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kishillaa · 3 years

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SSM21 Day 17: A Gentle Man

Sakura had to bite her lips when she sees an ebony boy lean against the hospital wall; his hands shoved deep in his pockets of his shinobi pants, one leg is bend for its to stay on the wall while the other one stand to hold his weight. He looks rather tired, especially with bandage wrapped neatly around his head where his forehead protector usually be. She sighs as she approached him. He's too good looking for his own good.

As if sensing her presence – or was it shinobi thing? Maybe Sasuke mentioned about it before? Chakra signature was it? — he turns his head to her. He push himself off the wall and face her as if to greet her coming his way.

"Hey." She said, smiling. "I heard you're here."

Sasuke shrugs, "Yeah, caught minor wound on our way back."

"Let me see." She's already reaching up to his wrapped head, putting light pressure where she saw small blood make itself known just above his ear.

"How did it happen?"

Sasuke scoff lightly, and Sakura knows he purposefully dif to avoid telling her it's not for her to know, "It's nothing serious. Come on, your shift ended half an hour ago. I'll walk you home."

Sakura fight back a grin as she nodded at him. He wasn't usually in the village, always busy with his confidential shinobi or ANBU mission, but when he is, he do every thing he missed out with her since they started this, whatever it is, few months ago.

"Have you eaten?" Sakura asked, as he leads her out of the lobby of the hospital, walking side by side.

Sasuke shakes his head, "And neither do you."

Sakura close her mouth with her hand as she laughs. He always knew, "That's true."

They walk together under the dark starless night, with Sakura looking up the sky and him ahead of their route, "So, was it a success again this time?" She asked, as she peaked at him.

"You could say that." He wears his ANBU gear, so it must be a bad stuff –as to what he said– so Sakura refrain herself asking for more.

"How was your shift?" He asked, didn't even try to hide the fact that he was blatantly staring at her.

Grinning, Sakura bounced herself so she's few step ahead of him before she turns around to face the pretty face Sasuke, while walking backwards with Sasuke following with his slow pace towards her.

"It was pretty good. Quite few new experiences. And I actually went through one surgery with a medic nin." She went on, "After all this time, I was still astonished what a ninja medic can do. There's only a handful things civilian doctor does."

"You're already great at your job, Sakura." He had said, "Though, I'm sure you'd be an okay ninja. I can't fully detect your chakra since you don't use it at all, but they are very warm, tame and quite stable. A medic nin will be a good choice if you decided to be a ninja."

Sakura hands clasped behind her back as she stop her pace and leans towards him, "If I chose to become a ninja years and years ago, do you think you and I will be in the same class in the academy together?"

Sasuke however raised an eyebrow at her question. "Probably." He said, playing along.

Satisfied that he did, Sakura's grin widen, "Do you think you'll like me when we're in the academy? Developing a crush maybe?"

Sasuke's face reveal a tiny amused smirk, "No,"

"And why is that?" Sakura tilted her head, frowning at his confident no.

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, "I'm sure you're the one who will having a crush on me, join all those fangirls fawning over me, shamelessly ask for dates and for a seat next to me–"

Sakura makes an odd face as she cuts him off, "They did that?" She's quite impressed actually, if they went that extend for her good looking boyfriend (?)

"Still do." He replied nonchalantly, moving forward as he gently tug Sakura's arm to walk beside him.

"They do? Why didn't I know about this?" She asked as her feet fall beside him.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at her, "It doesn't matter."

"Because you like me, right? Right?" She was hopeful as she asked him. She didn't go to the same school Sasuke went, and she wasn't in the village for few years back either, so she doesn't really know people their age.

Sasuke Uchiha is always a tease when it comes to Sakura Haruno, so he smirked at her, "Maybe."

Sakura narrows her eyes at him before she turns her head away to the other direction, decided to dismiss his teasing manner and continue on to her game, "Do you think we will chosen to be in the same team, what do you call that? Genin was it?"

"Ahh." He responded.

"Genin team." She let out a short chuckle, "So cute, don't you think? What did you say your Jounin instructor was?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

Smiling ruefully, she asks, "Do you think he will like me? And your other teammate? I mean, we're going to become a team, I'm sure we will at least tolerate each other."

She doesn't realized it when her companion frown as he look down at her, "I think the dobe will have a crush on you. Kakashi will be neglecting you in training, but will be very fond of you, I'm sure."

"I thought you said your sensei doesn't like Ami." Sakura reminded.

"That's Ami. She's very aggravating, and a handful. You, in the other hand is brilliant, and Kakashi likes those who ask questions, and that's what you always do."

Sakura had to grin in content at Sasuke's subtle compliment of her, "He has many reasons to like me then. How about the other male teammate of yours. He's the blonde boy right, your best friend? Naruto?"

"Ahh." he said, and stop at Ichiraku, a ramen shop. "He liked ramen a little too much."

Sakura laughed, "Really, now? Is this where you often found him?"

"Hnn." He paused, "If I didn't know he has mission today, I'll be avoiding this place at all cost."

"Why bring me here, then?"

"It's the closest from the hospital."

"Alright, then."

Sasuke nodded at her as he pulls up the shop curtain for her to get in.

Smiling at his chivalrous manner, Sakura get in as he follows suit. They take a seat on the stool and order their food.

"This is actually good." She moans in satisfaction as she tasted the ramen. "Why haven't you bring me here before, Sasuke-kun?" She asked as Sasuke nod at the owner when he handed Sasuke's order.

"I've had a little too much of this. And plus, we hardly go out together for me to bring you anywhere."

"That's true." Sakura said, nodding her head as she feeds more of the ramen into her mouth. It didn't take long for her to finish her first bowl.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Do you want another one?"

Biting her lips, Sakura nodded shyly and so they order another bowl of ramen for her, "Naruto will be delighted knowing you like this."

"Ahh, we should bring him together next time then?" she suggested, "Maybe your sensei too? How about your brother and that charming cousin of yours? And your smoking friend?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes at her, "Yeah, bring the whole village here if you'd like."

Sakura burst out laughing at his sarcastic response, playfully smack his arm. They chatted a few more as Sakura finishes her second bowl. When Sasuke ask her if she wanted a third one, she shakes her head while patting her stomach, "I'm so full."

He pays for their food before they left, quickly shove the money to Teuchi before Sakura could retrieve hers.

"You don't have to pay mine." Her forehead scrunch in displease.

"I already did." Sasuke replied nonchalantly shrug his shoulder making Sakura rolls her eyes as they walk to the direction of her house. The walk to her house wasn't silence with Sakura constant chatter, which Sasuke has started to like. It's way better than Naruto's too loud and bright presence.

"Thank you for walking me home. And for the ramen. We absolutely need to go back there." She said, hands clasped at her back as she beams while she looks up at him.

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pants pockets while nodding, "If you like."

Sakura giggles at him before she rose on her toes to place a chaste kiss over his lips, "You're so cute."

He rolls his eyes, "Go up now, I'll wait."

"Such gentle man aren't you, Sasuke-kun. Good night." She chuckles as she turns around, raise her hand up for a good bye and walk up the stairs to her home.

True to his word, Sasuke wait until he heard a door closed, and her room light up for him to walk away, though he still look up at the window of her room while walking.

#ssm21 #ssm21d17 #SasuSaku #SasukeUchiha #SakuraHaruno #CivilianSakura #prompt #drabble #kishillaa #kishillaawriting

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gravityunforgiven · 3 years

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Right Where You Left Me (Kakashi x OC)

Pairings: Kakashi x OC, Jiraiya x Tsunade, Dan x Tsunade

Synopsis:

She was the daughter of a Legendary Sannin, He, a son of a disgraced shinobi. Fate brought them together but life tore them apart. Will they be able to take control of their destinies and find their way back to each other?

...Or will they be another victim of the cruel shinobi world they are both a part of?

Chapter Three

She was barely three when their paths first met. She had his attention for about ten minutes then that was it for the first meeting. It was because of her age and her last name. The Senju clan, nowadays, was only seen or heard in their history textbooks. Now there was one standing right infront of the class.

This is new. He remembered thinking.

They never really interacted because he was a chūnin a week later. She didn’t really notice his departure either. All she knew was the. class celebrated for something and the boy with the scarf was gone.

She stayed in the academy until she was six. She was hardly at school in her first year and the teachers didn’t question it. She was still young after all. She can take her time. She spent most of her days that year in the Medical Division of Konohagakure. She can learn ninjutsu from a lot of people but there was only one person to learn medical ninjutsu from.

Their paths crossed again when she was nine. Her mother just left. Jiraiya was knee-deep in his travels and she was stayed with her master, Inoichi Yamanka, before she moved to her own apartment. The Senju compound was too big for to live in alone.

Minato was teaching her a jutsu when the team he was leading arrived. This time he was able to introduce himself.

“Kakashi Hatake.” He said, almost too impatiently.

“Nice too meet you.” She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

She stayed with them for the rest of the afternoon then tagged along for a couple of B-Rank missions. They never talked more than what was needed. Rin became good friends with her. Obito was amused to see the girls braiding each other’s hair.

Minato, along with Inoichi Yamanaka, took her under their wing. They said she was special.

More than me? He so carelessly thought back then.

He wouldn’t realize until years later that she was so unique she became dispensable.

Because of her training with Minato, Akira became close to his-then girlfriend, Kushina. Kakashi saw how close they became they were almost like sisters.

Akira became a permanent figure in Kakashi’s life. They mostly ignored each other’s presence but he got so used to seeing her in the takoyaki shop he half-expected her to be there everytime he walked by. She wasn’t always with friends, most of the time she ate there on her own, in the same spot every single time.

That was until Team Minato was pulled into a mission. When they came back, she was nowhere to be found. At first no one was really bothered. After all, they were all shinobis and when duty calls, they go. But then weeks turned into months and still not even Akira’s shadow was seen. Rumors began spreading in the ranks about her whereabouts. Some says she was in a long term mission in the Land of Rains, others say she was captured and was being held and even Kurenai, who was like her older sister, together with the rest of their batch had no idea where she was or if she was in a mission. He heard Asuma talking about how he asked the Third Hokage about Akira, however, much to their dismay, his lips remained shut and he simply dismissed his son from his office.

Finally, Rin gathered her courage and asked their own sense if he knew anything about this. Minato fought with himself for a while. It was classified information but seeing the look from his students even Kakashi was enough him to give in. He made them swore to never breathe a word of what he was about to say.

“She joined the ANBU Black Ops.” Rin gasped. Obito’s jaw hung wide open. Kakashi who always seemed to be unfazed struggled to keep his cold composture together. They didn’t see that coming. Not in a million years. Kakashi remembered how her name was so fitting for her. She was always so...bright. She was like the sun on a beautiful day. Wherever you go, or whoever you are she will always graze you with her presence like the rays of a sunlight. She lacked the darkness necessary to be an ANBU. She was the complete opposite of those people.

“The Third Hokage allowed it?” Obito asked. Lord Third treated Akira like his very own grand-daughter. After all, she was the daughter of one of his legendary students. It was only fitting that he looed after all while her mother was unavailable.

“ No. He didn’t.” Minato replied.

“ She joined The Foundation.”

—————

He didn’t see her again until Rin’s death. Once, he had asked Minato why Akira was always sent on dangerous missions. Missions they usually were not allowed to do until they were further into their career. This took Minato by surprise. He didn’t know Kakashi had been observing the girl since he usually ignored her presence and vice-versa. The time the two would acknowledge each other is through their relentless bickering due to the fact that no one wants to admit they’re wrong and often times than not, it ends in a full-blown fight between the two prodigies.

Minato eyed the silver-haired ninja. He was usually not bothered by anything that doesn’t have to do with abiding with the rules but the look on his face was clear enough for Minato to realize that this was not the case.

“Being unique isn’t always good.” Minato started.

“You know she uses Wood Release right?”

Kakashi silently nodded. That was common knowledge in the village. Even in the neigboring lands, her reputation preceded her.

“Villages seek power to protect their lands. Right now, Akira is one of the greatest threats to their lands that’s why we train her as hard as we possibly can. A lot of people wants to hurt her and use her for their own good. They want to use one of our own against us.” He remembered Minato saying.

During Rin’s funeral, he caught only a glimpse of her from where he stood by the trees. She was at the back despite being a close friend of Rin’s. She stood silently and kept her eyes firmly on the floor. Kakashi wouldn’t have recognized her if it weren’t for her golden hair that stood out among the sea of dark colored heads. She’s so different. Everything’s changed so much. After a few hi’s and hello’s, she was once again gone. But despite the dark hole Kakashi fell into, for some reason, the girl with the blonde hair never completely left the his mind.

—————

The first time she actually talked to him first, he just joined the ANBU under the Fourth Hokage’s Command.

“I guess we’re teammates now.’ She said removing a wolf-shaped mask. He looked up from the bench he was sitting on in the locker rooms.

A grin was plastered on her face.He immediately recognized her voice though it’s been years since he last heard it. She was twelve and he was just about to turn fourteen that day. But they were so much older and wiser than the kids their age. They had witnessed so many deaths to be called children.

It was the burden of being one of a kind.

They now worked often with each other since they are now both under the Hokage’s command. Gone were the days of bickering and throwing insults at each other. He now knew the burden of being an ANBU. He wondered how much worse she had to do while under Lord Danzo’s command. How many had she killed? Can she even count it at this point?

Minato, after being named Hokage, recruited Akira back from The Foundation to his own a little too quickly than the elders were comfortable with. But the Yondaime Hokage was adamant to have Akira back on his care knowing how much the irreversible damage The Foundation can cause to a person.

Even now, the changes in Akira’s disposition was easily seen by those who knew her before her time in the Root. She still smiled and laughed like she did before but her eyes no longer had the same shine they had before. She tried to hide it. But Kakashi wasn’t so easily fooled. She was just glad he never said a single word about it.

