#// you gotta look at her !!! she's so cool !!!! temari !!!
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her.
#╰ ♡ ✧ ˖ blossom is speaking now ┊ ooc .#// you gotta look at her !!! she's so cool !!!! temari !!!#// okay let me actually do more ic stuff instead of gush about my naruto muses#╰ ♡ ✧ ˖ visage ┊ temari .
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rating every demon fight in kny bc i can
non-biased, completely objective rating (more or less) of every significant demon fight in kny based on a number of factors, including:
cleverness of fighting tactics
placement in the story’s timeline
integration of character backstories
cohesive themes between characters
etc
by non-biased and objective i mean i’m not skewing the rating if a death felt fair or whatever
everything past where the anime ended will be under a read more so anime onlys who havent watched mugen train, youre safe lol
oh and i reread the manga like 20+ times (reread the latter arcs at least 40 times, haha hyperfixations am i right?) so be rest assured im not pulling these ratings out of my ass
also ill randomly be bolding certain phrases just to improve readability
anyways let’s gooooo
VS NEZUKO
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and Nezuko. Tanjirou is fending her off by putting the axe handle in her mouth, keeping her from eating him. End Image Description.]
10/10
i like how realistic it is, because yeah tanjirou would react the way to he did with zero fighting skills against a demon
very clear why tanjirou is fighting nezuko and shows a bit of worldbuilding on how normal people react to their family becoming demons
always nice to see worldbuilding
giyuu is the perfect example of a seasoned demon slayer who’s good at his job, and he juxtaposes tanjirou very well in that aspect
my only complaint is not directly in this fight itself but how nezuko is handled throughout the story as a whole
like bro, it is literally never explained why nezuko is different from demons
could have been easily explained if maybe her family’s ghosts like slapped her hand every time she wanted to eat a person but nope
she’s just built different lol
so yeah youll see future ratings get points docked off bc nezuko unlocks some secret power with no prior explanation other than she angy >:3
VS TEMPLE DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of a demon. The demon has a sharp-nailed hand over his neck and there are four text bubbles around him saying “But a wound like this... will heal in no time! See? The bleeding already stopped!” End Image Description.]
10/10
may be more forgettable compared to like rui but still good
tanjirou did exceptionally well in this fight and his ability to think on his feet is once again beautifully illustrated here (trapping this dude’s head against the tree trunk with the axe)
very clever
again, establishes more demon worldbuilding regarding regeneration and still being able to move without their head
and the demons burning in the sunlight thing since nezuko wasn’t able to show that
the ending where tanjirou hesitates to kill the demon also serves to show his sympathetic nature towards demons that will last throughout the entirety of the first 60-ish chapters
:)
we’ll talk about what the hell happens to tanjirou after that
or not, it could honestly be its own post
VS HAND DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of a many-handed demon. He has six hands around him, three of them covering his mouth while he chuckles, two of them grabbing his cheeks, and one holding on to the top of his head. There are two text bubbles saying “That’s how many of Urokodaki’s students I have eaten! I’ve decided to kill all of his students!” End Image Description.]
10/10
ooooh probably the first big fight against a demon in the series
oh yeah not doing the two random demons tanjirou one shot in a single blow bc eh
anyways hand demon’s pretty goddamn scary, considering the fact that this is the 5th demon or whatever tanjirou has had to face so far
very nice way to show us how much tanjirou’s innate intuition and all his other random abilities (sense of smell, hard forehead) can come together and help him decapitate this guy
i liked the mini history with urokodaki this dude had and why he had beef with our favorite mentor figure, it establishes that urokodaki was in fact a super good demon slayer and its cool to see that actually shown
i also liked that small moment of compassion tanjirou gave this demon, staying consistent with tanjirou’s established kindness
the demon’s sad tale with killing his own brother very much humanizes him when all the reader has seen up to this point is that this guy is a monster who eats people
sets up the theme of demons just being humans but being victims of circumstance that unfortunately doesn’t hold up as well in arcs past mugen train
VS SWAMP DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou fighting off three horned demons as they appear from below. There is a spiky text bubble saying “Three of them!!!” End Image Description.]
10/10
not my most favorite fight but it still portrays everything alright and im not allowed to let my personal opinions mess with the rating so
i like how tanjirou mentioned the fact that he trained in conditions similar to the bog and explains how he pulled off the whirlpool form
using past experiences to aid him in the present, nice nice
tanjirou and nezuko dont quite work together very well but its yknow the first mission so ill chalk it up to simple inexperience
also the way the muzan curse thingie was hinted at here? fantastic way of showing that little bit of demon worldbuilding
...
oh god, it mentions nezuko being stronger than normal demons
ok its not a problem here per say since i can still suspend my disbelief, but later on it just becomes a glaring problem that gets worse over time
VS SUSAMARU AND YAHABA
[Image Description: Manga panels of Susamaru and Yahaba. The first one is a joyful Susamaru about to throw a temari ball. There is floating text saying “Is she one of Kibutsuji’s minions?!” The second image is an annoyed Yahaba, holding one of his eye-hands to cover himself. There are two text bubbles around him saying “My kimono got all dusty. Tch!” End Image Description.]
9/10
why dont these bitches have a good looking panel together dammit
anyways amazing entrance, the way yahaba used his hand eyes to track down tanjirou is really neat
the synergy yahaba and susamaru have is incredible, its awesome dude, they work extremely well together and it shows
tanjirou actually mixing his water breathing forms together is a god tier move and i absolutely love how he can show off his ability to think on his feet once again
establishing how yushiro’s bda works early on is really well done
establishing tamayo as a fugitive this early on is also super well done
not to get into spoiler territory but both these things pay off
how tamayo ended up defeating susamaru is literally awesome in so many ways
shows off both how smart she is by exploiting the muzan curse
and speaking of the muzan curse, we actually get to see what happens to demons who even say his name, back when it was hinted with the swamp demon
tamayo is amazing dude, and we get some real evidence of the horrible suffering demons go through if they even accidentally attempt to betray muzan :D
...
now heres what keeps this fight from being perfect
nezuko somehow grew stronger against susamaru’s temari
with no explanation
which could have been easily explained if tamayo was like “oh yeah the drug also boosts a demon’s strength temporarily”
but nope
god, i just dont like how gotouge handles nezuko’s power boosts throughout the series bc like i said before
no explanation is given anywhere
this is a huge issue, this isnt a pokemon game, you cant just kill demons and get exp at the end of every battle, level up, get some sweet stat bonuses and move on
(actually if gotouge established that this is how nezuko grew in power, than all my complaints about this would be gone, im not even joking)
anyways i get that nezuko is supposed to be “special” but thats too vague of a descriptor
how the hell is she special? ya gotta be more specific and stick with that explanation or that suspension of disbelief is going to disappear
VS TONGUE DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of a four-eyed demon with horns and a long tongue. He is crawling in an awkward position, one foot in front of his tilted head. There are two text bubbles around him saying “Heh, heh! I’ll slurpy slurp your brains out through you ear!” End Image Description.]
10/10
not much to say, showcases zenitsu’s true abilities really well
nicely done
VS HORNED DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of a big, single-horned demon. There are three text bubbles saying “You dodged! You’re awfully lively for a human! It’ll be a treat to carve away your flesh!” End Image Description.]
10/10
would have ignored this fight if not for the fact we havent seen inosuke fight before
it definitely shows how very fast-paced and wild inosuke is
no complaints here lol
VS KYOGAI
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kyogai, a demon with tsuzumi drums attached to his shoulders. There are four text bubbles around him saying “Why?! Why does everyone keep sneaking through my house? It’s so aggravating. It’s my prey! It’s my prey! Found in my territory!” End Image Description.]
10/10
establishes marechi blood pretty early on, once again expanding the worldbuilding of kny which is always cool
interesting terrain where it’s always shifting, tanjirou once again proves his ability to adapt really quickly by altering one of his forms to work with the turning room
(man, i wish the form mixing/form modification thing carried on throughout the rest of the story, but it really didnt which is just a shame)
the injuries tanjirou had prior to this mission actually affecting him was a nice touch
oh yeah, kyogai gives us more worldbuilding (which is always nice) regarding the 12 kizuki, and the aspect of him being cast out due to being weak shows a lot about muzan’s indifference towards his own demons if they arent strong
his backstory being a failed writer once again humanizes kyogai as a former human being and not just a monster
tanjirou shows his sympathy and compassion again by not stepping on his written work and complimenting his bda
well, tbh tanjirou’s actions kinda came out of nowhere but its a very minor thing and not enough to dock a point off, like it didnt affect the outcome of the fight that much if at all
(so if you see future battles where points are docked off for things not logically making sense, its bc whatever nonsensical concepts were integrated into the fight actually turned the tide of the battle and thats a big no-no)
very good fight and if you remember how kinda bad tanjirou was at accurately slicing the swamp demon, you can see that he’s already improved leaps and bounds
im so proud of him
VS MOTHER SPIDER DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and the Mother Spider Demon. There is a light shining down from the top right on to the demon as Tanjirou slices her head off, rain following in his wake. There is floating text saying “Water Breathing: Fifth Form - Blessed Rain After the Drought!” around them. End Image Description.]
10/10
i mean does anyone disagree?
all the demon slayers getting their necks snapped by her threads was pretty horrific, probably more horrifying than anything else we have seen in the entire series if im gonna be honest
the death scene is probably the most beautiful one in the series
it reveals a water breathing form that we havent seen before thats the 5th form
as far as i know, no other breathing style has this merciful sword stroke so it shows a lot about the original water breather and what they might have been like
but enough about them, really the focus is on tanjirou bc this is like the best example by far of how kind and sympathetic he is to demons
dunno what else to say, its perfect
VS SON SPIDER DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of Agatsuma Zenitsu performing Thunder Breathing 1st Form: Sixfold on a spider-like demon. Zenitsu is crashing through the roof of a shed, and a zig-zag path is left behind. There are sound effects all over the panel, saying “Bam!” in large font. End Image Description.]
10/10
chose a picture without a huge spider on it bc i would like to not scare myself half to death
anyways extremely amazing fight, showcases zenitsu’s immense talent and skill, adapting the 1st form of thunder breathing to be a more versatile move
theres a moment where his backstory with kuwajima and kaigaku were revealed and his hidden insecurities are out in the open which is super nice and further develops a character weve only considered as comedic relief until now
the anime made the backstory scenes and the killing scene so much cooler
while there is no thematic connection between zenitsu and the demon, it really isnt necessary to keep this fight interesting
anyways another pretty much perfect fight
VS FATHER SPIDER DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kamado Tanjirou and Inosuke slashing at the Father Spider Demon. The demon has blocked Tanjirou’s sword with his arm, and Inosuke is slamming both his blades down on the demon’s other hand. End Image Description.]
10/10
again, not my most favorite fight but it does everything right
i do have to say it was excellent how gotouge hyped up the father spider demon to be the big bad, only just so the plot twist later takes the readers by surprise
nicely done
VS DAUGHTER SPIDER DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kochou Shinobu and the Daughter Spider Demon. Shinobu’s back is seen and her haori looks like a butterfly’s wings keeping her afloat as she holds her stinger blade out to the side. The demon looks surprised as blood gushes from her side, arm, shoulder, chest, neck, and forehead. There is floating text on the panel, saying “Insect Breathing - Butterfly Dance - Caprice!” End Image Description.]
10/10
first time weve seen shinobu and her fighting style
what i love most about this is how much it shows her true character, appearing as a carefree and naive individual so she seems underwhelming
then bam, reveals exactly how dangerous and uncaring she is of demons, listing out the specific ways she would torture the daughter spider demon in grotesque detail
her using poison to take demons by surprise is also super clever and brings back the worldbuilding established way earlier about wisteria being poisonous to demons
amazing integration of that concept
anyways this fight really encapsulates who shinobu is as a character and thats why it gets a perfect score
VS RUI
[Image Description: Manga panel of Rui holding his hand out directly towards the viewer. There are two text bubbles around him, saying “Give me your sister. If you hand her over quietly, I’ll spare your life.” End Image Description.]
8/10
not only is it a super scary fight but there is a deeper conflict between rui and tanjirou, what it means to be family
they are opposites in the sense that while tanjirou believes love is what makes a family, rui’s subconscious desperation for an unbreakable bond drives him to use fear to keep his “family” together
excellent juxtaposition of their values, and this is only further emphasized when rui expresses out loud what he was going to do to nezuko
i also like the symbolism regarding rui’s bda, how he uses threads or the “familial” bonds to cut up his fake family with it if they act out of turn or annoy him
super neat detail
alright what i dont like about this fight is nezuko (again)
mostly her unlocking her bda to turn the tide of the battle bc her mom was like “yo, wake up, your brother is going to be killed”
feels... forced ig
her bda in general is confusing and not consistent
man, i wish i could make a stronger argument for this but i do believe the problem stems from the fact that we dont ever know what nezuko is thinking, and what she thinks of tanjirou specifically
if she even cares for him as a sibling or if shes only going along with what her family is saying to her, things like that which would have been fixed if gotouge actually gave her thoughts some screen time
so the action feels pretty shallow
im also conflicted over tanjirou somehow remembering how dance of the fire god works
on one hand, hes using past information and applying it in the current setting so he doesnt die, which is understandable
but on the other hand, this was a teeny bit random?
i think what could have fixed this is if there was a scene in the beginning of the series where tanjirou was performing it himself, like practicing before he actually had to do it for new years
so that when the rui fight rolls around, it would have felt less like throwing dry spaghetti at a wall
but yeah
overall super good fight, giyuu ending up having to kill rui instead of tanjirou was super good in that tanjirou didnt become a pillar this early in the series and to show how strong giyuu is
there are some odd bits regarding the ultimate “beheading” of rui using nezuko and tanjirous supposed bonds but it doesnt kill the fight entirely so it deserves its pretty high score
***under read more is manga-only fights so beware***
VS ENMU
[Image Description: Manga panel of Enmu holding his hand out directly at the viewer, with a mouth on the back of it. There is floating text to the top right of Enmu that says “Whispers of Forced Unconscious Hypnosis!” End Image Description.]
9/10
id say this fight is definitely overshadowed by the dream stuff prior to this but its pretty good in its own right
enmu fusing with the train was kinda confusing, like when was it established that demons could fuse with objects?
this worldbuilding element doesnt even appear again so yeah thats why it loses a point
how the kmbk gang end up defeating enmu is pretty sweet though, tanjirou using dance of the fire god to sever the neck bone was really nice and shows that him using the breathing style in the rui fight wasnt a one time thing
while kyojuro’s role was smaller in this part, the next part makes up for it so i cant complain
anyways ye, almost perfect score but its pretty good
VS AKAZA (MUGEN TRAIN)
[Image Description: Manga panel of Akaza holding his hand out to the viewer’s left. There is a text bubble saying “Why don’t you become a demon?” End Image Description.]
10/10
this encounter is literally amazing okay?
after the crew kills the big bad, it seems like everything is fine
but plot twist, upper moon 3 appears out of nowhere
this is the first time the reader has seen an upper moon, let alone the 3rd/4th strongest demon in existence and the way gotouge handled this twist is fucking amazing
kyojuro’s death scene really shows just how human even the strongest pillars are against demons with incredible power
its just
amazing
VS OBI DEMON
[Image Description: Manga panels of the obi-like demon. The first image shows the obi hung in the air and strung over each other like decorations, with women-shaped patterns in its folds. The second image is Hashibira Inosuke fighting the Obi demon which now has lips and eyes. There is floating text in that panel saying “Breath of the Beast: Sixth Fang - Jagged Gnaw!!” End Image Description.]
10/10
on to red light district
this fight is admittedly super forgettable and not very interesting at least compared to the main fight with daki and gyutaro
but it wraps up the sub plot of the women and uzui’s wives going missing so it gets a perfect score for not messing that up
oh and it establishes the stretchy neck thing daki has going on which is very good
VS DAKI AND GYUTARO
[Image Description: Manga panel of Daki and Gyutaro. Daki is sitting on Gyutaro’s shoulders. There is a text bubble on the top right that says “The two of us are one, after all.” as well as floating text that reads “The power of the irregular siblings...!? Next issue lead color and the fight reaches its climax!!” End Image Description.]
8/10
love how this battle challenges tanjirou’s sympathy and kindness towards demons, just simply bc daki and gyutaro are horrible people
(too bad nothing came of this, which ill explain in the hantengu portion)
daki and gyutaro are very good villains and kept this fight super interesting from start to finish
uzui acting as a foil to gyutaro is nicely integrated and properly shown with how jealous gyutaro gets over seeing uzui’s perfect form and stature
tanjirou not only mixes forms but mixes breathing styles as well, which is so fucking awesome
(too bad it was only used like once throughout the entire series, its quite unfortunate)
the super high tension right after inosuke gets stabbed and tanjirou wakes up was expertly portrayed and handled, it felt like the kmbk gang and uzui were actually going to lose
super awesome
the tanjirou and gyutaro parallels are expertly portrayed, with how gyutaro taunts tanjirou over failing to protect his little sister, and the more visual thing where tanjirou imagined his own neck underneath his blade, that was super duper nice
the ending is extremely tense and emotionally gripping, gotouge did a really good job with that artistically too
the demon mark acquisition scene was surprisingly not frustrating, considering that it wasnt really explained prior to the battle
i do think it has to do with how it was explained later just exactly how they worked so its not just some random thing gotouge pulled out of their ass
so pretty good
/
what i dont like is nezuko and her full power demon form
first of all where the fuck did that come from? she just got angry and suddenly shes as powerful as an upper moon
like
how?
that doesnt make sense???
her extremely quick regeneration makes no sense
her ability to manipulate her blood’s properties makes no sense
and it doesnt even appear again so what was the point of that existing
none of this is even explained later which annoys me
that one part where tanjirou sings a lullaby to her to calm her down was alright ig but nezuko in this fight makes me extremely irritated and frustrated
just ugh
VS HANTENGU
[Image Description: Manga panel of Hantengu opening a shoji door. He is crawling inside, his hand in a gnarled, unnatural position. There is a text bubble saying “Eeeeeeek.” End Image Description.]
