People honestly don't understand the problem with Itachi's image, his overwhelming popularity. He acted based on the common good, made the ultimate sacrifice to save a loved one, suffered his entire life, orchestrated his own execution, took responsibility for his sins, unlike many, and died beautifully, on a high note—what's your fucking problem, antis?!
Okay, let's try to figure out what our fucking problem is.
I've already touched on one point: the contradiction between Itachi's attitude toward his own and others. Own raked out of Itachi everything bad the young man had hidden deep within his soul. Others knew Itachi as a gentle and noble individual, avoiding permanent harm to others and never slandering anyone. Asuma and Kurenai were barely injured by their encounter, Kakashi dusted himself off after Tsukuyomi and moved on, Hiruzen and Danzo, his clan's murderers and kekkei genkai thieves, weren't met with a single ill word. As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The Uchiha clan had the misfortune of becoming Itachi enemies.
An unmovable object. He became firmly established in his views at an extremely early age, finding fault with his own family for his greatest fear—war. He exterminated the culprits. Despite living for a considerable time among anarchists, witnessing with his own eyes the victims of Konoha's war machine, he never changed his convictions one iota. He never moved an inch toward understanding that as long as people remain numerous and diverse, as long as they fear and envy, and crave solutions to their problems at others' expense, wars will never end. We credit Itachi with his rigidity and narrow-mindedness.
Unmet consequences. Let's imagine the clan wasn't completely exterminated. Let's imagine that Hiruzen does have some semblance of a conscience, and, horrified by what he's done, he stops Danzo and those two old reptiloids whose names I never can remember from slaughtering the survivors. And so they dwell in the deserted Uchiha compound, silent and shocked, wondering for the thousandth time what possessed Madara to make a pact with the Senju in the first place, and what the hell they should do next. And then Itachi appears among them. In what capacity? Perhaps he's the chief overseer of the despised rebels who were graciously spared their lives. Or perhaps, on the contrary, he was expelled from the ANBU for his insufficient efficiency in carrying out orders. And now he's forced to make eye contact every day with those who…
Ah, forget it. Never happened, and never will.
He chose the strong over the weak. This is not a sin, of course; it is very human trait. The psyche seeks an anchor, a safe haven. Confronting the family proved psychologically safer than even thinking about destroying the status quo, going against those in power. Itachi saw the solution for the weak in becoming even weaker, in abandoning their absurd ambitions.
Narrative elevation. The victims are villanized, the man who fought for justice and retribution is ridiculed and criminalized, the murderers are elevated and ennobled. Note that not a single person killed during the Uchiha massacre was resurrected through the Edo Tensei to speak out, but Itachi, Hiruzen, Danzo, Hashirama and Tobirama are given the opportunity to speak freely and rationalize their actions.
Fandom will not lie: in the public mind, Itachi is surely shielded from accusations of genocide by the menacing shadow of the notorious civil war that loomed over peacefully sleeping Konoha, but then dissipated by morning with the last breath of the last Uchiha. Itachi is the tip of the poisoned arrow that pierces Naruto's humanistic message. Or, I don't know: can the message "when you grow up you'll understand" be considered humanistic?
Description: After a sudden death at Akademi High, the students are given a short break. Once they come back, everything seems normal, but that isn't fully the case.
The leader of the Newspaper Club and childhood friend of Ayato Aishi, (Y/N) (L/N), is trying to get to the bottom of the death and putting a stop to any future tragedies.
But with the added obstacles of admirers and strained relationships, will he be able to complete this goal before anyone else is killed?
(Ayato Aishi, Taeko Yamada, and various male rivals x male reader)
Warnings: Yandere themes (Stalking, obsessiveness, Killing, unhealthy relationships), death, sexual harassment, bullying, graphic depictions of violence, and mentions of blood
(These themes won't be present in every chapter, but I'll make sure to put a warning before the start if they do show up)
Additional Notes: To get something out the way, I DON'T support Yandere Dev at all. I find his actions to be horrible, but I just didn't have the heart to trash this story. This is my most planned story, and I just don't want to get rid of it because of someone's actions. I hope you understand.
This story has an alternating POV between (Y/N) and Ayato. Each chapter will have a newspaper or a knife emoji. The newspaper is for your POV and the knife is for Ayato's POV
yaaayyy finally got the inspiration to flesh out this au thats been rattling around in my brain
as an inventor, Quillsh Wammy is working on creating a line of devices to solve the most difficult of the world's criminal cases. he calls the latest model L. Light gets to playtest it.
Honestly a pretty accurate breakdown of how these ranks are structured. I’m sick of people treating B and A rank missions like they’re not that important or difficult or anything. (They’re not even common in peacetime) Those comprise most of ANBU’s job my dude and it doesn’t get “higher ranked” that that for a grunt (more on that in a sec)
While we are here:
Genin Shinobi are limited to D and C rank with sparing exceptions
Chuunin do mostly C rank and some B rank
Jonin do mostly B rank and some A rank as needed, but they do their share of C ranks too depending on where they are needed and whether they’re a team leader
ANBU do anything, and I do mean anything, in accordance with what is needed at the time. That most of their missions, or at least that we can tell in canon, tend to be B and A rank is a reflection of the fact you gotta be a Jonin before you can make ANBU, rare exceptions notwithstanding. But they’re also the only rank that’s authorized to do S ranks, as needed. ANBU are the gap filler of the Shinobi system, they go anywhere and do anything from policing to general assistance/backup all the way up to in-house assassinations. They’re enforcers at the core.
They’re like a strange mixture of honest to gods Black Ops and Military Police. They’re basically the FBI and CIA rolled into one, if you want to think of it that way. They’re described in canon as “Shinobi that hunt other Shinobi” and I still think that’s a pretty accurate representation.
| Poussey Washington X Reader fluff, where they are both just so cute together!
You had known Poussey for around six months now, meeting when you were assigned library duty after things became too much to handle for Poussey on her own.
Since then, you spent a lot of time together, bonding over your love of reading, books and keeping the library organised. You both hit it off immediately, she was always there for you and you there for her, it was the perfect dynamic.
Currently, you were both on the library floor, Poussey with a book in hand and you lay with your head in her lap, playing idily with the hem of her grey sweater - fiddling with the stitching.
You both love moments like this, being able to do your own things in each others presence. From time to time, Poussey’s attention would divert from her book to you, playing with your hair and moving it from your face before going back to the chapter, the silence and unspoken intimacy was nice.
It took a while for Poussey to finally finish in a place she could pay attention to you, using a shoelace as a book mark and placing the book beside you both, quickly bringing her hand to your face and gently comforting it - caressing your cheek softly.
You like this, so take her spare hand and place with in your own, fiddling with her fingers and occasionally bringing her hand up to your lips with a smile.
It was silence, until Poussey muttered your name, making your attention move from her hands and to face, “yeah?” You asked, smiling at her sweetly.
“I uhm…” She began, as if unsure whether or not it was right to talk. You thought it was because she, too, was enjoying the silence. You had no idea she’d spent the last hour deep in thought, not really ready, instead thinking about things, thinking about you, flipping the pages idily.
You had no idea of the feelings you involuntarily evoked from Poussey, how nervous you could make her and how hard she would fight for you. She didn’t want to ruin that, but she felt she had to make her feelings clear to you.
“… I think I love you,” Poussey finished, still playing with your hair, finding comfort in it, focusing on you as your expression changed to a bright smile, now looking at her hands again.
“I love you too.” You countered, sitting up and placing a kiss now on her cheek, a territory neither of you had yet crossed, pushing a large smile to Poussey’s face as she did the same.
I'm not sure if you still do headcannons for Troy (2004), but I would love it if you could please do headcannons for achillies, hector, Paris, patroclus, odyseeus where they are in a relationship with a goddess of herbs and prosperity y/n who is worried about them during the War
Sure, anon!!!
You meant like a Demeter-esque figure? Let's pretend Persephone had a sister or something to match the vibe.
The Men of Troy dating a goddess of herbs and prosperity during the war:
Achilles
-Most likely to be aware of divine intervention than any of the guys on this list.
-The movie leaves it vague, but his mother is a goddess. It's most likely they meet because of a favor Thetis asks from her.
-The lovely goddess understands and adores the bond of Achilles with his mother because she is very close to her mom as well. Since her divine domain is close to Demeter's, like i said up in the post, let's imagine she is a sister of Persephone that suffered with her through the abduction. Because of the traumatic experience she refused to marry any god and lives with her, allowing Demeter to keep at least one her daughters with her all year.
-Far from being concerned, Demeter is amused.
-" Do you like Thetis' son? He is like Ares, only with a worst temper"
" He is cute, and he makes me laugh."
-In godly standards, specially for a divinity that doesn't have war in a high consideration, all his attempts to seem cool are a bit pathetic.
-Cheerfull sweet goddess enthusiastically shaking her pathetic little mortal.
-Her ways have to force some vulnerability out of him because she can't take his " biggest macho of the war" acting seriously. Him beheading the statue of Apollo is cringe, but that's the cringeworthy blond dumbass she loves.
