up with purple flames. “Five Prong Seal!” He slammed his glowing hand into Naruto's gut. The blond made a choking noise before passing out. With another chuckle, Orochimaru flung Naruto away. The blond had flown maybe two metres before he was pinned to a tree by a kunai. “Shannaro! Bulls-eye!” Sasuke felt relief and a new wave of terror well up inside him. He turned to see his pink haired teammate crouching on a branch just behind him. With a grin, he leapt to the branch Sasuke was on. “Sakumo…?” Sakumo’s grin dimmed into a small smile. “Sorry I'm late. I had to dodge this huge snake.” Before Sasuke could respond, Orochimaru hissed. “So you defeated my snake? Impressive.” Sakumo glanced at the enemy and Sasuke briefly caught the other boy’s eyes widening. “Orochimaru.” Sakumo whispered, a glare settling on his face. Sasuke wanted to ask how his teammate knew that, but figured the boy had read about it. “Sasuke.” Sasuke tilted his head, watching as his teammate dug through his pouch. “Take this.” He handed Sasuke a small scroll with the symbol for dog scrawled onto it. “I want you to take Naruto and run.” A noise of protest rose in the Uchiha’s throat. Sakumo held up a bandaged hand (Sasuke didn’t know when the other boy injured it, probably during the fight with the snake). “When you're safe enough, open that scroll.” Sakumo reached back into his pouch and got out a tool wrapped in cloth. With a flourish he revealed a small white blade. “Sensei gave me this. Told me it would save my teammates one day. Said the same thing ‘bout that scroll.” “Sakumo what-” “I really think you can accomplish your goal Sasuke. Tell Naruto that I know he'll become Hokage.” Sasuke began to shake his head. “Tell him yourself!” Sakumo grinned. “Heh, when? He's out cold y’know.” Sakumo’s grin faded. “Tell my parents that I love them.” He stepped forward and all Sasuke could see was the white circle on the back of his shirt. Sakumo looked over his shoulder. “I always said I'll be a hero. Just like the White Fang.” He smiled. “And I am now.” He turned back to his enemy. “And Sasuke? Tell Sensei…” Sakumo paused. “...tell him I'm sorry.” With that, Sakumo leapt, blade raised, at Orochimaru. Sasuke clutched tight to the scroll and, against everything his teacher had drilled into him, grabbed the unconscious Naruto and ran.

The blade his sensei had given him clashed against Orochimaru’s kunai. The Sannin raised a brow as he looked over the blade. “That looks very familiar, boy.” Sakumo grunted as more pressure was applied to his blade. “Why, I thought that blade was destroyed during the Third War. Where did you find it?” They broke away from each other. Sakumo raised his blade. “Sensei gave me this blade.” Sakumo slashed down, teeth gritting together when the Sannin easily blocked his strike. What had sensei said? Sakumo thought as he and Orochimaru began trading slashes. Right, channel chakra into the blade. Sakumo jumped back and, raising his free hand and laying it over the blade, began to channel chakra. The blade lit up with a bright white light and electricity crackled around him. Sakumo nodded and dashed forward. The glowing blade sliced easily through the kunai that had been meant to stop it. Orochimaru leapt back and hissed. “Impossible!” Sakumo grinned and raised his blade. “Nothing's impossible! Shannaro!” Orochimaru sneered down at him. “You are getting on my nerves brat. Get out of my way, my business is with Sasuke-kun.” Sakumo’s grin turned into a smirk. “Well, Sasuke’s not here right now.” Orochimaru’s head snapped to where Sasuke had been standing. “Can I take a message?” Orochimaru let out a low hiss as he looked back at Sakumo. In a blink, the Sannin crossed the distance between them and had a hand wrapped around Sakumo’s throat. “Grk-” Sakumo choked. “I shall have to make this quick. But I do believe I have time to teach you how to properly use this.” Orochimaru wrestled the still glowing blade from the preteen. He raised it and smirked, loosening his grip on Sakumo’s throat. “This is how you use this blade. First,” Sakumo let out a scream as the glowing blade was shoved into his gut. “you stab your opponent. Then,” Orochimaru twisted the blade and channeled chakra into it. “you channel chakra.” Sakumo screamed again as his body seized, the lightning chakra produced by the blade crackling and ripping through him. Orochimaru stopped his flow of chakra. “You lost me a very important part of my future child.” The Sannin tore the blade out and threw it away from them. “Why, I think I'll just kill you now and then hunt Sasuke-kun down. Your heroics have been for nothing.” Sakumo whimpered, his body still twitching uncontrollably. “I'll kill you and then the Kyuubi brat before taking Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru raised his free hand and set it on the side of Sakumo’s head. “I never did like messy deaths.” Sakumo closed his eyes. This is it… kind of nice that the last thing I'll hear are all those birds chirping. Suddenly, the hand on his throat let go. Sakumo dropped to the ground and gasped for air, eyes flying open. Orochimaru stood before him, yellow eyes wide; a glowing hand surrounded by lightning chakra through his chest; a heart gripped in it’s fingers. “W-What-” The Sannin choked out as he looked over his shoulder. “Ha..take…” Sakumo felt like sobbing as he finally noticed his sensei standing behind the dying Sannin. “Don't ever harm my students.” His sensei’s eyes were set in an angry glare, his one Sharingan furiously rotating. Kakashi ripped his hand from Orochimaru’s chest, letting the now dead man drop to the ground. He crushed the heart in his hand, eyes alight with grim satisfaction, before dropping that too. “S-Sensei!” Sakumo felt tears slip from his eyes. “I… I…” A sob escaped him. Kakashi knelt down to appraise his student’s injuries. “Sasuke used the scroll I gave you.” He murmured, as he began administering first aid. “He told me what happened.” Kakashi carefully cleaned and wrapped the stab sound. “What were you thinking?” Sakumo sobbed. “...I'm so sorry Sensei! I didn't think, I didn’t-” Kakashi placed his clean hand atop his crying student's head. “...Sakumo.” Kakashi started. “I'm sorry Kakashi!” Sakumo cried, forgoing his usual honorific. “I'm sorry I broke our promise!” Kakashi’s eyes widened as he flashed back, five years old, staring blankly at the note beside his father’s dead body. To the I'm sorrys scrawled onto several sheets of paper. To the broken promise his father had given him. “I'm so sorry! If only I was stronger I-” Kakashi tugged his student into a hug, letting the boy sob into his blood-stained flak jacket. “It's alright Sakumo.” Father… “I forgive you.”

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kuriquinn · 7 years

Text

Fic Prompt / Request: More Hokage Troubles

Anonymous said:

Hey Kurin! I just finished reading Anbu Team 7 and I stumble upon something that makes me curious, at this part when sakura 'aka' lioness said “Well, actually –” and kakashi then quickly interrupt, what does it actually means?

Masterlist & Disclaimer

Summary: Kakashi is just one in a long line of Hokage that can't keep his friends and students in line. A romp through the history of Konoha, with cameos from Kage past.

Warning: Very crackish.

Canon/Fanon Compliance: AU ‘verse. Sasuke left Konoha, but he came back right away or right after training or something. Team 7 went on to become ANBU

Kakashi looks at the three of them in turn, and then lets his head fall into his hands. “None of the other Hokage had to deal with this.”