Kakashi and Akira were placed on different teams. She was already leading a group of three people twice her size when he joined but every now and then, when the circumstances call for it, they will be paired together. An unspoken rule was formed between the two. As the only living members of Team Minato (though she tagged along for only a couple of missions) they were to protect each other as best they can.

Though she didn’t need much protection, Kakashi kept an eye on her for old times sake. Just like a few years earlier, they didn’t really talked much during their time in the ANBU. He was too busy wallowing in his guilt and she was kind enough to leave him in in his own knowing it was what he wanted but not exactly what he needed. All she could do was keep an eye on him and make sure he knows that she was there if he needed her.

Their relationship didn’t change from what it was during the time of Team Minato but this time, they treated each other with the utmost respect. They were comrades now. Though the rules of the ANBU stated that the mission comes first, they both knew they had each other’s back. After all, among their classmates, the two of them are the only ones who understood the loneliness of being an ANBU.

Of being truly and utterly alone.

—————

He knew she was brave. She had proven it time and time again. He had seen it from their time together when they were younger, they had heard stories from the older shinobis who had worked with her, and he saw it again every time they were paired in a mission. There was no question that she was brave but that night during the Kyūubi Attack, he was almost certain she too was looking for an easy way to just die. He had a good reason. Unlike her, he was dispensable. He had no one. All he had was the nightmares that haunt him at night. The faces of his fallen teammates and the cold body of his father playing again and again like a broken record every time he closes his eyes. That was all he had. If he dies, people would mourn, yes, but they would move on and go about their life. They would eventually forget and he would always remain the ninja who killed his friend to others.

He had no real purpose. He doesn’t have anyone left to protect. Or to live for.

She was different. She was loved by everyone. She was alone most of the time but she still had Jiraiya who comes and visit every now and then. She had a purpose. She had a reason to live.

Or so he thought.

They were placed inside a barrier the night of the Nine-Tails Attack. The elders said it wasn’t their fight. They have to sit this one out so they could live another day.

Kakashi looked around the group that they have formed. Most of his former classmates were on the front of the pack together with a few other shinobis their age but as he scanned the crowd, he quickly realized Akira was not among them.

He knew she took her first day off in months today. She had deliberately worked during her time off in order to gain more experience and training. Kakashi always thought how Akira seemed to always seem to act as if she was running out of time and how she wouldn’t take rest until she was forced to by the injuries she acquired during her missions.

This time was no different. She came back from a mission in the Land of Lighting only a couple of days ago and if it wasn’t for the direct order from the Hokage to take a break, she would have been out for another one by this time. He was unusually aware that she was hardly in the village these days.

It was a few minutes later when Akira’s figure emerged from the woods. She stopped dead at her tracks halfway into the clearing. A look of confusion was visible on her face as she scanned the scene ahead of her. What the hell?

Kakashi watched as Akira stopped dead in her tracks and stiffened as she took in the scene in front of her. For a moment, their eyes met and almost instantly, the look of confusion was gone in her face replaced with outrage.

She shoved the two jonins on her either side then she was on the run back to the village. Her path was quickly blocked by more leaf shinobis assigned to keep the younger ninjas safe.

“Lady Akira, please.” Shinku Yuhi, Kurenai’s father, pleaded.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” She spatted back. Her eyes were full of rage. This isn’t where she’s supposed to be. She should be where the fighting is, not kept away from it. This isn’t what she’s been training for.

“We’re just followi-“ He wasn’t able to finish his sentence because Akira was on him. pinning him down with earth style.

Kakashi and the rest of the group inside the barrier couldn’t do anything but watch as Akira battled five jōnins at once. Their mouths hung wide open as they saw firsthand Akira’s proficiency in using the wood style. The group, excluding Kakashi, had never seen someone use wood style in person. Despite the common knowledge that Akira was a wood style user, she only uses it as a last resort knowing that it would only gain more unwanted attention in terms of her capabilities. She usually relies on other nature transformations as much as she can.

This was the first time for most of the people in the clearing see someone use wood style and handle it with such finesse and ease as well. They thought that her skills was on full display that night but Kakashi knew how much she was trying to hold back. He knew she would have defeated them if she wasn’t being as cautious as she is in making sure to not harm any of her comrades and if she wasn’t still recovering from her recent injuries.

Eventually, Akira was outnumbered by the seven jōnins who fought with her and they tackled her to the ground. Her cheek pressed on the dirt as they tied her hands behind her back and made sure she could not weave any more signs.

She could see her classmates staring at her in shock. They haven’t really seen her in action as she didn’t officially join any team after graduation. They had no idea what she can do. Or what I’ve done.

Once she was in the barrier Kurenai quickly untied the younger girl’s hand. Akira was still half a foot shorter than herself but she seemed so much older already.

Akira relentlessly pounded on the barrier. Her right hand was still bandaged but her hits did not falter.

“Listen, I know you have your orders but it doesn’t include me! I can help capture the nine tails with wood style! Don’t you understand that?!” She was practically screaming at her superiors standing only a fees feet away. She was trained to fight. To save the village. To not let anyone get hurt, to help the Hokage the best she can. That was what they drilled into her brain growing up. There was a reason she had all these abilities and she should use to help others. Being stuck inside a barrier wasn’t part of any plan.

“Lord Third specifically mentioned you, Akira.” Shinku replied. Akira was confused. She was the protector not the one who needed protecting. She would gladly lay her life for the billage but now, they’re asking her to sit back and watch the village burn just so she could remain safe?

“Akira, stop.” Kurenai was barely able to grab her arm mid-punch to keep it from colliding with the barrier once again.

“Damn it!” She gave the barrier once last hit and turned around. She didn’t saw it but the rest did as the barrier flickered and for a moment, a crack appeared from where punched the barrier.

Her abilities were one thing, her raw power were another.

“Just calm down, will you?” Kurenai was on Akira’s heels as she made her way to the back.

“Lord Third must have a reason of he wanted you here, Akira.” Gai chirped in attempt to help Kurenai calm the still seething Akira.

“Orders are orders, Akira. We can’t do anything about that.” Kakashi says. He wanted to fight as bad as she does. He knew Minato was out there fighting the kyūubi and having them in the field would be a great help for the village. Kakashi secretly hoped Akira could somehow break them out of this bubble so they could fulfill their duties instead of being forced to watch as the nine-tails burn their village just because they were not old enough.

“You know I don’t care about orders, Kakashi.”She snapped right back at him. She followed orders because it was the right thing to do, but unlike him, she had no problem on breaking it when push comes to shove.

Akira had already decided what she needed to do when Kurenai noticed. “No,no. Don’t even think about it.” Kurenai had grabbed Akira’s arm and gave her a stern look. She can’t do this.

“You can die.” Akira didn’t need any reminder. She was aware of the risks she as taking but she couldn’t care less about that right now. There were just some things that had to be done no matter what the consequences were.

“Only one way to know.” She said, already performing the hand signs for the jutsu. She’ll deal with the consequences for her action later, for now, she’ll do what she knows is right.

“Ghost Transformation Jutsu!” Akira’s body fell on the ground as her soul ascended. She was engulfed in a white glow as the others watched in awe. She didn’t waste any more time and disappeared in the sky like a shooting star to the direction of their village. She didn’t know if she can comeback to her body as she hadn’t mastered the jutsu yet and Inoichi had strongly discouraged in practicing without his guidance. She still haven’t got the right skill and the possibility of her being stuck in this form until her death was much greater than she would like to admit.

Kurenai watched as the girl’s body fell onto the ground as her soul left her body and into the night. She barely caught Akira’s head before her body collided on the soil. She was well-aware of the fact that Inoichi had barred Akira in practicing this jutsu without his guidance proving that the jutsu was more dangerous than what Akira could handle at the moment. It was no simple technique that could be undone in a matter of days. They were talking about life and death on this one.

The people outside the barrier were also alarmed of the what Akira had done. They were former comrades with her father, Dan, and they were well aware of the implications that came in using this jutsu. Even with Akira’s huge chakra reserves, she could still potentially ran out of it if she wasn’t careful of her actions.

They soon realized Akira was not being careful at all as blood soaked through her shirt and the land beneath her darkened from the massive amount of blood leaving her body.

No one knew what happened but a loud explosion was heard from where they were and the next thing they knew, Akira was just bleeding on the ground.

Kakashi was quick to react and firmly pressed his hands on Akira’s wounds on her midsection. There was just so much blood oozing out of her wound despite the pressure Kakashi was putting on. Kurenai was nearly in tears as she held the smaller girl’s head in her lap.

“It’s the jutsu.” Kurenai said when Kakashi’s clearly worried eye met hers. “Whatever happens to her soul also happens to her body.”

She was unconscious for two weeks. People wondered if another name was to be added in the already long list of the people who lost their lives that night.

What happened with her, the Third Hokage was the only one alive who knows.

Next Up: LOTS of Kakashi fluff.

Ask or Reblog for a tag!

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jacarandabanyan · 3 years

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📚for the fanfic plot ask thing!📚

Okay so- plot of one (of many) fanfic I haven't written (because to be honest, I don't have the skill to pull this off yet) but often daydream about:

I would love to write a This-Is-How-You-Loose-The-Time-War-inspired spy-vs-spy KisaIta fic. It would feature baby ANBU Itachi trying desperately to find a solution to the tensions brewing between his family and the village (massacre was still a few years off when he first joined ANBU, I believe). This eventually leads to him hunting down all reports/intelligence related to the night of the Kyuubi Attack and finding a few small scraps of information that hint at the existence of the Masked Man.

(He is a pre-teen, so he doesn't really *get* that finding a different scapegoat/"revealing the truth of what happened that night" probably isn't going to fix issues that are rooted in three generations of Village Policy and History, because he may be a genius at killing people but his education has not emphasized critical thinking)

He eventually tracks what little (extremely scant) evidence he has to Kiri, where he comes to believe the Masked Man is operating.

He gets himself sent on endless missions to the Land of Water in pursuit of his pet project, gaining himself a reputation in the process. There are no shortage of missions- the Land of Water is rapidly devolving into three different simultaneous civil wars, and resentment over the last Great Shinobi War lingers enough that Kiri and Konoha will likely never be friends in Itachi's lifetime.

(This is gonna get really long, so here's a read more)

At the same time, recently-made-ANBU Kisame has been mostly assigned to intelligence-related missions, as in canon. However, over the course of his first few months worth of missions, he comes to suspect that there's a leak in ANBU, and he sets about trying to find it and silence it. He slowly develops a reputation for ruthlessness even among ANBU, a cut above the normal Kiri ruthlessness, as he secretly works to get his fingers into every hidden nook, cranny, and conspiracy until he finds the disloyal one.

(And maybe he's projecting his issues/self-hatred related to killing other Kiri ninha just. a little bit. on this mysterious leaker. How dare this person sell out the Village? How dare they give out the information that gets other Kiri shinobi killed? It's easier to hate the faceless traitor than it is to hate himself. And at least he still *has* values. He killed the Few to protect the Whole.)

Over time, as the two develop their reputations, their respective villages start pitting them against each other in the field. Konoha has an unofficial policy of trying to off Seven Swordsmen hopefuls before they can get powerful enough to actually get a blade, and Kirigakure knows that the unstoppable Konoha operative is a Sharingan-user, and Obito-controlling-the-Mizukage is always down to take down his estranged family members.

Danzo is less eager to have Itachi take care of the Uchiha for good, not out of any particular maneuvering on Itachi's part, but because he also remembers the last Great Shinobi War, and how brutal Kirigakure was during it. He sees their ongoing civil strife and fears that one faction will eventually WIN and turn their attention on their neighbors. Itachi has made himself the best operative at getting into and out of Kirigakure- if he wants to interfere from the shadows and keep the civil strife going, he needs to keep Itachi in the field. (Don't worry, he finds other ways to be awful/keep the pressure on).

Itachi and Kisame are a good match-up. Itachi might be a natural genius with a fancy kekkei-genkai, but Kisame has way more experience than him. Also, unlike laser-focused Itachi, Kisame is actually keyed into the intelligence world, so he always has more information than Itachi.

They clash over and over again over several years, and slowly learn more and more about each other. They mature into seasoned ANBU operatives, have epiphanies about themselves and their villages. And slowly come to like each other.

Itachi has his sexual awakening when he sees Kisame rise up out of an ocean of blood, shirtless, effortlessly hoisting a struggling Jonin one-handed over his shoulder, big tooth-filled grin on his face.

They infiltrate each others' villages and insert themselves into each others' missions in disguise. Itachi genjutsus a Kiri team to think he's one of their teammates, whom Kisame secretly has orders to eliminate. He feels a surge of relief when the teammate he'd known since his Academy days dissolves into a murder of crows moments before his sword pierces their chest- his teammate is still dead, but at least this time they were killed by an enemy, not Kisame himself.

Kisame knows his mysterious counterpart is a Sharingan-user, so he infiltrates the Uchiha compound to tease out what the situation is with the clan in Konoha right now (and maybe see if he can figure out who his counterpart is).

While he's in the village, tracking kekkei-genkai users, he discovers Root and exposes it. This is both a huge win for Kiri Intelligence and put Danzo in a tricky situation, since he supposedly disbanded it.

Eventually Kisame figures out that some of the leaked information is making its way to Danzo, so he goes to kill Danzo and try and figure out who he's getting his information from. This is right around when Danzo's started making threatening noises towards the Uchiha again, since Root was just rediscovered (by foreign intelligence, no less!) and he needs to redirect attention off himself and onto the Uchiha. He's even considering the total elimination plan again- Itachi's work in the Land of Water is valuable, but not more valuable than consolidating control over the Village.

(Or perhaps he doesn't need Itachi for this- Shisui is also a talented ANBU operative, after all. Sasuke was originally supposed to be the spare Uchiha left alive in the village, so they wouldn't loose the precious Sharingan, but it's becoming increasingly clear that while he's good, he's not as good as Itachi. Why keep the subpar tool and throw away the masterwork?)

