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aninconsistentwriter · 4 years

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and with a slow crescendo, my world explodes “Naruto”

or... read it here on Ao3!

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Naruto knew from a very young age that his soulmate was someone who was very very sad. That was the only way he could describe the sounds in his head. He hadn’t known what they were until he started attending the academy and Iruka-sensei taught them about soulmates and soulmate songs.

“Everyone has a song in their head,” his teacher had said. “The song is meant to guide you to your soulmate. Until you meet them, the melody is incomplete. But when you meet your soulmate for the first time, the melody is completed and that is how you know you’ve found your soulmate.”

“But Iruka-sensei, how do you know the melody is completed?” a young Sakura had asked, glancing shyly at the raven-haired boy seated next to her.

“No one can truly explain it, Sakura-chan. People have described it as an overwhelming feeling of completeness. The song changes and you can feel it.”

Naruto had wondered if he would ever meet the person who caused such a sad song to play in his head.

Once, when they were on an overnight mission, his genin team decided to discuss their soulmate songs. Sakura had described hers as if spring had a voice, soft staccatos and uplifting. She hummed for a moment and Naruto smiled at her. He was glad her song was such a happy one.

Sasuke had surprised them by describing his song as sweet. Lilting notes that blended into each other to create a beautiful melody.

His teammates looked at him, waiting for him to describe his song. Naruto had merely said “they’re sad” before Sakura had pulled him into a fierce hug. Sasuke whispered an apology to him.

That night changed their friendships forever.

It was when he opened the hotel door and saw red and black eyes staring down at him that he understood why the song in his head was so sad. Before he could truly realize what was happening his head exploded with sound. Iruka-sensei had been both right and wrong. The sad, haunting melody in his head was still there but now it was just so much more. There was more to it, a harmony for the soft melody filled with discordant notes that left him wanting to cry from the ache they created.

The eyes that bore into his own widened with acknowledgement and grief. But it was all brought to a harsh pause when Sasuke’s voice resounded down the hallway and Naruto realized this was the man Sasuke wanted to kill.

Naruto didn’t talk about what had happened until several days later, when Jiraiya and he were relaxing in the onsen during their journey back to Konoha. “Who were those men at the hotel,” he asked.

“They are part of an organization trying to collect the tailed beasts like Kyubbi.”

“Why did Sasuke attack the one man?”Jiraiya sighed, “has Sasuke ever explained to you what happened to his clan?” Naruto shook his head in response. “That man is his older brother, Itachi. A few years ago, Itachi killed their entire clan except for Sasuke.”

Naruto looked down at the steaming water that surrounded him, the haunting song loud and clear in his head. “Oh,” he turned towards his mentor, “that man is my soulmate.”

They didn’t discuss it, after that one conversation. He supposed Jiraiya felt it would be too painful for the young boy. Afterall, his soulmate was a mass murderer who had killed his entire family except his younger brother, who happened to be Naruto’s teammate and best friend.

Also, his soulmate worked for an organization who were actively trying to kill him.

It was all a little painful, if Naruto was honest with himself. And yet, the song inside his head played on.

The dreams started shortly after that. Meeting your soulmate so close to puberty did Naruto no favors when it came to his nightly dreams. He’d only had such a brief time to look at his other half and yet his dreams were so vivid, filled with creamy skin and a deep voice. The whole situation was driving Naruto mad.

Relief only came with heartbreak, however. The maddening dreams subsided as Naruto was forced to focus on training with Jiraiya in order to bring Sasuke back. So, Naruto pushed the melody in his head to the back of his mind and focused on becoming stronger and Naruto never mentioned his soulmate to Jiraiya during the three years.

Naruto decided to tell Sakura when he came back. Her own song had been completed when they met Rock Lee the first time, surprisingly. While neither had been pursuing a romantic relationship with each other when Naruto had left, he returned to find them comfortably together. It was a relief for him, that at least one of his teammates was happy.