“Well, actually—”

“Don’t, Lioness, just don’t,” Kakashi groans, straightening up.

一

“Madara,” Hashirama Senju starts quietly—calmly, he thinks—and then promptly forgets what to say.

His best friend lifts an eyebrow in irritating, mocking challenge that makes him want to punch him in his smug Uchiha face, and sits back, arms folded in front of him.

Hashirama exhales through his nose, counts to ten, and begins again.

“Madara, you cannot set people on fire just because they say something you don’t like.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit.”

“Whatever he said happened is a lie. You know he has it out for me.”

“And I know you would like nothing more than to bash his head in with your gunbai.”

“Well, you said it, not me,” Madara shrugs, looking bored.

“If the other nations see this infighting amongst us, they’re going to think we’re not united. We can’t have anymore—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

“You know you need to apologise.”

“I don’t know anything of the sort.”

“If you don’t apologise, I’m telling Mito.”

“…Fine,” he grumbles after several seconds. “The next time I see him.”

“Good.”

“When I get back from Iwagakure.”

There’s a knock at the door of Hashirama’s chambers, and he smirks at Madara. “I wonder who that could be—come in!”

His best friend glowers. “You’re an ass.”

The door slides open and Tobirama Senju enters, sporting several bandages and a face painted almost completely with burn cream. His eyes twitch at the sight of Madara, but he then turns to his brother and bows. “Lord Hokage.”

“Oh, knock it off with the protocol,” Hashirama waves impatiently. “Madara has something he wants to say to you.”

“I very much doubt that.” The Hokage narrows his eyes and his brother clenches his jaw. “Fine. I will listen. What does the scumbag want this time?”

“Isn’t there a rule about speaking to your elders more respectfully?” Madara sniffs.

“Isn’t there a rule about keeping you away from sane people?”

“Tobirama…”

“Hm, five seconds. The last time it took you a good deal longer to get annoyed enough to insult me,” Madara muses, examining his nails. “I’m disappointed. It seems your tolerance is wearing.”

“Did you have something of value to share, or did you just want to give me a seminar on my habits?”

“I have no doubt you could use one…”

“…Madara!”

“You have something to say to me, Uchiha?”

“I have something to say about your mother.”

“A-hem,” Hashirama interjects pointedly.

His best friend considers him, and in a grudging voice mumbles, “…What a nice, honorable lady.”

“Nice save, asshole. You’re lucky I don’t teleport you to the middle of an ocean to drow,” Tobirama growls.

“Bring it, you little—!”

“Children,” Hashirama mumbles to himself. “Grown men—warriors!—and they’re like children. The world is doomed if either one of you ever ends up in a position of power…”

二

“What happened to the bridge?”

Tobirama keeps his voice carefully level, trying to ignore the throbbing in his temple and the need to flex his fingers. Possibly around his students’ necks.

“Uh…it was an accident?”

“Hiruzen, missing a target is an accident. That bridge looks like a tornado hit it. And I don’t use the word tornado lightly.”

“I told him not to do it,” Koharu says. “The idiot wouldn’t listen.”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault! Homura distracted me while I was trying to take aim.”

“I sneezed.”

“It was distracting!”

“A shinobi should be able to focus around even the most inconvenient disruptions,” Koharu recites dutifully.

“A shinobi should also inform her teacher when her teammates are about to alert the enemy to their position and get them all killed,” Tobirama lectures.

“Well, I didn’t actually think he’d miss.”

“And Homura couldn’t?”

“He was asleep,” Hiruzen snorts. “Hence why I was surprised when he sneezed.”

“You three do realise we’re in the middle of a war, yes?” Tobirama asks through clenched teeth. “The enemy will be here within minutes because now they know our—”

Thwack!

He is cut off by an arrow lodging itself in his shoulder.

The four of them stare up the mountain incline at the wall of dozens of shinobi headed their way.

“…position,” Tobirama finishes, yanking the arrow out.

“That’s…a lot of Amenin,” Hiruzen murmurs.

“If we live through this, I’m going to make the rest of your life miserable,” Koharu informs him primly.

If any of you live through this, Konoha is doomed, Tobirama thinks, taking a guard position and preparing to meet a slew of angry Amenin head-on.

三

Hiruzen and his team are tied to four posts, baking in the sun several dozen miles from Suna. The desert sand rustles around them, and his mouth is already dry.

“Explain it to me again,” he says slowly. So that I can possibly find a way to salvage this trip and keep us out of another war.

“Hearing it again won’t change the outcome,” Orochimaru points out, looking disgustingly unruffled against his post.

“Jiraiya hit the Kazekage.”

“Of course he did,” Hiruzen groans, craning his neck to glare over at the only individual in their group to remain unconscious. Jiraiya is sagging against his post, a line of drool dangling from his mouth.

“It was either incredibly stupid, or incredibly brave and stupid all rolled into one,” Tsunade goes on. “I mean, the other guy was talking about sacrificing half of our people on something that might work. I don’t care how good a strategist he is, that’s crap. And of course, I couldn’t hit him, because then he’s be dead…”

“How nice of you to show some restraint…”

“You do have a lot of anger bottled up inside you,” Orochimaru points out. “I recommend a good bit of therapy. Of course, activities that involve sharp objects or fire might be more to your preference.”

“Would you shut up and do your creepy, bending thing so that we can get out of here?” Tsunade snaps.

“I would, except the same chakra suppressors keeping you from using your strength or keeping Sarutobi-sensei from using a simple Nawanuke are currently binding me. It seems we’re destined to die here.”

“Don’t sound so happy about that!”

“On the contrary, I’m quite bothered. My constitution is better than all of yours, so I’ll not only have to watch you all die, but I’ll be stuck here with the smell of your rotting corpses long before I too succumb to heat stroke and starvation.” He pauses, and then offers Hiruzen an approximation of an apologetic look. “My apologises, sensei. If it makes you feel any better, if I do get free after you all perish, I’ll eat Jiraiya first.”

Tsunade’s turns green beneath her sunburn.

“No one’s eating Jiraiya!” Hiruzen snaps. Even though he knows that Orochimaru is just being a little shit and would never actually do something so disgusting (he’s about eighty-seven percent sure, anyhow), he isn’t in the mood for the young man’s particular brand of humour.

“Mmm…Tsunade can eat Jiraiya,” the white-haired youth mumbles in his sleep.

The three others freeze for a moment. This time it’s Orochimaru who looks disgusted, while Tsunade’s eye twitches. Hiruzen suspects that now, even if they get out of this predicament, only three of them will be returning home.

Hiruzen groans in frustration.

This is the last time. From now on, no Hokage is allowed to appoint their former genin squad as escorts, no matter how talented their ANBU commanders say they are. He’s going to make a fucking public ordinance about it.

四

Minato stares up at his only surviving student, trying to figure out exactly what to say at this point. Kakashi is sitting in the upper branch of a tree, eyes rivetted on the orange book in his hand.

“About that mission to Kiri—”

“Keep walking, sensei,” Kakashi says without looking up, idly turning a page.