1/10
swordsmith village
this fight can go fuck itself /j
no but seriously it has so many problems that it would be shorter to name its redeeming qualities (which ill do later)
first off, the nezuko full power form thing again
i hate it so much with a passion
again, where did her ability to regenerate instantly even come from???? this is never explained, ever
and why did she cut herself on tanjirou’s sword anyway
did she somehow know that it was going to turn red if she burned it?
gotouge what the fuck, there is literally no reason why nezuko would do that and we cant even read her mind to see her thought process
gotouge hates nezuko, i swear
/
remember when i said uzui is meant to be a foil to gyutaro in the rld fight? its pretty obvious that those two are opposites, it was nicely done
... what the hell does mitsuri’s insecurities about strength have to do with whatever the fuck hantengu has going on (which is basically nothing)?
so no meaningful connection between mitsuri and hantengu
theres no meaningful connection between tanjirou and hantengu other than tanjirou getting pissed off for like the second time
also tanjirou’s thing with being kind and sympathetic to demons was entirely dropped at this point
but instead of it leading up to a corruption arc of some sorts, it just doesnt
like honestly if something actually came of that anger he exhibited in this arc and from red light district from this point forward story-wise, i would have counted this as an amazing writing decision
but it literally doesnt so who cares
(god, i really start to hate what happened to his character after this )
and genya’s revealed motivation also doesnt fit at all with hantengu’s thing, he’s not a foil, not a parallel, nothing, there is nothing
/
tanjirou being the catharsis for development for mitsuri and muichirou, who he has only talked to like twice
theres definitely a better way to handle those two’s developments without his help
like gotouge, you have a big cast of characters, use them lol
/
i want to kick hantengu in the face for being boring as fuck (at least his clones have cool looking weapons)
doesnt even have a proper backstory, just a single spread of him being blamed for shit as a human
like... thats it? this is upper moon 4 what the hell
/
theres no clever form mixing here at all (regarding tanjirou) which probably would have helped with foreshadowing the 13th form for dance of the fire god/sun breathing better
also gotouge established that as tanjirou’s thing and now he doesnt do that stuff anymore which sucks
/
oh hey remember when tanjirou actually learned how to do zenitsu’s speed boost thing?
if you didnt, i dont blame you bc it literally doesnt appear again, ever
you could argue that he adapted it into his “waltz flash” technique or whatever the fuck that is but the way it was integrated into this fight was like throwing dry spaghetti at a wall
which is just a shame bc its meant to be representative of how tanjirou and zenitsu are good pals but the way it was utilized is forgettable as hell
/
i absolutely loathe the crimson blade concept as a whole and im mentioning this now bc its going to come into play why future instances where this goddamn thing comes up again causes points to be lost
its inconsistent as fuck ill tell you that
/
at least some yoriichi stuff appeared here and not shoved into the final battle with everything else
so the yoriichi stuff later didnt come out of absolute nowhere
genya and mitsuri’s unique fighting styles expand the kny worldbuilding just a little more which is always nice
tanjirou got a cool sword out of this which would have been cooler if him and yoriichi had a deeper connection that was actually explored
but we didnt get shit so whatever
other people getting demon marks being revealed here is also okay so that again, the final battle isnt filled with absolutely everyone getting their marks at once
demon marks have their own slew of problems but its not as bad as the fucking crimson sword shit
god i hate the crimson sword shit
...
dude this section needs a tldr, even i cant sit and read through my shit
TL;DR - this fight sucks and crimson swords are bullshit (more on this later)
VS GYOKKO
[Image Description: Manga panel of Tokitou Muichirou and Gyokko. Muichirou is looking to the left while Gyokko is looking to the right, both with their backs to each other. There are mist clouds billowing in the foreground and background, as well as a slash mark going across Gyokko’s neck. End Image Description.]
7/10
this fight suffers from the same lack of cohesive themes through characters like the hantengu battle bc the antagonist is given nothing
but its better
we havent actually seen mui fight before so theres no consistencies that the reader has to keep track of for now
and there arent like 10 characters in the fight so this fight gets a lot of points just for being a lot more coherent
i do like that this fight shows just how good mui is that he can defeat an upper moon by himself
mui’s backstory is neat
gyokko’s bda is very interesting too
... thats pretty much it lol
ye, anyways not the best fight but not the worst fight either
VS KAIGAKU
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kaigaku holding the hilt of his blade with one hand. There is two text bubbles around him, saying “...As usual, you’re still shabby. It’s been a while, Zenitsu.” End Image Description.]
9/10
alright on to final battle arc
theres some good fights and then some really sucky ones, but this one was pretty incredible and very emotionally charged
theres a clear reason why zenitsu and kaigaku are battling each other (kai betrayed the corps and inadvertantly caused the only parental figure in zenitsu’s life to die, and zenitsu is rightfully pissed off about that)
the visual yin-yang symbolism is awesome too
zenitsu winning due to using the 7th form he created himself (which i have reason to believe was inspired by tanjirou) was the perfect ending to the fight, really couldnt ask for anything better and is a perfect example of how much of an effect tanjirou has had on zenitsu
the 7th form is what tanjirou’s waltz flash should have been lol
/
what keeps this fight from being absolutely perfect is lack of development prior to this conflict
(since the final battle arc is basically a culmination of all the hinted developments through the series, im going to actually factor in how much and how well these conflicts were foreshadowed)
anyways if we had actually seen zenitsu, kaigaku, and kuwajima actually interacting with each other and showing how they were essentially a family (not just through flashbacks), it would have made zenitsu placing the responsibility of killing kai onto himself a lot more tragic
but like, apart from brief flashbacks where zenitsu actually met kaigaku off screen and that one thing all the way back in natagumo where both kuwajima and kai were introduced, thats pretty much it in terms of thunder family development
so yeah its underdeveloped for sure
also one random thought, i personally think zenitsu should have gotten his demon mark in this fight, it would have been cool to see
VS AKAZA (INFINITY FORTRESS)
[Image Description: Manga panel of Akaza’s face. There are two text bubbles around him, saying “Okay, let’s get started. It’s time for the feast.” There is also floating text saying “The inspection of the strong has begun...” as well as a simple box on the lower left, denoting its the end of chapter 147. End Image Description.]
6/10
oh god please dont hate me for this
ill list the good things first how about that
this conflict was foreshadowed perfectly in mugen train, you bet the readers were expecting a tanjirou vs akaza battle after the death of kyojuro and gotouge delivered
akaza’s power is shown extremely well with how many close calls tanjirou and giyuu had while fighting him
akaza eventually giving up on his own volition was really nice and fit into the context of the battle very very well, like sure tanjirou and giyuu wouldnt understand why he gave up but us readers do know
akaza is a really good character and a good villain
/
now notice how im only mentioning akaza and not giyuu or tanjirou in the good aspects
bc those two are eh
no form mixing at all from either tanjirou and giyuu
i know i said form mixing was kind of tanjirou’s thing but you’d think giyuu would have gotten more creative with his moves once akaza said that he was getting predictable
(well he said he “ran out of water breathing forms” but same thing)
so its kinda bland lol
speaking of giyuu, his whole thing with his insecurities of being weak wasnt handled well (it was sort of immediately brushed off in pillar training, and its unclear what part of his character arc he was in)
like sure him announcing that he’s going to protect tanjirou is cool but it feels like he was haphazardly dropped into the tanjirou and akaza conflict
isnt he supposed to be both their foils? that wasnt really explored that well in this fight and theres no deep meaning behind him even being here just analyzing what he did in it
he could have been handled better or even given more focus is what im saying
the anatta state came out of nowhere, im sorry okay? just bc inosuke like barely hinted at not being able to sense grandma hisa bc she had no fighting spirit and tanjurou magically taught his son how to achieve this state doesnt mean it was properly integrated into the fight
if the anatta state was actually explored prior to this battle, i would have given it a pass but it just feels like a cheap and poorly developed trick to get around akaza’s technique development (which is overpowered as fuck might i add)
gotouge should have just given akaza a plausible weakness to his technique development instead, especially since they dont use or even mention the anatta state after this
the transparent world shit makes no sense but ill elaborate on that in the koku battle analysis
oh and this thing doesnt affect the score but why wasnt there a “yoriichi visage overlapping” moment when tanjirou was fighting akaza? hes an upper moon, he should have gotten those visions but he didnt
for some reason
anyways this battle was alright and has good set up but the middle and end parts didnt hold up as well bc random concepts were thrown at us without prior explanation or development
VS DOUMA
[Image Description: Manga panel of Douma licking Shinobu’s butterfly pin. There are two text bubbles around him saying “Anyway, tonight is a good night. Such fine feasts keep showing up one after another.” End Image Description.]
9/10
damn, such an amazing fight
the build up to this was properly foreshadowed
shinobu finally showing her true anger after hiding it for so long is amazing
douma is a super interesting character and fantastic villain
shinobu showing off her true power and determination against douma was sooooo nice
shinobu’s poisonous body plan is so clever and so interesting
if i was to rate the shinobu part of the fight alone, it would have gotten a 10/10 no question
the reason why its knocked down a point is because of the kanao and inosuke part
dont get me wrong, the way kanao is able to hold her own against douma by herself is pretty cool, how shes meant to parallel douma with their similar struggles surrounding human emotions and demonstrate how she has grown as a person, how she regains the ability to cry
that shit is cool, inosuke also getting in touch with his emotions after learning what happened to his mom was super neat as well
however
bc this battle takes place in the final arc with everything else, there wasnt proper build up regarding many things, the kotoha reveal especially
so inosuke feels kinda forced into the kanao shinobu and douma conflict, similar to how giyuu felt forced into the tanjirou and akaza conflict
its quite unfortunate bc if the kotoha stuff was actually explored prior to the confrontation, this “forced” feeling would have disappeared
i know some people have suggested that the douma fight should have just been its own arc, and i very much agree, it would have certainly helped fix this problem regarding inosuke and kotoha
last random thought, i wish shinobu, kanao, and inosuke got their demon marks
VS KOKUSHIBOU
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kokushibou looking directly at the viewer, holding the hilt of his blade as if he’s going to pull it out. There are text boxes around him saying “This... is Upper Moon One... He’s so different compared to the other Upper Moons. He looks so dignified and majestic.” The text boxes are narrated by Tokitou Muichirou. End Image Description.]
5/10
this fight is... mediocre
at least theres a more tangible connection between muichirou and kokushibou
even though that was handled kinda poorly
tbh there really was no point to revealing that mui is koku’s descendant like at all, it just had no significant bearing to the plot of the fight
sanemi’s backstory being here is... okay ig?
idk the whole shinazugawa conflict has fundamental problems that i just cant think of any other place to put it without changing the entirety of canon
the marechi blood concept coming back was nice though
genya is there
him getting his bda was cool and helped turn the tide of the battle in a satisfying way (before kicking the bucket but thats not the focus here)
gyomei is a hollow husk of a character who barely got anything at all
but his fighting style is extremely cool and conveys his immense power very well
oh and him and sanemi are amazing at working together, like better than giyuu and tanjirou, and better than kanao and inosuke
theyre that good yet pretty much nobody acknowledges it which is sad
koku himself is pretty interesting and pretty tragic, very nice villain
but everyone together?
gonna be honest but this is such a random collection of characters, there was basically no foreshadowing that these four were going to go up again kokushibou, they are not that connected very well
i know there was this one post that focused on the theme of family that was common in all 5 characters in the fight but its just not enough
it would have been more cohesive if gotouge emphasized gyomei, mui, sanemi, and genya being like different aspects of yoriichi coming together to kill kokushibou hundreds of years after yoriichi failed to kill him
lmao its not like the 4 of them defeated koku with the power of family or friendship, they just smacked him over and over with a flail, shot him with magical bullets, and stabbed a crimson sword into his abdomen
wouldnt have been too hard to switch over to koku’s pov and go “damn these bitches are like my stupid brother”
...
speaking of crimson swords
i fucking hate the crimson sword concept oh my god can i complain about it now? im gonna complain about it now
unlike demon marks, the crimson blades werent even given any proper conditions, you just hold the stupid thing hard enough and it somehow imbues it with magical properties with no logic behind those properties
what part of crimson swords completely destroys a demon’s body in an instant? even muzan didnt go through that process when he was almost killed by yoriichi so where in the goddamn fuck did it come from
it could be explained bc the sword was left in the same spot for a long time but this tactic doesnt even appear again in a meaningful way (didnt kill muzan when tanjirou and giyuu held the sword together) so what the fuck was the point of having this even exist
its so underdeveloped and confusing and i hate it
the transparent world stuff is also confusing as shit and its pretty much never explained how they work aside from the vague “close your mind” advice, like why did it exist, it did nothing to help the present day demon slayers
its just so... poorly integrated
yeah anyways this is around the same rating as the akaza fight but a little worse bc there wasnt that strong set up beforehand
VS KOKUSHIBOU (SENGOKU ERA)
[Image Description: Manga panel of a bag getting ripped open, pieces of a wooden flute tumbling out. End Image Description.]
10/10
easily 10/10
this fight shows the tragedy of kokushibou giving in to his envy and hatred, when yoriichi cries over seeing his own family commit terrible attrocities against the people he wanted to protect
and yoriichi dies, now carrying the fact that he couldnt even save his own brother from the influence of muzan on his conscious forever
what a sad ending for yoriichi
and after koku angrily slashes apart yoriichi’s corpse, having him find and keep the flute he gave to him when they were kids to the present day gives him a small shred of humanity in the midst of his monstrous anger
VS NAKIME
[Image Description: Manga panels of Nakime. The first one shows a low quality version of her playing her biwa. The second one is a close up of her eye. There are spiky text bubbles saying “It’s Upper Rank... 4!” End Image Description.]
0/10
no nakime backstory
not even a goddamn fight
forgettable
useless
VS MUZAN
[Image Description: Manga panel of Kibutsuji Muzan in his white-haired, mouth-covered form. There are text bubbles around him saying “Not a single one was of use to me. I will crush the demon hunters tonight. I’ll massacre them all right now.” End Image Description.]
1/10
._.
i have many complaints but ill try my best to not make this another hantengu rant section lol
first off, obanai deserved better
im serious, this poor dude was forgotten until pretty much the end when we finally get a backstory out of him
and then he died
what a waste of a potentially amazing character
mitsuri getting taken out early was ehhh
pretty sure someone else made a post about her supposedly being extremely strong but she was nerfed in this battle which i agree with
literally none of the pillars work together very well, like remember how i praised sanemi and gyomei for being super coordinated? lmao that doesnt exist anymore
you could say this is caused by desperation though and you wouldnt be wrong, its just boring to sit through
that causes issues bc this now basically requires the crimson sword and transparent world concepts to be there to spice things up
but in this fight, they do nothing in the long run (except for tanjirou using the crimson sword at the very very end)
youve already heard me talk about why those two things are super shittily integrated and i cant be bothered repeating myself so moving on
kanao, inosuke, and zenitsu
they... exist? they didnt do much tbh, which i guess is the point but like, now its boring again
nezuko could have been used as a potential way to raise the stakes and make things interesting again (like “ah shit, muzan might actually be unkillable if he gets nezuko but its okay bc shes not here- oh fuck shes here this is not good”)
but nothing came of her running off except confirmation that she became human again so whatever
uzui and shinjuro are useless, why werent they at the fight?
like they could have followed nezuko and contributed to the battle even a little but they just didnt and now theres literally no point to them appearing in this arc at all
wasted potential
tanjirou
i wish him going absolutely apeshit had actual substance behind it, like it being a part of his character arc or something
i remember having this one theory that he had a corruption arc (due to dropping his kindness thing towards demons) and i wanted this to be true so badly
but it doesnt exist
not with how the series ended
god
the only thing that saves this fight from being complete trash is tamayo’s poison thing being amazingly executed
and the part where everyone got blasted away, losing limbs and shit, that made things a little more interesting again
but thats it
VS MUZAN (SENGOKU ERA)
[Image Description: Manga panels of Kibutsuji Muzan, Tamayo, and Tsugikuni Yoriichi. The first one has Muzan and Tamayo, while the second one has Yoriichi pulling out his sword. There are text boxes saying “And the moment I met him, I understood that I was born into this world to defeat this man.” End Image Description.]
9/10
finally something good again
while short, that’s just the nature of all of yoriichi’s battles with demons
anyways pretty nice, theres a clear reason why this battle exists (shows the scenario that made the original breather get super close to defeating muzan in detail)
adding tamayo here was a nice touch
my only complaint is that it seemed extremely coincidental that yoriichi somehow developed a breathing style specifically countering muzan’s multiple organs without even knowing prior that he had all those brains and hearts floating around freely in his body
like thats kind of ridiculous, even for yoriichi whos supposed to be “blessed by the gods”
could just be me though
VS TANJIROU
[Image Description: Manga panels of Kamado Tanjirou in his demon form. The first image has his eyes closed. The second image has his eyes opened and the tumor on his face almost completely faded. There are text boxes around him saying “You will destroy the demon hunters in my stead.” End Image Description.]
1/10
hoo boy
ok first off, demon tanjirou lasted for 2 chapters
thats it
2 chapters
so thats already a problem
i am aware its meant to parallel the beginning of the series but also its ridiculous how completely vague and rushed this entire thing was
nezuko doesnt do shit through not just this battle but this entire arc which i already explained so not gonna go into it further
kanao magically having a demon cure on her made very little sense
the scene where tanjirou leaves muzan in purgatory is pretty but if you look at it in the context of everything else, its ambiguous and confusing
(if someone could explain it and see how it connects to the original theme of “demons just being victims of circumstance,” i would love to hear it)
/
actually you know what makes me so mad about this “fight” as a whole? there was so much potential to do more with this concept
and im not talking about him escaping and nezuko becoming a demon slayer roleswap au (even though its a pretty cool concept)
him becoming a demon could have been a metaphor for his lost kindness and sympathy towards demons halfway through the series
it could have been a punishment for letting his anger towards muzan cloud his judgement
it could have symbolized literally anything about him losing his humanity as he got stronger
but those three things are just scenarios from my head, they dont exist in this series just based off of what weve seen from these two chapters
its disappointing
the only thing keeping this from getting a 0 is the one part where inosuke couldnt chop off tanjirou’s head bc he cared about him too much
that at least shows inosuke had grown as a character
everything else is just meaningless and convoluted garbage and “convoluted” is not what you should be aiming for if this is supposed to be the ending of your series
IN SUMMARY
early kny is very good, later kny is questionable and the ending is just a mess of wasted potential and disappointment
i get why gotouge had to have the transparent world ability, crimson blade ability, and the demon marks appear before they all appeared on yoriichi but theyre all just so underdeveloped and terribly handled in the battles they are used, it makes me want to kick a wall
like lmao, i could literally think of so many ways they could have been properly integrated, hell, im even writing a whole goddamn rewrite using my ideas for these three things (link to that is in my pinned)
just, god
if you want to debate over these ratings, my ask box is open ig? idk
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Building sand castles. for narugaa?
“Okay, so according to Sakura you gotta have water!” Naruto held up a bucket of water he had collected from the ocean. “Then the sand will hold its shape.”
Gaara watched as his companion carefully set the bucket down before rejoining him on the sand. “Now what?”