So, after they had beaten Kakashi at the revamped bell test Naruto spilled his secret to his best friend. She cried with him, for him, as they sat together. It was the first time Naruto had allowed himself to cry about his situation. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, like he maybe now he could move forward. At least, that’s what he thought until he was facing his soulmate again just a few days later.

It was the first time he heard his name fall from his soulmate’s lips, Naruto realized dazedly. “Naruto-kun, I am sorry,” Itachi’s rich voice reached his ears and Naruto felt that he could weep all over again. He wanted to curl up on the ground and weep as the melody in his head grew louder in the presence of his soul’s other half. Instead he harshly bit the inside of his cheek until it bled and forced himself forward with a rasengan.

He wanted to cry even more when he realized he had been placed under a genjutsu.

But he didn’t cry, he didn’t even curse his soulmate when they discovered it had been an impersonation jutsu. Instead he just kept going, fighting his way to save Gaara.

It was when all was said and done, Gaara brought back and the Konoha shinobi were making their way back to their village that Sakura approached him. With Lee suitably preoccupied by his latest insane self-challenge, Sakura walked next to her blonde teammate in silence for a while. Eventually though her hand slipped into his and she asked him, “are you okay?”

Naruto squeezed her hand tightly before releasing it, “no, I’m not. But I suppose I will be. I have no other choice.” And if a couple of tears escaped his eyes this time? Well no one said anything to him.

Naruto fell into a routine. He completed missions and trained. He got to know Sai and Yamato. He saw Sasuke again for the first time in three years. He trained more, he trained harder. He hung out with his friends and allowed himself to laugh. Eventually, the melody quieted enough that he felt that he could breathe a little bit easier again.

Jiraiya apparently had told Kakashi as the man asked him about it one day during training. “How are you dealing with it, Naruto?”

The blonde closed his eyes tightly, willing the song back into the corners of his mind where he could ignore it. He forced his eyes open wide and smiled at his sensei, “I’m just fine, Kaka-sense! What are you talking about?”

Kakashi didn’t ask again.

Naruto was fine. He was surviving. He was getting stronger and things were great. That’s what he told himself when the melody was too loud or too haunting. He was going to bring Sasuke back and it didn’t matter that he was doomed to have a soulmate he could never be with. It didn’t matter. What mattered was protecting his precious people and becoming Hokage.

It was like a mantra in his head, intertwined with the ever present song. Somehow the idea that capturing Itachi would be the best way to bring Sasuke back to the village was decided. Naruto wanted to scream in frustration. It was as if Fate had decided to continue playing cruel jokes on him, over and over and over again. He couldn’t escape the raven haired man who starred in his dreams and who’s song played constantly in his head.

Naruto could feel both Sakura and Kakashi looking at him, waiting for him to object. Instead he plastered on his best determined smile and told Tsunade to plan the mission.

That was how Naruto found himself alone with his soulmate for the first time in the four years since their melody had completed itself. “I promise I won’t harm you, Naruto-kun. I only wish to speak with you.”

Naruto looked into black eyes, realizing it was another first between the two. I’ve never seen him without his Sharingan activated, the jinchuuriki thought. “Tell me, Itachi-san, does it hurt for you as much as it does for me?” He clenched his shirt in the area above his heart, feeling the familiar ache settling there, the one that always came when he listened to the music too closely.

“I am sorry, Naruto-kun. It was never my wish for you to be involved in this mess.”Naruto scoffed at that, “you talk as if we ever get to choose who our soulmates are. I’m used to Fate treating me like a punching bag. I’m a jinchuuriki and an orphan. Of course my soulmate would be tragic as well.” His laugh was bitter and cold.

Itachi frowned at him, “tell me Naruto, you are alone. Why don’t you run?”

“I can go from one to a thousand in an instant, I am never alone. Besides, if I capture you then I get to see Sasuke!” There, move the topic away from us. Focus on Sasuke. Focus on what you CAN change!

Sharingan eyes flashed at him and Naruto wanted to scream at the sight of them. Itachi’s eyes were far more beautiful in their natural state. “What is your attachment to my little brother?”

“He is my best friend. He is like a brother to me! I will bring him back to the village where he belongs!”