Well…I tried, Minato thinks with a sigh and continues on his way back home.

五

“What the hell is going on?!”

“I…I don’t know!”

“What happened!” Tsunade barks, stalking into the laboratory, where Shizune is scrubbing at a goopy green mess. The lab is an utter mess of scorch marks and still smoking furniture.

“I don’t know! I didn’t do anything!”

“None of the ingredients are flammable! How could this happen?!”

“I don’t know, Lady Tsunade, one minute everything was fine, and the next—whoosh!”

“Oink!” Tonton agrees fearfully.

“Where’s Sakura?” she demands.

“Behind you,” a familiar voice says, and Tsunade whirls around. Her second student is leaning calmly in the doorway.

“Why weren’t you here to help her? You know this is a tricky antidote. I told you both it was a difficult one!”

“I had an errand to run,” Sakura says apologetically.

“And what errand is more important than listening to your master’s instructions?!”

“Making sure the village is running smoothly, of course,” Sakura beams. “Shizune said you were behind on your paperwork. And it’s possible you’ve been distracted by a certain something lately.”

From behind her back she removes a familiar looking, hard-won bottle of aged whiskey.

Tsunade winces.

Damn it, I thought I hid that better!

“Sakura, put that down,” she orders.

“Maybe I will,” the young woman says seriously, and then adopt a curious look. “But first, you have to tell me what the difference is between putting something down, and dropping it.”

“If you drop it, I will break your bones into millions of pieces.”

“But shishou, if you do that, you can’t hear my words of wisdom—and you know, you really want to listen to me.”

“About as much as I’d like to move to Tetsu and learn kabuki.”

“I hear Tetsu is very beautiful this time of year. They have ice castles.”

“Oink!”

“Is this the wrong time to mention I think this thing might developing sentience?” Shizune asks nervously.

She now appears to be battling some kind of goopy green chakra monster.

Tsunade looks between her two apprentices, and then lets her forehead fall into her hands. “That’s it. I’m breaking the world now.”

終わり

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, but if you feel like keeping me caffeinated out of the goodness of your heart, it certainly would be appreciated! I’m also starting to post original works to my patreon.

I’m only able to keep writing as I do thanks to the support of readers like you, so every bit helps!

栗

#friday fic requests #crack fic #hokage #naruto fanfiction #troublemakers #headdesk

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rinneganwritings · 3 years

Text

Never Far Away; Chapter 14: Savior Complex

Word Count: 3,110

Summary: The team starts home after failing to collect Tamako. They come across a face from the past along the way.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Yumiko groans when she feels the blankets being pulled from her body. She rolls to the otherside, gripping tightly to the sheet still wrapped around her. She feels a cold foot nudge her leg lightly.

“Yumiko-sensei, we should get up now,” Akina says shyly. She gently tugs on the sheet until the cool air hits Yumiko’s bare legs. She pulls them close to her chest.

“Leave me ‘lone,” she mutters.

“If I have to carry you out of here, I will,” Kakashi’s voice causes her to open one eye.

Kakashi and Akina stare down at her with a mixture of impatience and embarrassment on their faces. Ezume on the other hand is staring in the opposite direction with flushed cheeks due to seeing his sensei in less clothing than he’s used to. She’d fallen asleep in just her tank top and panties. Yumiko sits up on the bed. She rubs her eyes before panic sets in.

She reaches for the sheets, hastily pulling them up before anyone notices the lightning shaped scars on her chest. Most of it was covered, but there’s a particular part that webs out between her breasts nearly touching her collarbone. Akina has seen them before, but Yumiko didn’t want Kakashi to see them and feel guilty. She didn’t want him to pull away from her just when things were going well between them.

Her efforts seemed to be in vain, as Kakashi notices the quick motion. His eyebrows furrow, but he doesn’t have time to say anything.

“You know, Akina, you could have warned me before making me all vulnerable to the world,” Yumiko groans.

“We’ve been trying to wake you up for a while,” Akina rolls her eyes.

“Okay, well I’m up now. All of you leave so I can get dressed.”

Kakashi narrows his eyes at her, “Are you actually going to get dressed or are you going back to sleep?”

“I’m getting up,” she scoffs.

“We’re gonna come back in five minutes,” he warns her. “If you’re not up then I’m gonna carry you out of here.”

She rolls her eyes before shooing them all out.

Within the next few minutes they’re on the road again. Akina and Ezume excitedly talk about what they want to do when they get home. Yumiko lags a bit behind everyone. Her hands are shoved into her pockets as she walks. She can’t remember when she finally fell asleep. For hours in the night she tossed and turned. Even now she barely feels rested.

Kakashi peeks over his shoulder at her, quickly looking away when she makes eye contact. She smiles to herself before focusing her attention back to listening for potential threats.

Her mind does wander again to being home. She’s nervous about being back at her house alone, but she’s also excited about seeing Iruka again. His presence is always so comforting. She knows as she recounts the details of the mission to him, he’ll be able to help her come to terms with everything. Maybe they could go out for ramen.

She misses him more and more as they continue the journey.

Yumiko just wanted to visit her parent’s memorial. Instead she finds herself chasing Tamako all over the place. The spirited young girl collects flowers off the ground, then runs between the rows of memorials while singing.

“Come on,” Yumiko groans as she chases her around. “Tamako, if you would please just come on. Let’s just go.”

Tamako continues skipping around until she runs into a boy. She rubs her head after she falls onto the ground. She looks up at Iruka with narrowed eyes.

“This boy knocked me down,” Tamako says.

Yumiko approaches them with a deep sigh. Iruka helps Tamako up while apologizing profusely.

“It’s fine, someone needs to start watching where they’re going,” Yumiko scolds Tamako.

He scratches the back of his head, “I’m Iruka Umino.”

Yumiko nods, “I’m Yumiko and this is Tamako.”

The boy is about three years younger than her, but he seems nice enough. She knows he was also orphaned when the Nine Tails attacked the village, and his reputation for being a prankster has spread through the village. She’d watched one day as he tied the shoelaces of two boys together, resulting in them tumbling over each other when they tried to walk. It was funny enough.

“We were just going to the tea shop,” Yumiko explains. “If you want to meet us there after you’re done visiting that would be okay.”

Iruka’s face lights up, “That would be nice!”

“Cool,” Yumiko smiles. “Whenever you’re ready!”

“Yumiko,” Kakashi nudges her. “Do you hear that?”

She furrowed her eyebrows as they all paused in the road. She listens intently before she hears some rustling in the woods a few yards away from them. Akina and Ezume both stop to listen as well. It’s more of a struggle than it is for Kakashi and Yumiko, but eventually their eyes widen as they hear it too.

“What is it?” Akina whispers.

“I hear footsteps,” Yumiko answers.

“I smell something,” Kakashi adds.

From the shadows of the forest a white snake slithers from the forest. Akina throws a kunai at the snake, cutting it in half seamlessly. She doesn’t notice the widened eyes of Kakashi and Yumiko as they recognize the snake. Raspy laughter follows their gasps.

“This new generation of Shinobi have no manners,” Orochimaru says as he steps forward. Yumiko’s heart pounds as his eyes fall on her, and a wide smile spreads across his pale face.