-Like his mother, it's most likely she knows what awaits him in Troy. Trying to stop Achilles from rushing towards his death is a lost cause. The gods looking after him are like the frustrated zookepers in those " Panda with zero preservation instincts" videos.
-There is also the " gods can't change fate" rule, of course.
-They have agreed she will still keep an eye on him, but ultimately, approach the subject from the reverse perspective.
-She knows he is going to die, but her sister is the Queen of the Underworld. Once fate would claim him, she would visit him in Eliseum.
-The agreement exists, but doesn't stop her from worrying.
-Sometimes, in the heat of battle Achilles feels a flowery breeze that he has learned to distinct from any other pleasant perfume. It's like the smell of her skin, subtle reminder that she is watching over him even when she can't show herself.
-And most of the time, he mocks her worries when directly presented to him.
-" What troubles you? Once I'm dead, I'm your Adonis ... only you won't have to share me. I'm yours and eternally waiting for you in your sister's realm. You won't have to fear Apollo's girl anymore. "
-It gets on her nerves.
-" They mock me up there, you know? Hector has his honor, Odysseus has his wits. What does Achilles have, apart from a godly parent? He is fast, whimsical and irascible … Walking, breathing hubris ... Their words, not mine"
He chuckles with carelessness.
" And your family knows a lot about whims, right? "
His sheer recklessness to call out the olympians never stops amazing her.
" My father likes you only because he likes your mother, but my mother thinks you are a fool. "
He still manages to keep a cocky smirk.
" The fool who won you over like no other. Remind me ... How many gods have tried and failed before me? "
Hector
(As always, let's pretend he got single to the war. I don't see Hector wanting anything to do with anyone else while married. He would reject anyone for Andromache, so I would have to erase her from the picture for this to make sense.)
-An accidental byproduct of Priam's devoted faith, and Hector's lack of.
-Despite respectfull of the gods, Hector doesn't wait for divine aid and that's the core of his conflict in the movie. He thinks the gods won't help him and lowkey doubts they even listen to him. He sees things as they are, not as he would like them to be.
-He would never imagine a goddess would fall in love with him and he is terrible at reading the signals. The priest could be literally prophetizing " the goddess has favored our harvest cause she is in love with Hector" and he would find the way to claim it bullshit.
-She could be filling his balcony of imposibly beautiful flowers growing astronomically quick there and only there, but he would still claim it was the heavy rain. Troy is the most prosperous kingdom of its time, causing envy and greed in Mycenae while Egypt watches it raise as an equal ... But that's solely trojan merit, right? It's their tax policies, and their strategical position on worldwide trade.
-He is a frustrating as Achilles, only for completely different reasons. If she wants him to fall for her, she will have to court him the mortal way.
-When the war starts, the eldest trojan prince is restless. Angered by Achilles' provocation and the humilliating implication that the myrmidon leader had chosen to let him live, he continues to work on the salvation of his people for some more before finally giving himself a rest.
-There are rescue teams working deeper in the country to save the peasants that work the fields far enough from the inminent danger to not realize of it on time. Hector himself ordered the evacuation of the farmers and shepherds inside the city.
-He saves by his own hand a beautiful young lady found picking up flowers in her walk through an open field, sweet maid staging the image of a peace that's no longer there. Nobody knows what to do with her because there are no living relatives claiming her, neither neighbors that can confirm her identity to the authorities.
-Ultimately, Hector decides to take her under his care. Offerings from other officers from the trojan army were not few, but most of those were inspired merely by the splendid beauty of the stranger.
-The prince wants to keep her close because, as her savior, he seems to be the only man she trusts. The mystery of her origin is seen as a bad omen by the countryfolk, but he suspects of something less abstract: a spy.
-With patience and devotion the girl wins his trust, then his affections. As their bond flourishes, strange events occur.
-Food seems to be multiplying in the storages of the sieged city, and the crops that were abandoned by the farmers rot before the greeks can steal those for their own sustenace. Everything that is green and growing flourishes lifeful in the homes of the trojans, and with the beautiful flowers found in the royal gardens she cares for, the prince's new friend crowns hers and Helen's forehead.
-This blessings, obvious as they become, grow at the pace their love groes and are a result of the goddess' happiness. Nobody is quick to link everything to the coming of who they then judge to be the prince's gratefull pet. No one but Hector, who despite being skeptical, it's no fool.
-He is convinced that the gods would not fight the war for the people of Troy, for him, that he will have to do everything himself. And yet, he can't deny there had to be someone out there very bussy in the task of keeping his people well fed. Troy remains a place of prosperity and life even through the worst war in its history, but that's not an achievement he can take credit for.
- At first, he works the theory that his beloved could be a witch. A human practitioner of magic aiding the cause of the hero she loves, similar to Medea in the legends of the Argonauts.
-"Confess yourself: do you have me under your spell? Is that why I felt my fate bonded to yours from the first moment that I saw you? ... Why I fell for you? "
-The assumption amuses her, but she realizes it is time to reveal herself.
-"You have chosen me on your own free will, finally after years of making yourself blind to everything but what your eyes could see. You may think the heavens have given their back on you, but I was beside you the whole time ... And always will be, to your last breath and beyond."
Paris
-Despite shepherd Paris wasn't canon in Troy (2004) it's still canon in my heart.
-As I have stated before, I like to imagine that royal-raised Prince Paris from the movie had a peasant phase as part of a punishment settled by his father at the time of a big screwup. Priam tried to teach him to be responsible and humble by sending him with the commoners to do farm work. The naive spirited king of Troy has an idealized image of what being a peasant is and thought this would automatically teach virtue to his wayward son.
-Paris didn't got much of the "suffering builds character" lesson his family expected him to obtain. He thought peasants living in harsher conditions was something to be fixed, not to be celebrated. If anything, the experience made him more of an hedonist because he learned to value the moments of comfort through it more than the work itself. He got a short course about the small pleasures of the countryfolk, not a lecture about duty and responsibility.
-He didn't despise the work either, not as much as their relatives thought he would. Ultimately, the punishment spoke more of what they thought of lower class work than of what it actually turned out to be.
- He kept his spirits up and learned everything he had to be taught with enthusiasm. He was not good at first, and some of the actual workers were amusing themselves with him, but that didn't disencourage him.
-The goddess became infatuated with him as she watched him face the tasks with love and respect. Turning her eyes to Troy only to find the handsomest of princes harvesting crops or guiding herds with the sweetest spirit was enough for her to get invested.
-From the very beggining, she came to him as who she was and Paris had gladly embraced her affections. Their romance developed at this complicated time of his life, but both were soon enraptured in such torrid passion it wouldn't be easy to let go.
-The field where they made love for the first time it's an authentical miracle of fertility, prosperous like nowhere else. Despite the priests can't tell for sure the reason it seems to have been choosen by the goddess, they have turned it into a sacred place.
-Paris came back to the palace to resume his role of prince, but never told anyone of his romance. The fact that he didn't rush to tell the world he enjoyed the love of a goddess is on itself proof that he was already in love. He kept it as a sweet secret for himself, fearing that telling anyone else would be the end of it. What if the other divinities take it as an act of hubris? What if it dissapoints her? He is somewhat aware of his own reckless foolery and doesn't want it to ruin this for him, he doesn't want to lose her.
-Then the moment to visit Sparta happens, and she already knows what awaits there. As the excuse of Agamemnon and the gods alike, Paris is destined to start the war. He has to escape with Helen and take her to Troy.
- She refuses to loose her beloved mortal and comes up with a ruse to follow fate without having to wait to be abandoned once Aphrodite would turn Paris' heart towards Helen.
-Phantom Helen Conspiracy Theory: the real Helen is send by her somewhere else. Safe and away from the husband she hates ( i'm following movie's canon in what comes to the characterizations) while the goddess herself takes her place.
-Greeks and Trojans alike see Helen when they look at her, but she only reveals herself to Paris.
-Which sadly means he is now aware of being accused of a crime he didn't commit, knowing no one out there would believe him.
-" Show yourself to them! Please, release me from this guilt. They are blaming me of stealing a woman I've never touched! "
" Gods greater than me need this war to happen! Of letting things take their course you would have abandoned me and I couldn't bear the tought, so I rescued you from the crime knowing I wouldn't be able to free you from its punishment. I was selfish, I wanted you only for myself, but by now you must understand that the love of a goddess is more than blessings and pleasures."
-He looks back at her. An adorable glance of confussion, yet not anger. Despite he doesn't quite understand the ways in which gods and goddess operate, he still adores her.
" Will your love be my shelter from the hardships? From the hate of the greeks and even my own people? "
-She leans one hand on his shoulder as the other caresses his curls.
" Always and forever, my love. No harm will come to you, and you will never feel displaced. Even as the world seems to turn against you, by the grace of my devotion you will never be unloved."
Patroclus
( had to go for a pic because i couldn't find one single gif, not even outside tumblr.)
-He is my son 💕
-It's hard to imagine him going around enamoring goddesses, because he is kind of an awkward teen in my eyes.