Naruto could have sworn that Itachi smiled at his response. “And if he doesn’t come willingly? Or what if he were to try and attack Konoha? What would you do then, Naruto-kun?”

“Why would he attack the village?”

“Sasuke is still naive. He could be painted many colors by those who wish harm. Would you protect the village against him?”

Naruto was confused, this conversation had taken a turn he hadn’t been able to predict. “I’ll bring him back and protect the village!”

The raven haired man chuckled at him, the sound surprising Naruto even further, “you are still so naive as well. Still, it cannot be helped.” Itachi walked up to him and placed a finger under Naruto’s chin. The touch sent an electric spark down the blonde’s spine and he had to force himself not to shiver. “Things are going to start moving quickly and I am sorry that you are stuck in the middle of it all. I am leaving Sasuke in your care, Naruto-kun.” Itachi leaned in, placing his lips firmly against the younger’s.

Their melody crescendoed in Naruto’s head and his knees felt weak. He pushed up to meet the Uchiha’s firm lips, deepening the kiss with a small gasp. Itachi’s tongue traced the seam of Naruto’s lips softly before he leaned back with a sad sigh, separating the two. Naruto opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them to begin with, and his world flashed red.

“I am leaving you with a gift, Naruto. I wish things could have been different between us,” Itachi’s voice echoed around him before Naruto saw a crow fly towards him. It’s beak forced its way between his lips before making the trip down his throat, all while Naruto struggled not to choke. When the red world faded, he dropped to his knees and looked up at the other man. His eyes were black once again and Naruto forced himself to memorize the image before him. “Goodbye, Naruto-kun,” Itachi said before he disappeared and left Naruto alone.

Kiba found him shortly after that, still on his hands and knees staring at the grass. The blonde boy got up and placed a mask on his face, ignoring his buzzing lips and the discordant notes inside his head. He pushed aside the sense of impending doom Itachi left in his wake and focused on the task at hand. He gave a terse nod to his teammate and off they went, searching for his soulmate’s wayward brother.

It was later that day, when they were all trying to figure out the mystery that was the orange masked Akatsuki member, that it happened. The strange plant-like man who Tobi addressed as Zetsu appeared with an odd apology for interrupting. He looked at Tobi before announcing “Uchiha Itachi is dead. Sasuke killed him.”

Naruto fell to the ground as a strangled scream ripped from his throat.

#fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #naruto #itachi uchiha #itanaru #itachi x naruto #soulmate au #also on ao3

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mishamoonberry · 7 years

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A Change in Attitude

ERASING IMPOSSIBILITY CHAPTER 17 - AO3 / FFN

This chapter doesn’t have Oro-chan-san angst just yet, haha, I think it will appear soon in later chapters.

Thank you so much for your support!

Enjoy reading!!

17 days after Team Minato’s bell test

“Ugh,” is Obito’s eloquent reply to Minato-sensei’s announcement this morning after our daily warm-ups. The boy’s shoulders are sagging, his expression conveying exactly what he thinks about Minato-sensei’s words. “Minato-sensei, why must we take that mission? Another kind of D-rank is better than this!”

“Idiot,” Kakashi rolls his eyes, crossing his arms together as he stares at Obito rather distastefully. “You can’t choose every mission by yourself, idiot. You do what you’re given.” Though judging from his grimace when Minato-sensei announced it, he’s not particularly happy about the mission either.

Obito rolls his eyes in return, his expression somehow mirroring Shikako’s usual ‘I-am-so-done-with-everything-right-now’ expression, in which it’s a clear indication that he’s spent too much time around the Nara. “Yeah,” Obito stresses out, sounding a bit sarcastic, “but they’re D-ranks. Lots of civilians order D-ranks, so there are plenty we can choose from!”

“There’s nothing wrong with catching the cat, Obitobi-kun,” I decide to butt in, chirping happily. My hands are clasped around each other behind my back, and I have to restrain a cackle when Obito sends me a totally betrayed look.

“That’s because the cat likes you, Rin-chan,” he almost whines, his arms flailing about, “the demon almost destroyed my goggles the last time around!”