“O-o-orochimaru,” she stutters.

“My dear, you’ve grown into a fetching kunoichi,” he greets her.

There’s a thousand questions in Kakashi’s eyes when he looks towards her, but Yumiko’s wide eyes are still focused on Orochimaru. She’s trembling. She barely musters up the strength to speak.

“What do you want?”

He tilts her head, “That’s all the greeting I get from you? After all we’ve been through.”

“What is he talking about, Yumiko?” Kakashi asks quietly.

Before anyone can speak again, Akina is launching shuriken at Orochimaru. He dodges them with ease.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that your students have such issues with respecting their elders,” Orochimaru smirks. “You were always so rebellious yourself.

“Yumiko, I feel like there’s something I need to know,” Kakashi growls.

Akina attempts another attack, but before she can do so a white snake is summoned by Orochimaru. It wraps around Akina, squeezing her. Ezume rushes to her aid, trying to pry the snake from around her. Kakashi and Yumiko move to be in front of the two of them.

“I just wanted to let you know my intentions. You see, I am still so curious about the abilities of the Shōrihibana clan. Since you’ve evaded me, I think I may try Tamako.”

“No,” Yumiko shakes her head. “Don’t!”

“Hm, I thought you’d have more to say.”

“You won’t get her anyway,” Kakashi says. “She’s with Tsunade.”

Orochimaru sighs, “That does put a damper on things, but all is not lost. I do have a Shōrihibana standing right in front of me, however. With very little threat. I’ll just take you, as I’ve always intended. ”

“Yeah, that won’t be happening,” Kakashi steps forward, his arm going in front of Yumiko protectively.

Orochimaru laughs, “Oh, a dashing suitor steps in.”

Yumiko pushes past Kakashi, her fists lit up with her static punch jutsu. She swings at Orochimaru, but he dodges it seamlessly. The punch lands on a tree, shattering the bark. Orochimaru looks amused by her attempt.

“I still believe Osari has kept you from your full ability,” Orochimaru feigns sadness. “It’s a shame really. If your parents would have allowed me to become your sensei, your power would be unstoppable now. No limits.”

“My parents were protecting me from a monster,” Yumiko spits.

“Oh, but that didn’t stop you from seeking my help after they died,” he reminds her.

She tries to hit him again, this time managing to knock him in the jaw. The static lights up on his skin, paralyzing him long enough for her to land another punch. This one is hard enough to knock him into a nearby tree. He explodes into a ball of snakes that spread out all over the ground. Kakashi clears them with his lightning blade jutsu while Yumiko tries to figure out where Orochimaru went.

A large white snake that Yumiko recognizes as one of Orochimaru’s summons lunges from a nearby bush at Kakashi and Yumiko. Kakashi dodges it, but the snake still has Yumiko in its sights.

Ezume launches a fireball jutsu that burns the snake, but Yumiko has to jump out of the way to dodge the flames. The flames tinge the bottom of her shoe, barely missing her exposed ankles.

“Sorry, sensei,” Ezume says as Yumiko lands on the ground beside him.

“It’s fine, you saved me,” she says before trying to focus again on finding she tries to hone in on the energy in the air to find him.

Akina’s high pitched scream draws everyone’s attention towards her. Orochimaru has the young girl in his grasp, his eyes narrowed at Yumiko. Akina's chest rises and falls as she breathes heavily, whimpering falling from her lips.

“Let her go,” Yumiko commands.

“Come with me, Yumiko. Be by my side,” Orochimaru says. “And I will spare the girl.”

“I-I-I-” Yumiko stutters as she considers her options. She knows she’d have a better chance of being able to fight her way free later than Akina. “Let her go. Just let Akina go, and I’ll go with you.”

“Yumiko no!” Kakashi yells.

“It’s the only way,” Yumiko turns to Kakashi. Something in her eyes communicates her true purpose to him.

“Yumi,” he whispers, still not liking the idea.

“Sensei, how could you?” Ezume questions, not picking up on the silent agreement between Kakashi and Yumiko.

Yumiko steps forward, stopping the jutsu around her fist as a gesture of compliance. Orochimaru growls, but pushes Akina away. His arms stretch out to grab Yumiko, pulling her forward to him. As soon as she’s in reach his teeth sink into her neck. She lets out a blood curdling scream as pain sears through her nerves. Tears sting her eyes. Orochimaru lifts his head with a smirk. The mark leaves her feeling weak, and she starts to tumble over a bit. Orochimaru catches her, slinging her over his shoulder.

“Shall we finish your friends?” he asks her.

“Please, leave them alone.”

Ezume lunges forward again, only to be stopped by Kakashi. He watches helplessly as his sensei is dragged away from the group. Orochimaru summons another snake to make sure they aren’t followed. As soon as Orochimaru and Yumiko are out of sight, Kakashi and Akina dispatch the snake.

The three of them chase after Orochumaru through the high branches and thick leaves of the forest. As he realizes they’re chasing them, he speeds up. Akina notices how limp Yumiko is and cries out to Kakashi.

“It’s okay, Akina,” Kakashi assures her.

Orochimaru lands on the ground of the forest.

“It looks like I’ll have to get rid of them after all,” he says to Yumiko before dropping her on the ground.

Her vision is fuzzy as she watches the three silhouettes of her friends land on the ground across from her. She watches them fight and struggle against Orochimaru. She knows they’ll die to get her back, even though she never truly left.

Jutsu after Jutsu keeps them held back. Orochimaru will kill them. He’ll do anything to kill them. She pulls herself off the ground. Orochimaru keeps them on their toes. His neck stretches out to wrap around Akina. Akina screams, Ezume saves her. Kakashi tries again and again to get close enough to Yumiko to drag her away, only to get rebuffed by one of Orochimaru’s jutsus.

Each of them looks weaker and more worn down by the second. Orochimaru’s wide array of attacks is wearing them down. She wants to save them, she knows she has the power.

It’ll take everything I have.

She pulls herself off the ground, her legs shaking as she does so. She leans against the tree until she gets her balance.

“Akina, Ezume,” she calls after them. They stop for a moment to look at her, “Take care of each other.”

Static floor jutsu!

The ground flashes in golden sparks, the white snakes on the ground writh and flip before disintegrating. Orochimaru turns to her with fury in her eyes. She begins the hand signs for what she can only assume will be the last jutsu she ever uses. For a moment her eyes fall on Kakashi. All the things that could have been played behind her eyes.

I’m sorry, Kakashi.

Kakashi reads the hand signs, realizing the jutsu she’s about to use will take tremendous chakra. He calls after her, but it’s too late.

Wind style! Electric storm!

Wind and electricity swirl around Orochimaru. His skin is shredding to ribbons before them. A graveled scream escapes him. She knows he’ll just revive, but as she falls to the ground she hopes she’s bought the team enough time to get away.

“Are you happy with Osari as your sensei?” Hiruzen asks her.

“Osari-sensei is very strong and smart,” Yumiko answers in earnest.

She looks around the room at the adults watching her. Her parents sit beside her. Her father glares at Orochimaru standing on one side of the hokage. Meanwhile Osari stands on the other side, pleased with her student’s answers.