Naruto blinked then held his hand to his chin in thought. “Well...let’s see we got the water and we got the sand around us…”
“I could-”
The blonde held a finger to his face in interruption. “No.”
Gaara’s mouth turned into a thin frown. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“I am determined! There’s a difference!” He pulled his finger back before mumbling to himself about needing another bucket. He nodded then without hesitation he made the hand signs necessary for shadow clones. “Okay! With all this man power we’ll have a castle built in no time!” The four clones gave each other high fives.
Gaara resisted the urge to snarl. “How is this different from my use of sand?”
“Uh...my shadow clones aren’t sand, DUH.”
The Kazekage held the bridge of his nose. “Infuriating.”
“No! Master sand castle builders!”
“How can you call yourself a master if you don’t know how to start?!”
“Gaara, Gaara...trust me.” Naruto grinned, pointing at himself with his thumb. “I never go back on my word! We’ll have a sand castle built no problem!”
Gaara gritted his teeth, releasing a breath, his shoulders sagging. “Mm.”
And so the five Naruto scrambled around the beach in search of buckets and other tools.
“Gaara?” Temari appeared by his side, a bottle of lotion in her hand. “I think you’re due for another coat of sunscreen.”
“Mm.”
She took a seat beside him to help apply it. “No regrets coming to the beach, right?”
“Mm.”
She laughed. “I say you should build a castle while his back- er backs are turned.”
He slathered a thick coat of lotion on his arms. “Can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
He released a sigh. “Building the castle himself will give him...a sense of accomplishment. I won’t rob him of that.” He clenched his hands a moment. “I want him to be happy.”
“What about you?”
Gaara blinked then relaxed considerably, turning his gaze skywards. “When he’s happy so am I.”
“Oh.”
“Is that strange?” He turned his gaze to his sister.
“No, I don’t think so...I think I understand.” She smiled a little. “It’s nice that he means that much to you.”
He turned away, suddenly feeling shy. “Mm.”
“And done! Be back later if you need more.” He felt his sister rise and leave.
He sighed, hugging his knees as he watched the haphazard process of Naruto.
--
“It’s not exactly a castle.”
“Yeah, well, let’s say it’s a village! They kinda look like the buildings in Suna!”
Gaara stared at the countless single tier mounds Naruto had made. Honestly, they did somewhat look like architecture found in Suna. He wasn’t going to admit that out loud though.
“Well, then what more can I ask for?”
Naruto laughed. “Sorry it’s just whenever I tried stacking the sand it would fall apart.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m content with the sand village.”
The jinchuriki grinned widely. “You sure are nice, Gaara!”
“Mm.” He closed his eyes, he heard Naruto squawk. When he reopened his eyes the two were standing on elevated sand upon a castle he had created with his jutsu. “This is a castle.”
“I take it back, you’re a jerk Gaara!”
The Kazekage chuckled. “You don’t mean it.”
Naruto blinked before huffing and crossing his arms. “Whatever.”
“It’s quite a view.” He turned his gaze to the ocean, then to the horizon. The sun was starting to dip and the sky was a canvas of pinks and purples. “A view fit for a king.”
He felt Naruto stand closer to him. “Yeah...it is pretty cool.”
Gaara hummed, glad the other agreed.
“Um...by the way? You’re right. I don’t mean it.” He felt the blonde’s head rest on his shoulder. “It’s actually really really cool and you’re not a jerk.”
Gaara closed his eyes but smiled. “Thank you.”
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What if the Sound Trio survived and became Leaf ninjas?
Headcanons under the cut (bitch, it’s a lot of headcanons)
~ Chunin Exam Finals/Invasion~
Dosu was shown to be suspicious of Orochimaru because of the whole Sasuke/curse mark thing and seemed like he wasn’t wanting to be a part of Orochimaru’s shit anymore so he’s the one who realizes something is up
Rather than face Gaara he somehow finds out about sand’s allegiance with sound (overhearing Baki and Kabuto on the way to Gaara, eavesdropping on Orochimaru [because, again, sus], etc...) and that’s what pushes him to defect from sound (also how he manages to live)
Dosu, Zaku, and Kin aren’t necessarily close, but in the anime Dosu did sort of say he was gonna get revenge on behalf of Zaku for what happened to his arms so there is a sense of something there (whether it be friendship, camaraderie, or just wanting to stick together to survive... idk) and Dosu tells his teammates what’s up and convinces them that they gotta GTFO
Zaku is a little more difficult to convince because why would Orochimaru do that to him? He saved Zaku from being a street rat, he gave Zaku power
Dosu ain’t having it and is like “if you wish to stay behind then that is your decision, in the end it is better for us to not have to carry any dead weight” (obviously referring to Zaku’s inability to do anything because of his arms)
Dosu then proceeds to tell Zaku how he no longer serves a purpose without his arms and he was nice enough to still want to take Zaku with him, Orochimaru would not be so kind
Zaku is upset because he knows Dosu has a point and they all leave
They (read: Dosu) decide that their best chance of survival is staying in Konoha because, the minute they leave, the sound village/Orochimaru will be gunning for their asses and also they’d be missing-nin, so others would try to kill them too
But what can they do to assure they don’t get imprisoned or killed due to having worked under Orochimaru? Rat out the sound village and give all the information they know/found out about the invasion and sand’s involvement
Third Hokage is a cool dude and also was Orochimaru’s teacher so he knows the kind of power this bitch can have over people which is why he agrees to let the sound trio stay and have them watched by Anbu
Dosu does not participate in the chunin exam finals because witness protection, or something
The invasion still happens because Orochimaru ain’t stupid. His “pawns” are nowhere to be found so it’s likely they’re betraying him, so obviously he makes changes to the plan
Dosu, Kin, and Zaku do not participate in fighting off the invasion because, uh, super strict house arrest orders???
Third Hokage dies and this FREAKS the trio out because a) oh shit Orochimaru actually did it and b) we’re only allowed to be here because of him, so what’s going to happen to us
Council is deciding what to do with them and has them staying hidden/as they were, but what’s more important to them is finding Tsunade and having her take over as Hokage so the trio are just anxiously chilling
Tsunade is Hokage now and she decides to let them stay because they turned their backs on Orochimaru and also she trusts Sarutobi’s judgment on letting them stay initially, but they are still going to be watched by Anbu to be sure
Naruto and co. find out about the trio and they are PISSED because “not only did you try to kill Sasuke, not only are you from the village that attacked us, not only did you work for Orochimaru but you did nothing to defend Konoha during the invasion. If you want to be a part of this village then you should have helped”
Tsunade tells these bitches to simmer down. They were under Anbu house arrest. She’s Hokage and they need to respect her decision. Also Zaku, let’s fix your arms.
~Sasuke Retrieval Arc~
Everyone is immediately on the trio’s ass because “we knew you couldn’t be trusted”
Tsunade has to tell everyone to stfu again
The trio want to go (to prove themselves) and feel they can be of assistance but Tsunade is like Catherine of Aragon because she says there’s no no no no NO WAY. It’s already a dangerous mission, it might be more so for them because Orochimaru is probably after their heads for betraying him and knows all of their skills
Everything about the arc is the same until the point where Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee need help. Instead of the Sand Siblings being the ones to arrive it’s the sound trio
Zaku saves Kiba... mainly because I imagine them being friends once the trio are accepted and I just want this to be the beginning of their friendship. How he saves him idk because I’m not creative when it comes to fights
Kin saves Shikamaru. Again idk how. Zaku’s slicing sounds waves make more sense here because they work similar to Temari’s fan but I want it to be Kin because kunoichi vs. kunoichi, genjutsu vs. genjutsu, and also the idea of Kin saving the guy who beat her in such an embarrassing way does something to me, but also is a sort of redemption? I just want this battle to show off how skilled Kin can be because she was very underutilized and kinda weak in the original story and I love her so much, she deserves to do cool shit. So let her outsmart Tayuya and, in a way, she is outsmarting Shikamaru because he had no more plans to fall back on
Dosu saves Lee. Again, idk how and, again, I think Zaku’s slicing sound waves would be better here because they can keep Kimimaro (a close range fighter) at bay but I guess seeing Dosu and Kimimaro throwing hands would be cool. And then you have that redemption moment with Lee because Dosu kicked his ass in the forest of death and now he’s saving Lee!
After the mission, despite its failure, the trio are accepted as leaf shinobi and are introduced to their new sensei: cue Anko crashing through the window with a big sign introducing herself again
Similarly to the moment when Naruto spoke out and Anko threw a kunai at him, Zaku gives a snide comment and Anko is immediately at his throat, and then she’s like “JK! But don’t say that again you little shit!”
Anko was chosen to lead the trio due to her past with Orochimaru and because of that she can better understand them
~Other Headcanons~
It took the Konoha 12 a while to accept the trio. The first ones to accept them were Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru (duh) but also Choji and even Naruto. Choji became cool with them when he found out Shikamaru was cool with them because he trusts Shikamaru’s judgment, and despite originally trying to kill his teammate, Naruto accepts them because they came out and helped so that means they’re a-okay in his book. Neji was slightly taken aback but also accepted them pretty quickly. Basically, the retrieval team was like “yeah okay” and vouch for them.
The ones who took the longest to come around were Ino and Sakura because did y’all just forget what happened at the forest of death???
As I said, I imagine Kiba and Zaku being friends. Mainly because I feel they have similar personalities in the sense that they’re both pretty cocky, boisterous, and talk shit. I imagine them kinda being like rivals in the sense of they’re always trying to one up each other
Zaku is still not fond of Shino because of the whole bugs in arms thing so whenever Shino is around Zaku is just like “I hate your teammate” to Kiba
Kin/Shikamaru could potentially replace the Temari/Shikamaru relationship. Both Kin and Temari are very similar in the sense of being an ex-villain, being viewed as scarier/more intense compared to the Konoha girls, being older by a couple years, and they both lost (well, Temari technically won but we all know she lost) to Shikamaru. Because of this the Kin/Shikamaru relationship wouldn’t be all that different to how the Temari/Shikamaru relationship is shown
That being said I love the sand siblings and don’t want them gone and because of how similar I feel Kin and Temari are they become really good friends and Kin enjoys when Temari visits. They both make Shikamaru’s life hell though. Double Trouble™️
Also I said potentially because I like exploring the idea of Kin/Zaku or Kin/Dosu (:
Dosu and Shino actually get along really well (much to the dismay of Zaku). They’re the type of people where they can sit in silence with each other and it’s just chill. And when they have to work together they kinda have flawless teamwork and don’t even need to speak to know what the other plans on doing
Kin and Sakura actually get along now? They’re not best friends by any means but they can be civil and respect each other
Team Kurenai and Team Sand are the teams that the trio get along with the best/most easily tho
Kin cut her hair to her lower back. Cue everyone cracking jokes about Neji and Kin looking the same from behind. Kin stops tying her hair after that
The trio have really well trained ears because back in Otogakure they had to learn to pick up on the subtlest of sounds in order to spy on enemies and communicate at such a low volume that to any normal ear sounds like silence but to them the message is loud and clear
Because of this they’re all amazing singers (Dosu is the best tho because he has the best trained ear. Seriously, being able to tell what someone is writing based on the sounds of their pencil? Skills.) and everyone likes hearing them sing.
That being said, despite being from the land of sound they didn’t actually know any songs because the sound village doesn’t really do music. It was forbidden because no one is allowed joy in the land of sound. Jk. But it did have to do with depriving people of normalcy because Orochimaru was creating an army of followers
This little singing/music tidbit was discovered by Naruto and he took it upon himself to show the trio music. It wasn’t all good music, but it’s music!
Also, despite being the best singer, Dosu doesn’t really do it. Dude doesn’t even hum. He’ll only sing if Kin and Zaku start pestering or if Anko wants him to
The first (and only) time Kin and Zaku saw Dosu cry was shortly after they became leaf shinobi. Anko and Tsunade were telling the team how brave it was for them to leave Orochimaru and sound behind, and Anko especially complimented Dosu on taking him and his team out of that situation. Kin and Zaku had been trying to hold back tears and keep up their tough image but the minute they saw Dosu crying, not trying to wipe away his tears or hide them or anything they lost it
No one talks about their little crying session. It’s a secret
Despite getting his arms fixed by Tsunade, Zaku still has problems with them, especially his right one (I think that’s the one that got blown off) and needs to get them treated consistently. Partly due to the fact they he didn’t give himself all the time to heal after Tsunade fixed him because he went to help the retrieval team and, mainly, because of Orochimaru’s experiments. Like, essentially Zaku’s air tube surgery was actually kind of botched and, for lack of a better term, experimental, and is fucking with the nerves and muscles and chakra in his arms and kinda eating away at them. And the crazy damage he took from getting his arms blown off only fucked everything up more
Eventually Zaku gets a better version of his air tube in his left arm and has to completely replace the right arm with a cool prosthetic that lets him do stronger/cooler jutsus
Kin has combined singing with her genjutsu and has created a sort of mind control jutsu... I may or may not have gotten this idea while listening to Come Little Children and remembering that Sarah Sanderson would control kids with song
The trio think Sasuke is a fUCKING DUMBASS for willingly going with Orochimaru. Like, bitch we had to leave that no good asshole for the betterment of our lives and you just waltz out of Konoha and straight into his arms?! What is you doing Uchiha?!
#naruto#zaku abumi#dosu kinuta#kin tsuchi#anko mitarashi#team dosu#team sound#sound trio#otogakure#konoha#konoha 12#naruto uzumaki#kiba inuzuka#shikamaru nara#fan art#my art#headcanons#so many headcanons#too many headcanons
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Shikatema, prompt: “fight me, you attractive stranger.”
Yes hi it’s been forever I KNOW SORRY
Modern Day AU.
……
For Temari’s first robbery, this isn’t going all that well.
She’s pretty disappointed in herself.
Honestly, it’s not like she needs the money–but her dad’s never home and Kankurou’s been distant and Gaara’s off doing God knows what and she’s been bored and this girl gang approached her and recognized her as the bad bitch so.
Here we are.
Except the person that she’s attempting to rob–and of course it’s her very first victim, the first one she saw in a stereotypically dark alley on a moonless night throwing out his trash in the dumpster–is not at all intimidated by the knife she’s wielding.
In fact, he looks bored.
This makes her grind her teeth. “C’mon, you fucking asshole! You heard me. Gimme your wallet.”
He eyes her up and down with half lidded eyes like he’s trying to stifle a yawn. “Or what? Am I supposed to believe that butter knife is gonna pose a threat to me?”
“A fucking butter–you know what, why don’t I put it against your throat you so you can really see how ‘dull’ it is?”
“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t know where it’s been. Jeez, here I thought my Friday night was gonna be boring… “
“And now you’re gonna be short some cash.”
“You like your one-liners, huh?”
She snarls, but thinks. Maybe she really does need to cool it with the cheesy lines. She’s a bad bitch, after all–not some 20’s mafia villain.
“Whatever, loser. Just… Take everything out of your pockets.”
He sighs like he’s humoring her, but gives in by digging into his front pockets. Other than his apartment keys, he’s got… Lint. A stick of gum. A pack of cigarettes.That’s it.
She stares.
He yawns.
“Are you kidding me?!”
“What? You thought you were gonna get a guy taking out his trash and he’d have millions on him?” He narrows his eyes, but there’s definitely a small smile forming on his face. “You new to this robbing thing, or something?”
“There’s… There’s gotta… Wait! Your apartment keys. We’re going up to your place.”
“Gotta buy me dinner first. Besides: look at me. Do I look like I’d have anything valuable up there?”
She takes a good look at him in the streetlight. Faded t-shirt, sweatpants that look ragged and threadbare, a messy ponytail only holding half his hair up–
He’s kind of got a point.
“You really didn’t think this through, did you?” He smirks, and she feels a flush crawl up her neck.
“That’s it,” she lunges for him, aiming for the stomach.
Only, she doesn’t get there.
With a catlike grace, he’s dodged her knife, dipping low under her arm to catch and turn her waist. His arm slithers up her arm while he pins her other to her side, plucking the knife from her.
“Hey–!”
“You probably shouldn’t pick out the guy that’s a trained martial artist to rob, either.” She feels him shrug behind her. “But I guess I can’t blame you for not knowing that one.”
She turns her head to glare at him, trying to ignore the fact that they’re nearly nose to nose and he’s got really dark eyes but bad bitch bad bitch BAD BITCH get your shit together, Temari.
“What, you’re just gonna keep me locked in this position? Pff, you fucking perv…”
“Not at all,” he shrugs, and all at once he’s loosened her grip on her, walking back to pick up his keys. “Just thought I’d take your knife so you couldn’t try to do anymore harm to yourself tonight.”
She realizes fully that her knife is very much taken and that he’s pocketing it with his keys. “You son of a–!”
“But really, you don’t seem cut out for this kinda gig, you should probably cut it out early. Besides,” he’s walking past her to the corner of the apartment building. “You’re too pretty for petty theft, anyway.”
She gapes like a fish, feels the slight heat on her cheeks before she shakes it off. “I’m coming back for my knife you know! And it’s not gonna be pretty!” She calls after him.
“Yeah, yeah.” He dismissively waves his hand without looking back at her. “Just look for ‘Shikamaru Nara’ on the buzzer list when you wanna ring me.”
He turns the corner, and Temari’s left staring at the spot he just disappeared from.
She pauses before she takes out her phone, tells the girls to fuck off with their initiation. She might get jumped for it later… But whatever, she can handle it.
She’s not bored anymore, now that she’s got a new project.
And it’s coming over tomorrow to kick this guy’s ass.
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Can i have 🍪 for Gaara please??💜
Of course!!!! I love writing Gaara as a dad because hes such a softie💕 This may be a future continuation of my Gaara with newborn twins imagine :) And it got very long, very fast, I saw this one vividly -🦎
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Gaara
🍪- "But Mommy/Daddy! We have to make cookies for Santa!!!"
Gaar slumped through the front door, clearly exhausted from his day at work. He fell to the couch, took a second to breathe and then relaxation was over. A chorus of "Daddy! Daddy's home!!" filled the living room as the two excited toddlers leapt on top of him, giggling happily. You stepped in, seconds behind them, with half their christmas pajamas in one hand. You heard Gaara laughing, and the noise of the squirming bundle of redheads overpowered the carols you had on in the kitchen.
"Akira, you need to get your jammies on. And Asami, please calm down, Daddy looks tired." You said, and the little boy climbed down, walked over to you and raised his hands above his head for you to place the remaining red plaid shirt over his head. You ruffled his hair and he giggled, and you looked over at your husband, cuddling his daughter deeply.
"How was your day, my love?" You asked, picking Akira up and placing him on your hip. The twins were 4 now, and you joked constantly that they were getting too big to be picked up like this, but honestly feeling of his tiny body curled against you was your favorite feeling.