“I hope it gets destroyed today,” comes Kakashi’s soft mutter from beside me, and I have to elbow him in the stomach lest he says it aloud, making him grunt in a mix of surprise and irritation. Thankfully, it seems like Obito didn’t hear what Kakashi said, and thus no more arguments happen at the moment.

“Ranran isn’t that bad,” I try to placate, watching in amusement as both of them grimace the very moment I said it. The white feline may or may not be this era’s Tora the Demon Cat, considering she is owned by the Daimyo’s young wife, as well. She really isn’t that bad. The last time Team Minato had to catch her, she was willing enough to come to my arms when I tried to crouch and offer her some catnip. I might or might not have placed a soothing genjutsu on her though. Mikoto-sensei’s teaching on Genjutsu really helps a lot in times like this.

Oh well.

What Obito and Kakashi didn’t (and still don’t) know won’t hurt them.

Though I’m pretty sure Minato-sensei knows, judging from his amused glance at my absolutely sweet smile. Seems like I can’t get anything past him. Granted, he’s a Jounin, so… No surprise there, I guess.

He’s still a sadist, though.

He knows neither Obito or Kakashi fancy the cat catching mission. One, Kakashi is a dog person. Two, Obito holds a grudge over the Goggles Scratching Post Incident. Three, while tracking it is easy enough, considering Kakashi’s skills, catching the cat is the main problem in the mission.

I bet Minato-sensei laughs his ass off when the mission ended, the last time around. He didn’t help at all, saying it was a good team exercise and we even spotted him eating dango while watching us, the asshole.

“Alright, alright,” Minato-sensei claps his hands, finally taking charge before any more arguments can happen and breaking my thoughts about the past. “No complaining. A mission is a mission. Let’s finish this quickly, okay?”

Cue groaning ensues.

I smile.

They’re so easy and fun to rile.

19 days after Team Minato’s bell test

“Eh?”

The green chakra around my hands dissipates into nothing as I falter, staring up wide eyed at Kishimoto-sensei. In the Mind Palace, Rinny lets out an equally surprised noise, less because of Kishimoto-sensei’s ability to make both of our concentrations falter, but more because of what he chose to say to the both of us. The older man doesn’t seem to notice my sudden distress as he simply smiles easily and gently like usual, his dark brown eyes meeting my own without any hesitation.

“Like I said,” Kishimoto-sensei says, “I think it’s best if you avoid Oro-tan for a little while.”

“Eh?” I said, again, probably with a dumb expression.

That’s… Really unexpected.

I… Isn’t Kishimoto-sensei good friends with Oro-chan-san? I hastily ask Rinny, who seems to be rendered speechless as much as I am.

I don’t know, Rinny answers, shaking her head, there isn’t any character named Kishimoto in the series but… Kishimoto-sensei calls him Oro-tan, and he seems to be comfortable around Orochimaru-sama, so I thought…

This is really weird, I furrow my eyebrows, and really scary. Why do you think he tells us this all of a sudden?

Um, the Inner hesitates, maybe something happened?

“Uh,” I say outwardly, agreeing with Rinny to ask Kishimoto-sensei on what kind of shit happened to make him said that, “did something happen between Oro-chan-san and you, sensei?”

If anything, Kishimoto-sensei seems to brighten. “Oh, no, no! Nothing of the sort, really,” he waves his hand, “I just heard some rumors, that’s all. You’re my cute little student, and I don’t want your reputation to be stained because of the rumors surrounding Oro-tan.”

“What…?” I breathe out, finding myself very surprised.

“Just do as I told you to, okay, Rin-chan? It’s for your own good.”

For my own good? I can’t help but repeat a bit sardonically inwardly, even though I manage to nod at him, making him smile.

Perhaps—

Perhaps if Orochimaru really is beyond saving at this point of time—when he’s too deep in his experiments, in his desire to know more, to have more—then it really will be for my own good to stay away from him.

But is he really? Beyond saving, that is. Has he really fallen that deep already?