“You see, Yumiko, Orochimaru is interested in training you,” Hiruzen explains.

She studies Orochimaru with scrutinizing eyes. He smiles, but she doesn’t quite trust it.

“I like being with Osari-sensei,” she says finally.

“I think that should settle things,” Osari says. “Hokage, I am best suited to be her teacher. We’ve already started her training, and she’s improved so much.”

“Can I go now?” Yumiko asks anxiously.

She’s dismissed from the otherwise adult conversation. Outside in the hallway she finds Anko waiting for her sensei.

“Hey! Will you be joining our team?” Anko asked her hopefully.

“I don’t think so,” Yumiko shrugs. “I want to stay with Osari-sensei.”

“Hm, that’s too bad. Orochimaru-sensei says he’s gonna teach me how to stop my loved ones from having to die.”

A few years later, Yumiko finds herself replaying that conversation in her head as she makes her way to Orochimaru’s lab. She shudders as she walks into the cold room. Orochimaru is leaning over a cadaver when she walks in. Without looking up he knows it’s her.

“I knew you’d seek me out,” he says to her.

She gulps, “Is it true?”

“Hm?”

“Could you bring back my parents?”

He laughs. A cold sound like a knife cutting through the air.

It’s a shock to wake up. Her head rests on Kakashi’s shoulder as he carries her on his back. One of his arms is hooked under her knees, holding her around his waist. The other holds one of her wrists.

“If you woulda told me this mission was gonna end like this I wouldn’t have believed you,” her voice is weak, but it’s a relief she even managed to muster up enough strength to speak at all.

“Do we need to stop?” Kakashi asks her softly.

“No, it’s okay,” she tries to lift her head off his shoulder but can’t manage it. She tightens her arms around his chest so he can hook the other arm around her leg. Warmth is blossoming in her chest. She nuzzles her face against his neck, feeling herself start to fall asleep again.

She comes back a few minutes later when they stop for a moment. Kakashi gently lowers her to the ground so that Akina can look at her wounds. There’s not much to be done on the road, but Akina does wrap up a wound on Yumiko’s arm she didn’t even remember getting. Kakashi gently tilts Yumiko’s head to inspect the curse mark on her neck.

“We’re only a few hours from the village,” Kakashi says. “Should we continue?”

“I don’t think I can walk,” Yumiko answers.

“That wasn’t the question,” Kakashi reminds her.

She sighs, “I just want to go home.”

With Ezume’s help, Yumiko is lifted onto Kakashi’s back again. While it’s certainly not under the best circumstances, Yumiko can’t help but appreciate the closeness. She loops her arms around him again, her head laying on his back as he begins carrying her towards the village once again.

The next time she wakes up, she’s at the infirmary in Konoha. Iruka is sleeping in the chair beside her bed. Kakashi is standing by the window looking out of it pensively. She slowly pulls herself up to a sitting position. Iruka and Kakashi both are at attention.

“Yumiko,” Iruka says breathlessly as he stands up. In an instant she finds herself in her best friend’s warm embrace. She buries her face against his chest, finding herself sobbing against him.

“It’s okay,” he whispers, “You’re home now. It’s okay.”

Kakashi approaches the bed, “Akina and Ezume were both released earlier. They’re going to be fine.”

Iruka moves to be sitting on the bed beside her, one arm still draped over her shoulders.

“Thank you, Kakashi,” she sniffles. “Thank you for everything.”

He shrugs, and starts to walk off until Yumiko grabs his hand. He freezes at the touch.

“I mean it,” she says. Teary eyes stare up into his, “Thank you.”

Kakashi blushes, “What are friends for?”

“Kakashi carried you all the way here,” Iruka tells her.

She nods, “I know.”

“I’ll get going now,” Kakashi says shyly.

“Good night,” she smiles weakly at him. She watches sadly as he leaves the room.

“Is it true?” Iruka asks her as soon as Kakashi is gone. “Did you fight Orochimaru?”

Yumiko nods, “It was awful.”

“You made it home,” Iruka rubs her back. “That’s what matters.”

She sighs, “I suppose.”

“Tamako is with Lady Tsunade,” Iruka shakes his head. “That was unexpected.”

“Yeah, it really is,” she sinks back down against the hospital pillows.

“Do you need anything?” he asks.

She shrugs but then sits up, “I need to have this curse mark sealed!”

She pushes her hair back to show Orochimaru’s curse mark to Iruka.

He sighs, “Kakashi already volunteered to take care of that when you get out of the hospital.”

“Kakashi,” she whispers.

“It seems he was intent on doing all he could for you,” Iruka explains.

She looks down at her hands as she rolls his words around in her mind. Everything about this mission was unexpected, and now that they’re home she wonders how much more things will change.

#kakashi hatake #itachi uchiha #kakashi x oc #itachi x oc #kakashi fanfiction

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Gets Caught In A Sticky Web In Episodes 113-119

Welcome back to the Great Crunchyroll Naruto Rewatch! I'm Carolyn Burke, and I'll be your host this week as we make our way through all 220 episodes of the original Naruto. Last week, we covered Episodes 106 - 112, where we slogged through the conclusion the Land Of Tea arc and watched Sasuke abandon his team in favor of Orochimaru (boo, Sasuke, boo) even while Sakura poured her heart out to try to get him to change his mind and stay.

We continue our rewatch this week with Episodes 113 - 119 in which Naruto, Shikamaru, and the rest of the gang attempt to recover Sasuke from the clutches of evil while simultaneously further discovering each other's (and their own) individual jutsu and fighting styles, along with their uniquely important roles on the battlefield. And there's no better time for it, either. Because this go-around, these kids could very well be in the most danger they've ever had to face. Will they step up and survive, or crumble under the pressure?

We've got character development, spiders, and a stunningly fancy underground bathroom coming at ya this week! We'll dig into a few of our own introspective revelations and find out what each Crunchyroll Features team member brings to the table. We'll dig into our favorite jutsus, as well as singling out our favorite comedic Naruto moments.

Let's check in with the Crunchyroll Features team and see what they thought about this week's batch of episodes.

Shikamaru acknowledges that Choji thinks he is the weakest link. Others agree with this line of thinking, but Shikamaru seems to see Choji's worth. What do you think Shikamaru would see in you that your teammates might miss?

Paul: I'm 33% social anxiety, 33% depression, and 33% Impostor Syndrome, so I don't really know what Shikamaru would see in me that I don't already see in myself. If sent on an important ninja mission, such as rescuing Sasuke from the clutches of a gang of super-powered weirdos, my first response would probably be to hide in a ditch and let the Earth reclaim me.

Kevin: That I view myself as a pawn. As long as the leader has something for me to do, I will never give up and will follow any whatever order they give me, even if I don't necessarily understand the reasoning.

Joseph: That's a tough question. I guess he might see that I'm really stubborn and won't back down from something once I've committed to it, which means I'm really likely to end up like Choji whether it has to do with this fight in particular or snatching the last chip from the bottom of the bag.

David: That I'm most motivated and do my best work when given specific directives and goals.