Itachi develops a humorous problem where he's leading three different fake lives, and is covering up with by genjutsu-wammying anyone who might notice anything suspicious in the timing of his long absences. He's infiltrated Mei's rebellion as a spy who needs to disappear a lot to go do spy stuff, while at the same time pretending to be an official in the Water Daimyo's court, while also posing as a regular Kiri Jounin.

His Regular Kiri Jounin act is so solid, they give him a genin team. One of the genin is related to the civilian official he's impersonating in the Daimyo's court, and she constantly comes to see him and tell him all about her sensei. On of the other genin on the team is related to a the Mizukage, and Mei orders him to kidnap that genin away from their sensei, which is also him, so that he can be used as leverage. The third genin turns out to be a secret kekkei-genkai user, and actually wants to be kidnapped away to the rebellion so that they won't have to live in fear of being discovered, and also because they hate the current government. This genin who wants to be kidnapped is constantly fighting with the genin he's actually supposed to kidnap, and whines that "Sensei, you're not supposed to play favorites! Why do they get to get kidnapped but I don't? They don't even want to get kidnapped!"

(Itachi the Regular Kiri Jounin, who is Unquestionably Loyal and Totally Not a Radical Who Would Join the Rebellion, ends up dating Kisame, whose identity as an ANBU is technically a secret. This relationship runs on willful ignorance.)

Kisame and Itachi would end up taking each others' places at some point to take down each others' mentors- Kisame walks right into Danzo's office looking like Itachi, and no one blinks when they sense the genjutsu because Itachi is always casting genjutsus. No one even realizes anything's wrong until Danzo's dead and "Itachi" is making his getaway.

Itachi would be approached by Fuguki at some point with an offer to sell information, and immediately realizes that this is Kisame's leak. He argues to Danzo's replacement that the value of Kiri's ANBU turning on each other is greater than the value of having someone willing to sell the occasional nugget of info. He has to work not to laugh behind his ANBU mask, because Konoha nin just don't get how down Kiri nin are to turn on each other at the drop of a hat. "Turning Kiri ANBU against each other" please, as if the Seven Swordsmen don't regularly train their own murderers. As if one of the fastest ways to gain cache isn't by offing your superiors. It's like Konoha Intelligence knows nothing.

He wins his case, and reveals what he knows to Kisame, who goes and kills Fuguki like he did in canon. Obito reveals himself, same as in canon, and Kisame immediately knows how he's going to pay Itachi back. He's still disillusioned with the Shinobi world like in canon, but he had his initial Pit of Despair moment years ago, when he figured out there was a leak in ANBU and that truly there were lies everywhere. He's learned how to compartmentalize since then.

He pretends to join Obito so that he can feed Itachi information. Together they take down Obito, revealing his crimes to both Kiri and Konoha.

It should be over then- Kisame found the leak, Itachi cleared his family's name- but it's been around a decade at this point. Both of them have played so many roles as spies that they don't know how to go back to who they were before.

Itachi's almost spent more of his life in the Land of Water than in the Land of Fire at this point, and he certainly knows more people there than in the Land of Fire. He's passed his twentieth birthday by now, and he's no longer a pre-teen with no concept of the world and his place in it outside of Konoha Propaganda/Brainwashing. He doesn't know how to relate to Sasuke's fierce, uncomplicated desire to grow up to be the best Shinobi, because how can he think that's a good thing at this point?

Meanwhile, Kisame still kind of hoped that killing the liars/traitors who had sent so many Kiri-nin to their deaths would make him feel better about all the comrade-killing, but it doesn't. He can't seem to reconcile his absolute loyalty to the Village and its ideals with his disgust at everything they do.

For a brief while, he and Itachi join Mei's rebellion for realsies (Itachi still as one of his undercover roles) and help her topple the Bloody Mist government and install a new one, but it's not enough. What she's proposing is still a Ninja Village. It's better than what there was before, but that's not really a ringing endorsement.

Itachi's the first one to decide to walk away. He lets Kisame "kill" him on a random mission in a way that doesn't lend itself to a body being returned or retrieved, then settles down and builds himself a life as a secret kekkei-genkai child who grew up hidden like Mei, but never learned to be a proper shinobi. He spends his days at a quiet house outside Kiri proper gardening and making jam by the side of a lake Kisame made during one of his fights with Itachi. There's a ghost town near the lake, emptied during the Civil War years. He develops a reputation as a ghost.

Kisame walks away not long after. He can't really leave, of course- unlike Itachi, he has no desire to settle down in a foreign country, and too many people know him here- but he does step away from active duty. He "kills" Itachi The Regular Kiri Jounin-Sensei and takes his genin team for himself. The kids know something's up because their Sensei still visits them sometimes, though he half-heartedly tries to convince them he's a ghost. They help spread the story about the ghost living by the lake anyway, just in case anyone starts investigating.

Kisame quietly moves out of his shitty Kiri apartment to join Itachi by the lake. Some of the seven swordsmen do come investigating then, but when they discover that Kisame's just moving in with his squeeze who he really sexily fake-murdered, they decide not to do anything about it. Besides, they like Itachi and don't want to have to write up a report about how dangerous it is to Kiri security that he lounges around a lake all day, drawing birds and cooking elaborate meals in an attempt to blend the comfort food of his youth with the produce and spices native to Kiri that are honestly more familiar to him at this point than the ones that grow in the Land of Fire.

Itachi sometimes goes and visits Sasuke and Shisui back in Konoha, but mostly he hangs out in his new home and lives out his soft, domestic, non-violent dreams with Kisame and his cute little genin. It's a sappy ending.

#naruto #fanfiction #kisaita #kisame #itachi #This is totally different from my other Kisaita Spy AU because in that one only Itachi is the spy

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msleviathan · 3 years

Text

Skyfall - Kasari Hatake (Kakashi's Daughter)

(Prologue) Scroll 1 - The Girl with the Arrow-Shaped Marks

The smell of blood was strong in the air. A massacre occurred. She had heard rumors about Kakashi Hatake, but no way he could've done that. That slaughter. Her name was Sayuri Megami. She was the Hokage's guardian, it was her clan's duty to protect the Hokage.

She had found him in a pool of blood, hyperventilating. She easily knocked him out, so she wouldn't have to deal with him. All around her were butchered hidden mist shinobi and a girl with short brown hair, and purple marks on her face, who must've been Kakashi's teammate. The view gave her chills as she was thinking about how a boy her age could've done this. Yet again, Sayuri has done the same thing, since they were at war.

After her little thought session, she got back to her mission. Sayuri wrote a note on a small piece of paper and let out a whistle from her lips. A few seconds later a small blackbird came into view and landed on her forearm. She attached the note to the bird's leg and sent it off. This bird's job was to find a collector ninja to come and retrieve the girl's body, as mentioned in the note. Sayuri pulled the body to a safe location and covered it with a sheet. She used the cold blood from the ground to draw a symbol for the collector ninjas to know which body they are supposed to collect. Each village valued their dead and wished to have their fallen warriors in a grave so they can rest in peace.

Sayuri went back to the still unconscious boy and checked if he had any injuries that she could heal, but didn't find any. She lifts him up on her back so she can carry him back to the village. Before she began to hop back to the village, she quickly scanned her surroundings for chakra signatures that could possibly give her trouble. Sayuri did find some signatures, but they were too far away to give her any trouble. From this reassurance, she began to hop from tree to tree towards the Hidden Leaf.

The chill of the cold wind of the night was coating her skin as she hopped around, trying to dodge any chakra signatures. It had been quite a peaceful trip back to her hometown. She passed a wonderful waterfall she wished she could've stopped by. Went through a flower forest, which had an abundance of herbs she could've used. Pass a bright and lovely town that had a hot spring she was aching to use, but she must complete the mission first. Sayuri did see some cold unclaimed bodies in a river, which gave her a painful reminder of the current war claiming the hundreds of lives of shinobi and the innocent. Her thoughts put her in a gloomy mood as she remembered her mother had died in the previous great war, protecting the Third Hokage.

The shift of the forgotten weight on her back brought her out of her thoughts. Kakashi was waking up. "Great, we were almost at the village," Sayuri thought sarcastically. Kakashi began to panic as he didn't know where he was. He pushed himself off her back, thinking she was an enemy. Kakashi tumbled down to the forest floor, landing hard. The boy now had scratches all over his arms and face from the branches he hit. His foot broke his landing which was now hurt badly. Concerned, Sayuri quickly came to his side. Kakashi was terrified as a light started to come towards him. He took out a kunai to fend himself from the light, but he soon realized he was with a girl with a hidden leaf headband.

"Calm down, Kakashi. I'm not going to hurt you." Kakashi couldn't take his eyes off her. Not because of her beauty, but because of the glowing arrow-shaped marks under her eyes. He's never seen something like that and was wondering if it was some type of Jutsu.

"I guess we should make a camp here for the night, and we should head back to the village in the morning." She stood up and he scooted back from her. She just sighed from his action.

"I'm going to get firewood, don't move," she gave him a stern face and left. As she was looking she made sure to sense his chakra to see if he tried to move. It's not like he could run from the injury he got from that fall.

It was quite dark and she couldn't see much from what little light the stars provided, but luckily the light from the marks on her face provide enough light for her to see.

She felt Kakashi try to stand up. "Kakashi! What did I tell you!" this scared him because he couldn't tell where her voice was coming from due to the echo of the forest. He just stayed put because he couldn't run.

She did manage to find some dry wood which was perfect to burn, now she started to head back to Kakashi. Kakashi was on alert once she was back. Sayuri began to dig a hole to put the firewood in. She collected some stones and put them around the hole. She used a simple fire-style Jutsu to bring her little creation to life. Once the warm glow from the fire came to life, Kakashi was finally able to see her features. The girl across him had pale skin, shimmering black hair, and those damn glowing marks on her face. But what really captured him was her wine-colored eyes that seemed to have some type of history and fury behind them. She caught him staring at him and Sayuri just stared back looking at his features as well. His grey gravity-defying hair, charcoal-black eye, the scar on his Sharingan eye, and peach white skin.

A squeak from the trees broke their trance. There was a squirrel, so Sayuri took this opportunity to take out a kunai and throw it at the poor creature. It landed right on its heart. Sayuri climbed the rough tree bark to get it. Once she was back with Kakashi, she set it down and headed towards the boy. She forcibly took his foot and began healing it. Kakashi just watched the glowing chakra from her hands, which made him forget what he saw earlier.

"Who are you and why am I here?" she looked at him, debating whether to answer his question. The Hokage told her not to tell anyone about herself for her own protection, but she knew Kakashi wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't tell him anything.

"My name is Sayuri Megami. I work directly for the Hokage. I was sent on a mission to retrieve you and take you back to the village." she responded. Silence fell over them. He still had so many questions but didn't know in what order to ask them.

"What happened earlier with the mist shinobi?" Sayuri asked, but he turned away from her, not wanting to respond. She understood and stood up since she was done healing him. She walked back to the dead squirrel. She took out a kunai and began to skin it. "Where's Rin?" Kakashi spoke up. "A collector ninja should have her body by now." A collector ninja, that must mean she really is dead, Kakashi thought. Kakashi then wrapped his arms around his legs and placed his chin on his knees. Sayuri noticed the heartbreaking look that fell over him.

"You know she used to be my friend." He looked over at her from her sudden outburst. "We have all lost people we care about. Those of us who are still alive need to fight for freedom for future generations to enjoy. For now, we just need to keep on fighting." Kakashi appreciated her passion for peace.

"Why haven't I seen you around the village?" Kakashi asked. Surely with those glowing marks on her face, he would've remembered her from somewhere. Especially since she's a kunoichi.

"Like I said I work directly with the Hokage, meaning I always have to be with him to protect him. So I have to live in the Hokage mansion. And since the Hokage's mansion has everything I need, I don't go out much. Plus, the Hokage is always sending me out on missions, so it's not like I have the time." Kakashi simply hummed to her response and shot her with another question.

"Who are the Megami?" She froze from skinning the squirrel. She didn't know how to respond. She knew that she wasn't originally from the Megami clan. She was born into a different clan, like her mother. But her mother left said clan shortly before she died, so their last name was changed to her grandmother's clan name, Megami. The signature mark of the Megami Clan was the arrow-shaped mark underneath the eyes. Another problem is that she's the one left from her clan and she knew that Kakashi was the last one from the Hatake clan. The last thing she wanted was to form some kind of connection with him. She also didn't know much about her clan, since she was forced to change her name not that long ago. She only knew some aspects of the clan and herself from the Hokage. She was so lost in thought, she simply said the first thing that came out.

"I don't know really . . . I'm the only one left." She mentality scolded herself for doing what she told herself not to do. She wanted to change the topic. "Why'd you ask?" she said.

"Well, every village has its own clans and they are well known to everyone in their village. But I've never heard of the Megami, so I was just curious, that's all." Kakashi said.

"Well don't expect to hear about them very often. The Hokage makes sure my existence is a secret, so you better keep your mouth shut, Hatake." Kakashi just muttered a fine and looked away from her, not wanting to talk anymore. She was done skinning the creature and was now on a stick over the fire.

Truthfully, she never had many friends because of who she was. Sayuri only knew of Rin because of her few weeks at the academy. Once she graduated, which was much earlier than Rin, she was only allowed to hang out with Rin if there were ANBU watching her, because of her mother's and the Hokage's orders. After a while, she stopped being with Rin because she felt so uncomfortable with the ANBU watching her like a hawk. She hoped Rin still remembered her, but she doubted it. A depressed feeling came over her thinking about how she lost one of the only friends she ever had. She glanced over at Kakashi for a second, knowing how he must be feeling right at the moment. He lost everyone in his team, Rin and Obito. And by the way, Rin and Kakashi were positioned when Sayuri found them, Kakashi was possibly the one who killed Rin. Being the Hokage's guardian requires her to know a lot of information about the high-ranking shinobi in the village, meaning she knows Kakashi's life and struggles. Maybe being friends with him might be a good thing for both of them.