"It was okay, I have some paperwork to finish up tonight though." He responded, and Asami leaned up to look at him, the Christmas lights from the tree twinkling in the corners of her eyes, bright and beautiful as the morning she was named after.
"Are you going to be busy all night, Daddy?" She asked, and you heard your son whimper into your shoulder. You reached up to stroke his hair, and looked expectantly at your husband.
"Well, I might be." He said honestly, and his daughter placed her two small hands on his cheeks, looking intensely at him. "But Daddy, we have to make cookies for Santa! You promised we would!!"
"Yeah! We gotta bake cookies, Mama!" You heard Akira whine into your sleeve.
Gaara chuckled, "I did say that, didnt I? Well the paperwork can wait, I suppose. Kankuro wont be terribly upset if I let him know it was cookie night."
The twins immediately perked up, cheering at the thought. Cookie night was their favorite part of the season, and Gaara never could say no to them. He picked Asami up, her giggles chiming through the air, and walked over to you, placing kisses on the toddlers heads and one small peck on your lips. The twins chorused in "eeewww"s, but the two of you never failed to let them know how much their parents loved eachother. Twins in hand, you both walked to the kitchen, placing the little ones in chairs at the kitchen table.
"Can I pour the flour??" Akira asked.
"No let me do it!" Asami piped up, and before an argument could be picked, a bowl was placed in front of them, and half measurements of each ingredient showed up beside them, so everyone had oppurtunites to pour them in the bowl. As the dough came together, you rolled it out on a mat, humming along to the Christmas songs on the radio.
"I wanna make one of Uncle Kankuro!" "And Aunt Temari!!" "And Santa!!" The kids chorused, as they pressed the people-shaped cutters into the dough. Gaara set the oven to preheat, and turned to wrap you in his arms from behind, looking down at your precious kids.
"Nothing will ever be more important than you all are to me." He said in your ear, and you smiled at the sight of the twins, squishing the extra dough between their chubby fingers.
"We really have made the loveliest family." You reply, kissing his cheek lightly before taking the tray and placing it in the oven.
"Okay, my loves, we gotta let them bake. Do you want to color while we wait?" You ask, and the toddlers nod happily, their red locks shimmering in the kitchen lighting.
"Daddy! Why dont you do your work thingys with us?" Akira asked, his little cheeks turning rosy as he looked over at his dad. Gaara smiled, theyre always so thoughtful. He nodded, and grabbed his paperwork from the living room, sitting at the head of the table as you placed the paper and crayons in front of the twins.
"Mommy, will you color too?" Asami asked, grabbing your hand. You kissed her soft hair, and sat down at the table, grabbing a piece of paper and a red crayon. Gaara wrote quickly, smiling and nodding as his kids drew pictures of Santa, of their family, of the tree. Theyd show them to you both as they finished them, and your heart always warmed seeing the shaky stick figures drawn in crayon.
The timer went off, and you got up from the table, pulling the cookies from the oven.
"I think I managed to finish it all up." Gaara said, and stood up to place some of the drawings on the fridge. The kids scrambled off the chairs and stared wide-eyed at the cookies.
"Im going to call for takeout, sweetie, is that okay?" You ask, already picking up the phone. He nodded, and when the call was placed, you ushered the twins out of the kitchen, insisting on letting the cookies cool down. The four of you piled on the couch, turning a Christmas movie on the TV, happily curled together in a puddle of love and holiday spirit. The takeout showed up quickly, and you fed the kids, sitting on the floor in front of the couch.
As dinner finished up, Gaara stood up, taking the containers into the kitchen. Akira followed him in, and his little voice called out to from the kitchen, "Daddy says the cookies are cooled!!"
"Asami, let me finish your braids." You say, tying off the bottom of the second braid, as she desperately tried to escape. You pat her head lightly, releasing her from your grasp. You follow her into the kitchen, and the four of you sat down at the table again, icing and cookies already placed out. As each cookie was decorated, the kids began to yawn, desperate to stay awake. You placed the last cookie onto the tray, and turned to give your husband that look, and he picked up on it immediately.
"Bed time, sunshines." He said, scooping each of them up as they yawned again, curling into him. He walked to their rooms, tucking them in and smiling contently at their tired faces, falling to dreamland as soon as their heads hit the pillows. He kissed them lightly, and as he turned the light out in their room, you came up and placed a head on his shoulder. A sigh full of love fell from both of your lips as you headed to bed.
Kankuro walked to his office in the morning and was surprised to see the pile of paperwork on his desk, directly next to a gingerbread man version of himself and a toddler drawn picture of him and his niece and nephew in santa hats. He picked up the small note on top of the pile and smiled. "Finished today's paperwork, and took the day off, feel free to stop by. They miss you. -Gaara."
#gaara of the desert#gaara fluff#gaara x reader#gaara#gaara of the sand#gaara of the fluff#sand siblings#uncle kank#naruto imagines
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Chess [27] - {ShikaTema AU}
I have no excuses, but hopefully my rustiness and likely mistakes in this can be forgiven. All my love: enjoy :)
[READ ON AO3]
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“You’ve gotta have an oral fixation.”
“Chōji…”
“But really. You have to. I look away for one minute and you’ve stolen a straw from behind the bar and you’re chewing on it!”
Temari tried to hold back a giggle, and upon failing set off Chōji. He started to go red as he snorted.
“I just wanted a straw.” There was an innocent, yet far too defensive tone to his voice.
Eyebrows were raised around them, not least by the barman. “But not to drink with?”
Shikamaru frowned, as though he genuinely didn’t understand. “What’s the matter with that?”
“We don’t give them out for people to chew on, mate.”
“Then don’t bloody make them out of paper!”
Temari took a sip on the straw, poked innocently into her cocktail, which had caused such an unexpected fuss and watched as Shikamaru chewed on his lip as his best friend nattered away. Suddenly he reached across the bar and snatched the straw from Shikamaru’s grip, earning an exasperated sigh from him, and an undeniable giggle from Temari.
Like the drive they had taken, their walk to the pub had been fairly short and sweet, but seemingly uneventful. The slight spots of rain that came with January weren’t exactly welcome, but they were easily ignored when he was beside her, hand in pockets and puffing out smoke like a bloody train. While she scurried along, wrapped in her hood and desperate to keep warm, she almost asked him for a drag once or twice, but there was something about the serenity of the silence between them—hearing only the spots of rain and tyres hitting puddles periodically—that was too pure to be broken. He had looked happy, despite it all; happier than he had ever looked.
Enjoy the silence, she had told him, and she had to listen to herself.
Still, that didn’t mean when his knuckles brushed against hers she didn’t let out a soft breath and bite her tongue when wanting it to last forever.
Upon getting to the pub amongst the hustle and bustle of a rough Saturday night, Shikamaru had made a beeline for Chōji the minute he’d locked eyes on him. Temari has pottered over at half the speed, but ever since they had been perched on the same bar stools with her fingers always wrapped around a drink—or at this current time, a pitcher.
Once or twice Chōji would shoot Temari a knowing look, always accompanied by a smile. She hoped that what she was seeing was gratitude, for being there for his friend and seemingly helping him. From her impression of the man she assumed negative emotions didn’t exactly come easy to Chōji, and she’d smile back within a second, hoping she was right.
Meanwhile, as one of these looks took place once more, Chōji running his mouth off at Shikamaru for was reaching for a second straw, their common interest was growing restless. He could see the looks his friends shared; he wasn’t stupid and he also wasn’t blind. Their lack of subtlety would’ve been funny if it weren’t laced with unwanted pity disguised as amity, and the water in his hand was growing tiresome after the third glass.
He wanted a drink—a proper drink. Not to drown sorrows or to pretend everything was okay, but just to join in. The smile on Temari’s face was so wide, so beautiful, and as her lips wrapped around that straw he wanted nothing less than to taste what she did, whatever concoction sat in her pitcher. He couldn’t help watching as she took another long sip, watching Chōji try to stack twelve glasses with little success, and wishing that he could just pull her face towards him, closer and closer; so close no space was left between them...
No, he was wrong. He didn’t want alcohol. He wanted her.
With that realisation came the familiar feeling of burning red ears, and he prayed the others wouldn’t notice his embarrassment amidst the dim lights. With a smile he look down at his water and sloshed it around in his glass, remembering the feeling of holding her hand earlier on. He thought of the rain that still pelted down outside, and how bundled up she’d been like a khaki Michelin Man, kicking leaves with her boots. Suddenly all he could see in the water was her face, smiling at him as the rain drenched the front of her hair, blonde bleeding into brown with wet.
“Chōji?” Temari asked, finally speaking. “Can you just give him another straw please before he tops himself?”
Shikamaru smiled. Insensitive, he thought, why the fuck am I not angry with her for that?
“No, he can’t. I have a right to refuse service.”
Her eyes rolled, letting her palm rest on his kneecap. “Service of drinks, yes. Does it really need to apply to straws?”
“You bet it does if I want it to,” be laughed. “I refuse to sell Shikamaru anything but soft drinks—always—on principle. And after last time I told the other staff not to as well.”
“Because you’re a pain,” interjected Shikamaru, raising his water in
“And,” he continued, “he won’t go to another pub because he only comes out to hang out with me, so no point. Thank me later.”
Temari shook her head, shifting her eyes to lock with Shikamaru’s. Her fingertips crept above his knee. “That’s no cure for alcoholism,” she chuckled, “but you’re a good friend.”
Chōji smirked. “Speaking of being a good friend, Shikamaru…”
He didn’t look to his friend, he was far too distracted by her eyes, and how they somehow looked violet in this light.
“Shikamaru?”
There was no chance his eyes could be torn from the woman before him as hers fingers danced up his thigh, a million different colours flickering across her under the lights and her pupils getting larger by the second.
“Shikamaru, do you want a smoke?”
If he didn’t stop her soon he was going to have to drag her elsewhere, but it was so hard not to be utterly captivated. She was too beautiful, too full of excitement from her pitchers, for him not to savour the way she looked at him. He felt like the only person in the room.
His weakness prevailed. “Nah, I’m good man.”
Chōji was getting desperate, and with a huff pulled out a straw from behind the bar. Thrusting it into Shikamaru’s hand, he tapped on the bar with rough knuckles and coughed. “I need a word, man. Come on?”
With an awkward cough and a guilty feeling building in the pit of his stomach, Shikamaru squeezed Temari’s fingers gently and lifted them up as he pulled his gaze away from her. He hopped down off of the stool and followed Chōji as he weaved through the crowds toward the door, somewhat glad to have been drawn away from her. After all the last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her, and he was almost grateful to the freezing rain as he stepped outside, waking him up and reminding him it wasn’t his job to yearn for Temari every second of the day—not that that was stopping him.
Shikamaru’s thoughts, however, were unknown to the woman they’d left behind, and she couldn’t help feeling abandoned as they scurried outside into the cold. She almost texted Gaara and explained what was happening, but he was on a date, wasn’t he? She couldn’t interrupt that, it wouldn’t be fair. Not after all the stick she’d given him as a teenager for getting involved in her business all the time. Now it felt wrong not to involve him in everything, and tipsy Temari even thought for a second that she should ring him after all, and invite him and his date here.
But who was she kidding? That was a terrible idea. She could just about see her reflection in the mirror behind the spirits as she looked over the bar, and immediately decided that this pitcher would be her last one. Tonight was not to be the second night she was helped home by Shikamaru in a drunken state. Tonight would be the night she kept her cool, wasn’t eating pasta out of a saucepan at midnight and might even pay for his taxi back home. However, it had crossed her mind as she stared herself out that given her free house that was currently empty of brothers, he needn’t call a cab, or at least not one from here. He could come to hers, shelter from the rain for a while if he wanted to, for as long as he wanted to…
Oh, honestly, girl! Pull yourself together! She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Send him home. You can do without another evening overcomplicating everything.
But despite her inner pep-talk, when Chōji re-entered seconds later without Shikamaru in tow, Temari’s fuzzy brain barely held in a whimper. But, as he jogged towards her with such intention in his eyes, she couldn’t help frowning and adjusted her position on the stool. “Is everything alright?”
“More than alright.” He came to a stop just in front of her and leaned against the bar. “He’s better than I’ve seen him in years, Temari,” he added with a soft smile.
She started to blush ever so slightly, but she could see the slight frown on his face. “Whats wrong then”
Chōji coughed, biting on his lip. “You did do it, didn’t you?”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks grew crimson in a flash. “Do it? Do what?”
“You know,” he chuckled awkwardly.
“I can guarantee I don’t.” Temari tucked a stray hair behind her ear and took a shaky breath. He cannot be talking about Thursday, she told herself. Shikamaru would never have told him, would he? “What did I do?”
“You took him to see Mrs Sarutobi, didn’t you?”
Only some of the nerves subsided, but she felt her shoulders loosen as she nodded. “We did,” she sighed. “It didn’t go too badly, but still can’t tell if it was actually the right thing to do, Chōji.”
“Thank you,” Chōji mumbled before pulling Temari into the tightest, quickest hug she’d ever had. “You’re good for him. Have another pitcher on me.”
And before Temari could reply, or thank him for his generosity in supplying alcohol she didn’t need, he was flying out the door and she watched it close with a soft thud.
~~~
When Chōji flung open the door and hopped back outside, a big grin across his face, an unimpressed Shikamaru who was now soaked to the bone was already half-way through his cigarette. He raised his eyebrows as a hello and huffed.
“I thought you were getting me my coat, man.”
His friend smirked and shook his head. “You don’t need it. We won’t be out here much longer.”
“I’m already soaking, Choji.”
“You wear t-shirts in December, Captain Hypothermia. You can live with some rain,” Choji spluttered, crossing his arms and bouncing slightly on the spot. He had to admit that it definitely wasn’t warm out here, but there were bigger issues at hand.
Shikamaru took a long drag of his cigarette as a piece of wet hair smacked him in the eye, he winced as he let out the smoke and rubbed the eye in question. “What do you want to talk about then?”
There was a moment silence, and Shikamaru knew the smirk building on Choji’s lips did not bode well.
“So you’re together now, right?”
He scoffed and shook his head, hooking his thumb inside the cuff of his sleeve. “C’mon, man…”
“You’ve shagged. Obviously.”
If he hadn’t been expecting it, Shikamaru would’ve most certainly choked on thin air. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. “Chōji…”
“That’s an answer, for sure.”
He let his foot tap at a particularly interesting brick on the wall, unable to look his friend in the eye. “We aren’t together, okay?”
“But you have shagged. Definitely.”
“Can you stop?” When he looked up, Choji looked proud beyond belief. It was as if he thought this was his doing that Shikamaru had found someone of the opposite sex who he didn’t find totally unbearable more than fifty-percent of the time. “What’re you so pleased with yourself about, eh?”
The bigger man shrugged, smug as anything. “Nothing, really,” he mused, with the most irritating snigger at the back of his throat. “Just that my pal has found the future mother of his children.”
Now Shikamaru was choking, and kicked the wall just a little too hard. “Fuck!” he hissed. “I’ve known her like a month, man—get a grip!” He took another drag and bit the bullet, leaning against the freezing cold brickwork. “You’re more invested in this than I am.”
“I wouldn’t let her hear you say that. Won’t be getting anymore, will you?”
“How do you even know about that?” He was finding it progressively harder to keep his tone one he’d want to hear if the tables were turned, but his friend was driving him nuts. “Did she tell you?”
“As good as,” Choji laughed. “I asked her if you guys had gone and done it and she went bright red.”
Shikamaru almost snarled, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. “What planet are you from, man? How’s that even slightly acceptable to—”
“Relax!” He hurried closer and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I meant if you’d gone to Mrs Sarutobi’s today, not anything more. I’m not an animal.”
I beg to differ, the dark-haired man thought to himself. He looked up and raised his eyebrows. The temptation to put out his cigarette on Choji’s stupid apron was overwhelming but he managed not to, and simply took one last drag and let it fall to the floor, drowned by rain. “You knew about that, then?” he asked, barely getting the words out.
Choji nodded slowly and pulled his friend in for a hug. “She mentioned it before and I knew it would help.”
“You thought so?”
“Of course, and I was right.”
Shikamaru let his right arm encircle his friend’s larger frame and tapped him on the back. “She helps me, for sure. More than anyone ever has.”
“I can see that for myself,” he said with a smile as he pulled away. “I’m glad it went okay.”
“Me, too, man,” nodded Shikamaru, leaning back against the wall. “But can I ask you a favour?”
“Shoot.”
“I beg you to stop being weird about her.”
Choji looked affronted. “I’m not weird!”
“Going on about…you know…”
“Someone’s embarrassed.”
“Yeah, actually,” Shikamaru sighed. “I am embarrassed, really fucking embarrassed that I just stormed into her office and did that.” He kicked at the brick again. “I’m not like that, man, I don’t do that. And if that’s who she thinks I am now, I’ve fucked it.”
There was a moment where Shikamaru wondered if he’d split the conversation apart, to a point where Choji felt too awkward to put the pieces back together for him. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them, as if by magic he thought that upon opening everything it would make what he’d just said disappear, and the sad atmosphere he’d created just float away. However, it seemed that Shikamaru had forgotten his friend’s ability to make everything that was awkward for someone else feel like a breeze, and when Choji wrapped his arm around his shoulders, there was a jolt through them. He was waiting for his friend to say something equally as inappropriate as he previously had been as he stared down at his feet.
But he didn’t.
“Chin up, mate,” he said softly, nudging Shikamaru. “She went with you today and sat there, listened to you, helped you out…you think that if you’ve fucked it she’d do that?”
While he felt a little better, it didn’t fill the entire hole he’d dug himself. “I mean I’m not spontaneous like that, never have been and I never will be. I can’t be bothered, can I? I’d rather just sit on my own and—”
“But you were,” interjected Choji. “You were spontaneous. So yes you are.”
Shikamaru slowly nodded. “You’re wrong, but thank you.”
“No worries, man.” He slapped Shikamaru’s back and followed him back to the door. “SO did you shag in her office.”
“Say ‘shag’ one more time and I’ll push you in the road.”
“Table? Chair?”
“Choji?”
He stopped, scratching at the light brown stubble on his chin humorously. “Bet it was the chair.”
Shikamaru shoved him sideways, shaking his head as he sighed and said with great pleasure, though you wouldn’t know it from his monotone voice, “Table.”
He regretted not waiting to see Choji’s dumbfounded expression before heading back inside, and catching her eyes once more.