Noelle: This is a little tricky to answer, to tell the truth. If I had to think about it, I like to think I have good analytical skills, and I am very determined when I put my mind to something.

Jared: I guess that I can be stubborn and not give up despite things looking bad, so that might work for him.

Kara: This is a very clever way to get writers to say something nice about themselves. Also probably why it's so hard for most of us! He'd probably notice that I will risk wasting my time to salvage at least a tiny victory from the jaws of defeat... though "defeat" in my line of work is a lot more to do with missing files than actual death.

Danni: This is literally the hardest question anyone has ever asked me.

Neji is stepping up and showing he can keep a calm head and strategize in the middle of danger. Shikamaru is definitely noticing and rewards Neji with a leadership position because of it. What do you think about the dynamics of the students, how they interact with each when the chips are down? Would you have made the same decision or would you have appointed someone else?

Paul: I appreciate how all of the members of rival teams from Hidden Leaf Village pull together during this crisis, and I'm glad that they accept Shikamaru's planning without a bunch of egos getting in the way. It was especially gratifying to see that Neji has internalized the lessons he learned from being defeated by Naruto during the Chunin Exams. If I were put in Shikamaru's leadership position, it would be Hide in a Ditch City, 24/7, 365, though.

Kevin: Honestly, I more think that Shikamaru appointed Neji as vice-leader because he was the obvious best choice. Both Naruto and Kiba are too hot-headed to think in tense situations, let alone lead, and Choji had already been left behind. As for the Genin interactions, I like that they are actually somewhat nuanced and call on each person's history with the others. Shikamaru has more inherent trust in Choji's abilities than anyone else, while Naruto believes in Neji because of their fight in the Chunin Exam.

Joseph: It seems obvious since Neji is considered a genius, but I really love the introspection that came about with each individual student in these episodes. For Neji, who we've mostly seen as someone who falls right into the genius role, he actually seems somewhat burdened by it. He's surprised that people see someone as average as him as a genius. I just thought that was interesting. Shikamaru made wise decisions all around.

David: It's an astute decision, and in combination with his choices and reasoning in the previous set of episodes, Shikamaru is finally proving there actually was something worth admiring in him. So much development all at once for these characters makes it kind of wash over me, but overall I'm enjoying how the show manages to wring these characters for all they're worth.

Noelle: It's a logical choice, and I think it makes a fair amount of sense. Neji has clearly learned from his mistakes, and has the ability to keep a cool head during a crisis situation. For kids as young as them, that's not an ability many people have. Being able to recognize that during a pinch was a solid call.

Jared: Neji makes the most sense to be the de facto second in command. He's supposed to be a genius and despite his loss to Naruto in the Chunin Exams, I don't think that's necessarily knocked that moniker away from him. Naruto has probably had more experience recently in circumstances like they're in, but his tactical prowess and ability to make calm and collected decisions is questionable at times which would knock him down a bit. So yeah, it was the right call to make.

Kara: This goes back to why I thought Shikamaru was a shoo-in for Chunin rank. Everyone's aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, but Shikamaru doesn't have the baggage of ego or anything to prove to go with it. Considering I tend to be a lot more like Naruto when it comes to being fighty and having something to prove, I would probably not in the heat of the moment have made the same decision. And I would have been wrong.

Danni: I think Neji was the most obvious choice for the role. His ability to remain calm under pressure is pretty comparable to Shikamaru's, especially in the wake of the lessons he learned from fighting Naruto. I have a lot more respect for him now after that fight than before. Also, I'm glad Choji got some time in the spotlight finally.

Neji seemed to have some very close calls in this episode. Do you feel like stakes are being raised? Are these ninjas-in-training in more danger than when we first started watching? How do you think they're handling that?

Paul: I keep seeing pictures of most of the main cast as grown-ups in various social media posts related to Boruto, so I know that no matter how thickly they lay on the "this kid just died heroically for the sake of his friends" paint, none of them are actually in mortal danger. Plot armor aside, seeing Neji and Choji get beaten to within an inch of their life still evokes a strong emotional reaction from me. Aside from that, I think the show has done a good job amping up the drama.

Kevin: They're definitely in more danger than early on, simply by not expecting any backup and not having a Jonin around to save them. If they are outclassed, it's up to them to figure out how to not die. As for how they're handling it, in some ways I wish they were more frazzled. Everyone is just taking it in stride that they may die, and two of them have already finished their fights near death at best. Even if they've been on a bunch of missions before, this is the first time we've seen them as just Genin with a Chunin leader. Seeing a bit more psychological strain of realizing how high the stakes are would be a nice bit of realism.

Joseph: I kind of wish Choji and Neji's fights didn't end so similarly. Obviously, the emotions within were different, and Choji's was particularly poignant, but they both survived by the skin of their teeth and were more or less presumed dead in the same way.

David: It's weird, because I very much love how Choji's little arc was handled and felt like the emotion at the end was earned. On the other hand, Neji's is also good but it feels like the show is trying way too hard to convince us he might actually die here. It never feels like it would actually happen, at least this early with so much left unexplored, but the scenes where he's on the brink feel like they last forever. So, it's a mixed bag.

Noelle: As a kid, I was more concerned, but as an adult, I know the drill. Shows like these rarely commit to killing off their characters, and I remember Neji being decently popular at the time. It's too risky a move to kill people off. While I do think that comparatively, the stakes are absolutely being raised, with kids going out on a life-threatening mission, I know it's not going to end that badly. Bad, but not the worst possible outcome.

Jared: The stakes are much much higher for most of these characters since we haven't really seen them in this kind of danger before. Everyone outside of Naruto hasn't had to deal with these kinds of enemies yet within the context of what the show has presented us. So, it makes sense that even someone like Neji is struggling with a much tougher opponent compared to what he's used to. Although it was kind of odd how they seemed to structure both Choji and Neji's fights to be very similar with how they'd get the upper hand, their enemy would recapture momentum, here's a second form, and then both were spent by the end of it.

Kara: The stakes are higher for sure. But to revisit what Paul said, I'm not sure how I feel about the dramatic "death" scenes. Even if we didn't have Boruto now telling us who grows up and has kids and stuff, I don't think I like those scenes playing out only for a "just kidding" later. I love seeing the characters grow and realize what they value in what they think are their last moments, but now every time I see a sad death scene and hear that flute music I'm just gonna be like "Ah, it's fine, they'll wake up in the hospital."

Danni: Listen, it's a shonen anime. Is anyone really ever dead in a shonen anime?

Spiderwebs! We've seen some interesting jutsu on this show, but spiderwebs seems icky and sticky enough. What did you think of this scene? Has your favorite jutsu changed since we started rewatching the show?

Paul: As far as Ninjutsu go, "Literally Spider-Man" is pretty powerful. I'm not terribly arachnophobic, but between the sound effects and the visuals of Kidomaru spitting up his silk, I got pretty grossed out, although it made for a thrilling fight. My favorite Jutsu so far is still Kakashi's Sharingan-enhanced Jutsu copying skills.