The smell of roasted squirrel brought her out of her thoughts, so she quickly grabbed it before it burned. Once it cooled down, she took two legs of the squirrel and ripped it half through the center. She handed one half to Kakashi and he took it.

"You know we have food packs," Kakashi said questioning why she killed and roasted a squirrel.

"Do you really want to eat those disgusting dry food packs over roasted meat?" He stayed quiet. "That's what I thought."

After a while of eating in silence, Sayuri asked the boy if he wanted to go to the village after they were done eating or in the morning.

"Well if we wait and leave the fire burning all night, someone might find us, so let's go now," he responded.

"Are you sure? Are you able to run?" Kakashi stood up and walked around, testing out his foot. He confirmed he'd be able to run back to the village.

"Alright let's put out this fire and get going." With that, they got rid of their tracks and began to make their way back to Konoha.

#naruto #kakashi fanfiction #kakashi hatake #Kakashi's daughter #minato namizake #kushina naruto #uchiha #naruto fanfiction

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itachi-uchiha-deserved-better · 3 years

Text

There were seven of them gathered in the tent that was serving as the temporary council chamber while the leaf village was being rebuilt. Kakashi sat at the head of the circular table, looking uncomfortable in the position of authority that had been thrust upon him in Tsunade’s absence. Next to Kakashi on his left was Shikaku Nara, with Shikamaru seated next to his father. On Kakashi’s right side sat Gai, Yamato, Naruto and then finally there was Sakura, sitting opposite Kakashi, wondering when in the hell she had become important enough to warrant an explicit invitation to a council meeting.

The elders, Sakura noted, were not in attendance. Kakashi had placed both of them under guard since Danzo’s treachery at the five Kage summit came to light. It didn’t really come as much of a surprise to Sakura that the Jonin of the village were hesitant to trust them with matters of importance.

Kakashi fiddled with his pen, as he seemed to search for the best way to approach whatever it was that was important enough for him to call a council meeting in the first place. He kept shooting Yamato glances, which Yamato always answered with a quirked eyebrow or a shake of the head, like there was a silent discussion going on between them. Sakura watched the exchange with fascination as she doodled on the note pad in front of her.

“Fine.” Kakashi growled, ending whatever argument he and Yamato were apparently having, “I guess we ought to just get on with it.” He took a breath, put the pen down very carefully, so that it was sitting perfectly straight in front of him. He swept his gaze around the room, locking eyes with each person who sat at the table in turn.

“You know I’m not the type to do things as officially as they should be done. Were it not for the delicate nature of this matter, I’d have left it for Tsunade to deal with when she recovers. Unfortunately, this is a matter that won’t wait until our Hokage is back on her feet.”

The air in the room seemed to grow still and heavy with tension. Everyone seemed to pick up on the carefully chosen words Kakashi used. Our Hokage. Not him. He had no desire to lead them. When Tsunade wakes up. Because none of them wanted to consider the other outcome.

“As you know, Yamato and I were present for the majority of the 5 Kage summit. I believe everyone here has read our reports regarding the proceedings of the summit and Danzo’s attempt at treason. That is not what we are here to discuss. This meeting is in regards to what happened before our arrival at the summit location. About information intentionally withheld from the official reports.”

Sakura observed the room. A large part of her medical training had focused on sharpening her observational skills. Teaching her to pick up on subtle changes around her, so that she can make decisions with the most information possible. So her keen gaze immediately picks up on the way that Shikaku straightened up in his chair as Kakashi admits to withholding information from the official documentation of their mission. She notes how Shikamaru’s gaze snaps to Naruto’s face, then to hers, trying to read the situation the same way that she was. She can almost visualize tangible waves of tension rolling off of Yamato and the worried look that Gai is giving her Sensei. It seemed that he had at least some inkling of what was going on.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure that this information should be shared with anyone. The source is questionable, but Yamato and I agree that given the potential ramifications for the village if the information we’ve been given is accurate, that at least the people in this room need to be aware of it.”

More glances shot around the table. Naruto at Sakura. Sakura at Yamato. Yamato and Gai at Kakashi. Shikaku and Shikamaru at all of them. The silence in the room swelled until Shikaku quietly prompted Kakashi, “please continue.”

“Itachi Uchiha.”

The name sent a shockwave through the room. White hot anger flared in Sakura. Itachi. Sasuke’s older brother. The shinobi who had murdered his entire clan in cold blood, who had tried to kidnap Naruto, who was directly involved with the organization that had killed Gaara, that had destroyed Konoha and caused so much pain to the person that she loved. Even if he didn’t love her back, Sakura could never forgive Itachi for the pain he inflicted on Sasuke.

Naruto was shrinking in his seat, like the name was a heavy weight descending on his shoulders. Shikaku and Shikamaru were both now sitting straight backed in their seats, giving Kakashi their undivided attention. Only Yamato and Gai remained impassive.

“What about the Uchiha?” Shikaku asked as the impact of the name started to settle.

“It seems that there is much more to Itachi’s actions than the village was initially lead to believe. Our information indicates that Itachi held no grudge against his clan. That his crimes, while heinous, were carried out under direct order from village leaders.”

Shikamaru laughed, the sound breaking through the tension like a paper bomb exploding in Sakura’s ears, “You must be joking. You can’t honestly believe that Lord Third would have allowed-“

Shikaku grabbed Shikamaru’s arm, and shooting him a sharp look to silence him.

Kakashi sighed, “I understand your skepticism. Like I said, Yamato and I don’t trust the source of our information, but given Danzo’s treachery and how long that was allowed to go on unnoticed, I don’t think we can dismiss anything outright. By the same token, none of this is to leave this tent. Until we are able to verify or disprove the claim, I want to keep this thing quiet.”

Shikamaru huffed, but Shikaku nodded thoughtfully, “Kakashi, you were his Anbu captain at one point. You probably know the most about Itachi of anyone present. Do you believe it’s possible that he was manipulated into massacring his clansmen?”

Sakura expected Kakashi to answer immediately. The entire thought of the village ordering a man to kill his entire clan was ludicrous.

Wasn’t it?

But Kakashi didn’t answer. One minute passed in silence and still Kakashi was sitting there, glaring down at his pen, unable to answer Shikaku’s question. It was Yamato who eventually spoke up.

“I served alongside Itachi on team Ro. Speaking frankly, I could never wrap my head around it. The Itachi I knew wasn’t capable of harboring that much hatred. Even with the proof right in front of our eyes, I couldn’t make sense of it.”

Sakura breathed in a sharp breath of surprise. Neither Kakashi or Yamato ever really spoke about their Anbu days, so she had been completely ignorant of the fact that they’d both been on a team with Itachi, much less been friends with him.

Did Sasuke know?

Kakashi nodded his head, “I agree with Yamato, Itachi Uchiha’s actions never made sense to me. I accepted that I must have missed the signs back then and once everything was said and done, I tried my best not to think about it. About him. He was my teammate, and I had failed him. But if this is true, then I failed him even worse than I ever could have believed.” Kakashi hung his head and Sakura could see how much this pained him. She could only imagine what he felt, having this ghost of his past being dragged back up to the surface, especially after so much recent pain and loss.

“Regardless of my and Yamato’s personal feelings about the man, there are other factors which lead us to believe that at least parts of the information we were given are true. Danzo did possess a number of Sharingan, including an eye that we can confirm belonged to Shisui Uchiha, who supposedly committed suicide by the Naka. Itachi was, at the time, suspected of murdering his cousin.”

Another pause, as Kakashi allowed the information to sink in. Shikaku was nodding his head in recognition of the name. Shikamaru was studying his father closely. Sakura could hear Naruto grinding his teeth in frustration.

“Alright,” Shikaku tapped his finger on the table, “Lets have it then. The whole story.”

Kakashi obliged, and slowly the story came out, with Yamato jumping in when it seemed that Kakashi was struggling to find the right words. About the plan for a coup d'etat that had been brewing within the Uchiha clan. The orders to spy on the Uchiha, to monitor them for signs of rebellion. Itachi’s assignment to team Ro, and his early promotion to captain under Danzo. About the death of a man named Shisui, who according to this had thrown himself off a cliff only after Danzo had stolen one of his eyes. The coup coming to a head, and Hiruzen asking Itachi to buy time to find a better solution than annihilation, and Itachi being approached later by Danzo, with a promise- that Itachi could ensure his little brother’s survival if he singlehandedly stopped the coup. The implication that if Itachi refused, Danzo would ensure the clan’s destruction, Sasuke and Itachi included.

The clan’s lives for Sasuke’s life. That was the deal that was put forth. And Itachi had accepted.

But it was the final bit of the story that chilled Sakura to her core.

“Hiruzen was aware of Itachi’s orders. While he may not have issued them himself, if our source is to be believed, he also made no effort to intervene. Its true that the Uchiha massacre solved the problem of the coup d'etat once and for all. But the only way it ended without anyone losing faith in Hiruzen was for Itachi to shoulder the blame. If he’d remained in the leaf village, Hiruzen would have been forced to punish him for the massacre. So instead, Hiruzen let Itachi leave the village, left the barrier jutsu formula intact so that Itachi could come and go as long as he remained hidden, and Itachi decided to join the Akatsuki. Not as a missing-nin, but as Konoha’s spy.”

Shikaku hummed, nodding his head, “I never was able to come up with a good reason why Hiruzen left the barrier jutsu formula alone. I assumed he believed that Itachi must not have any more reason to target the leaf, but even then when word came that Itachi had joined the Akatsuki, he ought to have changed it.”

“Right,” Kakashi was rubbing at his temple, probably fighting off a headache. He’d had a number of those since his brush with death at the hands of Pein.

“There are piece that add up. The barrier formula. The fact that the leaf village always had more intelligence on the Akatsuki and their movements than the other villages did. Danzo’s possession of the Uchiha eyes, Shisui’s eye especially. But there are also pieces I cant explain. Like why that bastard locked me in a seventy two hour genjutsu that almost killed me. And the only person who could confirm any of this, as far as I know, has been dead for three years.”

Gai said something in response to that, but Sakura had stopped listening, their voices fading to the background as something started to click in her head.

Konoha’s spy.

Had to stay hidden.

Could come and go as he pleased.

Her mind was spinning. Recalling strange orders issued by Tsunade. Treating a shinobi outside the hospital. Not allowed to use her healing chakra at all, only basic medical skills. The threat of being stripped of her rank as a shinobi if she disobeyed. A strange Anbu who never spoke. Who suppressed his chakra at all times. Who had eerily familiar eyes that always seemed to be filled with something she could never hope to understand.

“Sakura? Sakura are you alright?” Naruto’s hand was on her shoulder, shaking her gently. Tenzo and Kakashi were both watching her with concern, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The name. Recognition like a bolt of lightning struck her and Sakura stood up so quickly that she sent her chair flying back with a crash.

She felt like she was going to explode. Every eye in the tent was on her, waiting for some kind of explanation for her sudden reaction. How on earth could she not have put it together earlier? Then again, she’d never been given any reason to suspect that Ghost, the strange anbu operative in the blank mask was Sasuke’s older brother.

Tsunade. Tsunade must have known. Her orders were to protect Ghost’s identity, because if Sakura had felt his chakra, even for an instant, she would have recognized the similarities to Sasuke’s, and there was only one other Uchiha left in the world. So many thoughts were crashing around inside Sakura’s mind. Anger. Anger at Ghost…Itachi…for lying to her, even if he had no other choice. It wasn’t like she would have ever helped him before if she knew who he was. She’d have been the first person to turn him in, no matter how much kindness he’d shown her. Anger at Tsunade, for allowing the farce to continue, despite knowing that Itachi had made the only choice he could have. Anger that Hiruzen, for failing to intervene and stop all the pain that the massacre caused. For Sasuke, and for Itachi.

Her eyes met Kakashi’s steady gaze. Her sensei, always so adept at reading what troubled her, waited patiently for her mouth to catch up to her mind.

“You knew?”

“No.” Not a lie. She hadn’t known, “But I’m pretty sure this is the truth. I…” gods above how did she even begin to explain it all? To explain about Ghost, his strange behavior, the bizarre connection they shared.

Tenzo was her saving grace. He seemed to have put some of the pieces together himself.

“The Anbu? The one you told me about?”

Sakura nodded and sank back down into her chair, hugging her arms into herself. The eyes of the group moved off of Sakura, looking to Tenzo for more information.

“Earlier this year, Sakura confided in me about a patient of hers. She wanted to know if I was aware of an Anbu agent whose mask was blank, no markings at all. She told me that Tsunade had asked her to treat him and that the arrangement came with some unusual orders which had her uncomfortable.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, “Are you referring to-“ Kakashi cut off, but Tenzo nodded, clearly understanding the question. Shikamaru grumbled.

“Care to explain for those of us who can’t read your mind?”

“Ghost,” Tenzo shot back, “It’s a…well for lack of better terms, it’s a ghost story that exists among the Anbu. A few years back a few genin claimed they were saved by an Anbu agent in a blank white mask, who slaughtered the enemy shinobi who were attacking them and then disappeared without a trace. No one believed them, but since then all kinds of stories about the faceless mask have popped up. Most of them are incredibly far fetched, but there are elements that remain consistent throughout. Black hair. Always alone. Never leaves any survivors except for leaf shinobi. Only fights with Kunai and a tanto, never jutsu. At least, none that anyone ever sees. I didn’t think anything of it, but when Sakura mentioned her patient to me, I did some digging. There is a file for an Anbu agent, codename Ghost, but there’s no serial number on the file, and everything in it was encoded.”

Kakashi sighed, “It’s not proof, but that seems pretty damning.” Apparently Kakashi didn’t have any better explanation that Sakura did.