-It wouldn't be the standard mortal x immortal romance in greek mythology, I see them a bit more like Kili x Tauriel from the Hobbit movies. After all, Achilles is his grumpy guardian with badass stories Patroclus probably grew up hearing and he wants so badly to prove his worth to him, so in that they already resemble Kili and Thorin too lol.
-Since he doesn't let him fight and the boy gets bored, Pat is the " go to" guy of the greek camp. Everytime someone else needs something, they go ask Patroclus knowing he has to be somewhere out there doing nothing.
-At one time, he gets lost in the woods when he gets in too deep while looking for firewood. Something understandable, since he is in strange lands he has never seen before and shouldn't have ventured so recklessly.
-Eventually, he is rescued by a woodland nimph. To stay in tune with the request's vibes, let's say she is a nimph with a great knowledge in herbs, kinda like Oneone. ( All of which is not that different from a woodland she elf, now that I think about lol)
-She offers him hospitality and apart for being in awe, Patroclus is confused.
-"Why would you aid one of the greeks that have came to tear down your woods? Those men can't have any respect for your land, since it isn't theirs."
" Because you are not like them. The son of Thetis didn't bring you here to fight, he did because you bring hope to his disenchanted heart … You are a creature of pure light."
-He (chastely) spends the night in her shelter and she guides him back to the camp the next day.
-By the moment he is back, Achilles was already in the " wondering whose head will roll" stage of worry for him. Before things would escalate, his little cousin tells him the whole story.
" Let me get facts clear: A nimph of the trojan woods protects you because you are the only one she judges harmless? "
" I think she is in love with me, and I can prove it to you. She will come back, you'll see".
-He is not convinced of it, but chasing the illusion gives Patroclus something to do away from battle and Achilles cheers that.
-Nobody really believes him. At least until Agamemnon is the one starting to make fun of him, then Achilles suddenly believes it wholeheartedly.
-They see each other while everyone else is fighting, so of course he is not going to have easy evidence! It frustrates the lad, but there is not much he can do about it. She refuses to show herself to his kind.
-Only a serious danger changes this, when Patroclus prays to her before going to battle for the first time in his life.
-She shows up in the aftermath of the disaster, to try rescuing him from his doom.
-Imagining that, by the action of her remote intervention, Hector's strike is not one so quickly lethal as it was on the scene, she does whatever she can to save his life.
-"Is this real? Have you trully came to me?"
"Indeed, because i never trully left you."
Odysseus
-Mythologically speaking, Odysseus got at least two goddesses into him without even trying. Poor dude was just trying to make it home to his mortal wife, but they just wouldn't let him.
-He is very different to most kingly figures, and you can still see this on his movie incarnation. Not only because of his cleverness, but because he is kind of an underdog and he sorts of embraces it. He is a freak king, you see it in his sheer contrast with Agamemnon. This closeness to the mundane is part of what won him the respect of Achilles.
-I think this is the side of him this goddess would fall for, the underdog who doesn't do things the way most kings do. The one that, quoting the Odyssey, " rules with the softness of a father", implying there is a nurturing aspect in his ruling style.
-The king of a poor island that doesn't count with the great fertile fields of continental Greece. Ithaca is small and rocky, so agriculture finds some limitations and you can't raise many big animals there either.
-She is moved by how he carries the struggles of his people, humble folk trying to make a living of the little land available.
-And so, their thing starts in Ithaca. As he leads the festivals of the harvest begging her for a good next season.
-I think Odysseus would privilege knowledge over favours in his relationship with the goddess. Once they are on it, he wants her to show him ways in which he can improve the lives of his people on his own. Better agricultural tecniques, developments in herbal medicine, etc.
-As it sometimes happens in this kind of situation, she perhaps gifts the ithacans a new plant as a courtship gesture towards her soon to be mortal lover.
-Odysseus' wits are a source of calm for her when it comes to the war happening. Of all the mortals involved, he is the better prepared to survive in any circunstancies. Odysseus is not only clever, he adapts quickly to the hardships that come to him.
-I feel she doesn't need to consult the plan of fate ™ to realize he is the one most likely to make it.
-The moment she does start worrying is when Achilles' strike wrath complicates the scenario and two greek leaders die in one day. Without Menelaus and Ajax, Odysseus becomes the main defense of the greeks until Achilles would return.
-It's logical to expect he would be the next target of Hector. Without Odysseus, the leading of the greeks it's just a few old kings.
-"If I can't convince Achilles, I will find the way to end the war. Don't worry, something will occur to me."
"War is not my domain, Odysseus! I'm concerned because I can't protect you out there."
-He chuckles lightly, then tenderly comforts her.
"Your love is enough, my mind will find the way. "
Materials that helped me pass the DTZ B1 exam and not lose my marbles
YouTube
Benjamin - Der Deutschlehrer
My favorite channel for specifically preparing for the exam. Very good at explaining letters, conversations, that sort of thing. Also very helpful with advice on what to add or take away in the delivery to make it sound more b1 rather than a2.
LordPappnase
I love his gameplay videos and his way of speaking. But frankly, he's more as an example here - go to youtube and type in your hobby/special interest/favorite game/favorite media + deutsch into the search box and you'll get a lot of auditory training, which you won't be bored watching! I have to admit, I get terribly bored watching all these videos that are specifically designed for language learners - they look in places like they think I'm an idiot >.<
Android Apps
Babbel
The best program for learning German in my eyes. Grammar, drills, interesting topics - it's all there. But, a small nuance - it is the best for those who know Ukrainian, because then you will have a full course without ads and restrictions. I do not know why. But it's worth taking advantage of if you have the opportunity!
Flashcards // Anki // Drops
You will always benefit from a program which is simply a deck of useful words to memorize.. I used Flashcards like 90% of the time, but the other two will also do the job if you like them better.
Tutor Lily
I can't put into words the usefulness of this app. It's a chatbot with whom you can talk a little every day - and thus literally force your brain to lay down the neural pathways of how you should communicate in a particular language. I credit my 97/100 on speaking to this program alone. It is 100% worth it.
Polygloss
Shows you images that you have to describe in your target language. It doesn't sound particularly helpful, but one part of the DTZ exam is literally describing the picture! So it's actually insanely useful - including the fact that it forces you to look up words to describe different objects, events, and the like (or think of what you can call it if you forget a specific word).
Clozemaster
Read more about how I use it here and here!~
Additional notes:
I'm sorry, but there is no way to “learn a language in two weeks”. They're lying to you. You have to sit and study, half an hour a day, ten minutes - even five minutes. Every day. Or every other day. Learning a language takes time, and even if someone was able to memorize a few lines for an exam to pass, factually speaking, it's a Pyrrhic victory - they still have to learn it all over again if they want to really know the language and not just pass the exam (which may work on b1, but good luck with b2 then, me dude).
You will be bored. You will feel like nothing is happening. That's part of the process - and there's no avoiding it. And that's okay.
Find something that lets you dip your feet into the language, but doesn't feel like bloody agony - for me, it was listening to the German podcast Easy German on the way to and from my courses. By the time of the exam, I had listened to about 70 hours of this podcast, which is 70 hours of uninterrupted German. By the end, I was even understanding it very well!
If you like playing video games, put on German voiceovers. Even if you leave the text in your native language, it's still an unconscious imersion - and every minute is worth it.
While you're at it - put German dubbing in your movies and TV series too. It may be strange at first, but it also helps a lot!
And in the name of all that is holy, don't use chat gpt. No, chat gpt's “wonderful courses and explanations” won't help you. No, if you throw your letters into it, it won't analyze them and give you a worthwhile assessment - it'll hallucinate and give you some faulty answers.
Please. We really don't need another person starting their German letter with “Guten Tag,”, as did at least 3 of my coursemates <.<
Uchiha usually do not show emotions around outsiders, as they are a pretty homogeneous clan whose bonds center around trust in each other. But when one gets to know them very well, they will show their true face without disguise. You can see this with how gruff Madara acted when he first met Hashirama, then changed to an extremely open countenance after the two became good friends. In fact, it is interesting to note that Madara behaved more honestly with Hashirama than Hashirama ever behaved with him. Hashirama chose to save face when it came to his brother and his loyalty to his clan even when pursuing peace, but Madara consistently “spilled the beans” with his true thoughts.
Side Note: Japanese culture has this concept of tatamae and honne, where in a nutshell, tatamae is the face a person presents to others while honne is a person’s true face. Because the Narutoverse is set in a society with heavy Japanese influences, I am going to be borrowing from the knowledge I have to paint the picture I am imagining about the Uchiha clan. I’m going to say it right now: the headcanons in this post are in no way reflective of genuine Japanese culture, they are simply imagination all in good fun.
Typically, the neck is viewed as an intimate area to be protected. Uchiha usually cover their necks with high collared shirts mainly to provide special ventilation from the flames they breathe from the mouth and over the centuries they have developed a complex where they do not show the collarbone to anyone unfamiliar or foreign.
Children are taught to respect parents in accordance to Confucian values, as well as the expectation that they will honor their ancestors by keeping in accordance with tradition and virtue inspired by Shinto religion. Parents go to the Naka shrine to pray for their offspring’s prosperity and health. Clan members also attend smaller, lesser known shrines that have an illustrious history with miracles and are well respected historically.