Kevin: I'm not very arachnophobic, but throughout the first half of Neji's fight, I was continuously thinking "that's WAY too many spiders!" As for a favorite jutsu, if we're including all jutsu from all disciplines I really like he Eight Inner Gates. Something that theoretically everyone can obtain and which has an inherent progression system that lets you throttle the power. If we are restricted to ninjutsu, then probably the Shadow Clone jutsu because of all of the utility that we'll find out about later.

Joseph: Gosh, I can't even think of my favorite jutsu right now. There've been so many, but I guess I still prefer the earlier bugs to these bugs. I was kind of bored by the Neji fight, to be honest, and I didn't see the sudden appearance of a giant spider as much of a threat. I actually thought it might have just been an illusion at first.

David: I don't think anything can faze me after Shino's brand of bug jutsu, that's Peak Yikes.

Noelle: I love spiders! Spiders are cute! So no, there's no creep-out factor for me. I still think Gaara's sand is still a fave of mine though.

Jared: I'm so glad I'm not Neji when he had so many spiders raining down on him as I would've just noped the heck out of there immediately.

Kara: I thought the spiderwebs would be my biggest "Nope," but Kidomaru just horking up golden arrows like some sort of weird Mary Poppins carpetbag thing got me worse.

Danni: It's gotten weird. I honestly can't understand why that guy had six arms and the ability to secrete spiderwebs. That can't just be a chakra thing, right? Seriously, they're really glossing over the fact that guy somehow has six arms.

Shikamaru saying it would be dumb to rush into confrontation and being cut off by Naruto's "Hey jerk!" is completely hilarious. What are some other comedic beats you've been a fan of? Do you think putting these one-liners in the middle of intense scenes works? Or does it ruin the flow of a battle arc?

Paul: I'm still a fan of Naruto getting caught in a snare trap, freeing himself, then getting caught again immediately in another snare trap, and I suspect we haven't seen the last of the dreaded One Thousand Years of Death attack. The moments of levity (even in high-stakes situations) are nice because they give the audience breathing room. I personally don't want my shonen shows to be dark and depressing all of the time.

Kevin: Naruto including both funny and touching moments in the middle of tense situations is one of the parts of the franchise that I really like. The timing isn't always perfect, but it stops the show from staying too dark for long, or adding extra context to give weight to the situation. It becomes a problem when that weight takes an entire mini-arc in the middle of something much more important, but for one-liners or short flashback scenes, it's generally pretty effective.

Joseph: Naruto's comedy is at its best when it's mixed in with the action. When an entire episode relies on it, it totally falls flat, but I love moments like this. They're what makes Naruto Naruto! I wish I could remember more specific comedic beats throughout the series but I'm old and we're over 100 episodes in.

David: Comedy is important to keeping the tone of a show like this in check. It's especially important here exactly because of moments like the one mentioned; Naruto himself is a hothead and frequently bad at reading the room, but that part of his personality absolutely has to land for the big story beats to work, too. In that sense, I don't just like the jokes, but find them vital to the show's success.

Noelle: I think it works just fine. The issue with a lot of comedy in action scenes is that it detracts from the situation at hand, lowering the tension. Most of the time, that's usually not a good thing. In this case, you need comedy because the scenes are so serious- being overly serious hurts a show equally so. While the jokes can be hit or miss, that they exist I don't think is much of an issue.

Jared: It's interesting because moments like that absolutely work as this brief instance of comic relief, without it taking away from the seriousness of the situation. Sometimes the show can get a bit overboard when it's trying to do comedy for a whole episode and that doesn't work, but when it's utilized in situations like here where we know Naruto would totally do something like this, it can help as a nice little breather in between everything being super tense.

Kara: When it's good, it's very very good. When they go for a completely wacky episode/set of episodes it's A Lot, but when they sprinkle the humor in amidst the action it's just excellent. I'm still a fan of Naruto showing up triumphantly during the second stage of the Chunin Exam forgetting the password just as predicted. More recently, I love the little song he sings as he swoops over Tayuya's head in this last set of episodes.

Danni: If nothing else, it's a clear and concise summary of his entire character. I can 100% believe someone who shouts "Hey jerk!" in that situation is also someone who makes a diversion attack only to completely negate the purpose of the diversion by shouting "Above you!" before attacking from above. Also, my favorite comedic beat is still Sasuke finding out Itachi is back because some grunt runs into the room shouting about Itachi. It probably wasn't supposed to be funny, but it still makes me laugh.

And, of course, what were your high and low points for the week?

Paul: My high point was Akimichi Choji stomping a mudhole in Jirobo, because Choji's my favorite supporting lad and this is his first real moment in the spotlight. My low point was Orochimaru's arms going fully necrotic. They really leaned into the body horror elements in these episodes. I'm not super squeamish, but I wasn't mentally prepared for that.

Kevin: High - Choji's fight. As the fat kid who was never picked first for any sport (and only not picked last because I would literally stand in front of someone running at me to stop them), Choji's entire backstory and moment of triumph really struck a chord with me, both when I was a kid and even now. Low - The start of Tayuya and Shikamaru's fight. Naruto, don't just stand there, run away so she can't stop you! Shikamaru, why did you wait so long to try to Shadow Possess Tayuya? Tayuya, why did you take so long to react to literally everything that happened in that moment? I'm sure that it was just a quick cutaway in the manga, but if it was it didn't translate to animation well.

Joseph: High: I really enjoyed Choji's fight, and the end to it--regardless of how permanent it really ends up being--was beautiful. Low: My dude Orochimaru is living in a series of interconnected caves. Forget the ninja closed-circuit TV, I'm more baffled by the fact that he had someone come in and grout and tile a custom shower for his bony ass.

David: Agreed on Choji's fight being the best part this week. Similarly, though, my low point was the Neji fight in general, because it felt like the same sort of fight but with a lot less punch.

Noelle: High point: Choji getting some screentime and owning it. He needed his time in the limelight. Low point: I'm enjoying the Neji fight a lot less than I used to, which is a shame.

Jared: My high point would probably be like everyone else so far in seeing Choji finally get his moment to shine. Orochimaru's lavish underground bunker was hilarious given how furnished it looked with a very nice bathroom, a technologically sound lab, and then a random prison in there as well. Low point might be just how the Neji fight was a bit too similar to the Choji fight in terms of structure which led it to not feel as impactful.

Kara: Ordering the same as everyone else at this table. Choji's fight was intense and definitely the high point of the week. It was cool seeing what he could do beyond Fat Kid from Hook no Jutsu. Low point is just knowing how weird it's gonna feel watching any dramatic alleged death scene going forward and wondering if they're just gonna be fine in five minutes.

Danni: High point is a tie between Choji's final punch and Neji showing off he has the coolest fighting style in the entire show. There wasn't really a singular low point for me, just a feeling of sluggishness in every episode that dragged down this whole batch of episodes for me. They just felt too slow.

COUNTERS:

Bowls of Ramen: 0 bowls

“I'm Gonna be Hokage!”: 0

Shadow Clones Created: 9 + 1 uncountable scene

Total so far:

Bowls of Ramen: 42 bowls, 3 cups

“I'm Gonna be Hokage!”: 52

Shadow Clones Created: 352

And that's everything for this week! Remember that you're always welcome to join us for this rewatch, especially if you haven't watched the original Naruto! Watch Naruto today!