~~~
By the time another hour had disappeared so had many people and another pitcher, but as Temari gathered her things to leave she felt surprisingly sober. Not as sober as Shikamaru clearly was, however, and as his lips parted slightly as he laughed at Chōji’s poor choice of jokes, his eyes rolled to the back of his head for the same split second. Temari couldn’t stop staring. She hopped to her feet and threw on her coat, forcing her arms in and zipping up quickly. For a moment she’d contemplated offering him her coat given how he was still sopping wet from his last cigarette break, but she knew he wouldn’t take her up on the offer. After all, he had a coat, waterproof or not, and it wasn’t like him to see her go without anything.
She watched as he chewed on the end of yet another paper straw, something she’d never have expected from him, and when he turned to look at her, a kindhearted yet utterly devilish look in his eyes, she wanted nothing less than to steal him away.
Then he winked, and the deal was sealed.
“Is there any chance you could walk me home?” she asked, feebly interrupting the two of them. Where her spunk had gone she had no idea—never had she asked such a question and felt so vulnerable in doing so. It felt foreign and weird, she hated it and adored it all at once. “I’d go by myself, but if Gaara finds out I’m on my own…”
Shikamaru didn’t need asking twice. With his straw poking out the corner of his mouth he hopped to his feet, towering over her, and threw his coat on with much more ease than she had. “’Course,” he smiled, and tucked in his barstool. “I’ll probably be back in a minute, Choj, don’t worry.”
“You will?”
He looked down at Temari, who he couldn’t help noticing looked a little taken aback, and immediately retracted his statement as he fell deep into those eyes once more. “Actually…” he began. They were completely natural now in this light; that perfect blue-green hue he’d grown to know. “I’ll let you know. The old man might want me back.”
Choji chucked and threw his tea-towel at his friends head, only to get it thrown straight back. “Yeah, right. Be careful, you two.”
They walked out on him chuckling, Shikamaru tagging slightly behind as he raised a finger to Choji in protest, and one final snort emanated from the bar as the door shut behind them.
The rain had eased up again, back to a miserable and endless dribble, but a few stars were managing to peep through the mostly block cloud, and so Temari tried to focus on those. She felt a shiver run across her shoulders as she examined the combination in the sky, wondering if maybe what she was seeing was a familiar constellation. It wasn’t.
“I had a really nice evening,” she told him as they turned the corner onto her never-ending street, slightly saddened by the knowledge it never seemed long enough anymore. “It was fun.”
Shikamaru’s warm smile made it feel like the rain was a hot morning shower. “Don’t thank me, love. It was Chōj who gave you free drinks.”
She barged him with her shoulder and wobbled herself, but he steadied her before she could hit the floor with a full toothy grin, which wasn’t something she often saw. Her cheeks flushed hot as she whispered a soft, “Thank you,” and they only grew warmer as he rolled his eyes. “So,” he began, “what happened to you being able to make it home by yourself? To Kankuro seeing and you being able to take care of yourself?”
Temari took a deep breath and let it out as a massive, solemn sigh. “Nobody’s inside. And besides, Kankuro and I aren’t exactly friendly at the moment.”
He cocked his head to one side and looked up at the pavement ahead. “Not because of me, I hope,” he mumbled.
“Oh, it’s entirely because of you, Shikamaru,” she sighed. “Everything’s about you now.”
“What?” he chuckled. “What does that mean?”
She ignored him, barely even hearing him over her own thoughts. “But it’s a Kankuro problem, not a me problem or a you problem. He can keep being a baby if he wants, I don’t actually give a shit anymore.”
“Tem…”
Her eyes drifted up to his as their feet came to a halt outside her house. “What?” she asked, frowning. “‘Tem’, what?”
“He’s your brother.”
“As is Gaara, and he’s not treating me like a child. I’m older than both of them.”
The petty sibling problems were too much for Shikamaru, so he threw his head back with a despairing laugh and shook his head. “You, woman,” he said, “are an utter nightmare.”
Temari pouted cheekily and took his hands in hers as she leant against the wall outside her house, apparently much to his surprise. She squeezed them once and bit down on her lip. “Nobody’s home,” she muttered. “You can come in if you want.”
“Tem…” He looked down at their hands and ran his thumbs across her knuckles. “It’s late and you’ve had a lot to drink. I wouldn’t feel right us going in and—”
“That’s not what I meant!” she spat out, grumbling. “I mean…it was, but it doesn’t have to be. We can just chat, as if we don’t do enough of that already.”
He let go of her hands, rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath, remembering his complaints to Chōji. Now, maybe, he could be spontaneous. “Go on then, love,” he smiled, unable to deny the look in her eyes. “Lead the way.”
And she did, happily, forcing herself not to skip up to her door and unlock it. She couldn’t help turning to see the look on his face as she eased it open. “I warn you, we have lots of stairs.”
“I can manage, woman, I’m not ninety.”
She laughed and stepped inside, for once glad for the fact that Gaara had left the heating on whilst he was out. The warmth hit her instantly, and she kicked off her boots to the side of the little entranceway. Temari watched as Shikamaru pointed awkwardly to his own with a questionable look, and she nodded. She didn’t particularly care about wet footprints on the carpet, but it was clear in her head that she had to keep his presence on the down-low. Even Gaara would likely be unhappy with this development, after all.
She passed the door to the room on the right that belonged to Kankuro with great pace—fighting the want to kick the damn thing down—and started to climb the stairs up to the living room, and hung her coat over the back of one of the chairs at the table. “I know it’s weirdly laid out,” she sighed, “but it’s home.”
Shikamaru, now at the top of the stairs, leant against the threshold. “It’s not weird. It’s like Ino’s place.”
The fact that she was mad at him for mentioning Ino only cemented her anger with Kankuro, putting stupid ideas in her head for her jealousy to feed on. Without thinking she opened one of her cupboards and pulled out a half full bottle of red wine that she was certain belonged to Gaara and raised it towards the man before her. “Drink?”
“Temari,” he sighed, “I’ve exclusively drank water tonight. You think I want wine?”
For a moment she felt foolish, and incredibly guilty for offering him something that she knew that she shouldn’t, but it didn’t stop her getting out a shot glass with a smirk and pouring some into it. It looked ridiculous, especially when she poured herself a normally sized glass, but she held the tiny portion to him with raised eyebrows and couldn’t help saying, “Not even a tiny bit.”
Shikamaru shook his head, chuckling at the shot glass and sighed. “Nah, I’m good. You wouldn’t like me when I’ve had a drink.”
“Hadn’t you had one when I followed you into the loo that time?”
“Two,” he grimaced, “but it had almost worn off by then.” He wasn’t lying.
“One won’t hurt.” She knelt down and started rummaging through the same cupboard the wine had been produced from. “I must have some whiskey somewhere.”
“You’re baiting me, Temari.”
“I have whiskey.”
He knew she was being friendly, being flirty, and he knew this wasn’t a ploy to get him into bed or anything. But he couldn’t forget the shame in Choji’s eyes last time he’d ordered whiskey, and the feeling of disgust that came with the false high he eventually felt.
Temari put it down on the kitchen side and shotted the stupid portion of wine. She rinsed the glass out and held it up to him. She looked so beautiful, and so full of genuine acceptance. She’d never judged how skinny he was or mentioned the little white flecks up his arms and across his hands, she just looked him dead in the eyes with pure feeling, and he knew she just wanted him to join her in her high.
Thing was, he already had it by just being here, and it crossed his mind that he hadn’t drunk anything whilst genuinely happy before. It had always been to create happiness, not to accentuate it, and while he knew it was nonsense and it was fake, he wanted it. Now was his chance to join in. He wanted to try it, and there was nobody he’d feel more safe trying it with.
Slowly, he closed his eyes and nodding, shuffling closer to her. “Just one.”
Temari smiled slightly and poured two. “I hate whiskey,” she mumbled, “but for you I’ll give it a shot.”
“Bad pun.”
“Fuck you.”
He smiled. “You’re a terrible influence.”
“Only every once in a while.” She winked at him as she handed him the glass. “To new beginnings.”
Shikamaru raised his tiny glass and necked it with ease, instantly regretting the feeling of warmth that was building in his throat. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Temari bit down on her lip and followed suit, screwing her nose up.
“Still hate it?”
“Oh, course. It’s the worst.”
With a sigh, he took a step back towards the door. “Maybe I should go.”
“Please don’t.”
“I can’t sit and drink with you.”
“I don’t need you to,” she whined. “I just don’t want you to leave me yet.”
Shikamaru felt his shoulders tense up, and his eyes started to burn. He was tired, but no amount of tired was more overpowering than seeing the red that was starting to creep into her waterline as it grew wet.
“I made you do something horrible today,” she sighed, collapsing onto the nearest chair. “You thought we’d go somewhere good and I put you through it. You didn’t deserve that.”
I did, he thought to himself, taking a step closer to her. “You’re trying to make it up to me?”
She nodded, rubbing her eyes.
“You don’t have to do that, love. Today was helpful, and it was good for me.”
“But I do have to.” She sniffed, looking up at him with big eyes. “You’ve done this thing I can’t explain, Shikamaru, where you’ve made me feel like it’s my job to take care of you.”
He gulped. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no. It’s not your fault. I phrased that wrong.” Sniff. “I feel so much fuller when I see you laugh, like I’ve done something good. You’re not my little project anymore or anything like that, you’re just so important. And when you leave, especially with that sad face you’re doing right now, I just feel like shit.”
Placing his hand on her knee, Shikamaru knelt down and tried his best to smile at her. She peered through her hands at him, and he swore he saw a flicker of a grin spreading to her eyes. Did he really have the power to do this? He who was so afraid of talking to people, who had felt like such a moron when he’d apologised the other day, who’d never felt so drawn to anyone or anything in his life…
It was torture, seeing her with what resembled tears in her eyes; this scary, forceful woman with the will of an ox. She’d dragged him back and forth with that strength more than she realised, and jumbled his thoughts on more than a few occasions. But now, on this crazy day, as he looked at her, everything seemed to fall into place.
He remembered what she’d said soon after they’d met—how she wasn’t going to fix him, but she was going to re-wire him to the best of her ability. It hadn’t made sense to him at the time how someone could do that for a person, but the look in her eyes right now allowed him to feel all the jumbled wires in his brain—his whole body—uncrossing. It made sense now. Yes, he knew that they couldn’t be together—they shouldn’t given how he was, that he still wasn’t okay. He needed to accept himself, he knew that, and although he was one step closer thanks to today, it was the beginning of a long road ahead.
But she’d be there for him, the face she was pulling now told him that without a shadow of a doubt. So he had to do the same. For whatever reason she wanted him to stay, and while he had the chance, he had to. It didn’t feel like choice, more a service, a necessity. A thank you amongst other things.
“Hey,” he whispered, letting his hand gently caress her knee. “One more drink. Then you can decide if I’m actually worth all this bloody hassle, right?”
Temari wiped her eyes and laughed, nodding. “You better be.”
Shikamaru nodded, feeling himself smile the biggest smile he had in a long time. “I better be…”
It was then, without any warning, that her eyes softened once more and her hands flew to his cheeks, still frozen from the bitter cold outside. She crashed her lips into his, and Shikamaru could do nothing but let them, obliging and giving into the power he loved so much.
He stopped momentarily, letting his thoughts fill him as she kissed along his jaw. Don’t use that word, he told himself. You barely know what it means.
“Shikamaru?”
Her voice was weak, and within a second of hearing it he was back in the room, his lips on hers as his hands resting on her hips. He felt her forehead rest on his, and he took a deep breath as they split apart. “I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled before feeling her arms engulf him in the biggest hug.
He’d never felt so wanted, so needed, and he never wanted this feeling to go away.
#nqjchess#chess#shikamaru#temari#nara#shikatema#fanfic#fanfiction#forbidden love#friendship#choji akimichi#i apologise#for the great delay#I hope you enjoy#and sorry again
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Spank Me, Spank You
Happy Spanksgiving my loves! Have some KakaSaku hilarity inspired by real life events. Special love to @bouncyirwin for the inspiration. Love my wives.
There were two things that Sakura was certain of at this moment. The first was that the outdoor setting of this summit was a particularly novel idea from their Hokage. Kakashi must have been exceptionally bored to be shaking normal proceedings up in such a way. A creature of habit, any change in his behavior was likely a calculated decision, and the cool night air of summer was certainly a welcome change to the heat of the day.
The second thing Sakura was sure of, that despite the delightful ambiance, the casual drinks and frivolity after all the necessary evils were taken care of... She was going to be eaten alive by mosquitoes. Therefore she was actually champing at the bit to get indoors.
It didn't bother the Kage's, or the other nin around her, dressed as they were. But with Sakura's midriff exposed for all to see in this current outfit, she was sure that it would be peppered with spots by tomorrow. The itching had already started. It was sure to look ridiculous at the hospital later, the lead physician scratching as she attempted surgery. Sure she could use chakra to manage the itch, but she would need every drop of it for the surgery to go as planned.
While a ninja was accustomed to pain, and discomfort to a certain degree, Sakura always had one major issue. And that was her temper and impatience. It flared up without her express permission sometimes, and while trying to hold a conversation with Temari, some of that temper leaked out.
"This. Is. Ridiculous." Each word that fell from her mouth was accompanied by a swatting action as she attempted to bat away the devil insects trying to drink her dry.
"You Leaf ninja put off by just a couple teeny bugs, huh?"
"Oh, shut it Temari. It's been a long ass day and I'm not in the mood to... Urgh."
In an especially violent attempt to swat them away Sakura may have infused just a little chakra into her hands. Temari only partially successful in hiding her amusement.
"Why don't you just go get some repellent and come back? I'll cover for you..."
"Thanks, that's sweet. But I should be fine, just gotta ... Oh who am I kidding, I'm sick of this.... Ahh..."
Sakura swatted at one of the larger bugs as it flew behind her. And while she never expected to actually hit it, only deter it from ravishing her body, she also never expected her hand to collide with.... something. Instead of feeling the air in her palm she felt something, someone, as it met with the flesh of the person directly behind her.
Thwack.
The resulting smacking sound seemed to silence all other noise around her. Temari covering her face as she pealed into laughter was the next sign that Sakura should be concerned. Very slowly she turned with a self deprecating look, wishing to whatever deity would listen that it wasn't the Raikage behind her...
Instead she was met with a familiar sight... a too familiar sight. Bearing down at her were the dark eyes and silver hair of her former teacher and current Hokage. Kakashi regarding her with a quirked brow of amusement. And then the mortification of what had happened truly set in.
"I'm so sorry Kakashi-sensei! It was an accident! There was a mosquito and...."
"No need Sakura, can't say I blame you, it is one of my better assets."
With a salacious wink, the Hokage turned back to his conversation with Gaara as if nothing had occurred at all. Sakura standing there agape at what had transpired. Temari had excused herself quickly, to find Shikamaru probably, the sound of giggling following after her.
For a while afterwards Sakura couldn't bare to move. Couldn't even think. Eventually the horror ebbed just a little and she went back to at least trying to enjoy herself. Occasionally she would smile in Kakashi's direction and shake her head. The man was impossible, yet hilarious. And he'd been especially kind to her since her sudden return to the village. Travelling with Sasuke had been a spectacular failing, but she was glad to be home now. Despite the heat, despite the bugs, despite the impossible man that was her Hokage.
Better assets.... Now she was giggling to herself. It had been a good night after all. If anyone had seen the... incident, they at least hadn't mentioned it to her face. Though she did notice that hushed giggling that seemed to follow Temari around the venue.
The guests left in chunks as they usually did when it was appropriate. Those with small children leaving sooner than others. Sakura stayed the acceptable length of time before making her way to the exit. She'd not even had the chance to speak to Kakashi, there had been too many people gunning for his attention that evening. It didn't matter in any case. They'd shared a smile or two when they caught each other's eye in a brief glimpse.
It shocked her more than it should when she heard his familiar timbre calling her name before she even made it out the door.
"Sakura!"
"Kakashi-sensei, I was just on my way out..."
"Yes, I see that."
He smirked as he caught up to her, or at least she thought it was a smirk, it was impossible to tell with that mask on his face.
"Is there something that you needed?"
"Oh, no, just wanted to say goodnight. I don't think I'll be holding an outdoor summit again so close to the Aburame houses... Sorry about that, an error in my usually pristine planning..."
"Uh huh, modest as always..." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, goodnight Sakura." Kakashi held up a hand, she regarded him queerly for a second. This behavior was also odd. But she shrugged it off, he was always odd, and impossible.
"Night then!"
Turning, she stopped dead in her tracks. While she should have felt nothing but the cool night air and itching of her exposed skin, she instead felt a sharp thwack, right on her rear end. The sound of it echoing and drowning out all other noise. The sting sending an unexpected longing ache to other parts of her body. She turned slowly.
Kakashi might have been expecting a chakra infused fist to his face, for he was out of reach when she finally spied him.
"Tit for tat Sakura! It's only fair!" He shouted before heading back to the dwindling crowd.
She was left standing rooted to the spot. Mouth agape. For the second time that evening. When her lips slowly morphed into a smile, she found herself able to move again, enjoying the lingering imprint on her behind perhaps a little more than she should. It left her to wickedly wonder what else she could get away with using 'tit for tat'.
It was only fair, after all.
@happyspanksgiving
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reactions to Demon Slayer KNY ep8-14
12:15 PM 9/21/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep8
Wow. Tanjiro actually called out to Kibutsuji Muzan, since he had to let him get away! O.O I was hoping he'd do that, but usually that doesn't happen.
So his alias is Tsukihiko?
Aw, demons who are moved by Tanjiro's empathy for the guy was who transformed! ;u;
Oh, interesting! A simultaneous reason for why Tanjiro's family was attacked in the middle of nowhere and why his father was gone.
I've often daydreamed of my OC's blood effecting people with such instantaneous infection that all their cells melt simultaneously, but I've never seen a series fulfill my daydream before.
Tamayo and Yushiro.
When did Tamayo learn that Nezuko was asleep for 2 years? We wern't even told she was asleep for 2 years. O.o?
Is this Yushiro character indicative of the type of humor this manga-ka injects into all his non-action scenes? I hope it doesn't get too annoying. But if it does, it would explain why my brother doesn't like Zenitsu(?).
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12:48 PM 9/21/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep9
I know they wanted Yushiro's beheading to be shocking, but he's a demon and we've seen demons regenerate quickly throughout the series.
I like that Nezuko and Tanjiro are fighting like a team now, as a given, even when they haven't been forced into a last resort.
Why are they recapping this deal to retrieve blood? I know in a weekly manga, a recap like that is necessary, but is teh manga just trying to buy time/filler?
Suzumaru sucks at close quarters combat.