Collective harmony is emphasized less so than the Senju clan, yet there is an ardent expectation that each individual will work their hardest to become powerful assets for the clan as shinobi. Fugaku pushed Sasuke by expressing disapproval when he stood in his brother’s shadow and rewarding him subtly when Sasuke demonstrated his own magnificent prowess. Likewise, discipline is used as a tool to train young children to match up with their prodigious peers. In a battle oriented clan such as the Uchiha, those who are weak are looked down upon, as they are a burden in battle and cannot independently fend for themselves.
While the Senju clan’s belief in unified cooperation for the sake of peace peace yielded the Will of Fire, the Uchiha hold a more individualistic mindset. They believe in strength above all, that whoever holds the most power will be able to determine the fate of everyone else. Thus, they train regularly and efficiently to obtain this goal of becoming all powerful. The theme of resurrection and rebirth is familiar in Uchiha culture. Deities including Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo play a major role in both the myths taught to children before bedtime and techniques embedded in abilities that the user can unlock as they progress in prowess. Furthermore, fire symbolizes resurrection and rebirth, an element that Uchiha are naturally oriented towards.
Meritocracy is rewarded as long as it achieves the clan’s own ends. When the Uchiha were marginalized from the village, Fugaku praised Itachi for graduating first in the Academy because it meant that he could go on to pursue a strategical position in Root. When Sasuke met Juugo, he did not shun the afflicted man for being cursed with an uncontrollable demon. Rather, Sasuke clearly saw that Juugo could be a valuable asset and welcomed him with open arms onto Team Hebi. Sasuke’s emphasis on cool, calculating strategy is a microcosm of the overall Uchiha outlook. Uchiha may appear to be exclusive and arrogant, but this masks the fact that they really prioritize the best of the best.
Speaking of arrogance, there is some underlying looking down on other clans simply because the Uchiha have demonstrated talent and prowess that no other clan has been able to achieve. Tobirama Senju once said that “When an Uchiha unlocks their Sharingan, they obtain a power far more potent than even that of the Senju,” and he was not kidding. With their finely honed shuriken techniques, ruthless drive towards perfection, and magnificent ocular dojutsu, Uchiha are very proud of their clan’s accomplishments. Uchiha express pride by ignoring those who they consider to be lesser than them and responding with an apathetic “hn” when addressed by individuals from less prestigious clans. They may even verbally chastise the individual for any weakness apparent, as seen when Madara scorns Tsunade with his line of “I hate weak Senju.” However, they usually don’t instigate a fight without good reason and never physically harass others. Indeed elitism exists in intraclan relations, but clan members are traditionally taught to respect their elders and fellow clan members, as well as powerful shinobi who have demonstrated exceptional battle ability - even those from other clans.
It was once said that Tobirama called Hashirama “anijia” and Izuna called Madara “Nii-san” when they were kids. “Anijia” is more formal than “Nii-san,” indicating that there was a greater degree of trust between Izuna and Madara than Tobirama and Hashirama. The formal vs. informal use of “older brother” shows that the bond of the Uchiha brothers was different from that of the Senju brothers. Izuna felt comfortable showing his disbelief that there was a kid stronger than his older brother in front of Madara. In contrast, Tobirama never displays this level of innocent honesty with Hashirama, even when they were kids. It didn’t help that Butsuma was physically abusive towards Hashirama, smacking the boy hard in the face when he grieved for his younger brother Itama’s death.
Specifically, I want to remark that I don’t see Tajima as an abusive father at all, as some mistakenly believe. He trusted Madara’s judgement enough to ask his son if they could take on the three Senju clan members, and retreat willingly when Madara answered they were not strong enough. Would Butsuma have reacted so smoothly if Hashirama responded in the same way? Definitely not. Rather, Tajima was a loving but flawed parent, a product of his times, who desired the best for his sons but embraced the extreme beliefs that were so prevalent during the Warring States Era.
In the Uchiha clan, honor is prized as a life or death matter. When his clan’s name was insulted, Sasuke lashed out violently at the perpetrator who dared to stain the Uchiha name. Shisui, who many in the fandom see as pretty liberal, told Itachi to promise to “protect the Uchiha name” before falling to his death in the Naka River. What Sasuke and Shisui teach us is that even for youth, honor is emphasized heavily as a core cultural tenet. Clan members must swear to protect their own personal honor, which in turn reflects the collective honor of the Uchiha name. Their sense of honor is far more intense than that of the Nara, Yamanaka, or even Senju clans. In a way, it is reminiscent of the ancient Bushido code followed by samurai.
Above all, trust is the highest value in the Uchiha because it leads directly to love. Outsiders may view the Uchiha as only arrogant and aloof, but trust me, there is far more that meets the eye beneath the surface. It takes time to understand Uchiha culture and beliefs since they are a people with such a deep spirit. Enduring centuries of warfare and hardship, they triumphed against the odds to become the most powerful clan in the world. It is worth it to reexamine your perspective on the Uchiha clan and ask yourself if you truly see past the facade. Much like the illusory genjutsu cast by the Mangekyo Sharingan, a strong front conceals fierce devotion.
Uchiha usually do not show emotions around outsiders, as they are a pretty homogeneous clan whose bonds center around trust in each other. But when one gets to know them very well, they will show their true face without disguise. You can see this with how gruff Madara acted when he first met Hashirama, then changed to an extremely open countenance after the two became good friends. In fact, it is interesting to note that Madara behaved more honestly with Hashirama than Hashirama ever behaved with him. Hashirama chose to save face when it came to his brother and his loyalty to his clan even when pursuing peace, but Madara consistently “spilled the beans” with his true thoughts.
Side Note: Japanese culture has this concept of tatamae and honne, where in a nutshell, tatamae is the face a person presents to others while honne is a person’s true face. Because the Narutoverse is set in a society with heavy Japanese influences, I am going to be borrowing from the knowledge I have to paint the picture I am imagining about the Uchiha clan. I’m going to say it right now: the headcanons in this post are in no way reflective of genuine Japanese culture, they are simply imagination all in good fun.
Typically, the neck is viewed as an intimate area to be protected. Uchiha usually cover their necks with high collared shirts mainly to provide special ventilation from the flames they breathe from the mouth and over the centuries they have developed a complex where they do not show the collarbone to anyone unfamiliar or foreign.
Children are taught to respect parents in accordance to Confucian values, as well as the expectation that they will honor their ancestors by keeping in accordance with tradition and virtue inspired by Shinto religion. Parents go to the Naka shrine to pray for their offspring’s prosperity and health. Clan members also attend smaller, lesser known shrines that have an illustrious history with miracles and are well respected historically.
Collective harmony is emphasized less so than the Senju clan, yet there is an ardent expectation that each individual will work their hardest to become powerful assets for the clan as shinobi. Fugaku pushed Sasuke by expressing disapproval when he stood in his brother’s shadow and rewarding him subtly when Sasuke demonstrated his own magnificent prowess. Likewise, discipline is used as a tool to train young children to match up with their prodigious peers. In a battle oriented clan such as the Uchiha, those who are weak are looked down upon, as they are a burden in battle and cannot independently fend for themselves.
While the Senju clan’s belief in unified cooperation for the sake of peace peace yielded the Will of Fire, the Uchiha hold a more individualistic mindset. They believe in strength above all, that whoever holds the most power will be able to determine the fate of everyone else. Thus, they train regularly and efficiently to obtain this goal of becoming all powerful. The theme of resurrection and rebirth is familiar in Uchiha culture. Deities including Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo play a major role in both the myths taught to children before bedtime and techniques embedded in abilities that the user can unlock as they progress in prowess. Furthermore, fire symbolizes resurrection and rebirth, an element that Uchiha are naturally oriented towards.
Meritocracy is rewarded as long as it achieves the clan’s own ends. When the Uchiha were marginalized from the village, Fugaku praised Itachi for graduating first in the Academy because it meant that he could go on to pursue a strategical position in Root. When Sasuke met Juugo, he did not shun the afflicted man for being cursed with an uncontrollable demon. Rather, Sasuke clearly saw that Juugo could be a valuable asset and welcomed him with open arms onto Team Hebi. Sasuke’s emphasis on cool, calculating strategy is a microcosm of the overall Uchiha outlook. Uchiha may appear to be exclusive and arrogant, but this masks the fact that they really prioritize the best of the best.
Speaking of arrogance, there is some underlying looking down on other clans simply because the Uchiha have demonstrated talent and prowess that no other clan has been able to achieve. Tobirama Senju once said that “When an Uchiha unlocks their Sharingan, they obtain a power far more potent than even that of the Senju,” and he was not kidding. With their finely honed shuriken techniques, ruthless drive towards perfection, and magnificent ocular dojutsu, Uchiha are very proud of their clan’s accomplishments. Uchiha express pride by ignoring those who they consider to be lesser than them and responding with an apathetic “hn” when addressed by individuals from less prestigious clans. They may even verbally chastise the individual for any weakness apparent, as seen when Madara scorns Tsunade with his line of “I hate weak Senju.” However, they usually don’t instigate a fight without good reason and never physically harass others. Indeed elitism exists in intraclan relations, but clan members are traditionally taught to respect their elders and fellow clan members, as well as powerful shinobi who have demonstrated exceptional battle ability - even those from other clans.