“In that case, there are a few things to address. First and foremost, it is very likely that Sasuke has also been made aware of the fact that his brother acted under orders. I don’t think he knows about Itachi’s identity as an Anbu operative, but we need to be prepared because I’m not sure what kind of effect this information will have on him. The last I knew, Sasuke’s sole focus was on killing his brother for revenge. It’s quite possible that his desire for revenge will shift to target the village, or at least those he feels most responsible for Itachi’s actions.”

Everyone in the tent nodded their agreement.

“The second question is one of what to do about Itachi himself.”

This time no one nodded. It was a momentous question.

“Are you sure we need to do anything at all?” Shikaku asked, trying to be as gentle with the question as possible. Tenzo slammed his hand down on the table and looked like he wanted to throw himself at Shikaku.

“Of course we have to do something! He’s a leaf shinobi! He’s put his life in danger for the past nine years, alone, hated by everyone in order to protect the village. He deserves to know that he isn’t being held responsible for being forced to make an impossible choice when he was thirteen fucking years old!”

“Easy, Tenzo,” Kakashi seemed to be doing his best to keep his tone level, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him while they sorted things out, “You know that I want to see him again as much as you do, as a friend. But we need to consider what’s best for the village. At the least, I don’t think we need to come to a decision right now. Our first priority is to rebuild the village itself. When Tsunade wakes up, I’m sure she’ll have something to say on the matter.”

Sakura clenched her fist and felt her chakra start flowing into them out of instinct. You better believe that she’ll have something to say. I’ll make sure of it.

She pushed herself up from the table. She needed to hit something. Needed to break something. And if she didn’t leave now, she couldn’t be sure what exactly it was she was going to break. Better safe than sorry.

“Sakura? Going somewhere?”

“For a walk,” She hissed, daring anyone to try and stop her as she stormed out of the tent.

#Hey look guys #I found some muse #When did I start writing Sakura?#Actually I do like writing her POV #Ghost AU #Itachi #Itachi's secret is out!#Not sure if this will be divergent from my Ghost in the Leave Fic or if I'll include this as a chapter

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absolutelyinvinciblebritishgent · 4 years

Text

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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kayparker20 · 3 years

Text

To Honor Sensei Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - A Visit and Some Advice

FFN | AO3

Naruto screamed and wailed. It was three in the morning, what could possibly be wrong? Kakashi hopped out of bed and ran over to the crib and easily picked up Naruto and cradled him in his arms.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you…” Kakashi cooed softly. He went back to sit on his bed. He gently rocked himself back and forth like Kurenai had guided him to do.

Kakashi seemed to have gained a never ending headache ever since he adopted Naruto. Sometimes he wondered how parents dealt with this so… Easily. He knew just as well as anyone that all babies cried. In fact, Naruto wasn’t the only baby in town. There was a whole new generation. Every clan had a baby and they were all around the same age, give or take a couple of months now.

He remembered a few weeks ago now, he had asked the Third what Naruto’s last name would be. Namikaze or Uzumaki? Hatake…? Kakashi frowned when one of his friends suggested that he never wanted to take credit for that. Names were important, and Naruto was not of the Hatake clan, and he never wanted to burden the shame he lived with to Naruto. They had decided that Uzumaki would have been the best bet, for his safety, and to keep the knowledge that he was Minato's son secret.

He thought Naruto Uzumaki had a nice ring to it, he supposed. At least he actually was from that clan, right?

Naruto’s cries had finally stopped, but he was beginning to realize a pattern that if he put him back in the crib at this point, he would just start again.

The teen laid back on his bed against his pillows and cradled Naruto in one arm against his side. He picked his book back, unfortunately it was a parenting help book, not a novel.

He continued reading it, finding that babies require physical comfort and affection often.

Maybe that’s why he cries so much, because I only hold him when it is necessary…

He set the book down and curled on his side and held Naruto close, before falling asleep himself. This time, he didn’t get woken up until morning.

A thudding sounded on his door that roused him instantly. No one ever showed up at his apartment besides Kurenai, and that was only recently to help him with Naruto. He made sure Naruto was secure in the middle of his mattress, laying a pillow on either side of him.

He went over to the door and opened it. “You’re definitely not Kuren-” His eyes widened in surprise.

A man who was twice his size stood in his doorway and his long, white, uneven hair pulled back in a ponytail that went down his back. He looked so much like Kakashi’s father.

He knew he had seen this man before, the red markings down his face were so distinct, but he couldn’t place him at first.

“Yeah, you’re the ANBU kid that Minato trained, that for sure!” The man said cheerily and smiled.

Then his eyes widened as he remembered. “Jiraiya-sensei…?”

“That’s me!” He chuckled. “I wondered if you would have remembered me or not, it’s been awhile.”

Kakashi nodded. “I do now. The Hokage said you’d be here soon a couple weeks ago.”

Jiraiya nodded before his smile faded. “I tried to be here for the funeral, but…”

Kakashi shook his head. “Please, don’t…” The copy nin ground his jaw together. “I don’t want to talk about funerals…” He turned into the apartment to hide the tears trying to form. “You can come in, Naruto is over here.”

He walked over and changed the infant’s diaper, unphased by the process now as he had done it so many times at this point. He cleaned Naruto up before redressing him in clothes he had tailored, bearing the Uzumaki emblems.

Jiraiya nodded softly and followed.

He watched as Kakashi gently lifted the infant, about four months old now, into his arms so carefully. He couldn’t believe someone so young had been willing to take care of an infant, even more shocking to see the kid give up ANBU for it.

He watched how caring he looked at Naruto, how much love he held for the little boy. He silently wondered if Naruto is what kept him from becoming jaded and cold. He knew what the kid had been through. Ninja often had tragic lives, but not one quite as tragic as his for as young he still was.

“There’s something calming about children, isn’t there?”

Kakashi scoffed lightly. “Maybe when they aren’t wailing at ungodly hours of the night.” He gave a pointed look at Naruto. “Kurenai got me all these books to read, and one of them said last night that babies need physical comfort.”

Jiraiya’s heart felt for the boy as he watched the insecurity build up in his expression. “Kakashi, it’s not anything special or to stress about. They just want to be held.”

He walked over and gently took Naruto from him. “How are you making money right now?”

Kakashi shrugged. “The Third is giving me a small sum to care for him. I can’t go on missions anymore because…”

I don’t have family to watch him…

“I know, don’t pain yourself, kid.” Jiraiya said softly as he stared at Naruto. “He’s a spitting image of Minato…”

Kakashi nodded. “I… thought that I’d be able to ask people to watch over him but…” An angry flare flashed in the boy's eyes. “The villagers are terrified of him. They steer clear of me and my friends whenever we come around. Even the traders give him odd looks…”

“I see…” Jiraiya frowned.

“They call him a demon…” Kakashi said, the anger clear in his voice now.

“People fear what they don’t understand…”

Kakashi nodded. “My friend’s have helped here and there, and that’s when the hokage started the sum. I had lots of money put back, but…”

“Children are expensive, you don’t have to tell me. You don’t know her, but one of my teammates took care of her little brother, and she always spent her money on him.”

Jiraiya watched the boy as he moved around the apartment, going to the kitchen and preparing a bottle. He walked it over to Jiraiya. “If he doesn’t eat soon, he may start that incessant sobbing again…”

Jiraiya nodded. “I’m here for a short time. I wanted to ensure the child was safe, and meet him. You’re very brave to take on his care, and Minato would be so proud of you…” Jiraiya ruffled the boy’s head before handing him back to the infant. “Whatever money comes from my books, will be sent to you from now on.”

Jiraiya went to the door, but looked back at them once more. “If you need help watching him down the road, I would suggest asking people who are in the clans. They may still fear him, but they have an obligation to keep clans within the village safe, and maybe someone should remind them that includes the Uzumaki, and the son of our beloved Fourth Hokage.” He smirked softly. “Learn to use your advantages to your will, and not just in battle. You’d make a good intimidating big brother.”

And then he walked out of Kakashi’s apartment.

He sat at the table in his kitchen as he bottle fed Naruto.

The young infant ate silently. His eyes were wide with wonder. Kakashi wondered if the child had been excited to see a new face. He usually only ever saw himself, or his few friends and the hokage.

“I hope Minato-sensei and Kushina think I’m doing a good job…” Kakashi mumbled softly before taking the now-empty bottle from the boy’s mouth.

He proceeded to burp Naruto after grabbing one of the cloths Kurenai brought over, explaining he should wear it over his shoulder in the case he threw up.

The whole idea grossed Kakashi out, but he’d rather have to clean a towel rather than himself. He also supposed there were worse thing he could be covered in…

As if on cue he heard it before it even came out of Naruto’s mouth.

“Gross…” Kakashi sighed before grabbing a wipe and cleaning his face, walking him over to the crib and laying him down in there.

His nose twitched from the smell of vomit and he went to the bathroom to rinse off the cloth with hot water before throwing it in the bin of dirty clothes.

Big brother…

The words Jiraiya had said came back to him once more. He constantly thought of how he should explain what he was to Naruto when he got older. It wouldn’t make sense to act like some random kid took him in. He had planned to tell Naruto all about how the Fourth Hokage was his sensei and how great he was, but he couldn’t tell him that Naruto was his son, so where did he come in?

He realized he had already seen Naruto as family, because he was Minato-sensei's son. And him and Kushina really did treat them as if his squad were their kids on some occasions…

All the memories that flooded back then made his heart ache.

He missed so many things, like Kushina cooking breakfast or dinner, sometimes both, for the whole squad. Sometimes even just himself, because he had no one else. It seemed very possible that if they had all lived, Naruto would have been raised to think of them elder siblings, and they certainly would have treated him that way.

Especially Rin…

Kakashi sighed before going back to the crib. “How’s a walk sound, Naruto? Maybe we’ll see the third again.”

He quickly and now efficiently dressed Naruto for the cold outside, being mid January. They had very mild winters here, being such a warm part of the world. It’s not like they weren’t called Fire Country for a reason.

He packed up his blankets and held Naruto in one arm, the stroller in the other. He lazily strolled out of their home and onto the sidewalk, setting the stroller down. He arranged Naruto in it and made sure he was covered properly. He then pushed the stroller along after handing Naruto one of the many teethers he had found.

He liked this one in particular because it was shaped like a shuriken. However, when Guy brought it to him, he was concerned he would teach Naruto that you could chew on the real weapons. Kurenai assured him he could explain the difference later.

It was comical to Kakashi to watch the baby chewing on a plastic ninja star. He sometimes wondered if he had similar things when he was child.

He thought about how Naruto should grow up with friends. He really wanted him to have people in his life. Even if it were just a select few, like how he had Kurenai, Guy and Asuma.

The Akimichi clan were always kind. He hadn’t noticed Choza giving any odd looks, and he used to be Guy’s sensei.

He smiled before heading in the direction of the Akimichi compound. He knocked softly on the door. It wasn’t long before Choza answered.

“Kakashi..? Now that’s quite the surprise. Are you and Guy still rivalling?” He chuckled softly.

“He tries.” Kakashi said plainly. He scratched the back of his head. “I uh… I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you? I-If it’s not too much trouble…”

Choza gazed down at Kakashi a moment, seeing something different in him than before. He glanced over at the infant in the stroller beside Kakashi, a smile grazing his lips. “Wow… He looks so much like him.”

“Huh…?” Kakashi followed his gaze before realizing that Choza was gazing at Naruto. He gave an eye crease. “Oh, yes. He takes after Minato-sensei… A lot.”

Kakashi realized he never asked anyone for anything, and suddenly felt stupid. He just randomly appeared on a ninja’s door he barely spoke to in his life. This looks so… Pathetic. And who's to say he doesn’t feel the same? What if Choza feels the same contempt towards Naruto as everyone else.

Then he felt even more stupid as he realized there was no way. He watched the way Choza looked down at Naruto, with kindness and admiration. No hatred, and he didn’t think he saw fear in those eyes.

“What brought you here today, Kakashi?” Choza looked back at the young jounin. “You’re not one to just show up unannounced and without a purpose… Or well, at all in my case.”

Kakashi laughed nervously. “Uh, well…” He watched as Choza turned his gaze back to Naruto as the child squealed with delight at something. “You know… You’re one of the only people who haven’t looked at with-”

“Fear? Hatred? Anger?” Choza cut in, suggesting all the ways he had seen the village look at the boy.

Kakashi’s eyes widened, but he nodded.

“Kakashi, I know just as well as you, that this village was saved by that child. I have no reason to hate him. And as for fear, that’s quite a powerful seal, and he is not the first jinchuriki in this village, as our village seems to forget.”

Kakashi stared at him, not sure what he was supposed to say. “Th-Thank you, Choza-sensei…” He looked at Naruto, happiness glimmering in his eyes. “I… I actually was here to ask something, a favour.”

Choza smiled. “You have no need to be nervous, what do you need?”

Kakashi took a deep breath. “I thought I’d be able to do occasional missions, and someone would watch him, but then I realized that wasn’t going to happen.” He sighed. “Lord Third gives me a sum to take care of him, but it's not quite enough, and also, I hate feeling like I’m being paid to take care of… my little brother.”

Choza smiled wide. “Well, why didn’t you just say so. I only go on missions with my squad. I’d gladly watch him, and my wife would as well in my absence.” He laughed and picked Naruto up. “Choji could use more friends anyway, even. He could play with Shikaku and Inoichi’s children too as he grows up.”

Kakashi's eyes widened as he watched how Choza picked Naruto up, just as open and welcoming as Jiraiya had. “I won’t be doing anything super dangerous. I was relieved from ANBU before the war, and Minato-sensei didn’t want me to go back and then… It was just me left.”

Choza turned his kind eyes to Kakashi, understanding. “Kakashi, it has never, nor will it ever be just you. You have more people in your life than just your… beloved team.”

“Dad!” A young, chubby toddler with red hair came crawled into the doorway, looking up at the elder Akimichi.

“Ah, Kakashi, this is my son, Choji. He’s about five months older than Naruto.”

Kakashi waved slightly.