I’ve heard rumors circulating around Orochimaru before, mostly on how creepy he looks and how inhumane his knowledge as well as his repertoire of jutsu, but it’s very weird for Kishimoto-sensei to be wary of the rumors now, because I’m sure as hell those rumors have been around for quite a good while. Especially since Orochimaru looks stone faced whenever those rumors appear—as if it’s nothing of the ordinary, as if it’s to be expected from the people around him—and how he seems to shut himself off more whenever the rumors are within our hearing range. That’s why I always make it a point to scold whoever I find to be talking shit about him. Not only it probably puts me in Orochimaru’s good books—if he even has any—it also causes the miniscule tension in his shoulders and the stony look on his face to melt down completely into something more… soft.

Some shinobi will say I’m hallucinating, but there were certain instances where Orochimaru looks relaxed and completely at peace with himself.

Those are the moments when I was always reminded how human Orochimaru could be, can be.

And would have he stopped being human, the very moment he finds no reason to? As far as I am aware, Canon Rin never had any sort of interaction with Orochimaru whatsoever, and there was never shown an entity called Kishimoto Masashi in the series ever. But Canon world barely covers anything anyway, with how much plot holes it has, and perhaps, perhaps, the equivalent of Kishimoto-sensei did exist in canon.

Kishimoto-sensei is? Was? Close to Oro-chan-san, I mull over, frowning a little bit. If, say, someone who was close to Canon Orochimaru left him behind because of some rumors, would that be the catalyst that set him off the edge?

I’m perhaps guessing things too much here, but I really cannot help but to grasp on the last bits of hope that Orochimaru is not beyond saving. Not yet. I feel like Jiraiya, at this point, or even Sarutobi Hiruzen, for still believing in the good of Orochimaru, for still hoping for a positive thing from the Snake Sannin—

If he really is beyond saving, Rinny says, cutting off my thoughts, what would you do?

I pause.

If he really is beyond saving… If he really, really, has become something similar to the villain that gave Sasuke the Cursed Seal in Canon world, there’s only one thing that I know I would do.

I would run the hell away from him.

He’s Sannin, and I’m just a Genin. I can’t capture or kill him. I’m not in the other Sannin’s or Sarutobi’s caliber. I would just get myself killed if I try to confront him (which shows how suicidal Naruto must be, to throw himself at Orochimaru in his rage and bout of irrationality).

And I… would be sad.

Disappointed, maybe. Because I still believe that Orochimaru can change, somehow. That the soft, insecure man I’ve seen in passing from time to time is there and living and that he still has some good in his heart, somewhere.

Still, there’s not much point in thinking about it now.

I still do not know Orochimaru’s current state. But the last time I’ve seen him, he’s still as normal as ever. I am going to have myself stick with my last Probably Not Reliable assessment of him: that he’s still redeemable and can be steered away from being a traitor, somehow.

I’m not going to let a rumor and a warning from someone who believes on rumors change my perception of Orochimaru. Not even if Kishimoto-sensei is my teacher whom I respect and trust.

It will simply make me more careful, of course; because there are usually small truths within rumors.

Still, whether Orochimaru is beyond saving or not, I will only know when I see him next time.

21 Days after Minato’s Bell Test

“Yahoo, Minato’s little minions!” A familiar voice calls out from the corner of the training grounds, and I perk up. My gaze instantly goes to the source of the voice, Kakashi, Obito and Minato-sensei doing the same. While Obito blinks in confusion at the newcomer, Kakashi simply stares, looking as if he’s restraining a sigh.

Minato-sensei and I, though, we’re grinning widely. The only difference is that Minato-sensei looks more lovesick and dopey than I do.

(I miss the assessing look Kakashi throws at me the very moment he sees me going all goo-goo eyes on Kushina, as well as his furrowed eyebrows when he catches an idea on what’s going on with me at that very moment).

I have to restrain a snort. Hopeless, this one. He’s so whipped, I can see it in his expression.

“Kushina-san!” I greet her, cheerful. The red haired woman approaches us with a grin, her hand already reaching forward to ruffle my hair gently. “What are you doing here?”