It was once said that Tobirama called Hashirama “anijia” and Izuna called Madara “Nii-san” when they were kids. “Anijia” is more formal than “Nii-san,” indicating that there was a greater degree of trust between Izuna and Madara than Tobirama and Hashirama. The formal vs. informal use of “older brother” shows that the bond of the Uchiha brothers was different from that of the Senju brothers. Izuna felt comfortable showing his disbelief that there was a kid stronger than his older brother in front of Madara. In contrast, Tobirama never displays this level of innocent honesty with Hashirama, even when they were kids. It didn’t help that Butsuma was physically abusive towards Hashirama, smacking the boy hard in the face when he grieved for his younger brother Itama’s death.
Specifically, I want to remark that I don’t see Tajima as an abusive father at all, as some mistakenly believe. He trusted Madara’s judgement enough to ask his son if they could take on the three Senju clan members, and retreat willingly when Madara answered they were not strong enough. Would Butsuma have reacted so smoothly if Hashirama responded in the same way? Definitely not. Rather, Tajima was a loving but flawed parent, a product of his times, who desired the best for his sons but embraced the extreme beliefs that were so prevalent during the Warring States Era.
In the Uchiha clan, honor is prized as a life or death matter. When his clan’s name was insulted, Sasuke lashed out violently at the perpetrator who dared to stain the Uchiha name. Shisui, who many in the fandom see as pretty liberal, told Itachi to promise to “protect the Uchiha name” before falling to his death in the Naka River. What Sasuke and Shisui teach us is that even for youth, honor is emphasized heavily as a core cultural tenet. Clan members must swear to protect their own personal honor, which in turn reflects the collective honor of the Uchiha name. Their sense of honor is far more intense than that of the Nara, Yamanaka, or even Senju clans. In a way, it is reminiscent of the ancient Bushido code followed by samurai.
Above all, trust is the highest value in the Uchiha because it leads directly to love. Outsiders may view the Uchiha as only arrogant and aloof, but trust me, there is far more that meets the eye beneath the surface. It takes time to understand Uchiha culture and beliefs since they are a people with such a deep spirit. Enduring centuries of warfare and hardship, they triumphed against the odds to become the most powerful clan in the world. It is worth it to reexamine your perspective on the Uchiha clan and ask yourself if you truly see past the facade. Much like the illusory genjutsu cast by the Mangekyo Sharingan, a strong front conceals fierce devotion.
I, like many others, definitely enjoy a good romance every so often. All of these recs are going to have the romantic development of the characters as the forefront of the story, so just because the fic includes a ship doesn't mean it will go on the list. That means, many of them might feel more on the slice of life side of the spectrum, but that's not the case for all!!
There is going to be a mix of ships here so if you're interested in one in specific then use the search feature!
Started: 2024.08.28
Last Updated: 2024.12.19
note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!
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To Build a Home - RedPowder || ao3 || E || kakasaku || canon divergence || ongoing
Sakura and Kakashi are assigned a mission that will change the path of their lives forever.
Kakashi and Sakura are forced to marry on orders from the village and I know that description sounds dumb, but trust me when I say this fic is gold. I've always had a hard time with kakasaku fics because I feel the whole teacher/student thing gets swept under the rug too easily, but that's not the case here. Their past relationship from team 7 is a glaring shadow over their marriage and the guilt over the whole situation weighs heavy on Kakashi. This mission isn't easy for either of them and it takes a lot of pull and tug to ensure things don't completely blow up. To Build a Home is probably one of my favorite takes on this ship as the portrayal feels realistic and the character feel accurate to themselves. Just give it a go!
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Approaching Sun - ANerdInAllHerGlory || ffn || T || sasusaku || blank period || ongoing
After 2 years, Sasuke returns to the village where friends anxiously await him. Still troubled by the mysteries of Kaguya and his personal guilt, Sasuke is split between friends and his journey. Troubled by rising casualties and international dependence on her abilities, Sakura is torn between her love for Sasuke and her duty to her village.
Approaching Sun is probably one of the most realistic depictions of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship that I have read. This takes place during the blank period and references the novels, so it feels like an actual possibility of what went down. As much as I love them, I have a hard time believing that their relationship was smooth sailing and so I think this is an interesting take.
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The Fool - thekatthatbarks || ao3 || T || shikasaku || blank period || complete
Ino kicked at a pebble on the ground, her arms folded across her chest. “How long?”
Shikamaru sighed and pulled the cigarette away from his lips. “The war."
It was a lie somewhat. He’d liked her since they were kids but had simply ignored the budding crush expecting it to fade over time. It hadn’t and by the time the war came around, he accepted he would always carry it despite his increasing efforts to drop it. He’d tried drowning it in the river, burning it in a fire, covering it up with something else. But it was all to no avail. It stuck with him, always apart of him.
“Have you ever told anyone? Chouji? Her?”
"No."
I actually really like Shikamaru and Sakura as a pairing (or just working together in general); however, I haven't read much of them. The Fool was a great post-war read where with some meddling (curtesy of Ino) we get to watch the progression of their relationship into something more than friends.
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Nightmare in Red - Sariasprincy || ao3 || M || itasaku || non-massacre AU || complete
Haruno Sakura used to think the eyes were the windows to the soul, but after witnessing the horrors of the Sharingan firsthand, she's convinced they are the doors.
It was pure chance that led Sakura to the discovery of the disease eating through Uchiha Itachi's lungs and now that she's aware, she knows she cannot just turn a blind eye. But how is she to treat the very man who tortured her while at the same time keep her nightmares from consuming her? That she doesn't know, but she knows she has to try, even if it nearly kills her in the end.
Itachi unintentionally captures Sakura in his mangekyou after being rolled into the hospital for her to heal. While Sakura tries to work through the impacts of the genjutsu she continues to work with him in an effort to cure him of the disease infecting his body. I actually really liked how the whole thing played out. Itachi's sickness was sort of a mystery in the original series and so I found it rather interesting to see what was done in regards to it. Anyway, I love their interactions and Shisui is (like always) a great character as well.
It was almost time, Orochimaru was going to take his body as a vessel. He hated being used...he refused to be used. With that thought, he took the kunai in his hand and slashed across his eyes.
If you're a fan of long reads, then you might want to check this out! Sasuke is blind and Sakura helps him through it now that he's back in the village.
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Ghosts - ElegiesforShiva || ffn || sausaku || M || blank period || incomplete
In love and loss, it often comes back to family, and Team 7 had always been fated, hadn't they? Deny it as she may, Sakura finds her heart strung to them with an uncanny reverence and the weight of their ghosts. Sakura-centric. Heavy, heavy angst. Slow burn Sasusaku. Canon pairings. Lots of friendship feels. Eventual (consensual) lemon.
Ghosts is a pretty dark read where basically everyone is suffering. Sasuke and Sakura in specific have an especially hard time coping with their individual struggles yet they find comfort in each other. Check TWs before going in
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Home is Where the Heart is - DeepPoeticGirl || ffn || sasusaku || T || blank period || complete
And with every moment together, they get just a little closer, a little more comfortable with each other. Fall a little more in love. Post-war. Pre-epilogue.
This fic is actually adorable! Taking place during the blank period we get to see how Sasuke and Sakura's relationship slowly progresses. If you've always wondered what their travels were like then definitely check this one out.
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In Times of Peace - SouthSideStory || ffn || sasusaku || M || blank period || canon divergent || complete
The war is over, and like Konoha, Team 7 has rebuilt itself from the ground up. Everything has changed, but Sasuke and Sakura remain much the same. Eleven years, she thinks, is a long time to be in love.
Sakura and Sasuke have like a secret relationship going on. Also, Sakura as a jonin sensei is so good!! I really wish that someone from the original cast actually went down that route, but whatever.
ItaSaku (Post Uchiha Massacre) AU: Some things are destined to be. It just takes a couple of tries to get there.ItaSaku. Light KakaSaku.
I actually really liked how this was done as team 7 is still a family, Sasuke didn't lose his mind, Itachi picked a much more respectable path imo, and the characters are all adults.
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Only a Crush by Gingersoup || ao3 || kakasaku || M || canon divergent || complete
It was supposed to be an easy, fun night out. She never intended to wake up in her sensei's bed, half-naked and with no memory of what happened the night before! As she tries to unravel the mystery of that night, something sinister is growing beyond the walls of the Leaf Village... and what was only a crush spirals wildly out of control.
Sakura is unwillingly thrust into the world of illegal drugs, trafficking, and sex all while coming to terms with her new feelings regarding her former sensei. I typically don't like kakasaku, but I think this work is done tastefully well. The characters are both adults and the immorality of the relationship is not ignored, so be prepared for a lot of "we can't," "this is wrong," etc.. Anyway, Sakura is an absolute powerhouse and I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between all of the different characters and villages!