Choza knelt down and picked up Choji, a baby in each arm. “Choji, this is Naruto. He’s gonna be around every so often now. I think you’ll make good friends now.” He looked to Kakashi. “Why don’t you go get a mission now? I’ll keep Naruto and get him acquainted with the rest, hm?”

“Uh…” Kakashi stammered. “Y-Yes, sensei.” He smiled, his eyes creasing. “Thank you, so much.”

He had known the man was kind, but he still expected at least some apprehension from him. He just seemed shocked that Kakashi had approached him. He walked away from the house, back to his home. He packed some of Naruto’s things, his favourite toys and clothes to take back over to Akimichi's home.

He then gathered up his old mission bag and filled it with his weapons and scrolls alike. He would pick up food rations on his way out if he did end up with a mission.

He was so happy to see how easily Naruto was accepted by Choza, he was just a child, like any other child. Just like he wanted for Naruto to have a family. He would always be there for him, but if Naruto was anything like Minato-sensei, he would have many friends and be liked, if people could see past the circumstances of his birth.

#naruto #naruto fanfiction #teen kakashi #baby naruto #naruto and kakashi #kakashi hatake #naruto uzumaki #choza akimichi #jiraiya #kayparkerwrites

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cyhyr · 3 years

Text

Summer of Whump Day 5: Broken

Fandom: Naruto

Rating: T

Pairing: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, potential pre-relationship.

WC: ~1650

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply; kid/teenage whump; referenced abusive relationship; referenced child death

Notes: An AU-ish wherein Kakashi and Iruka were always friendly, if not friends, as kids. It’s implied that Iruka and Mizuki are a thing, but you can read it as platonic. Takes place over Kakashi and Iruka’s teenage years.

A/N: Iruka is my new favorite character to whump. I’m not sorry. He’s so pretty when he breaks; and putting him back together is just as fun.

Kakashi knows he’s being distant. Who wouldn’t be, after this? Obito is dead, and it’s his fault, and Rin and Minato-sensei and Gai and the rest of the village could whisper and point and pity him but he knows and accepts it.

The only one who won’t accept it blindly is Iruka. Kakashi isn’t sure if he’s angry or elated by this. Iruka wasn’t the first to ask what happened, when their team came back without Obito, but he was the first to sit and ask Kakashi, how can I help?

He didn’t have an answer two weeks ago when Iruka asked. He still doesn’t have an answer now, as he’s avoiding Kohari-san’s third invitation to dinner this week. He’s declined them all. Kakashi likes Ikkaku-san’s cooking, and the Umino house is warm and inviting.

But he doesn’t deserve it.

He watches from afar as his friendship with Iruka, once a casual playmate the Umino family had insisted upon and the Sandaime had agreed to, deteriorates into acquaintanceship. Then, further into something closer to strangers. They wave to each other in the village, but no more than that. Besides, Iruka is a good kid and makes friends easily.

Mizuki hangs onto Iruka like a leech, and Kakashi will soon wish he could have paid closer attention to that simile.

After the Kyūbi, Kakashi doesn’t spend a lot of time in the village. He’s running missions in ANBU with minimal breaks, often alone. He still wakes up with the furious obsession to wash Rin’s blood off his hand, but it’s not so frequent anymore. Sometimes, he catches himself on track to a panic attack and can stop them before they start.

He’s feeling… well, not great, but not bad.

It’s helpful to stay busy.

It’s not helpful to slip into the Hokage’s office and see Iruka playing go with the Sandaime in complete silence. Kakashi’s glad for both masks now—Iruka and silence never went together before. He has a leaf headband now, an official shinobi. When did that happen, Kakashi wonders.

“Hound, have you met Iruka?” the Sandaime asks. He knows the answer, of course, but who’s Kakashi to say old Sarutobi doesn’t have a plan up his sleeve.

“I’ve seen him around the village,” Kakashi says, keeping his answer vague.

Iruka doesn’t react. He’s still staring at the board—no, wait.

He’s staring past the board.

What is this…

“Umino Iruka is a promising young genin,” Sarutobi talks him up, as though Kakashi needs to hear it. “Some of his traps have caught patrolling ANBU unawares. Non-lethal, of course,” the Hokage adds with a smile and a huff, “Iruka has the utmost respect for our fellow shinobi.”

“And yet he sets traps for them?” Kakashi asks, honestly curious. This is a different side of Iruka he hasn’t met yet. He’d like to.

They both turn to Iruka, waiting to see if he’ll respond for himself. He doesn’t.

Sarutobi sighs. “That was a year or so ago,” he says. “We haven’t had any incidents since Iruka graduated. Some of the ANBU are bored.”

Iruka fidgets with the cuffs of his sleeves.

Kakashi tilts his head curiously, trying to ask the Hokage the question pulsing in his mind now that Iruka is bringing attention to it.

Why is Iruka wearing long sleeves in summer?

“Mizuki says traps are for kids,” Iruka murmurs. He stands up. “Please excuse me, Hokage-sama, Hound-san.”

Sarutobi waves Iruka away, and turns to Kakashi. “I have, unofficially, taken that child under my guidance. But four months ago he stopped confiding in me, and when he speaks it’s to tell me of some new idea this Mizuki friend of his has taught him. Today, I brought up the traps. Other topics Mizuki has poisoned him on include his desire to pursue fūinjutsu as a potential specialty, the effectiveness of their jōnin-sensei, his sense of humor, and his height.”

“His height, sir?”

“Mizuki hasn’t hit a growth spurt yet,” Sarutobi explains. “Apparently, this means that Iruka needs to slouch so they’re still eye-to-eye.” His frown, if possible, deepens. “You two were close once, weren’t you?”

“It’s been years.”

Sarutobi says nothing more, but he doesn’t need to. Kakashi doesn’t appreciate being manipulated, and wouldn’t put it past the Hokage to have invited Iruka for tea and go when he knew Kakashi would be reporting in. But, there’s a part of him that is relieved that someone is looking out for Iruka. And there’s another part of him that is ready to take over; he seems to have Sarutobi’s silent approval, if nothing else.

The work never stops long enough for him to properly get back in touch with Iruka. He watches from the rooftops as Iruka fakes his way through the days, and then goes home to the apartment he shares with the so-called friend Mizuki. And maybe Kakashi isn’t there often enough to see it, or Mizuki knows when they’re being watched, or Iruka had confided in his roommate that the Hokage took an interest in their relationship—but long sleeves in summer never happen again.

That said, the emotional damage the boy leaves Iruka with makes Kakashi wonder if Sarutobi acted too quickly, or not enough, or—

Anyway, the point is, Iruka almost doesn’t survive the chūnin exams, and Kakashi doesn’t know whether to blame himself, Sandaime-sama, or Mizuki. Iruka is gravely injured in the second phase because he put himself between Mizuki and an Iwa genin; Iruka had been buried and had it not been for their third teammate even noticing that Iruka was gone and then unearthing him, he would have suffocated.

Mizuki, by the testimony of the onlooking jōnin, hadn’t tried to save Iruka. He did force the Iwa cell to retreat, though. He’ll make chūnin at the end of this.

At the end of the month, they both make chūnin. Kakashi is surprised, but happy for him.

Iruka is still slouching, though.

They serve together, once, after he’s pulled from ANBU.

Kakashi can’t reconcile the dull, lifeless, quiet young man with the near-obnoxiously loud boy he knew as a child. Was this Mizuki still in his life? How had Iruka not made better friends by now? As a child he used to be surrounded by friends, forcing Kakashi to play with little kids even if he’d had missions to go on.

He tries everything he can think of to get a reaction out of Iruka. He tells bad jokes, tries reminiscing on their shared childhood, asks questions about Iruka’s life, tells good jokes, cooks bad food, refuses to assist in setting up camp—nothing gets a reaction.

The mission—the one from the Hokage, not just Kakashi’s self-imposed one—fails spectacularly. Really, Kakashi can’t think of a worse way for it to fuck up.

But there’s a silver lining.

On the way back to Konoha, they stop for the night. No fire, no camp; they rough it in the trees. Kakashi lets one leg hang off the branch he’s sitting on and leans his back against the trunk. Iruka sits a little further out, shoulders hunched forward, both feet dangling off the branch. He kicks his legs back and forth gently. It’s endearing.

“I’m sorry,” Iruka murmurs. It’s the first time in years that Iruka has said something to him unprompted.

“Don’t be,” Kakashi sighs. “You don’t have the kind of experience I do. You can’t have known those kids weren’t innocent.”

He seems to shrink into himself further. It’s odd; Iruka’s not a small man, but at the moment he seems adamant in taking up as little space as possible. “Please don’t excuse my weakness,” Iruka says. “I know I’m not cut out for this. I shouldn’t have—”

“Stop.”

Thank the gods, he does. Kakashi takes a few breaths to collect himself, then continues.

“I signed up to captain a duo team with Umino Iruka,” he says, “not your ‘friend,’ Mizuki.”

Iruka turns to him, confused. “Wha—?”

“Don’t repeat his words back to me,” Kakashi says. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m not. Mizuki is—”

“You’re not weak. You were chosen to be on this mission because of your expertise in fūinjutsu—which you learned behind Mizuki’s back, didn’t you?”

Iruka flushes. Half of his mouth twitches in a ghost of a smile. His shoulders roll back and he straightens, just a bit. “It’s just really fascinating,” he breathes.

There he is.

“Yes, the mission failed. Yes, if you had killed the kids when I ordered it the first time, it probably would have been successful,” Kakashi watched Iruka’s face fall again, and moved along the tree branch until he was next to Iruka and able to put a hand on his shoulder. “If you had done it, would it have been you, though?”

Iruka shivers. “They were just children,” he whispers.

“And they tried to kill you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first ones.”

“And won’t be the last.”

Iruka leans into him. Kakashi lets him, even braces an arm around his back to keep him close. “I missed this,” Iruka whispers.

“Failing missions? Talking about killing children?”

“Us.”

“You’ve had Mizuki,” Kakashi ventures.

“And he’s great—in, like, small doses.” Iruka doesn’t look up at him, but Kakashi can see him fidget with his shirt cuffs again, just like he had in the Hokage’s office years ago. “It took a long time for me to see that.”

Kakashi looks out into the woods and imagines being here under different circumstances. Maybe in a few more years. “You’re getting better. When we left, I couldn’t get you to look at me with anything other than apathy. Now look at us.”

“It’s nice.” Iruka kicks one of his legs out harder, faster; a nervous tick. “Mizuki… he doesn’t like me having other friends.”

“He can take that up with me,” Kakashi says. “I might have left for a while, but I was here first. And I plan on staying this time.”

Iruka smiles.

Just like before. Just for a second. It’s enough.

#summerofwhump #summerofwhump5 #broken #fanfic #umino iruka #hatake kakashi #my writing

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lunaticpuppetmaster · 3 years

Photo

My contribute for Konoha Simps server collab!

Trying to do both drabble and an art was a poor decidion as i am a lil bit late.

Special Thanks to @pfreadsandwrites who beta-readed this drabble!

Title: Lost and Found.

Pairing: Kiba Inuzuka x OC (Tsubasa Yuki)

Summary: Everyone knows that everything you lose will end up in your soulmates possesions. Some people go crazy trying to find their destined one with practically no information. Tsubasa was never interested in finding hers and there is a chance she would never be able to.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of death, hurt/comfort

Word count: 6907

When the first symptoms of the family curse appeared, Tsubasa already knew she was doomed. The sickness was rare and there wasn’t much information about it in the Yuki clan library even before the genocide, while after it… well, no information survived. To be honest she did not have much hope at the beginning when her ice-natured chakra just only started to act like a parasite, eating her body and breaking thin bones.

But her sensei had. Mei had always been protective of her pupils, acting like a big sister even after the trio passed the chunin exam. So, when the worst happened, she used all her resources in order to save one of them. Unfortunately, even Kirigakure medics famous for their body knowledge were unsuccessful. The only hope was the best medic alive, Tsunade-hime herself.

Tsubasa did not know how she convinced Tsunade to help or what she promised to her (probably rare Kiri herbs), but the sannin agreed to work on her case. She didn’t promise a cure. To the girl’s pleasure, unlike her sensei, the 5th hokage was rational and she stated right from the start that the chances of recovery were very low and more likely she would just extend the Yuki girl’s agony. It was hurtful, but honest. Tsubasa always respected honesty… and her sensei. She had no other choice, but to promise Mei that she will fight till the end even though she did not want to.

“Maybe you will find your soulmate there,”- said Mei before her departure.

Mei was one of those people who always wanted to find their soulmate, however that was not the reason why she said it. She appreciated different manifestations of love: between friends, parental, sisterly and etc. She also knew that Tsubasa was a pessimist and even the love of people who were close to her was not enough to restore her will to live. At least if she were deeply in love with her soulmate, Mei hoped that Tsubasa could finally find the strength to fight.

Soulmates were always a bone of contention between different social groups: commoners, nobility and shinobi. Especially the last one. Missions and loyalty towards the village must be a number one priority for a ninja. But with soulmates everything became much harder.

Still even the biggest soulmate deniers tried their best to ‘lose things’. Even though little was known about soulmates nature, over the years people were able to learn a couple of useful things:

1 - Every item you lose will end up in your soulmate’s possessions.

2 - You cannot send a letter or any kind of writing this way.

3 - You cannot just throw away a random thing in the air or leave it intentionally on a park bench. So, you must really lose the thing to make it reach your soulmate.

The world was never peaceful. Neither for commoners nor shinobi, so desire to help for so called “true one” was understandable. People tried to tie various useful items with slim strings to their clothes like meds and water. When it came to shinobi they usually tied small scrolls to their bags or jackets hoping that during fights the thread would be cut or ripped and the item lost. Such scrolls were usually filled with food, kunais or ninja pills. Supplies that suddenly appeared managed to save some shinobi on the verge of death more than once. So even soulmate deniers had an opinion that it was practical to help the soulmate and very rude to ignore it. Help for help, life for life, nothing more. Tsubasa was one such person.