“I was bored,” comes Kushina’s answer, “So I thought why not visit Minato’s little minions. I see you’re still as grumpy as ever, Kakashi-kun,” she glances at Kakashi, giving him a teasing smile. Kakashi harrumphs in retaliation.

“And I haven’t met the other minion yet!” She moves toward Obito, bending down to look at him in eye level, watching in amusement when Obito yelps in surprise. “Yo, kiddo, I’m Uzumaki Kushina, Minato’s girlfriend.”

Obito’s expression clears, then, lighting up as if he has some sort of an epiphany. “Oh! I’m Uchiha Obito!” He says, “It’s nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san.”

“Eh, just call me Kushina,” the jinchuuriki waves her hand flippantly, “How about Kushina nee-chan?” She glances at me, “You can call me that too, Rin-chan”.

I brighten up. There is no way I’m gonna pass up this chance! “Kushina-nee-chan!” I exclaim happily.

“Kushina nee-chan, then,” Obito seems to like Kushina too, because he’s smiling as he says it.

Then, the rest of us stares at Kakashi.

The boy looks a bit uncomfortable, but glances away as he says, “…Kushina-san.”

Kushina exaggeratedly pouts, scooting over to poke Kakashi in the stomach. The boy jumps a little, glaring lightly when I snort.

“You’re no fun, Kakashi-kun!”

“…Whatever, Kushina-san.”

“Tch,” Kushina clicks her tongue. Though she’s obviously still in good humor, considering how she still looks happy (and very, very pretty, oh gosh) as she stands up, smacking Minato’s shoulder. “You’ve gotten yourself cute little minions here, Minato!”

“They’re my student, Kushina…” Minato says with a laugh, rubbing his shoulder.

“Students, minions, same thing,” she ignores Kakashi’s mutter of ‘it’s different’ and grins, her hands positioned on her hips, “anyway, you’re not planning anything particular for them today, right?”

Minato blinks. “Well, no, not exactly. Why?”

I have a bad feeling about this. And beside me, Kakashi seems to share the sentiment, considering how he is staring at Kushina warily, as if expecting her to suddenly pounce him or something.

“Well,” Kushina sounds super cheerful as she stares us down, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I wanna play tag.”

The three of us are frozen, and even Minato-sensei seems to gulp. Either out of fear or arousal, I do not know, but either way, I totally understand him at this moment. Kushina looks predatory¸ and for a second I wonder who is the true sadist in the relationship: Minato or Kushina. I don’t have time to dwell on that more though, because she moves into a stance, causing us three genins to be more alert than before.

“I’m gonna be it,” she grins at us, meeting our eyes one by one, “you have five minutes to escape and try to hide. Starting from now.”

We run like our asses are on fire.

XXX

So.

Both of them are closet sadists.

Aside from the fact that Minato-sensei seems to be torn between being worried for our lives or being very turned on at the sight of his girlfriend stomping us to the ground, he still chooses to sit back and watch everything unfold, with a lop sided smile, while eating dango.

And Kushina seems to hold back when she’s catching us, but not enough.

Seriously, she uses her chains to hold Kakashi down on the ground!

Despite myself being tired as fuck and sore, I can’t help but grin and laugh and just in sheer awe.

She’s so cool. Kushina-nee is so cool.

It’s still terrifying though, and she even cackles while attacking us with her chains.

The rest of the afternoon is spent with screaming and yelling children, and a cackling Red Hot Habanero.

Author’s note:

Hello.

I want to apologize for the long wait and the short chapter. As I have mentioned in the latest announcement, I’m having problems both in real life and in writing itself. Making long chapters is beginning to be very taxing for me, whose mind tend to wander here and there most of the time.

I’ve told you this before and some of you have kindly answered my question, therefore I’ve decided to make each chapters shorter than usual. I used to produce 5k-7k words each chapter, and it’s VERY tiring for me. From now on my chapters will be 1k-2k in length, more if I get lucky, and I hope that you can still like my story despite that. Updates will perhaps be faster as well; mostlikely once every two or three weeks.

#erasing impossibility #naruto #misha writes

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