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Dreaming's End - thepiedsniper || ao3 || T || kakasaku || canon divergence || complete
Sakura didn't avoid the Infinite Tsukuyomi with the others, and all the events that happened afterward were simply the product of her dream-state.
When Sakura finally wakes up from years spent in her personal "paradise," she must to learn how to start again. Kakashi is there to help her.
~*~
(TWs for genjutsu-related unreality)
Basically, imagine the entirety of Boruto was Sakura's dream in Infinite Tsukuyomi. When Sakura manages to breakout during the war she's left to deal with serious ramifications of the life she just lived. She finds herself constantly questioning what's real and Kakashi tries to help her through it. Awesome read!
Mamihlapinatapai・Yagan. (n.) a look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something they both desire, but which neither wants to begin
In which Sakura tries her hardest to raise one hell of a rambunctious baby by herself, Sasuke is searching for something unknown, and Itachi is the uncle.
In another life where Itachi doesn't end up dying and instead tries his best to help Sakura raise his niece in Sasuke's absence. It's my head canon that everyone came together to help with Sarada just like they did for Kuranai, and so Mamihlapinatapi satisfies that thought for me. I like how Sasuke was criticized in this since as much as I understand the necessity of what he's doing, I also find it completely unfair to his wife and daughter. Itachi and Sakura form a great bond and it's all very domestic and just super fluffy all around, which I love.
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Louder than Words - SouthSideStory || ao3 || T || sasusaku || non-massacre AU || complete
Sakura hasn’t uttered a single word since the day her family died, but Sasuke is determined to hear her, one way or another. (No Uchiha massacre AU.)
Sakura gets taken in by the Uchiha family after Fugaku finds her on a mission. She's been mute ever since, but that doesn't stop her and Sasuke from forming a close bond.
"You... took me with you."
"That's what I said."
"To Orochimaru. You took me with you, to Orochimaru."
Sasuke nodded curtly and shoved the medical kit a little more insistently into her hands. Sakura accepted, and prayed to every known god that Orochimaru would ignore her existence. She should've known the gods don't listen. Now only on AO3. Sequel up.
What if Sasuke took Sakura with him like she asked? Snake Bound explores that idea and it's honestly a very uncomfortable read. Their relationship is based off of the isolation and dependency their new situation puts them in. All they really have is each other and the new bond that brings is not a healthy one. Super good
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Armour-Sleeved Single Hit - thatdamnuchiha || ao3 || T || madasaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete
Sasuke always told Sakura she was weak. Even after she trained with Tsunade for years he only had eyes for Naruto whom he considered strong. She would forever be invisible to him no matter how many mountains she toppled.Being a member of Team Seven despite Sasuke’s refusal to acknowledge her meant she got herself into her fair share of sticky situations. Getting stuck a hundred odd years in the past had to take the cake though.But she was just a weak little girl and compared to the shinobi of old she’d be ridiculously pathetic. Sasuke had said she was weak to him – a modern day shinobi who hadn’t been forced into battle after battle like they did in the Warring Clans Era. Obviously she’d be nothing more than a spec of dirt in the eyes of the Founders.
Sakura manages to find herself in founding-era Konoha! While trying to prove that medical ninja are capable fighters she unknowingly gains the affection of Madara Uchiha. After all, the Uchiha find beauty in strength. Super cute read!
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Always You - alex-halcyon || ffn || T || kakasaku || age swap AU || complete
[AU. Age-swap] Kakashi x Sakura. From academy days to the third shinobi war and beyond, Kakashi and Sakura grow up and fall in love.
Basically, Sakura takes Rin's place on the old team 7. The progression between the characters is quite interesting as it definitely isn't smooth sailing for Kakashi and Sakura. However, even through everything they find themselves drifting towards each other. Pretty cute imo.
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interim - stannide || ao3 || T || sasusaku || blank period || one-shot complete
Sasuke lives with Sakura in the weeks after the war.
Interim is such a wholesome read where Sasuke and Sakura rekindle their former relationship. Super fluffy
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Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Tozette || ao3 || T || sasusaku || blank period || one-shot complete
Sasuke is actually eighteen the first time he looks at Sakura and realises abruptly that he wants her.
I think we all know by now that Sasuke has always been attracted to strength, power, so why not when it comes to romance? Essentially, one day on a mission, Sasuke discovers he has a strength kink. Watching him continuously get flustered throughout the fic because of his admiration towards Sakura's strength is so entertaining. Really fun read
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the problem with how time works - MurderMittens || ao3 || E || kakasaku || generation swap AU || complete
"I don't remember you being this uncomfortable when Kakashi was nine and had a crush on you," Ino pointed out neutrally. "You thought it was flattering before."
She moved to pour more wine into their glasses as Sakura exhaled sharply out of her nostrils.
"Obviously! It was fucking cute when he was a kid! But now he's..." she trailed off, gesticulating feebly.
Ino, taking pity on her, finished the sentence: "Now he's a stone cold hottie who looks and sounds like he'd murder the ever-loving shit out of your vagina."
Sakura and Kakashi's generations swap place and boy is it entertaining. With Naruto as his sensei, of course Kakashi has met Sakura. Now that she's back in the village after years, Kakashi decides to try his best to win her over.
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on still water - summersirius || ao3 || T || shisaku || canon divergence || complete
and sometimes, there are days without rain. —shisui/sakura
I'm actually devastated that the author decided to not pursue the plot line after about chapter 15 (it was so good too), but On Still Water is great nonetheless. Some really cute Shisui x Sakura moments
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never let 'em know your next move - MirrorImage003 || ao3 || T || itasaku || non-massacre AU || one-shot complete
six times itachi is surprised by sakura, and the one time he's surprised by his mother.
Sort of drabble style moments between Itachi and Sakura and it's honestly adorable.
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Hatsukoi - sparklyfaerie || ao3 || sasusaku || gen || non-massacre AU || complete
Sasuke leans away as the girl turns to him, and his mother doesn't need to be any closer to guess as to the expression on his face. The girl's body language changes in an instant, and Mikoto recognizes the posture of a little girl in love. It's kind of adorable.
Probably one of the cutest sasusaku fics I have read as Hatsukoi follows them from genin to marriage! It's told in multiple perspectives and it's full of tooth rotting fluff. You get to watch the slow progression of their relationship over time and how they grow even closer in Naruto's absence. Definitely read if you want something light!
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(oh, you'll probably go to heaven) please don't hang your head & cry - SafelyCapricious || ao3 || T || itasaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete
There’s no such thing as a good death.
But Sakura faces her death without any regrets. Her dying is keeping her precious people safe — and that’s all she can ask for.
So she dies with a smile, taking thousands of enemies with her.
She wakes up and falls off the branch she’s laying on.
More of a pre-ship than anything actually romantic, so maybe this isn't the best for this list lmao.
Sakura is officially declared missing on a Wednesday morning. Wednesday, what a stupid day to go missing. Of course, Sakura is the only person he knows that is annoying enough to interrupt the middle of the week like this.
Sakura goes missing and this fic is basically Sasuke slowly losing his mind over it. Ghost is honestly pretty darn touching and feels true to Sasuke's character. Everyone is concerned for Sakura and that doesn't exclude him despite how nonchalant he makes himself seem.
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Send me some recs if you have any to share! I'm generally fine with any ship as long as the story is good :)
Synopsis : Born in Konoha, [Y/N] wasn't necessarily known as the most impressive or powerful ninja, but rather for her kindness and compassion. She became like an older sister to Naruto and a loyal, faithful friend to many ninjas in Konoha. Without even realizing it, she had earned a special place in the heart of one particular ninja with brown hair. But everything changed the day the Third Hokage entrusted her with a mission from which she would not return unscathed.
Pairing : Yamato/Tenzo x Reader
If you want to read Kakashi's version, you can find it here.
Warnings : Violence, memory loss
List : Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // ...
Inspiration : Remember me - d4vd
Words : ~ 3000
A/N : Hello there ! Here's the first chapter of the new story i wrote for Kakashi, but this time for my boy Yamato. Just like Kakashi's story, there'll be multiple chapters but i'll try my best to make them a bit different. I hope you'll like it ! And thank you all for all the likes and reblogs for the other one ! And sorry for the mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker.
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Long before Naruto left with Jiraiya, the Third Hokage had entrusted you with a mission. A mission for which you would, of course, not be alone, but whose duration was impossible to predict. While it wasn’t expected to be particularly dangerous, it still worried the young ninja, who pleaded with you to refuse it and stay in Konoha.
You and Naruto had known each other for a few years by then, and a sibling-like bond had grown between you. Though neither of you showed it openly, you cared for each other as if you were part of the same family. The young blond found comfort in having someone he could look up to as a big sister.
On the day of your departure, Naruto couldn’t help but ask you to promise him something: that, upon your return, the two of you would go together to Ichiraku. He insisted you promise to come back as quickly as possible—and, of course, without a scratch. It was a promise you made without hesitation, one you sincerely hoped to keep.