Of course, every skilled shinobi could tell from which village the lost item appeared.

Yuki’s soulmate for example was from Konoha. Her teammate Hiroto recognized a specific plant in a found ninja pill. So, she had some chances to run into him during her stay.

But Tsubasa did not want a soulmate. She did not need some stranger. She wanted to stay in Kiri and spend her last days with people she loved with all her heart and soul. Hadn’t she suffered enough? It didn’t look like it.

This was how she ended up in Konoha; or rather in a spare room of Yamanaka-hime’s house. Although Tsunade made efforts, in Yuki’s opinion, she clearly did not have an intention to heal her, but to collect information about how the disease proceeds under various factors, in order to save other unfortunate ones… Tsubasa could tell it from her students. Tsunade put her under the care of somewhat inexperienced newbies, ones who could crawl into her head and feel the patient’s condition themselves. Tsubasa did not blame her for that. She would be happy if her death could help someone. The girl rather felt sorry for distracting Ino from her more important patients. The hime herself was cheerful and sunny person, but in moments that required professionalism she could turn cold and focused with the flick of a finger. “She would be a perfect clan leader one day,” Tsubasa thought.

To be honest Yamanaka’s jutsu was useful for more than just therapy. When they first met, Yuki just simply let Ino read her mind and see her past. It was much faster and easier, plus all the secret information she knew as an ANBU was sealed. In order to get it, they would have had to use much stronger and more traumatic jutsu (and of course torture). Moreover, she was going to die soon, so did it really matter how many people knew her story?

Though when Tsubasa saw the girl’s blank face after reading her mind, she felt guilty. The blonde stayed silent for a few seconds before giving her a hug. She did not need words to say that she will do her best.

Ino was easy to befriend. She also was good at distracting from negative thoughts. Between her regular Tsunade checkups and preparations for missions (It was important to monitor the development of the disease in the field, and all missions would be related to information gathering about the Yuki clan) they were chatting, watching movies and sometimes working in the flower shop. Thanks to Tsubasa’s honey-coloured hair most people mistook her as a distant relative of Yamanaka, so no one asked questions.

Once they ended up talking about soulmates. It started when Ino found some spilled ink on her carpet one day. Hime did not know much about her soulmate except he was really… an artistic type. Through the years she collected various brushes, pencils, erasers and doodles. Once she even found a whole sketchbook (unfortunately half torn)! But there was one thing that made her upset. He never “lost” anything to help her like the majority did.

“Maybe he is from a strict ninja family or a specific ANBU team”, she said with a sad smile.

If Ino’s soulmate was artistic, Tsubasa’s was… quite “special”. Because only a “special” person would end up losing a 6-kilo bag of dog food. Even now, after seven years Tsubasa sometimes wondered ‘how?’.. It was not a pen or a trinket which could be easily left on an academy desk, but a giant bag of dog food! No, he was a good soulmate who was “losing” supplies for her (that once saved her teammate’s life) unlike Ino’s, but still… Even when the blonde heard about it, she could not believe it and then started to laugh hysterically. After such silly small talks Tsubasa felt like she wasn’t fully alone in this foreign village. It almost felt like she had found a friend.

Unlike the other forced teammate.

Every village had a system of having at least 3 people in a team. Moreover, Tsubasa was suffering from her disease and Ino concentrated on helping her. They needed another member.

Tsubasa did not like him from the start. He was loud, narcissistic, clingy and insolent. The kunoichi was easily fed up with his behaviour. She spat out what exactly she thought of him to his face before going back to the Yamanaka estate. Only when she was alone in her room, she understood all her stupidity. She shouldn’t have acted so idiotic and lose her cool. It was essential for a ninja. She also understood why he was chosen among all of the shinobi. As a member of the Inuzuka clan he had a ninken who was already big enough to carry a man. It would be useful in case she became unconscious due to the illness. But she could not help it. A lot of bad things were going on in her life. She felt useless and helpless since she was banned from using her ice chakra. Mei also banned her from using anything that would hide her emotions. She thought that Tsubasa finally needed to learn how to speak and deal with new people. Babysitting was not helpful, so she wanted to try something more radical. Tsubasa understood, but understanding wasn’t enough to cope with the stress. Now she was sitting in the corner of her room shivering. Usually, she would take her father’s mask – the only thing left after his death- and put the cold material close to her forehead thinking what he would say or do. She couldn’t do it any longer. Some of her belongings and a mask were lost during a powerful chakra release at the beginning of the disease.

A few minutes passed before she started to feel better. A sudden knock on the door took her out of thoughts. Tsubasa went to open it thinking it would be Ino. Unfortunately, it was him. The cause for today’s bad mood and their third teammate – Kiba Inuzuka himself. She sighed and looked at him through the door, hiding most of her body behind it. The young man in front of her hesitated and looked a little bit strange or uncertain.

”Listen, I came here to apologise.“

Tsubasa raised her brow. Surely she should have been the one to apologise?. Plus, the boy looked like someone who would rather make a bunch of excuses and snap back than accept he was wrong.

“Well, I shouldn’t have invaded your personal space in the first place.” He scratched the back of his head and looked away. Judging by his behavior, the girl started to understand what actually made his behavior change.“And …uhm, Ino told me about your case so…”

“Showed you,” said Yuki her guess as a statement.

”She d-did not show me much!”

”That’s okay. I don’t mind and Ino knows that.”

“Anyway, I want to start on a clean slate. Here, take it. It’s a half mask and a bottle of blue paint so you can customize it with your clan symbol.”

”Actually…”

“I know that you are not allowed to use anything to hide your emotions, but it is a half mask and I made the holes for eyes bigger so your emotions will be perfectly visible. This is not technically breaking the rule and you will definitely feel better due to your um… well, habit. Just enjoy it, okay? I have to go now, bye!

“W-wait! I cannot…”

But the boy already left, forcing the girl to accept.

After that, though the relationship between the trio smoothed out, it was far from perfect. Tsubasa preferred to act more as a solo player despite her health condition, Kiba was still too loud and tried to act like the leader he never was and Ino … Ino tried not to go crazy in this whole mess called a team. However, overall, their missions were rather calm. Perhaps the three of them needed time to get used to each other before they could accept the others’ faults and learn to compromise. The tension completely disappeared at rest time, when tired teenagers passed time by talking to each other. Often they talked about soulmates. Someone was consulting with others about what would be more useful to seal in a tie-down scroll, the other one was looking through a travel bag for new supplies (or accidentally dropped useless things), another was thinking about loud who their soulmate might be. On one of such days, all of a sudden Tsubasa discovered earrings in a sealed scroll. They were simple and consisted of three deep blue feathers each. The girl looked at them in surprise, not knowing how to react. But, on the contrary, Ino reacted too happily.

“These are so cute! And they match your eye color! Quite a nice present for a soulmate that has never seen you.”

“This must have been a mistake.”

“It was in a scroll. How could this be a mistake? Looks like your soulmate really wishes to meet you and…”

“I don’t need a soulmate, Ino! Like, I don’t believe in perfect matches made by spiritual forces or some sort. I never wanted to have him in the first place! I have a dream to achieve, a family in Kiri. No way if I survive, I will leave it all behind because of some questionable romance! That’s ridiculous!”

Ino sighed and Kiba remained silent. The conversation came to an end. But not the attention from Tsubasa’s soulmate or their mission.

One of those days, when all sorts of cute things and sweets instead of standard ammunition began to show up in Tsubasa’s scrolls more and more, their group stumbled upon really strong opponents. The longer the battle continued the more obvious it became that they were not going to win. Unless Tsubasa broke the rule and used her clan’s abilities. Mei’s order, both as sensei and as Mizukage, always stood above many moral principles for Yuki, but now it was a completely different case. Neither Ino nor Kiba with the sweetest and bravest Akamaru should have been involved in this from the very beginning. They were not supposed to die or risk their lives because of some terminally ill girl from another village and a questionable contract between their Kages. They must live, survive and Tsubasa made up her mind. At first, she managed to eliminate a couple of ninjas and slightly injure the rest using the element of surprise. She was incredibly lucky, because the disoriented opponents were much easier to finish off for Kiba and Ino. Tsubasa by this moment had already lost her eyesight from the tension and saw the battlefield only as a set of white and light gray colors. She lost her breath and her strength to stand upright. But it was nothing compared to the pain that washed over her seconds later.

The kunoichi screamed in pain as she felt blood filling her mouth and an ice crust covering her internal organs. She fell on the cold dusty ground, heart-rendering screams leaving her lips with the blood pulsing her temples, ice needles tearing the muscles of her arms and legs. It seemed like nothing existed except for the all-consuming pain. Through the wall of never-ending white noise, she heard the sounds of Ino’s commands and Akamaru’s frightened barking. This was the last thing she felt before passing out.

Tsubasa woke up with a heavy head and pain all over her body. She listened to her senses before opening her eyes… and it would have been better not to listen to them. Someone brazenly pressed her close to their body and sniffed into the ear. When she opened her eyes the girl immediately screamed. In general, it was a completely normal reaction when you find yourself half-dressed in the arms of an equally half-dressed man. Of course, given that she was half-asleep, her only response was a stream of unpleasant curses and swearing. At first Kiba, who was still sleepy, was happy that the girl woke up, but soon joined the exchange of curses until a joyful, but terribly tired Ino ran up to them, immediately trying to interrupt the catfight and change the topic. Kiba waved his hand resentfully and went off in an unknown direction. Ino stayed with Tsubasa alone.

“Sit down and drink this.”

“Okay, but can I ask you a question first? What the hell happened here?”

”Your disease went out of control. I could barely suppress it. This time it was… too strong. Not like before. When I was finally able to improve your condition, you were still unconscious, your temperature dropped to terribly low levels, and some ice crystals did not disappear. We didn’t risk taking you back to the village in such poor condition. At first, we tried to wrap you up warm, but that didn’t help. Your clothes were quickly soaked by the cold coming from you and it only aggravated your condition. Then we decided that we would warm you one by one with the heat of our bodies. Well, Akamaru too.

Tsubasa howled in embarrassment and Ino sighed.

“Don’t worry. I think Kiba understands what the situation looked like for you. Or he will understand. He is a hot-head, you know, and he needs some time to calm down. But he will.”

”Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I snapped at him twice for literally nothing, especially the last time when I should have said ‘thank you for trying to save my dumb ass’. I feel terrible.”

The blonde girl patted her dejected friend on the shoulder and then said, “ Drink the medicine or, I swear to God, you will regret that you woke up.

The group’s return journey took place in silence. Despite the fact that Tsubasa apologized to Kiba and he accepted the apology, the kunoichi was still tormented by her conscience. She needed to apologize to him properly. Stealing a glance at the still visible ice crystals on her hand, a thought flashed through her: “While I can still do it.”

Night is definitely a wonderful and mysterious time of the day. Too bad that not everyone can enjoy its beauty, but there are also some who would be glad to miss it. For example, some unfortunate souls from the Inuzuka clan. It just so happened that a heightened sense of smell was not the only animal trait some clan members shared. Heightened hearing, too. In battle it was somewhat useful while in everyday life - irritating. During the day, in a mixture of noises, it did not cause much discomfort, but at night, when all the sounds disappeared, a can kicked by a drunk felt like a hit in the head. It is not surprising that such “lucky” clan members often suffered from insomnia and generally lived in the rhythm of night owls, which was very difficult for the shinobi world, where everyone was entirely early birds.

So was Kiba. However, tonight it felt different. His day was active and the sounds on the street did not disturb him, still he could not sleep. It seemed that the whole atmosphere of the house became more and more oppressive with every second spent inside, and the inner desire to walk through the village at night became stronger with every minute. He just wanted to go outside and run. He did not know where, but somewhere, where it was important for him to be now. In the end, when he accepted the fact that he obviously would not sleep today, the young man called his faithful dog and quietly left the house. The night was calm and fresh from the recent rain. Perhaps even too much, but it did not bother Kiba. He gladly wandered through old village streets, breathing in deeply the cold night air until he found himself near the playground. Or better to say, found someone.

Tsubasa sat on the swing all hunched up, almost motionless like a statue, and although this time her face wasn’t hidden by a mask, but her honey hair, Kiba knew that the girl was clearly not radiating joy.

“May I sit?,” he asked. Tsubasa didn’t even flinch.

“Yes.”

Kiba looked at the girl. When they first met, she was strong, cold and impenetrable. A true warrior. But now things were different. As a shinobi, he was not afraid to die on the battlefield, surrounded by dead and, possibly, even rotting bodies. But seeing a person fade like this, when they were unable to do anything about their state, when they burned out like a candle, turning with every second into a pale copy of their former self is what really scared him. At first, he didn’t care much what would happen to Yuki, but now, when her life glimmered on a candle stub, saving her was important. Either she will survive, and he will get rid of animal all-consuming fear, or her pale face, disfigured by illness, in the tongues of the funeral flame will haunt him till the end of his days.

Akamaru rested his head on Tsubasa’s lap. Still lost in her heavy thoughts, Yuki let her hands go of the swing chain and started to mechanically stroke and scratch the ninken behind the ears.

”Hey Tsu, I know that you are that type of shinobi who tries to follow the code perfectly. But we are not made of steel. You are not made of steel. You are feeling bad and tired. It’s unlikely that I will hear something that Ino did not show me or did not hear from you. Sharing pain as a shinobi is hard, but it’s even harder to keep your cool when you are on the verge of being broken by your own emotions. Even though I talk too much, anything you tell me tonight will stay here, I promise. So, tell me what’s eating you.