I still don't like the idea of Nezuko being hypnotized to see other people as her family. If the imagery was overlapping her family onto people, without Kurokodaki's hypnosis explaination, then that imagery would be used to understand what Nezuko is thinking/feeling, even though she can't talk anymore. It would be touching that she gets reminded of the family she lot and of wanting to protect people as deeply as her own family, to prevent a repetition of her family's tragedy. There would be so much emotion throughout all of it, in thinking about Nezuko's motivations through everything. But with that Kurokodaki hypnosis explaination, it takes away her agency and all the emotions behind the possible motivations. ;_;
Time to kick some dush into those eyes.
But if he got the neck, won't the whole body disappear before they can get a blood sample? I wonder if the previously chopped off arms from Suzumaru still have blood samples in them? Or did they disappear?
Wait. Is her name Suzumaru or Susamaru?
If Yahaba an Suzumaru only just met but they fight so in sync, does that mean the blood from Kibutsuji Muzan inside them makes them sync up?
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7:27 PM 9/24/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba
Going to leave ep9 playing, while I go get food, since I've seen this ep before.
The animation in the fights is really good, and I'm very glad for Tanjiro when he fights well, because I don't want him to die. But suddenly shouting these moves, that we've never specifically seen before, then instantly winning, sometimes feels like a "magic" deus ex machina. I mean, his training episodes help, but we didn't see him learning specific moves. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to older Shonen anime being very specific with its training. Ranma 1/2, Bleach, etc.
"Let's practice our teamwork, Nezuko!" Now I wish Nezuko was awake during Tanjiro's training instead of asleep for 2 years. I still can't believe it was TWO YEARS. The series didn't give that sense at all until Tanjiro specifically said how long she was asleep. It would have been so cool of Nezuko was helping Tanjiro with his training, and essentially training alongside him. Ah, well. Their teamwork now is so endearing.
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7:58 PM 9/24/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep10
REally showing the toll a battle has on TAnjiro. I always watch movie reviews criticizing modern movies for NOT doing this. Good to see a good example of it being done, that isn't Die Hard.
It's good to hear a character say that this power of Nezuko's is "her own". I'm really stuck on that Kurokodaki hypnosis suggestion taking away a sense of Nezuko's agency/motivations. But if this series could do more to suggest that Nezuko has her own feelings and motivations to protect people and fight, that would vastly improve things. I want to forget that Kurokodaki hypnosis thing.
Ack! He said not to move! Please don't turn into a trap! ...Thankfully, it didn't. Maybe i have that expectation from Western storytelling, since it's so rooted in moralistic religious cultures? Naw, even the "2 Sons of the Sun" story used that disobeying trope. Anyway, I really appreciate how often, even after each battle, this series takes the time to show Tanijro showing empathy. And high levels of empathy too, when he can even risk expressing empathy for an enemy! *o* This is one of my favorite archetypes/tropes. ;u;
Suzumaru asking for her temari...Was she turned into a demon when she was a kid then grew as a demon? "Just like a little kid"? So is Nezuko after becoming a demon. And that morphed demon during Tanjiro's exam had childhood memory flashbacks before he died. Do people's minds just get rebooted when they become demons or something? They revert to childish mentalities?
"At first, I didn't like the idea of Nezuko being under a spell, but since it looks like she has a will of her own, I'm glad that---" I was about to write that even though I don't like the plot device of Kurokodaki's hypnosis on Nezuko, taking away her agency and the sense that she decides her actions and thus still has her own motivations---I was ok with this scene because her being affectionate to Tamayo and Yushiro was just so cute. But now the scene is burying itself into that hypnosis plot point. -.-; Still a very heartfelt scene though! ;U;!!!
I'm glad Tanjiro took Nezuko's wishes into account.
Zenitsu is giving me Miroku flashbacks. How did I put up with Miroku's running gag for so long anyway? Especially considering now that I'm just soooooooo terribly sick of the cliche of "sexual harassment as humor and running gags". Is it because I worshiped Rumiko Takahashi and was so used to it? Is it because I could always be confident that perverts in Takahashi series would immediately get pummelled, since Inuyasha had its roots in Takahashi's slapstick sensibilities? I mean, if since Takahashi series are so slapstick, even when her series got more series, like INuyasha, if a pervert was bieng especially annoying, you could still count on them being punted into the sky or at least beaten until they couldn't move. Well, usually, they could twitch, but that was about it. And if they were beaten half to death and left out all night, well, that was common enough to be counted upon when needed. Because seriously, after Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura, if there's going to be a pervert, then they sure as hell better be satisfingly beaten half to death. I guess that slapstick extreme is the only way I'll accept that trope as a running gag. Though, I still prefer if it didn't happen. Like, I enjoy seeing Happosai suffering, but I'd prefer to not see him at all.
8:38 PM 9/24/2020
ep over. I'll take a break from KNY for now because I need to multitask.
I know I've been writing most of my negative criticism reactions to watching this series so far, but I really am enjoying it. The animation is beautiful, the protagonists are endearing, the music is so good, I've been listening to the opening theme song on loop, during my daily walks this week. I gotta write down more of my positive reactions.
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12:51 AM 9/26/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep11
I think I'm beginning to see why Kuya doesn't like Zenitsu.
Sometimes I have to wonder about Shonen manga-ka or the Shonen genre, when it seems to always default to using "harassing women", "chasing after disinterested women", and "whining about getting girls" as "humor". Hell, even Persona 5 used that cliche for their humor thru Ryuji---and I love that character despite that!
Though my brother is probably annoyed by Zenitsu's whining more than by his girl-chasing cliche.
So Zenitsu's "power" is hearing? lol Are all the protagonists in the Demon Slayer Corps going to have "magically unsuual senses"? lol
This episode had too many slow downs up until this point, but I will always appreciate the story slowing down to emphasize Tanjiro's emathy. ^-^
I'll admit, this series really loves it's funny faces. But it doesn't fit sometimes. It's not like Soul Eater, where humor was clearly the manga-ka's forte, and they were forcing themselves to do a Shonen action series.
Maybe this would be funnier if I didn't already know spoilers about Zenitsu actually being good with a sword.
Wait. Inosuke?????? That's his name right? They all met in this one episode by CHANCE???????????????? I thought they would get assigned to the same headquarters for Demon Slayers or something.
Did this demon not mean to trap humans into his house? That doesn't sound right...
Everyone's really in their own little worlds huh? This demon, Inosuke,...everybody is just parallel talking towards each other. Odd.
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1:45 PM 9/27/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep12
All I hear from the fandom is that "Inosuke is a good boy". So what's with this callous stepping on a kid?
I know Zenitsu's freak-out scenes are meant to be humor and the seiyuu is obviously having fun with it, but these scenes really should be cut SHORTER. It's not that funny. Dragging out such a mediocre joke AND as a RUNNING GAG is getting really tiresome. It's bad enough that it's starting to turn me unsympathetic to someone who is justifyably afraid. Who was the editor telling the manga-ka or the direction who thought that dragging these jokes out was "soooooooooo funny"??????????
I can't figure out if I like or dislike this series! Mou! Now I know why I initially tried several times to watch this series and wasn't compelled to binge or watch more...until I consciously tried to catch up on it recently...just because it's popular and I like the opening theme and animation. ~_~; Previously, I thought that maybe all my reactions to each episode so far had just _seemed_ negative, because I was forgetting to write down the positives. But now, I'm beginning to think maybe I'm just not having that much fun with this series. Though it's true that I was compelled to watch it today, I was excited to watch more...now that I actually am, I'm just not having so much fun. Maybe I just don't like Zenitsu and Inosuke. So far, at least. Maybe I only really liked Tanjiro and Nezuko. Reminds me of Bleach: I thought I loved _the series_; turns out I only liked Rukia and Ichigo, and when the series focused less on them, I got disinterested and dropped the series.
Well, at least Zenitsu is protective towards the kid. He's selfless...sometimes.
So...Is he really sleep-fighting?
Listen. I know it was probaby someone's idea to really drag out Zenitsu's cowardice to make his excellent sword attack more shocking. But that joke was not worth it. ~.~;
I'm sorry, but exposition only just now, about how much pain Tanjiro is in, just to put more tension into this fight, is not going to cut it. Yeah, there have been a few foreshadowings of Tanjiro being in a lot of pain. He even straight up told Zenitsu that his leg and rib(s) are still broken. But "telling, not showing" was just as ineffecitve then as this monologue meant to build tension in this fight's resolutiion, right now. ~.~; If Tanjiro's pain and previous injuries were supposed to make this fight tense, the outcome of his victory less certain, then the episodes so far should have been peppering asides of him secretly flinching with pain and secretly trying so hard to put on a brave face UP THROUGH THIS ENTIRE TIME. It should have been so obvious, that going into this fight with the tsuzumi demon, the audience would have *already known* that this was a worry, even at the start of just going into the fight---even at the NOTION of going into ANY possible fight! But instead, we get this monologue, with barely any foreshadowing to suppot it beforehand, that's supposed to *suddenly* convince us that this fight has higher risks that any previous fight? ��I call sudden editor changes to the manga. ~.~;;;;;;;;;;
"YOu're the eldest daughter, but don't just endure it, come talking to me"? Tanjiro deserves to not just endure it too! ;o;! I mean, he's alone right now and does need to endure it, but when Nezuko or anyone else is around he deserves someone to lean on too! ;o;!!!
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10:44 PM 9/28/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep13
Well, I like that this series continues to emphasize Tanjiro's empathy, even for demons. Actually kind of reminds me of the yokai genre more than the demon-hunting genre, which is a compliment. But even that's starting to get forced, just like last episode's last minute tension about Tanjiro's broken bones. Why would Tanjiro try not to step on the writings/papers? Why would he suddenly ask for the demon Kyougai's name?? Not that I didn't enjoy it. But c'mon...
This series is just so cloud so being something great, that every faint failing bothers me. The production is great, I love the 2 main characters, the character design is good,...Why do I keep finding things to be annoyed with? I worry that I've just become a grumpy butt. ~__~;;; Maybe I just can't enjoy Shonen series anymore??? I did move to almost exclusively watching iyashikei genres... Ugh. I don't know. Because this series totally has objective problems!!! Not deal-breakers, but everyone has built up this series as warranting fanatasim, and I'm just not feeling it.
So why is Zenitsu suddenly brave when it comes to protecting Tanjiro's box? He doesn't know Nezuko's in there yet, right?
Oh, so Inosuke isn't totally heartless. HE stopped his sword at Zenitsu's neck.
Oh, that's right. Zenitsu's "superpower" is his hearing. He already knows a demon is inside Nezuko's box.
I dunno. I just can't buy Zenitsu fighting so hard for Nezuko's box, jsut because he knows Tanjiro is exceptionally gentle. Zenitsu has spent all this time unwilling to fight demons, even when more was at stake than Tanjiro's box. It's just so inconsistent, I can't feel the stakes that these scenes want me to feel. I'm so disassociated and non-immersed.
Like right now. Inosuke is so sick of this he's going to skewer both Zenitsu and Nezuko's box simultaneously? We just saw him unwilling to follow through on that same bluff!
omg I _WISH_ I was just being too nit-picky! But lately this series has been proving to me why I asn't compelled to continue this series after the first time I tried it, until maybe the 2nd or 3rd time I gave it a try.
Maybe I just am fed up with everyone who's not Tanjiro and Nezuko. When the series was just their adventures, I loved it. Even though it was just repeating old Shonen tropes that I had seen too many times, after all my years---I just didn't care. Because I liked spending time with Tanjiro and Nezuko SO much. But now Zenitsu is being annoying, Inosuke is not being the "good boy" I kept hearing he is, and the writing is contradictory, last-minute,...blehhhhh... I WANT TO LIKE THIS SERIES SO MUCH!!! Why does it have to keep getting in the way of that?
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5:10 PM 10/5/2020
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep14
I can't stop thinking about all those anitubers who called Inosuke "best boy" and "goodest boy", in contrast to what a bullying asshole he's been so far. Incidentally, bullies are my biggest pet peeve. I've dropped SERIES for that reason. If I can drop HeroAca after giving it 3-4 tries, because any glimpse of Bakugo was enough to piss me off for the rest of my day, don't think you're immune, Kimetsu no Yaiba!
Is this supposed to be enjoyable? I know this fight between Inosuke and Tanjiro is animated beautifully and martial arts anime used to be my obsession, but I do not want to see more of this character. Especially in a fighting scene, a scene that is designed to somehow make him subconsciously look cool. I know what you're doing. He's not cool. He's being an asshole. This isn't a scene or a character I want to see more of. This is like in Ironman 2 when the director said in interviews how well the actor who played Hammer oes the "greasy salesman" act---But why do I want to watch more of a greasy salesman!?! I don't! A serial killer can do their murders impressively well; doesn't mean I enjoy seeing all these murders happen in front of me! Inosuke is getting all these "cool" Shonen genre tropes layered onto him, but no. He's not cool.
The thing that pisses me off is the idea that Inosuke clearly is being portrayed as those battle-hungry characters who want to become stronger and constantly test their strength. YA CAN'T ACTUALLY IMPROVE IF YOU TAKE ON WEAK OR UNWILLING OPPONENTS, YA DOOF!!!!! That's like rule #2 of any martial arts or battle manga/anime! Why do you think so many anime have the "bad guy who becomes reluctant ally/rival" type? It's because they're waiting for that proper duel where they've both agreed to fight to their fullest and not hold back. You can't get that from an unwilling opponent and getitng it from a weak opponent is worthless! GAwd! Inosuke is pissing me off more, the longer this duel goes on. It's such a shame that such good animation has to go to a fight that don't want to see more of. Cut this short!
My one reprieve is that at least Tanjiro is intensely angry at his bullying, enough to reflect my own anger. Yet, he keeps his Compassion and True Strength unassuaged by Inosuke's provocations.
Oh no...I just realized that the way Inosuke is acting in this episode is one of my other highest pet peeves: Assholes who confuse Power with Strength. Strength is defined in 2 ways:
1) A soul pattern that will not assimilate into another's pattern. In other words, a resolve that won't fall under the influence of someone else's mindset. The ability to retain one's own will.
2) The ability to do the hard thing, the difficult thing.
Guess what falls into both categories of Strength? COMPASSION. That's why people with True Strength act with decorum. It's why I love that one of Confucius's 8 virtues is Courtesy. Having consideration for everyone, at all times, in everything, is the most difficult thing in the world. And anyone that can keep to that with unfaltering resolve, is The Strongest. Compassion is not easy for the Weak. It's difficult. Only the Strong can demonstrate that level of Compassion. Only the Strong can risk being Kind, can bear the exposed vulnerabilities of Kindness, and continue to act with Compassion even after being hurt, betrayed, or taken advantage of, for offering Kindness. That's why jerks who confuse Power with Strength, piss me off. They're idiots, who don't recognize that attacking is inherently an action of Fear and Weakness.
Ah, wait. I see. When Tanjiro chided Inosuke for aggrivating his rib wounds... Inosuke is self-destructive. He's just taking it out on everyone else. Ugh...
Huh. Delayed reaction.
Wow. I thought Inosuke's unmasked face was a spoiler for much later in the series.
I love that Tanjiro probably honestly is concerned about Inosuke's rib injuries and totally doesn't think he's being condescending or passive-aggressive to Inosuke.
So only 1 of the siblings has Marechi blood? I hope they plant wiseria plants all over their house.
See that scene of Zenitsu crying and being quickly silenced by Tanjiro? Most of his grovelling was at a distance and quickly cut off. That's what we need more of. For both Zenitsu's supposed "comedy" and Inosuke's bullying.
Is there a difference between the 3 futons to even fight over???
That "severe" joke was funny though.
I appreciate the faster pace fo this episode, but the jokes are starting to wear down.
Kindness has a specific scent now. lol
I imagine that hearing Zenitsu crying for so long, so often, is how ProfessorThorgi described Spiderman sometimes being written with nothing but quips, and you don't notice how annoying such dialogue is while reading, but when you hear it, it's just grating. ~.~;;
I've been bitching so much about this series. Do I even like it? Why am I watching? Maybe I should drop it? But I really like Tanjiro and Nezuko. The animation production and music themes are beautiful. And I haven't watched a Shonen action series in so long, and I think I really need one to help get through my depression...
I know this Demon Slayer Corps Academy omake is supposed to be cute, but don't remind me about the whole "dye your hair black" "But this is my real hair color" bullshit. Fuck Harmony. Wrong things are wrong! Sorry, but I'm American, and I'm going to fetishize Justice! Pretending everything is ok and just going along with the loudest authority, no matter how cruel and inconsidering they are, is what makes the whole of society miserable! Fuck that shit!
#reactions#md3watches#md3 watches demon slayer kimetsu no yaiba#confused with myself#processing thoughts
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Jiraiya, Ibiki, and Iruka! Go!
Ooh, this is hard! Actuallyno, I just had an epiphany.
I gotta put this under a cut because it got reeeaaally long (who is still surprised?)
Slow burn with Jiraiya
I think, one of the most/only redeeming thingsabout Jiraiya is how he loves Tsunade. Idon’t remember if this was filler, but regardless, it was what made me like himas a character. He gives this speechwhere he says something like, “I love Tsunade, even knowing she doesn’t loveme back. I just want her to be happy, and soI want to do my best to make a world where she’ll be happy in.” Something likethat. I can’t remember exactly, but the thing I loved about it was that he didn’thate her/resent her for not loving him. He doesn’t think she owes him her love for being kind to her. Even after Dan died, he didn’t think that Tsunade had to love him back, he just wanted her to be happy—even if shenever loved him, even if it was at his expense. Like, that’s actual love. That’snone of this Nice Guy™ bullshit, that’s being a real person who really lovessomeone. Jiraiya has his flaws, forsure, and he’s made mistakes, but how he loves is definitely one of hisredeeming characteristics. In a strangeway, it’s what made me stop shipping JiraiTsu. Like, I love how ok he is with her never loving him back. His ‘reward’ in this isn’t eventually earningTsunade’s love, it’s just seeing her happy. And that’s a beautiful sentiment.
Since Jiraiya’s love for Tsunade is such a huge part of him,I think that a slow burn with him would be great. He doesn’t expect to fall in love with anyoneelse, because Tsunade is the only one for him. Plus, I can’t imagine any person knowing about his inability to respectwomen’s privacy as going “that’s the one for me.” He’s not really a catch in that way. I myself am a pervert (please refer to my#wowzawednesday tag lol) but people whoinfringe on other people’s privacy are not what I would consider a catch. Like,go watch some porn, get a dirty magazine, hell, go to a live sex show. But don’t go peeping at people who haven’tgiven you permission to peep at them. Sowe’d both start off not really wanting to be with the other.