Tenzo, for his part, came to speak to you the night before you left. Over the years in the Special Forces, you had developed a close bond with him. Despite his unwavering seriousness, the ANBU operative was someone you deeply valued. You’d grown to understand him over time, and his subtle sense of humor hadn’t escaped you. In fact, it was one of the things you appreciated most about him, offering a striking contrast to his somber past. To you, he was more than just a teammate in the Special Forces. He had always been kind and considerate toward you, and you’d always made an effort to show him he was valued.
But over time, what you felt for him had grown into something beyond friendship—a feeling you never thought you could confess. His role in the ANBU and the demanding nature of his missions left no room for personal entanglements. You feared losing what the two of you had built, so you chose to keep your feelings to yourself.
"It seems you're leaving—this time, for quite a while," he said.
He had perched himself on the edge of your terrace, still wearing his mask. The moonlight faintly illuminated his silhouette, and you watched him as though he were a mirage. Slowly approaching, you reached out to touch his mask, but he caught your wrist before you could.
As you carefully revealed his face, you noticed the faint trace of worry in his expression, even in the dim light around you.
"I’ll be here when you return," he said softly. "But please, be careful."
And with those parting words, he vanished into the night as suddenly as he had appeared.
________________________________________
Crossing the Land of Wind had proven far more arduous than expected. Whether due to the weather, unfortunate encounters, or other unforeseen obstacles, it took several weeks to reach the country’s edge. The team leader was the only one privy to the mission’s details; your role was to ensure his safe passage and protect him at all costs. Once the messenger had been located, the journey resumed toward the Land of Earth. It was an exceptionally long mission, one that the Third Hokage had emphasized as being of critical importance, urging success no matter the cost. What exactly these messages contained? None of you had the faintest idea.
The journey across the various lands and the delivery of those messages eventually stretched into several months. While you hadn’t faced any overwhelming challenges, there were minor injuries and delays—nothing insurmountable. Yet, the longing to return home grew stronger with each passing day. Every team member began feeling the ache of separation from their loved ones, some even missing their children. As for you, you missed Naruto’s antics and the humor of your friends. Thoughts of Tenzo on the night before your departure resurfaced often, lingering in your mind no matter how much you tried to push them aside.
It was during the final leg of the journey that thoughts of the ANBU operative became most vivid.
In the Land of Lightning, things took a turn for the worse. While traversing a vast expanse of rocky mountains at night, your group encountered ninjas whose origins and intentions remained unknown. Everything happened far too quickly for you to grasp what was unfolding. A skirmish broke out, and the team leader made the call to prioritize delivering the message, splitting the group into two.
This left you with just one other ninja to hold off the enemy and buy time for your two teammates to escape.
The opponents didn’t seem especially skilled, but fighting them in the dark posed a significant challenge. Fatigue soon began to take its toll on you both, a factor that likely contributed to the event that would alter the course of your journey.
Amid the chaos, you noticed a cluster of shurikens hurtling toward your teammate. Instinctively, you intercepted them with your kunai, preventing him from being injured during his fight with one of the assailants. What you failed to notice, however, was the unstable ground beneath your feet.
Perhaps it was a mix of exhaustion, the uneven terrain, and a strike from one of the enemies that led to your fall. Before you could fully comprehend what was happening, the ground beneath you gave way, and you plummeted from the rocky ledge where you stood.
Desperately, you tried to grab onto something—anything—but your attempts were in vain. Your head struck a jagged rock, and everything went black.
________________________________________
After spending more than a year and a half on the mission and successfully completing it, the team leader and the member who had accompanied them set out to search for the two ninjas they had left behind in the Land of Lightning.
It didn’t take them long to find their first comrade, who had been taken in by the Hidden Cloud Village, where they were treated and waiting for the team’s return. As for you, however, the story was different.
They found no trace of you—only your headband, which did little to encourage their search given its poor condition. They spent several weeks in Kumo, hoping to uncover information or even the faintest clue about your status or whereabouts, but their efforts turned up nothing.
Eventually, they returned to Konoha, disheartened, but determined to deliver their report to the Hokage and hand over your headband. Yet, much had changed since their departure. ________________________________________
"The mission is complete, Lady Hokage. All the messages have been delivered."
Tsunade carefully observed the ninjas standing before her.
"However, we couldn’t find [Y/N]. Only her headband was recovered. We don’t know if she’s dead or missing."
After uttering these words, the ninja lowered their head and placed the headband on the Hokage’s desk. Tsunade furrowed her brow slightly before picking up the object and examining it closely.
"Tell me everything about this mission," she said, her gaze still fixed on the damaged headband.
________________________________________
"We’ll probably run out of firewood tonight. I’ll go fetch some."
The elderly woman standing beside you gave a faint smile and nodded. She was preparing one of her famous soups, a recipe you now knew by heart. Its aroma always brought you comfort, especially in the winter.
Dressing warmly to head outside, you opened the door and carefully closed it behind you, letting out a sigh. The cold was so biting that you hurried to gather the wood and return inside. It was a ritual you had carried out every winter for the past two years, and to you, it felt as though you had never known anything else. In truth, you weren’t even sure if you had known anything else.
Everything was hazy—you remembered nothing beyond these moments spent in the little house nestled deep in the forest. How had you ended up there? Where had you come from? Why did it seem as though you couldn’t recall anything from before this home?
Poor Yubaba didn’t seem to know any more than you did. She would simply tell you that you asked too many questions whenever you embarked on this inner quest about your past. She’d say that everything would come back to you one day, but for now, your mind and body needed rest.
And you didn’t understand those words either. Why would you need rest? Was it tied to the headaches you frequently experienced?
Taking a deep breath, you firmly grasped the bundle of wood before stepping back inside the house. You placed it in front of the large fireplace that illuminated the modest living room where the old woman spent most of her time.
"This should be enough for tonight. But I’ll have to chop more for tomorrow," you said.
She turned to you gently, lifting the large pot and carrying it over to the table.
"Take off that heavy coat, Fubuki, and come warm yourself up and eat. It’ll do you good. Don’t forget your tea—it’ll help with your pain."
Nodding, you finally shed your warm layers, returning to your usual attire, and sat down at the table. Fubuki. It sounded strange, almost like it wasn’t real. Like everything around you.
And yet, how could you truly question the only things you knew when the rest of your existence was nothing but a massive void?
"Thank you for the meal, Yubaba," you said softly.
________________________________________
While Tsunade was busy sorting through a mountain of paperwork, a ninja suddenly appeared behind her. Wearing a mask, the ANBU operative made no sound as he moved, disappearing and reappearing almost instantly in front of the Hokage’s desk.
“You were quick, Tenzo,” she remarked, finally lifting her eyes from the documents.
Removing his mask, he fixed his gaze on her.
“You summoned me, Lady Hokage.”
“I did. I have an additional mission for you—and for your current team.”
Her expression grew serious as she clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them.
“A team recently returned from a long mission. However, one of its members disappeared several months ago.”
Tenzo struggled to maintain a neutral expression, but deep inside, something began to churn. He prayed it wasn’t you, though his instincts pointed only to that possibility.
“She was last seen in combat in the Land of Lightning.”
His face tightened, and it became increasingly difficult for him to stay composed.
“I’d like you to conduct a search alongside your current assignments. I’m entrusting this mission to you specifically because I know you’ve worked with [Y/N] before. You know her well, I imagine, and you’ll be better equipped to recognize her or uncover any information about her whereabouts.”
The ANBU operative took a moment to absorb her words, his gaze steady but his mind racing. So it was you who had gone missing—or worse? But he refused to let those darker thoughts overwhelm him.
“Lady Hokage, are you certain she’s not...?” he asked, his voice faintly trembling.
“Her forehead protector was recovered, but she wasn’t. The fact that her body hasn’t been found yet makes me think she might not be far. Someone will eventually lead us to a clue.”
With those final words, Tenzo replaced his mask, offering a few last remarks to the Hokage before vanishing from the room, leaving her alone.
As the door clicked shut, Tsunade let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a brief moment.
“Forgive me, Tenzo. I can only hope you’ll find her.”
________________________________________
Tenzo had withdrawn to a quiet corner, pulling off his mask as he slid down against the wall until he was seated. Placing one hand over his face, he took deep, steadying breaths, clearly trying to calm himself.
How long had it been since you left on your mission? Was there still a chance of finding you? How long had you been alone? Or injured? Or held captive? Or perhaps... something else entirely?
No, the idea that you could betray the village and simply vanish was unthinkable. Not with Naruto, not with everything tying you to Konoha.
His thoughts swirled chaotically, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t push them aside. Fear crept in, whispering the possibility of finding a version of you so far removed from the one he knew—or worse, what little might remain of you.
He needed to get a grip. To hold onto hope.
________________________________________
“So, how did the training go? Did it pay off?” Tsunade asked, seated at her desk.
“Do you really think we’d be back if it hadn’t?” Jiraiya retorted, his hands on his hips.
“Well, we’ll see about that,” she replied with a smirk, just as Naruto chimed in to ask for more details.
Outside, Kakashi stood by the window, seated with a book in hand, listening to the conversation inside. Naruto was back, and while Kakashi felt genuine joy at seeing his student again, a deep unease lingered, especially at the thought that a certain topic might come up.