Here's our upcoming schedule:

- May 17th, we'll visit the Valley of the End with JARED CLEMONS.

- May 24th, NICOLE MEJIAS plays referee for Naruto vs. Sasuke, Round 2!

-May 31st, NOELLE OGAWA will start us off on a journey back into the land of filler.

CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

Thank you for joining us for the Great Crunchyroll Naruto Rewatch! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you all next time!

Have anything to say about our thoughts on Episodes 113-119? Let us know in the comments! Don't forget, we're also accepting questions and comments for next week, so don't be shy and feel free to ask away!

----

Carolyn Burke also writes for Bunny Ears and Cracked. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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awintersrose · 7 years

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Pins and Needles

Pairing: Jiraiya & Orochimaru & Tsunade

Rating: Gen

Summary: It's Genin team announcement day. Tsunade waits and wonders exactly what is in store.

A Sannin childhood flashback drabble set in the CJ-verse as a gift for my dear friend, Kri-Kee. Hope you all enjoy!

“When your name is called, please come to the front of the classroom to greet your teammates, and return to your seats in the assigned groups of three… Team 1: Inuzuka Yami… Uchiha Inabi...”

Tsunade chewed on a small lock of her hair as she looked around the room, with a skepticism that reached well beyond her six years of age. She sat with two other older girls in the back row of the auditorium, peering around and hoping that the blend of excitement and dread she felt was not coloring her expression. Most of the kids in the room were much older than she was, between ages ten and twelve, and knowing this, there was no telling who she might end up with on a Genin squad, or who her sensei might be.

Most people tended to give her a wide berth, being the Shodaime Hokage’s granddaughter. Often this gave her license to do more or less whatever she wanted, to read the books she wanted, to practice the things she wanted whenever the rest of her work was done. The other girls in her class were so distracted by boys like Uchiha Inabi, that they did not pay enough attention to their marks. She simply did not see the appeal, thinking that the Uchiha looked rather like a very ill-tempered cat that had been left out in the rain, furious, with all its fur sticking up.

Her brows furrowed as she scanned the rows of Genin graduates. Tsunade had overheard two of the Chuunin teachers saying that two boys her age had also passed the Genin exams, but she hadn’t seen them yet, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. The teacher at the front of the room had rambled through name after name, and the other two girls sitting with her had been filed into their respective teams.

“Team 7: Senju Tsunade...Shimenawa Orochimaru...Akamine Jiraiya.”

Tsunade shot to her feet in an instant, eyes darting around the room to see the other two members of her team stand up and walk to the front. Both boys looked as young if not younger than she was! She could not see much of the smaller one, but she saw enough to know that he was slender and pale, with the glossiest black hair she had ever seen, wearing a rather pretty yukata, bordered with the magatama pattern of the snake summoners. He moved with a sort of effortless grace, as if his feet would not even make noise on the wooden floors.The other boy had yet to say a word but somehow he even managed to look noisy. He had a mess of fluffy white hair that stuck up in all directions, red marks at the edge of his eyes, and as his eyes fell on her, he flashed her a giant grin. It was the kind of smile that was hard to look away from without drawing one across her own face. He was the kind of boy her grandmother would call trouble.

“Get acquainted as you like, then take your seats up where Tsunade was sitting. Each Jounin sensei will be here to fetch their teams one at a time,” Akane-sensei said, repeating the same statement she had rattled off to the six other teams before them.

Jiraiya looked at his teammates and flashed the same bright, effervescent grin he had before, one so wide his eyes squinted shut. Tsunade smiled gently, the way her grandmother insisted she should when meeting new people. Orochimaru, who at an unobstructed glance, had features so delicate he could have passed for a girl, looked at them both and gave a slight nod in acknowledgement, but held a wary expression in his eyes. Eyes that were unlike anything Tsunade had ever seen before, like bright liquid gold with slitted pupils like a serpent, edged in violet markings the swept down the sides of his delicate nose. He was possibly the prettiest boy she had ever seen, actually pretty, and for a moment she stole as many sidelong glances as she could, hoping it was not obvious, or worse, creepy.

Orochimaru crossed his arms and started to walk back up the rising steps to where they were expected to wait for their sensei. Tsunade followed, and she could hear Jiraiya’s footfalls behind her, his chakra signature slightly warm at her back, like gentle sunshine. The trio filed into the row with Tsunade seated between the two boys. She looked at one, then the other, and suddenly was unsure what she had gotten herself into, what their teachers had gotten them into.

“So ah… Tsuna-chan, do you have a boyfriend?” Jiraiya said, with dark eyes glittering.

“Of course I don’t, baka. And that’s not something you ask someone when you meet them for the first time!”

“But you’re so pretty!”

Tsunade’s face grew burning hot, both in outrage and with a strange fluttering in her chest. How dare he?

“Perhaps you ought to stop being rude, Akamine-kun,” Orochimaru said quietly.

“My name is Jiraiya! And wow, say something again!”

“What? Why?” Orochimaru looked at the white haired boy like he had grown another head. Jiraiya leaned in and peered at him even more pointedly.

“Tsuna-chan, this guy has fangs. Like honest to goodness fangs!” Jiraiya exclaimed.

Orochimaru shut his mouth and glared at the other boy.

“That only shows what you know,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“So do the Inuzuka and the Hatake. It’s because of their summons, BAKA!” Tsunade could feel a small vein in her temple beginning to pulse.

“I don’t know. I read a lot of books, and he looks kinda like a vampire.”

Orochimaru rolled his eyes and sighed, fiddling with his sleeves, and Tsunade finally gave in to her basest impulses and flicked the white haired boy on the ear, hard.

“OW! Hey, that wasn’t very nice, MISS PRINCESS! Besides, it’s a compliment. Vampires are usually pale and pretty. And they have fangs. OW!” He whined as she flicked his ear again, this time harder.

A throat cleared loudly somewhere below them, and the three Genin realized they were the only students left in the room, with the Sandaime Hokage looking up at them. Only he wasn’t wearing his robes, or his hat.

“If you three are quite done, perhaps you would like to come with me?”

The three children looked down at him in horror, certain that they were in trouble. They were up and out of their seats in an instant, barreling down the steps.

“I’m sorry sir, we should have been on our best behavior while we waited for our Jounin sensei. Are we in trouble?” Tsunade asked in her sweetest, nicest voice. Sarutobi-sama had been at her house many times to meet with her grandparents.

“On the contrary, you three are NOT getting a Jounin sensei.”

The three kids looked up at him, crestfallen. Tsunade tried to swallow the frog in her throat. She was not going to cry in front of these dumb boys. But Kami, Grandmother was going to be so angry…

“I will be your sensei from here on out,” the Hokage said with a wink, turning to walk out of the auditorium, pretending not the see the looks of utter shock and delight crossing the faces of his three newest students.

((Note - I believe this is the first time Jiraiya's family name has actually appeared thus far, so a little detail: Akamine means "red peak," a nod to the mountain-based but partially nomadic group the women of his family descended from. Neither he nor his mother actively use the name in everyday life, but its noted at an official level.))

#sannin #orochimaru #jiraiya #my fanfics #baby sannin #senju tsunade

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