Idk what would happen next. I’d probably start to see him differently once I heard the ‘I loveTsunade speech.’ He’d probably fall in love with me because I’d teach him howto perv in acceptable ways haha. Ok,maybe not. But we would perv it outtogether, maybe get in an unintentional competition for the Super Pervert title(I can see this accidentally happening ahaha). Honestly, we might bond over Icha Icha (because I couldn’t live in a world without smut, and without fanfiction I feel like Icha Icha would be my best bet lol). I’d offer him pointers. He’d ask if I wanted to give him a hands on lesson. We’d continue to flirt until one day we’d both realise that we stopped pretending and were actually flirting. Then, it’s only a matter of time lol.
Fake dating with Ibiki
Do you know how hilarious it would be to fake date Ibiki? He totally would not want to do it. “Find someone prettier,” he’d grunt. But then, it’s for the intel, Ibi-kun~ “Don’t call me that.” But Ibi-kun, I’m just getting into character. “I didn’t agree to that.” You’re so cute when you’re grumpy, Ibi-kun. “I’m not grumpy, this is my face.” And what a cute face you’ve got! He would be so frustrated with me ahaha. Convincing him would be the hardest part. But once he agreed (or was forced into it) he would be the best. Why? Because he’d be all psychological about it. This would be some mastermind fake dating shit.
It would start as a secret. “No one would believe I openly started dating someone.” And then it would stay a secret for a long time. “No one would believe I would get caught secretly dating someone.” And it would be like but then why??? Are we??? Going on??? Secret??? Dates??? If??? No one??? Knows??? And it would all be for like, really intense set up. Like, he’d teach me how to bake (I can bake already, but like, Ibiki is prob next level so he’d teach me how to bake better) and like, people would slowly notice that my baking had improved, though I would of course just brush it off, oh, you know, practice makes perfect! I listen to music all the time, and people might notice he has a radio in his office, which they can hear playing on very low volume when he’s doing his paperwork. It would be a bunch of little things, where we just purposefully and strategically slowly brushed off on each other.
And there would be strategic gifts. Ibiki gets me a trench coat. (I later find out that he has this fantasy of his s/o coming over to his house in the middle of the night, wearing a trench coat and heels and nothing else…I will be very happy to act out that scenario with him). .I get him a new bandana for his hitai-ate. It’s a deep, forest green, which almost looks black unless he’s standing in the sun. People notice it and ask him about the change. He just shrugs and says “the old one ripped.”
About six months into the relationship, we both very strategically put on a bit of weight (10lbs for me, 15 for him). It is very easy, with all the baking Ibiki does. My smile gets just a bit sharper. People can’t exactly point their finger on what’s different, but they definitely feel the change. Ibiki is seen smiling more frequently. It’s a pretty off-putting smile, and it coincides with the newest addition to the T&I department, so people brush it off as him being a sadist. Anko is very slightly suspicious that something is going on. Anko is always suspicious. No one thinks anything of it.
And still, no one would know we were dating. Until like, we got legitimately engaged, because in this long, drawn out process of pretending to date (that would take like, a year, maybe longer) we’d totally fall in love (because we’d fake date so believingly that even we’d be convinced). And by then we’d have to send out wedding invitations to a couple of people we’re close to (definitely a small wedding). Anko would piece together all the small, subtle ways we had brushed off on each other and be like ‘it was so obvious, how could I have missed this???’ and Ibiki and I would smile secretively because of course it worked.
Enemies to lovers with Iruka
I picked this because, out of all the choices, this is the least expected. Like, who doesn’t likeIruka? How horrible of a person do Ihave to be for Iruka to hate me? I wantto make this even more hard, and say we’re not from different villages. And nothing about knowing each other when wewere kids (that’s also too easy, kids get into stupid fights).
So why do Irukaand I hate each other? I’m gonna gowith, he doesn’t approve of my glib attitude towards sex/perverted things. He’d probably catch me explaining to thepreteens about how babies are actually made, and why safe sex is important, andwhich things in Jiraiya’s books are possible and which things are just puremale fantasy. I like to think the rookie9 would come to me with all their sex questions. It would be hilarious. Iruka would hate all of that (and how I critiquedNaruto and Konohamaru’s sexy jutsu instead of reprimanding them for exploring theirsexuality) and I get mad at him for being stuck up about it.
So maybe not enemies but definitely notfriends. I’d tell him he had a stick up his ass. He’d call me irresponsible and a bad influence. I’d read Icha Icha out loud in front of him. He’d turn red and try and confiscate mybook. I’d accuse him of being a closetpervert and taking the book so he doesn’t have to go into the store and buy onehimself. He’d turn even more red.
Basically, our relationship would involve me trying to embarrasshim with sex. Until he got fed up withme, and tried to act totally cool and unaffected by me. And of course it wouldn’t work. But maybe I’d tease him a bit too far, andcome on to him. Actually, I wouldprobably try to make him uncomfortable by being really over-the-top seductive(ie super cheesy and cliché) and he’d just… snap. Totally have enough of it. I’d be leaning too close to him, and he’djust kiss me. It would be a reallysloppy, but very hot kiss filled with frustration.
He would be totally embarrassed about itafterwards and probably avoid me. Thatkiss, of course, would make me realise I had feelings for him, and so I’d seekhim out and kiss him again. Then we’dstart dating, and our relationship wouldn’t change much (Iruka seems so fun totease I wouldn’t be able to help myself) but I do feel that, once he’s morecomfortable with me (and in private) he’d be more willing to tease back. Which I would find completely attractive (becausethat’s like, my secret weakness lol).
Thanks for sending this in! These were some really fun choices, especially since I’ve never really considered a relationship with them.
Up next is:
Sakumo/Madara/Kakashi (now done)
Izumo/Raido/Genma (also done)
Sakura/Ino/Temari
Put 3 characters in my inbox and I’ll tell you who I’d slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers with
#answered asks#raendown#slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers#umino iruka#jiraiya#morino ibiki#ibiki the cupcake man#just a little piece i wrote
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due to the recent attention quincey and my strange love child has gotten, i’ve decided to do a post of my ‘character building’ aka ‘me just aimlessly rambling at Q in tumblr chat and getting overly invested in our hopeless little loser’. enjoy (or dont idk idc)
Naruto oc Gear
· platonic bff w/ kankuro
· i feel like they deserve a mullet. they're completely oblivious to why other people Hate it. they think it's cool.
· "it feels swishy kank. kank. feels like Wind Country style. kank why are you laughing?"
· nobody understands why someone 'cool' like kankuro hangs around with this dork
· its like kakashi and gai. kankuro just shrugs - "dude is a good listener. and they write valentines cards to karasu. they're a weirdo and i love them so back tf off'
· gear:: nyah
· kank: what?
· gear, staring at him through their souless glasses: you know, nyah *makes kitty motions*
· *gear proceeds to be drop kicked all the way to fire country border*
· also, nobody know whether gear is male or female or...other?? except their doctor, who enjoys keeping it a secret from a frustrated kankuro.
· gear has promised him a years worth of buying hi hamburger steaks if he manages to find it out, so kank has some incentive
· its been nearly ten years...no luck
· temari doesnt understand the friendship, but its not the weirdest thing her fam is involved in so
· gear is v scared of gaara though, especially when gaara, in a bid to 'understand his family better' tries to get to know him. gear tries to avoid gaara, but he's. always. there.
· kank in the end tells gear to Just Talk to Gaara, there's like a 50% chance he won't kill them (if only for kank's sake)
· wind forwards to a v awkward interrogation session where gear tries to explain the appeal of fireworks and the concept of second hand embarassment
· no wait
· i just had a brilliant idea
· gear is the pioneer of light up ninja sandals
· are they practical? no way
· are they weirdly satisfying? hell yeah
· (when too many shinobi got caught in the field bc their sandals lit up, by decree of the kazekage they can only be worn in the village
· and preferably never, according to Temari)
· also gear is a big fan of shino. why? (because I love shino) but Actually because kankuro is still bitter about losing to him
· so when gear meets shino they make it their mission to become Great Friends, aka the Hoopiest of Froods
· Rub In That Salt. Can You Taste It Kank? All That Salt.
· their name is now Gear, or in the japanese version, Giya ギヤ (aka just Gear in katakana - hell, if it works for Lee.) fter visiting konoha kank is sulking bc gear went on and on about how shino was a Cool Guy and had Flair and a certain je ne sais quois ( doesnt know what that means, but it sounds adoring and he Hates it. Gear is his friend, not Shinos)
· Especially when he remembers that Shino kicked his asssss
· eventually gear gets ticked off and commisions a cake with big writing on it 'STOP SULKING, KITTY'. kank is weirdly frustrated that gear has remembered his favourite flavour cake
· gear makes him sarcastic friendship bracelets
· though gear and shino bond over the fact that nobody knows what their faces/eyes look like. its sort of like an Achievement Unlocked.
· Gear is then integrated into the Aburame family as a honors member
· Gets home made pies when ever they visit
· Kankuro is jelly as usual but does not argue over the pie
· when shino demonstrates his kikaichuu technique, gear waves their arms around making obnoxious buzzing noises. shino sniggers.
· hell most things can be forgiven for pie
· gear actually becomes very good at mimicking the kikaichuu noises so when they go back to suna gear makes the noises when kankuro is least expecting it. the suprised punches to the nose are so worth it.
· I can just see kankuro just spazzing out before just decking this nerd in the face!
· Ok but Kin adopts them and loves them but just...just hates their fashion sense more then anything in the world
· she just eyes their mullet with a twitching brow. gear is holding onto their visor with all their might and watching out for any kunai that might come close to his fabulous mane.
· lets face it, if shino and gear had a bit of a 'snip snip' training accident, kin wouldn't be disappointed
· and of course if gear becomes friends with shino, they gotta get along w/ team eight as well. kiba is eyeing their hair with a strange mixture of envy and incredulity. hinata draws gear up some new face-masks. they love them, even the pink floral ones.
· hinata, handing over the masks: d-do you like them?
· gear, choked up and holding back sobs: they're fine
· Gear has a habit of coming to Kank in the middle of the night with the weirdest shit. They knock on his door at three in the morning looking like they're about to cry.
· G: Kank I've done something awful I'm a murderer
· Kank is basically ready to help bury a body
· K:okay okay don't panic what did you do?
· G: *whispering* I eat eight spiders a year kank. EIGHT SPIDERS. HOW MANY SPIDER ORPHANS HAVE I LEFT TO GRIEVING SPIDER WIDOWS KANK. I'm a MONSTER.
· K:...go home.
· K: Spends the night googling 'is it true you swallow eight spiders a year?')
· i have the idea that gear was a really plain child. you know the kind that never really got noticed and people just realised they were there when they tripped over them.
· and they finally got sick of it when they graduated the academy like
· 'well now im just going to be so Extra you wont have a choice but to notice me fuck you'
· now thats not to say they realise the mullet is a bad idea, however it does have the extra incentive of people going 'oh hi- DEAR LORD WHAT'S THAT ON YOUR HEAD'
· plot twist, they look so completely ordinary under the glasses and mask that even the people who saw their face don't remember it the second they look away
· surprisingly gear makes an excellent undercover operative
· Just take off the mask and goggles and visor, fashion their hair a lil, and put on a plain kimmon and BAM Gear is an under cover cop
· exactly. kankuro is really weirded out by the idea that any of the sort of twenty yo people he passes on the street could be gear
· Kankuro was terrified of gaara but boy o boy does Gear just raise the steaks a lil
· They could be anywhere
· Behind that bush, near the bush, IS THE BUSH
· one time gear was on a mission with their team and they got separated. in the fight, gear lost his mask, broke his glasses and his visor got tossed. when they returned to their team they had to spend the whole journey back convincing them that 'YES this is me i swear see? im wearing the same underwear!' 'how would we know what underwear you started out wearing?' 'I THOUGHT WE HAD A BOND'
· they meet kankuro on the way into town and gear is just like 'here, kank is my buddy, he'll tell you im me'
· 'well kankuro-sama, is this Gear?'
· K:...im gonna be honest i cant fucking tell
· K:but are they wearing blue boxers with ducks on them?
· Squad captain: WHY DO YOU-???
· Kankuro: THINGS HAPPENED OK THEYRE WEIRD AND JUST- DO THEY OR DONT THEY?
· Gear: *shit eating grin*
· Temari actually thought those two were together for a long time and they both just missed her euphemistic references to their ahem 'friendship' until Gaara mentions they couldn't put romantic partners on a team together and Kank just
· ucking falls off his chair like
· K: Wait what? Since when have we been romantic partners?? News to me??
· When he talks to Gear about it they seem unfazed just straightfaced tell Kankiro that 'you make my kokoro go doki doki'. Kank doesn't speak to them for a week
· Aka Gear is once again relegated to the sofa
· Gear seems to say 'so worth it' a lot
· Most of the time it really isnt
· Gears surprisingly good a dancing, specifically the fancy pants type dancing.
· So bc Kank is the kazekage's brother he's invited to a fancy do somewhere and he brings along Gear as his +1 bc hes a loser w/o a bf/gf. before the do he's just pointedly asking Gear like 'look do i need to teach you how to dance? because there will be dancing. fancy dancing. it will be Expected of You. do you want a dance tutor. are you sure? Are You SURE?'
· Gear is just waving him off 'Relax kitty, its cool' Kank is just mentally preparing apology speeches for Very Important Peoples' crushed toes
· the night comes along and Kank is making awkward small talk with some girl who roped him in when suddenly he's yanked away from the convo by Gear
· before he knows it they're on the dancefloor and SURPRISE gear is waaaay better at dancing than kank's stiff penguin shuffle
· gear takes great pleasure in dipping him really low at the end
· and they never let kank forget about it
· so i dont know if kankuro went to the ninja academy but lets assume he does
· *did
· so he and gear are in the same class
· but gear is of course always forgotten
· until one day kankuro notices them because IDK he runs into them and knocks them over or something
· so somehow they hang out that day and kank realises 'yeah this kid is a good one i could hang out with this dude like forever. mine now.'
· and the next day kank tries to find Gear except
· the fucker is so Unnoticable
· kank is just standing in the middle of the room scratching his head trying to figure out who the fuck he was talking to yesterday. gear of course doesnt have their sparkling personality yet and so is too shy/embaressed to go up to kank and remind him that 'hey this is what my face looks like'
· eventually they do hang out again though
· and the same thing happens
· kank gets fed up and brings in his face makeup and like draws reminders on gears face
· gear is fine with it, just wandering around all day with purple paint on their face
· except ppl keep making fun of them so kank wears the paint as well as like a solidarity thing
· of course gear finds his own look at the end of their academy days but kank carries on wearing the paint from then on(also gear used to be the kind of person who cried really easily and the paint showed it ALL up. they weren't too keen on walking around with tear tracks and smudges on their face, so mullet it is lol)
· sad idea
· gear is kankuro's first and best friend
· sure, kankuro has other friends, but no real Friends outside of his fam later on, bc when he was smaller every interaction with other kids was coloured by him being related to the Sand Demon
· kids didn't want to be friends with him bc they were scared for their lives (and kank threw himself into his puppet making for something to do bc puppets werent to emotionally fickle as kids)
· so he latched onto gear and they became integral parts of their lives without even realising it
· one day, gear leaves on a mission. they dont come back. they're declared MIA
· it varies between villages but generally its one-two months before a MIA ninja is declared KIA
· kank isnt worried about gear. gear is a tough dude, they'll come back.
· a week passes and kank isnt worried
· two weeks passes, and he's getting twitchy, spending more and more time hunched up in his studio, tinkering with his puppets
· three weeks passes without a sign from gear, and he's wrecked seven puppet prototypes in senseless death battles and he doesnt want to think about why he's become so snappy and easily frustrated
· (temari pops in on him every so often, forcing sandwiches and energy drinks on him even as he ignores her, whittling down a wooden ball joint with singular concentration)
· the fourth week draws to a close and kank is visiting the mission room every day, lingering inside the doorway, scaring returning genin teams with his impatient aura. he's making trips around the hospitals in case they had an unidentified body turned in (he knows gear by their scars even if their face just wont stick)
· saturday rolls around and kankuro is dragging himself down to the morgues, the crematoriums, clamping down on the threatening waves of despair - he asks by name, by description, by the rate of decay on any bodies returned by scavenging teams sent out across the sandy oceans
· there is no sign of gear, not a peep as the fourth week draws to a close, the deadline for Suna mia operatives
· he goes to the records office to bear witness as they change the status on gear's paperwork, and he feels hollow, like karasu as the red ink is drawn through the status box
· he returns to his house, silent. temari is there, waiting, with a worried furrow between her brows (he thinks he even saw gaara, who was so changed since the chuunin exams, peer at him through his bedroom doorway opened just a crack, that emerald stare assessing, before retreating again)
· he closes the door to his workshop with a calm firmness, blocking out temari's questions
· kankuro stares at his puppets, propped up on various stands and in the corners, half assembled carapaces that seemed to mock him with their glassy stares
· he snaps
· kankuro thinks this is what gaara must have felt like, pulled under by the whirlwind of emotions as he rampages, trashing models and ripping up drawings and smashing incomplete headless, armless bodies. it feels like there isn't enough destruction to match the hole gear's death has left in his own chest and he only stops when his fist pulls its punch instinctively, barely an inch to karasu's face, those lovingly sanded planes and features carved with years of practice and patience
· now karasu is left, his friend before, during, after Gear, and he never thought there would be an 'after Gear' - gear was only a chuunin, they didn't leave the village on any dangerous missions, not like the sand siblings
· kankuro doesnt leave his workshop for three days
· on the third he comes out, with karasu and gathers his supplies. he leaves for the funeral, to send off his friend
· when they had visited konoha, he's seen their Memorial to the dead - a great stone slab, with their names carved into it, the oldest names almost worn away with time and touch. suna doesnt have a memorial - the souls of their shinobi are memorialised at the Oasis
· the spirit oasis lies a few hours run outside of the city of suna, towards the east - once, or so the tales go, the oasis was part of a giant aquaduct that fed the blooming gardens of a wealthy empress, a long time before the establishment of the hidden villages. now, the oasis is a forest of crumbled stone and faceless statues, a giant pair of stone legs, broken at the knee marking the entrance. past there runs a river, mysterious in its crystal clarity - many suna scientists have tried to find the rivers origins and where it disappears to, but it remains one of the sand's greatest mysteries
· it became known as the spirit oasis by the first kazekage, who saw the electric blue lights bob and weave above the rushing waters at night - he took it as a sign, and saw, from the top of the tallest ruin, the great crater that he would build his village in.