”You’re right. I am tired. I am weak, although I’ve tried to prove myself otherwise for my whole goddamn life. Even when I felt bad and thought that everything was lost, I clung to a few good things that I had. What does not kill makes us stronger, and the world, even drowning in war and blood, is still too beautiful to give up, especially the little things that everyone forgets. That’s what my father taught me. My path has never been covered with rose petals. Well.., for most people, actually. Still, I didn’t stop fighting for the people I love. Only when the clan curse showed itself… I was really scared. I felt completely helpless. And after the recent events… Fuck all my experience, knowledge and even more ranks. I am useless. I… I must accept the truth. I will die soon Kiba and I do not want to die here.”

Her previously smooth and still voice started to crack. Her shoulders shivered slightly.

“You, Ino and your friends are wonderful people and in general I like Konoha, but it will never be my home, and you will never replace my family. I hate to break promises, but I really don’t want to keep the one I gave to sensei and friends. I just want to give up and go back to Kiri. I miss them so much and want to see them one last time. Besides there is also one thing that bothers me…”

Mei was not that wrong when she said that Tsubasa might fall in love in Konoha. She actually did, but not with the soulmate destined by the stars. She fell in love with an eccentric, slightly arrogant and silly boy who may have not really known her, but still tried to help. Simply because he did not lose faith in her or their team, because he acted friendly with her and could cheer her up even in her darkest moments. For the fact that he could knock on the window at one in the morning and invite her into the forest to look at the fireflies. Just like that. It wasn’t like love at first sight, or a long courtship. With each passing day her feelings grew stronger washing over her like waves. Unfortunately, there were few “BUTs” that Tsubasa could not ignore:

She was from another village and even though there were many bad things in the hidden Mist, she was not going to betray it or move anywhere. She promised herself to help Sensei make the village a better place, and she was not going to give up on her dream either. Kiba was also too loyal to his family and friends. He would never leave them for some Kirigakure girl.

Moreover, Tsubasa felt guilty about her soulmate. Yes, she never saw him, but that did not stop him from taking care of her and obviously dreaming about their meeting. It would be wrong just not to care about his feelings.

Most importantly, that applied to both Kiba and the unknown “true one” - she was dying. She was a weak sick girl who had a month left to live at best. Of course, she could confess her feelings to the boy next to her right now, feel loved and die with a drop of happiness… But was it fair for Kiba who would have to live with this burden until the end of his days? Definitely not. She couldn’t do that to him. That’s why she would rather stay silent, burn out from her feelings, because at least she would not let him suffer.

“I just don’t know what to do… I feel lost.”

She lifted her head, blue feathers of her earnings blowing in the wind. Her face was emotionless and her body calm, yet uncontrollable tears were streaming down her face.

The boy took her freezing hand and pulled her into a hug. Tsubasa bit her lip, burying her face in his shoulder and soaking his jacket with tears.

”You lost only because you gave up right away as soon as you found out about your diagnosis! Stop thinking about the fucking disease! Focus on something else! Not on the loved ones, since it causes you so much pain. Focus on your dreams! On your soulmate!”

“Why are you so obsessed with the idea of soulmates?”

“Why are you so disgusted with the idea itself?”

She let his hand go and exhaled. There was no trace of her emotional outburst except for her bloodshot eyes. Tsubasa grabbed the swing chains, thinking for a second.

“I do not believe in fairy tales about gods, who loved each other and were separated, that blessed all mortal couples with a secret connection, in revenge to the rest of the pantheon. Why did everyone suddenly start to think that it was a love connection? What if that bond means a strong friendship? And how can finding lost things help my soulmate find me or specifically, my body? The only variant I see is where you tattoo the coordinates on your hand and lose it in battle. An ‘excellent’ plan! Moreover, where are the guarantees that soulmate couples will be happy? Give me one example.”

”Ino’s parents are soulmates.”

Both of them suddenly turned silent.

”As far as I know, Mrs. Yamanaka did not even know our language when she arrived here. She was from another country, with completely different customs, still she risked going into the unknown. And I don’t know any stronger couple.”

“The way you talk about it… Your parents aren’t soulmates either, are they?”

He nodded.

”Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother. In fact, my father left when I was one year old, so she and my sister raised me. But… My mother is a very difficult person. As far as I can remember, it was always important for her to be the first and she never cared about the feelings of others. This is good for a warrior, but not for a family member. She could easily say things that will hurt you, including the ones she said on purpose, as a joke in order to please her ego. When you tried to talk to her about this and ask her to tone it down a little, she pretended to listen at first, but soon forgot about it. As for my father, he was not from our clan, not even from our village. He was a stranger and ended up being at the very bottom of the clan’s hierarchy. My sister said that he could stand a lot of things, but not the betrayal and disregard towards him from his once loved one. Of course, this was not the only reason he left. After that, looking at how Ino’s parents perfectly understand each other and always try to find a compromise, on how strong their union is… I want the same kind of family. Yes, I can act like my mother, be short tempered and impulsive. I think you noticed it when we first met. I admit I behaved horribly, but with people close to me, whom I don’t want to lose, I try to control myself and work on it.”

“That’s… amazing Kiba. And despite the fact that you mostly act like a jerk -” he snorted and a small smile formed on her lips- “I have to admit that after knowing you better, I have respect for you. You don’t try to please everyone. You give all of yourself and your warmth only to the ones that are close to you. Only to those who, in your opinion, deserve it, disregarding the rest. This is right. I share the same point of view. But since you really want to find your soulmate, have you ever thought that you might end up being the one to leave your home? Are you ready for such a sacrifice yourself?”

Kiba fell silent. At first it seemed that he was deep in thought, but in reality, everything was different. He was frightened and listened to the silence of the night trying to find out if someone was eavesdropping on them. For a moment, the girl even thought that he used ninjutsu to sniff out strangers and make sure that there were no one near them.

As white as a sheet, he took her hand and ‘wrote’ his answer on the inside of her palm with a finger:

“Yes”

She glanced at him. His actions spoke louder than words.

“Your father is dead, isn’t he?”

”Were you born in a clan or joined it later, you cannot leave it.”

”I understand. After all, in Kiri, a lot is happening inside our clans too.”

They both sat in uncomfortable silence.

“When you said that my parents are not soulmates, you also said “either”. So..?”

“You heard right. You know that before Terumi-sama, Kirigakure was overflowing with nepotism and bribery? Well, people were willing to do anything to move up the career ladder. My mother really wanted a higher position in ANBU, so she made my father fall in love with her and convinced him that she was his soulmate. As you understand, it was also important for my father to find ‘the true one’ but when he realized that he was fooled it was already too late. He comforted himself with the fact that he seemed to love my mother even without that spiritual bond, plus he loved me with all his heart and soul. But in fact, the love between my parents was one-sided… and because of the special treatment to the Yuki clan, my father was never at home. So… when you start looking for your destined one, please be careful, okay? I do not want the same fate for you or for anyone else.”

Okay, let’s change the topic” - he waved his hands in a playful defensive gesture “You mentioned that you have a dream. So, what kind of dream?”

“Well, you chose a bad one to distract me, because my dream is deeply connected with my family. You know about the genocide of the Yuki clan?”

“Mmm, sorry, to be honest, not really. Only that when the Uchiha clan was massacred, the elders whispered with each other that it could be the same case as it was with your clan, where it was the Kage’s order or some sort.”

“The Yuki clan was once considered to be one of the most powerful clans in the village of the Hidden Mist. And of course, quite dangerous, especially for the past Mizukage, or rather, for the one who controlled him. So, one night, the entire main branch was killed and the clan’s library burned down. The Yuki clan was officially made part of a lower caste. Some clan members managed to escape, while others were often sent on dangerous and suicidal missions. Now from the once large clan, only 30-40 people remain in Kiri, and most of them are elders and children. For comparison, grandfather Naoki had four children, the same age as my father, and only one daughter remained alive. As you know, my frightened and repressed clan avoided communicating with each other. In fact, in my childhood, it was as if the clan did not exist at all. Childhood in Kiri was not easy, but the other children at least had a clan, a large family that stood up for them. I wanted it too. I wanted to be a part of a clan and before my illness I dreamed of reviving the Yuki clan, regaining lost knowledge and finding all the relatives lost around the world, whom, as far as I heard, were not liked by both ninjas and civilians. But now after that illness… I must find every single Yuki alive to make sure that no one will be alone while fighting the family curse and that no one will go through the same pain as me, giving them a chance to be cured. And I will do it, no matter what… If I survive, of course…”

“It’s … A great dream to achieve-,” he scratched his head not knowing what to say- “And I am sure you will! Just don’t be so pessimistic! “

”I am realistic.”

“Pessimistic.”

“Realistic!”

“OK, OK!” he chuckled.“Looks like only realists like you, who talk about how bad and terrible everything will be, turn out to be chuunins.”

“What? Kiba, I don’t… urgh forget it! Arguing with you on any topic is simply useless when you are stubborn as a mule.”

“Said another mule!”

She laughed. Warmly and sincerely, for the first time this evening, and perhaps since they returned from that ill-fated mission.

”By the way, if your life in the hidden mist was so bad why do you hate the idea of moving to another place? Like here, to Konoha?”

“First of all, my life in Kiri is perfect now. Secondly, when people will learn that I am from the hidden mist they will hate me. The only thing that saves me now is that commoners think I am a distant relative of Ino.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You never heard why Kiri women are hated so much?”

“No.”

“Well let me tell you,” she grinned sinisterly. “One year, in our village, due to hunger, disease and war, there were practically no men left. Then the women decided to fill this gap by stealing men from other villages. But then they questioned themselves, how to transport healthy and adult shinobi without harming them? This is how the world-famous art of Kirigakure ANBU was born, thanks to which we can immobilize even the most powerful warrior,” she chuckled as a senbon she used in some missions appeared from nowhere, - “With the combination of many factors, but still. Well, those poor souls who ended up in Kiri … they essentially had no choice, but to marry ladies there if they wanted to live.”

“Are you joking?!”

“I’m not! In fact, my great-grandfather was kidnapped from the village hidden in the Stone. So, be careful Inuzuka Kiba! Who knows, maybe my illness is just a part of a secret mission and I’m actually here to pick up suitable candidates… And you might end up being one of them! You may turn out to be a good third husband for me, you know?”

He laughed.

“Oh really? Well, I would die to see how you would try to steal me with such an amazing guard as Akamaru!”

“Oh darling,” she grinned and hugged the huge white dog,” I would find a way to make that adorable boy my partner in crime! “

Akamaru happily barked in agreement and both teenagers burst into laughter, almost falling off the swing.

“By the way,” she said after a small pause, “I have to admit that fireflies are much more beautiful in Konoha. Thank you for letting me enjoy such beauty…”

He bit his lip and took her hand in his. The Ice crystals were still showing from her bandage returned them both to the dreadful reality.

“You will survive Tsu, I promise you, and you will see many more fireflies. Not only these.”

She looked at him with a faded, crooked smile. A smile that only gravely ill and very tired people have. Kiba returned her a look and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest, skipping a beat.

“Don’t make a promise that you can’t keep.”

”I’ll keep it! You will see. We are close to finding the ancient temple of the Yuki clan, and there definitely should be information on how to cure you. And after the next mission is completed, we will go to a grill bar! In the land of water there are only sea creatures and practically no normal beef. I cannot let you go back to Kiri without letting you know all the delights of good meat.”

She chuckled.

“If you say so.”

But there would be no grill bar or any next time. They found information about the temple location, but at the cost of everything else. The disease turned out to be unstoppable at this point. Luckily, they managed to reach it in time and save Tsubasa’s life.

Three months had passed since her miraculous recovery. Representatives of the Mist village appeared in Konoha the next day and took the girl with them, not allowing her even to say goodbye to her new friends. Still, their paths will cross in the future.

Upon returning to Kiri, Tsubasa began to communicate a lot with Ino through letters, which made the Mizukage almost ecstatic. She hoped that friendship with the clan princess would turn into a possible strong political tie in the future. One way or another, Mei was going to make her children, if not a future Mizukage, then those on whom the village could rely. Sometimes Mei was so happy about the benefits that Tsubasa had a feeling that her illness and departure to Konoha were part of Sensei’s plan to improve relationships with the village from the very beginning. However, she thought it was too weird and silly to be true.

She also sent letters to Kiba. Feelings for him that suddenly flared up in her heart were not planning to disappear, but she still had no intention of getting into his personal life. He wanted to find his soulmate, and she respected that wish. This was the least she could do for him. “Besides,” she thought while drinking peach tea in the evenings and remembering how he was trying to warm her drastically freezing body on their trip to the temple, “it is unlikely that we would have succeeded even if there would be no soulmate. We are too loyal and attached to our villages and clans. None of us would move to another village for the sake of other. Only a soulmate had such privilege.“

Therefore, she was happy to be his friend at least, send the boxes of tangerines and dried seafood snacks on special occasions, help with advice on everyday problems that all teenagers went through, regardless of which shinobi village they were born in, and just talk about all sorts of nonsense.

At six am, there was a loud knock on the door. Tsubasa was just getting ready for the training and she had no idea who would need to see her at such an early hour (her teammates were waiting for her at the training field, so it could not be them).

A familiar figure was standing outside of the door. Tired from the road, a little nervous, but smiling. Holding a medium-sized flat box under his arm.

“Kiba? What are you doing here, especially this early?!”

“There were reasons,” he said giving her a box, “may i come in?”

“Of course, you can, I’ll make you some tea and something to eat for you two.”

The girl moved away to the side, letting the boy and his dog into the apartment. Akamaru immediately stretched and laid himself on the carpet of the living room, while Kiba took a seat in the kitchen.

“So, what’s the reason you came here?”

“Open the box,” he said with a smile.

Tsubasa raised her eyebrows skeptically. She put the box on the table, thin fingers gripping the blue lid and pulling it up. Her father’s mask with its cold material was staring right into the girl from the inside. Frozen in complete shock, looking at the once-lost thing dear to her heart, she did not notice how Kiba approached her from behind.

“I just felt lost,” he said in a soft voice, while tucking a loose strand behind her ear. Their faces were only a few inches apart, “And desperately wanted to be found.”

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