· it is to the oasis that the suna shinobi go to remember their dead, and to let them go. it is where kankuro went. it is where he ended up kneeling beside the gently gurgling river, amongst the offerings of food and sake left behind from the visits of other shinobi. bells tinkle melodious in the soft winds, accompanied by the flutter of the shimenawa papers. he looked into the water, so clear he could see the mosaic tiles on the bottom of the aqua duct, and tried to imagine the corpse of his friend, buried somewhere under the grains of sand, lost, decaying until only his bones are left, to be collected one day many generations down, or simply to be forgotten until the gods reclaimed their peoples. kankuro imagines gear's spirit, their soul, instead, bobbing along in this river, laughing and dancing in the night, blue, bright, electric
· "I- Geez, I can't believe you're making me say this, you idiot. I guess, I miss you. It hardly feels like you're gone. It's been, huh, i don't know how long. For me, weeks, since you've died, but I guess it only really hit me some days ago. You- urgh, you really always need to have the last word, don't you, G-"
· Kankuro froze as the wind moaned. It was the wind, right? He knew the reports from the shinobi who had visited this place - odd sounds like groans and moans of the deceased spirits, and the embittered jounin who simply waved the tales off as the sounds the wind makes as it howls through the archways and pillars of the ruins.
· he strains his ear for any other sounds and- there, again. It doesn't sound like the wind, he decides. it sounds like a person, a flesh and blood person. he rises to his feet, slowly pulling a kunai silently out of his pouch. he's ready for an attack as he makes his way through the labyrinth of ruins, following the sounds of grunts and pants of pain. he turns a corner and finds his quarry.
· a fellow suna shinobi, judging by the tattered dull flak vest. brown hair matted to the head with crusted blood, the shinobi is slumped over a large piece of the ceiling that had fallen down centuries ago. as kankuro approaches, the shinobi gestured weakly with their own kunai, dripping blood onto the weeded tiles.
· "who..." the shinobi rasps out
· kankuro doesnt have to hear any more than that word - he recognises the voice, knows it because it's been cycling around his head with endless quips and puns and sarcastic riddles over the past few days. it was a voice he didnt think he'd ever hear again, and now that he has-
· he dropped his kunai with a metallic clutter and swiftly crouched in front of the shinobi, casually brushing away the brandished knife that couldn't have speared a paralysed mouse. slowly, his hands grasped the drooped chin and he straightened the slumped head, so he could look the shinobi in the eyes.
· they were brown and bruised around the edges. they stared back at kankuro for a moment, almost dead, before a spark of recognition lit up in them, and they crinkled up. the blood-tinted mouth stretched up too, showing a set of battered teeth. one hand come up to tug at kankuro's hair.
· "...hey kitty. was the service...good?"
· kankuro laughs and leans forwards, so his forhead touches the other.
· "you're- you're a fucking idiot. you asshole-"
· Gear just grins.
· ………..
· also i had an idea about gear's family
· since they're hoity toity ima imagine they're an Old Clan
· they were maybe friends of the first kazekage, and howsabout they built the water delivery system for the village
· sooo even though they're not really relevant anymore (especially with the rise of more modern technology etc) they're still trying to regain that 'friendship'/allience whatever they had with the first kazekage
· they consider themselves one of the village founders bc of their water systems but they're Not Really. basically the family is pretty stuck up and gear's parents are pretty peeved that Gear doesnt care more about his family history/doesnt conduct themselves with dignity
· Gears parents are snooty plumbers
· family name = 水瓶座/mizugameza
· aka Aquarius/water bearer
· not their original name but they rebranded themselves all fancy like after doing the village plumbing lol
· gear is actually kind of embarassed about their family's attitude which is well known (and sometimes mocked) around the village
· they prefer to just be known as Gear minus family name hence Kankuro didn't actually know which family Gear was a part of until quite a bit into their friendship
· Gear ur a beautiful child I'm glad u were made
· gear deserves all the happiness
· the only reason im glad they're not canon is so they're spared the boruto ending
·
#theres like a little angsty ficlet in the middle but mostly its gear being a Total Adorable Loser#naruto oc#gear mizugameza
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Nart Watch S1 E20
“”A New Chapter Begins: The Chunin Exam!
- Well at least Naruto is smart enough to check his milk now. Man his table is gross. Empty ramen cups everywhere. *sides own empty ramen cups to the side*
- Mkay so Naruto has an apartment. His key has a little dog ninja keychain. Pakkun I think.
- Oh yeah I forgot that Sasuke and Naruto get blushy and can’t look at each other after that moment on the bridge X3 where Sasuke saved his life and told him he’s lost everyone but can’t lose naruto. Sakura is uncomfortable. Aaand Kakashi is late. AGain. He got lost apparently. Naruto and Sakura yell at him.
- Naruto wants more exciting missions again. So he can use his nindo and show off his soul. Uh, yeah... I get it but uh...
- Naruto is annoyed with Sasuke for making him look bad during missions X3 I don’t think Sasuke gets it. Today for sure! He has a daydream of Sasuke being hurt, and Naruto saving his life “hmph, you’re so much trouble!” you have really gay daydreams kid
- Naruto says he will not lose to Sasuke! He really fucks up his mission plucking all the weeds... except they weren’t weeds, they were herbs. he ruined them. he gets beat up by an old lady.garbage pick up in a lake, he trips and falls off a waterfall, but Sasuke saves him. “Usuratonkachi.” They gotta walk some dogs, and Naruto stubbornly chooses the biggest one and can’t handle it. Runs into a trap field on accident. “Jeez you are so much trouble.” “>8C” Kakashi comments that their teamwork has been awful. “Yeah Sasuke! Your teamwork is terrible! You keep attracting attention!” “That’s you, idiot. If you don’t want to owe me, then get stronger than me.”
- Sasuke is frustrated. Haku was stronger than him. He keeps going on lame missions and an’t get stronger like this. He’s taking a bit of frustration out on Naruto.
- “Hey how about we improve our teamwork together...?” “You’re as bad as Naruto. If you have time to spend on me, you should work on a jutsu. To tell you frankly, your abilities are less than Naruto’s.” haaaa. I mean he’s right. You didn’t become a ninja to get a date
- Meanwhile, Konohamaru is sneaking up on Naruto in a box that kinda looks like a rock. It even has peep holes. There are three kids in it actually. Naruto confronts the box.
- They used gunpowder. Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru. What cuties. They’ve all got goggles. “You said you would play ninja with us today D:” Sakura is annoyed by that. Naruto gets flustered by the blushing. The kids assume she’s a girlfriend. Naruto doesn’t deny it. Sakura punches him across the room. Konohamaru is mad! The kids check on him. They cry and call her an ugly witch, but are then terrified and get smacked. Oh boy.
- “That damn ugly forehead wench! Is she really a girl!?” Sakura turns to glare at them and they all run XD even Naruto
- Oh!! :D Kankuro and Temari! Their first appearances
- Iruka asks Kakashi if he’s getting along with the others. He looks so happy talking about Naruto. He’s a bit worried. Kakashi tells him that he has formed a rivalry with Sasuke, but as a result his abilities are improving rapidly. Iruka looks happy to hear it
- Heyyy here’s some Hinata, Kiba, and Shino with Kurenai. They’re tired from training. There’s Asuma with Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. They’re taking a break and eating.
- Oh Kankoru picks Konohamaru up by is collar and says it hurt wen he bumped into him. Temari scolds him for it. Sakura apologizes for him and Naruto yells at him. “Let’s play with them before the strict one comes around.” Konohamaru kicks to get down and Naruto is furious. Narut charges at im and Kankuro does something with his hands, and Naruto falls back. “Konoha genin are weaker than I thought.” You coldn’t tell they’re foreign from the headbands? Well Naruto gets up to challenge him again. Kankuro has a bad temper and says the bad attitude makes him want to break the kid. Temari sigs and says it’s not on her.
- Sasuke saves the kid by trowing a rock at him. “What do you think you’re doing in someone else’s village?” Everyone thinks he’s cool, even Temari who blushes and says he’s cute. Konohamaru runs to Naruto, scared, crying. He says Naruto is lame X3 Sasuke is cooler
- Kankuro pulls out something, apparently called Crow, and that’s when Gaara shows up, hanging from a tree with his arms crossed. “You’re an embarrassment to our village.” Sasuke says he didn’t even sense him. His steps are as stealthy as Kakashi.
- The hokage says he’s sure everyone knows based on the foreign faces. They’re going to hold chunin exams soon. In a week. On the first day of July.
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The Kazekage's Children! An Unexpected Friendship.
This chapter is 100% original plot, and more than likely the only one that’s going to be like that >.> Hope you enjoy!
To Koukatsu’s surprise, they turned out to be staying in guest rooms at the Kazekage’s house. The twins took one room, while Koukatsu and Nanashi took the other. By the time they had settled in, the sun was beginning to set. “Dad?” He looked up from his book to see Nanashi standing in front of him in her pajamas, her hands clasped behind her back, “I’m gonna go up to the roof and watch the sunset, ok?”
Koukatsu smiled, nodding, “Alright, but bring a blanket, it gets cold here at night.”
Nanashi excitedly ran off to collect a few snacks and a blanket before making her way up to the roof. After about an hour of peaceful silence, she felt the presence of someone else behind her. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw a red-haired boy her age staring at her. “Hello! You’re welcome to join me if you want! I have food!” All she got in return was silence. “Am I in your spot? I can move if you want me to.” She began to scoot over a little, but stopped when he suddenly sat next to her. “Not much of a talker, huh?”
When she didn’t get a response, she just shrugged and went back to watching the sky. “Lovely night, isn’t it? The moon is so pretty…” She knew she wouldn’t get a response, so she continued, “Do you come out here a lot?” She turned her head to look at him, and was pleasantly surprised when he spared her a glance and a slight nod. “I would stay out every night if I could…”
“I’m Nanashi, by the way. It’s nice to meet someone new!” She stuffed a few chips in her mouth, before holding the bag out to her companion, “Want some?” Silence. “Oh well, suit yourself.”
Koukatsu looked over at the clock, his eyes widening when he realized how late it was, and that Nanashi had never returned. When he got up to the roof, he smiled at the sight of his daughter asleep, curled up comfortably in her blanket. Then he noticed the person next to her. “Oh, hey. Sorry if she bothered you at all.” The boy looked up at him, but stayed silent as Koukatsu scooped Nanashi up in his arms, “I’m sure this won’t be the last time I’m doing this while we’re here…Anyway, goodnight!”
Nanashi woke up in bed the next morning, thoroughly confused. ‘Where am I..?’ She sat up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, ‘Last I remember, I was watching the moon with that guy… How did I get here..?’
She threw the covers off of her and quickly changed out of her pajamas, before heading out to join the living in the other room. Koukatsu looked up from his plate, fork halfway to his mouth, “Mornin’ sleepyhead!”
She waved tiredly to the other occupants of the room, “Mornin’...” Reiko was wide awake as usual, but Emiko looked like she was going to fall asleep in her cereal at any second. Next to her was a blonde girl, who smiled politely at her. “...You’re new…”
Before the girl could respond, the redhead from the night before walked in, followed by another boy. The newcomer trudged over to the fridge, grabbed the carton of milk, and made his way over to the table. He dropped heavily into a chair and began chugging from the carton, earning him a disgusted look from his sister. “What?”
“We have guests, Kankuro!” The girl scolded.
Kankuro rolled his eyes, “I know, Temari. I can see that.” He propped his feet up on the table, turning to the twins across from him. “‘Sup?” Nanashi sat next to him, catching his attention. “Why do we have guests, again?”
Koukatsu had just taken a huge bite, so Nanashi answered for him. “We’re here to make arrangements for the Chunin Exams. Something about your living arrangements for while you’re there?” Koukatsu nodded, giving a muffled ‘Mm-hm’ in confirmation.
“Cool. Who are you?”
Nanashi straightened up a little in surprise, “Oh! I’m Nanashi. The girl that’s half-conscious is Emiko,” Emiko blinked sleepily, “And that’s Reiko.” Reiko grinned, waving excitedly. Nanashi looked over at her dad, who was still happily chowing down on his breakfast. “The guy about to choke over there is my dad, and our Sensei, Koukatsu.”
Kankuro held his hand out and she shook it. “Kankuro. The sourpuss is Temari.” Temari scowled. He ignored her, gesturing over his shoulder to the redhead, who was leaning against the wall. “That’s Gaara. He doesn’t talk much.”
Nanashi turned and beamed at the other boy, “Yeah, I noticed that. Why don’t you come join us?”
Kankuro and Temari’s eyes widened, and Kankuro shook his head quickly, “Oh, no, he usually keeps to himse--” Gaara sat down on the other side of Nanashi. “--lf… But hey, what do I know?”
Koukatsu stood up, clearing his throat to catch everyone’s attention. “Well, I’ve gotta go. Meeting the Kazekage in, like, ten minutes. That won’t look good if I’m late.” His team started to stand up as well, and he held out his hands to stop them, “You guys stay here, there’s really no need for all of us to go! Just hang out with these three today.” They happily settled back into their seats. “See you guys later!”
Soon after breakfast ended, Gaara disappeared. Nanashi shrugged it off, making her way into the other room where the rest of them had gathered. She dropped herself onto the couch beside Kankuro. “So. What’s there to do around here that’s fun?”
Kankuro and Temari shared a look. “This… is about it,” Temari answered, “There isn’t much here.”
Nanashi shrugged, throwing her feet up into Kankuro’s lap. “Yeah, sure, make yourself comfortable.” They all started up a conversation that ended up lasting until Gaara reemerged. “Time for lunch already?”
Nanashi sat up, swinging her feet back around. “I’m up for barbecue! How ‘bout you guys?” The twins, Kankuro, and Temari all voiced their agreements, and she turned to Gaara, “You can join us, if you’d like to!”
“...Sure.”
Everyone froze in surprise, and Reiko whispered, “So he does speak…”
After a week of being in the Sand Village, Nanashi had become good friends with Kankuro and Temari. So much so, that Koukatsu and the Kazekage decided that the Sand Siblings would be staying with them during the Chunin Exams.
Every night at sundown, Nanashi would make her way up to the roof, bowl of snacks in hand and blanket thrown around her shoulders. As soon as night took over, Gaara would appear, sitting next to her in silence. She would find something to talk about, and Gaara would even respond with nods and the occasional grunt sometimes. On the last night, however, a Sand ninja called out to her before Gaara had come to join her.
“Hey, Kid!” Nanashi startled, turning to him. “What are you doing out here every night? Don’t you know it’s dangerous here?”
Nanashi shrugged it off, “I’m not worried, I can take care of myself! Besides, I’ll have Gaara here if something does happen!”
“You don’t get it, do you, Kid?”
“...Get what?”
“He’s what makes this place so dangerous!”
“What? No, Gaara? I mean, he’s quiet and all, but that’s not a bad thing!” Nanashi couldn’t fathom why anyone would fear her new friend. “What makes you say all this?” She frowned, not liking the way this conversation was going.
“Did no one warn you about that monster?”
Nanashi immediately bristled. “Hey! I don’t know what problem you have, but don’t you dare talk like that!” She stood up, knocking her bowl over in the process.
The man sighed in frustration, “No, I mean seriously! He’s got that thing in him! He’s a demon!” Nanashi’s eyes widened, and the man assumed he finally got her to understand. “Do you get it now?!”
Nanashi nodded slowly, “Yeah… Yeah, I get it…”
“Good.”
With that, the man left her alone, and she sat back down, lost in thought. A few minutes later, Gaara sat beside her. She glanced at him with a small smile, but didn’t say anything. They sat in silence for a while, before a voice startled her out of her thoughts. “You’re quiet. Something’s on your mind.”
“Oh, yeah… Just something somebody said.” She laid back, sighing as she gazed up at the moon. “We go back to Konoha tomorrow, y’know?” Gaara glanced over at Nanashi, nodding slightly. “It’s gonna be weird going back to sitting alone…” She sat up, smiling warmly, “You’re good company.” She turned her eyes back to the sky and Gaara’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed her. Suddenly, Nanashi yawned, standing up and stretching. “Whelp. I’ve got a long next few days, so I should go in… I guess I’ll see you at the Chunin Exams?” When she didn’t get a response, she shrugged before making her way inside.
“Nanashi!”
Nanashi shot up in her bed, the momentum throwing her out of it and onto the ground, “What?! What happened?!”
Kankuro stood above her, his lips pursed in an attempt to keep his laughter at bay, “G’mornin’, sleepyhead! Your team’s about to leave you behind.”
The girl jumped up quickly, scrambling to get her things together. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up sooner?!” Kankuro shrugged, opening his mouth to reply when suddenly a pillow smacked him in the face, “Get out! I gotta change!”
Kankuro scowled as she started to shove him toward the door, “Hey! Watch it, Shortstack! I’m goin’ already!” Nanashi responded by literally kicking him out of the room.
After a quick breakfast, Team Nine was ready to head out. Nanashi hugged Temari and fist-bumped Kankuro as they said goodbye. “See you guys soon!”
Reiko and Emiko both quickly hugged Temari, and Kankuro rolled his eyes, “How come only she gets hugs? She’s not so special…” The three girls shared a look of amusement before squeezing him into a group hug.
After a few more goodbyes, Koukatsu lead them out of the village. “Well, girls, you ready to get back?” Reiko bounded ahead of them, cheering excitedly. Emiko sighed, quickly following after the pinkette. Koukatsu laughed loudly, “Well, I guess that answers that question!”
As they made their way back home, he noticed that Nanashi was unusually quiet, “Hey, you alright, Kid?”
Nanashi blinked, stirred from her thoughts, “Yeah, I’m good! Just thinking.”
“About?”
She looked down at the sand as they walked, “Well… About Gaara, actually.”
Koukatsu froze mid-step, “What.”
Nanashi laughed, shaking her head, “No, no, not like that, Dad.” Koukatsu sighed in relief, catching up to her. “I mean... last night, there was this guy talking about him. Like people in our village talk about Naruto.”
Koukatsu looked down at her, a look of realization crossing his face, “I see…” He patted Nanashi on the head, “Hey, don’t think too far into it. Just… know that there are people out there who, well… they fear the unknown. Sometimes that fear can make people do cruel things, and that only breeds more hatred. Naruto’s handled it very well, considering his circumstances, because he’s had people there to balance out the hatred with love. Unfortunately, not everyone has that.”
“Even Kankuro and Temari seem to be afraid of him…” Nanashi said sadly, “Do you think it’s true? That he’s… y’know, that he’s like Naruto?”
“Yeah. He is. But that never stopped you from caring for Naruto, did it?” Nanashi perked up, shaking her head. “Are you going to let it affect how you see Gaara?” She shook her head again. “Good.” He looked up at the sky, sighing, ‘Lord knows that boy needs a friend… and now Nanashi’s more determined than ever to be just that.’
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