Several months earlier, Tsunade had informed him that your team had returned from a mission. Initially, the prospect of seeing a mutual friend he shared with Tenzo brought a glimmer of happiness to his face. But it quickly faded when the Hokage revealed that only your forehead protector had made it back to Konoha—and it was in a condition that spoke of grim possibilities.
At that moment, Kakashi couldn’t even fathom the pain Tenzo must have felt upon hearing the news—news he had surely received long before Kakashi did. He knew how close the two of you were, how much Tenzo cared about you. Tsunade had also informed him that she had assigned Tenzo the task of searching for any information about you. While it was somewhat reassuring to know that his ANBU comrade might be the first to find you, Kakashi couldn’t shake his worry. Tenzo was an exceptional agent, but you mattered enough to him that Kakashi feared the search could take a toll on his judgment. Tsunade was aware of this risk but was betting on Tenzo’s deep connection with you to succeed.
“Well, Naruto, you’ve grown a lot,” Kakashi remarked when the blond leaned through the window to look for him.
“And you haven’t changed one bit!”
Naruto vaulted through the window and reached into his jacket, pulling out a copy of the very book that seemed to animate his teacher’s every moment.
“I brought you a gift, Kakashi Sensei!”
Kakashi trembled with astonishment and joy as he took the book from Naruto, all under the watchful eyes of Sakura, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
“By the way, do you know where I can find [Y/N]? It’s been so long! I brought her a gift too!”
Kakashi’s gaze froze on the book in his hands as he weighed the best response to Naruto’s question.
Sensing that the conversation could take an unpleasant turn, Tsunade intervened.
“She’s on a mission. She’ll be back soon, Naruto. In the meantime, I believe you have plans with Kakashi.”
The copy ninja let out a quiet sigh, closing his eyes briefly.
“I’ll be waiting for you at Training Ground 3. See you there,” he said before disappearing, gripping the book tightly as if it were a lifeline.
Naruto turned back to Tsunade, re-entering the office with a puzzled expression.
“Do you know exactly when she’ll be back? She promised me ramen at Ichiraku!”
“Maybe we should start heading to the training ground, Naruto,” Sakura suggested with a soft smile, trying to steer him away from pressing further. “You’ll see her when she gets back.”
“Fine, fine. Anyway, Kakashi Sensei is probably already devouring his book. Did you see his face?!”
________________________________________
After the young ninjas left the room, Jiraiya stepped closer to Tsunade.
“Was she killed on the mission?” he asked bluntly, wasting no time on pleasantries.
“We don’t know yet. But I’m not sure it would do Naruto any good to know about the situation right now, especially when he’s just returned. Let’s give him time to settle in.”
“I don’t think he’ll appreciate being kept in the dark,” Jiraiya countered. “I only saw her briefly before leaving with Naruto, but it’s clear how much she means to him.”
“He’s not the only one,” Tsunade replied, her tone firm. “But I don’t think he’s ready to hear the truth just yet.”
Jiraiya sighed, lowering his gaze. For a moment, his eyes drifted to the view outside before returning to the Hokage.
“The ANBU will find her—or at least figure out what happened to her,” Tsunade said with conviction.
Jiraiya let out a faint sound of surprise before a small smile crossed his face.
“I see. You haven’t given up. Who knows about this?”
“Besides the ANBU team? Only Kakashi. It’s better this way.”
A brief silence hung between them before Tsunade spoke again, her voice softer this time.
“I just hope they find her.”
________________________________________
Months had passed, and Yubaba’s health had continued to deteriorate. The herbal treatments she made herself no longer seemed to be enough, and no matter what, she refused to see a doctor or go to a village to seek treatment. Despite your attempts to convince her to go to Kumo, she stubbornly insisted that it was pointless and that it would pass on its own. The day she could no longer even get out of bed, you decided, despite her protests, to take her to the Kumo hospital in one last hope of helping her.
________________________________________
After hours of walking, you finally arrived at the Hidden Cloud Village. Thanks to some passersby, you managed to bring the old woman to a safe place where she could be taken care of. The doctors informed you it would take some time, and that it would be best to return in a few hours while they worked on her treatment.
With time to spare, you wandered through the village, exploring the unfamiliar surroundings as though you’d never seen anything like it before. It was a refreshing change to be in a place bustling with life, far removed from the face of Yubaba or the forest you knew so well. However, the constant chatter of passersby gave you a headache, and every so often, a sharp pain would throb through your temples, making you grit your teeth.
After a few hours of aimless wandering, you made your way back toward the hospital. Night was beginning to fall, and the streets were becoming quieter and emptier. The small alley you walked through was particularly silent, reminiscent of the tranquility of Yubaba’s little home.
But the peace was fleeting.
“[Y/N]?”
The name echoed faintly in your mind, triggering something you couldn’t quite grasp. Yet, you kept walking, furrowing your brows slightly but refusing to stop.
Your path was abruptly blocked when two figures dropped from the rooftops in front of you.
Ninja uniforms, no doubt, each face obscured by a mask. Identical attire. You froze, your mouth opening slightly in protest, only to glance behind you in search of an escape. Two more figures landed, cutting off your retreat.
“I don’t know what you want from me, but I have nothing,” you said nervously, raising your hands slightly in a gesture of surrender.
The two figures in front of you exchanged a glance before one of them turned back toward you.
“Don’t you recognize me, [Y/N]?” one of them asked.
Fear began to bubble up, making it impossible for you to focus on identifying the speaker. You only realized which one had spoken when they slowly took a step toward you.
“You must have me confused with someone else… I’m not [Y/N],” you replied, your voice trembling.
“We’ve been looking for you for months,” they said.
“Why? I’m just here to care for the woman I live with. I don’t know who you are, but I don’t know you,” you insisted, your voice shaking more.
The ninja who had stayed still moved toward his comrade, whispering something before placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Did you decide to desert us? And what about Naruto? Why are you hiding here?”
The throbbing in your head intensified, the onslaught of emotions overwhelming you. It didn’t make sense, none of it. And yet, his voice felt so achingly familiar, distant yet close. That inexplicable feeling gnawed at you, a hazy fog blocking any clarity, rendering your thoughts jumbled and chaotic.
“I-I don’t understand… What are you…”
Your vision blurred as darkness crept in at the edges. Breathing became harder, and a piercing cold seeped into your chest. The figures in front of you became indistinct, their voices melding into an unintelligible hum.
One of the ANBU stepped closer, cautiously, as you staggered backward, trying to put distance between you.
But before you could finish your sentence or muster another thought, the world went black.
•The Hatake and Inuzuka clans are distant cousins (wolf clan Hatake has me in a choke hold)
•Kakashi's bell test is actually a Hatake clan tradition meant to test the teamwork and awareness of the Genin of the clan, originally one could eat a light meal before the test but Kakashi added the no eating before rule as an extra challenge
•Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura aggressively pack bonded with each other without realizing it
•Early on Sakura showed interest in first aid and became the team medic immediately
•Iruka discovered that Naruto is a practical learner early on so he would give him some light training drills and quiz him on different subjects, turns out Naruto is really smart, he's just reckless
•Kakashi teaches Team Seven how to break out of different Genjustus along with different fighting styles, also group therapy sessions
•Sakura breaks out of the toxic feminine headspace she was put in growing up and starts acting more like her inner self, she gains a healthy amount of weight in terms of body fat and lean muscle so she's not skin and bones anymore, she also fights like hell
•Sasuke slowly learns to be a kid again and slowly gets out of survival mode, he's very protective of his teammates
•Naruto learns that it's ok to let his more wild instincts shine through
•Sakura keeps her hair braided and often asks Sasuke or Naruto for help because they know how to braid
•Sasuke and Naruto carry extra hair ties for Sakura, even after her braid was ripped off during the Chunin exam
•Naruto answered every question on the Chunin exam test wrong because he got really bad test anxiety and just blanked
•Sasuke leaned into the idea of working to protect his friends and village
•Kakashi tried his best not to but he ended up pack-bonding with his students, it gets set in stone during the Land of Waves arc when Kakashi refers to Team Seven as his pups instead of his students
• Wolf Instinct Kakashi my beloved
•It becomes a normal sight around Konoha to see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura play wrestling or sporting different colored Band-Aids
•It also becomes normal to see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura following Kakashi around the village
•Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all tackle Kakashi whenever he comes back from a solo mission because they were worried and missed their Sensei
•Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all grow fangs and have growled/snarled at people before
•Kakashi nearly has a heart attack the first time he hears one of his students growl but he also feels proud
•Team Seven become Chunin and later become Junin
•Sakura runs away from her parents before the Chunin exam because they try to forbid her from taking the exam because they're worried about her. Sakura ends up living in a flat near Naruto's, it takes a week before anyone finds out what happened
•Team Seven group howls, the first time it happens is on a mission when they get separated, Sakura starts the howl and is relieved when Naruto and Sasuke howl back followed by Kakashi
•Kakashi nearly cries the first time his kids howl because for the first time in years, he can answer back
•Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all get a white streak in their hair, after some tests at the hospital it's discovered that it's because they chakra bonded with Kakashi
•Sasuke gets kidnapped by Orochimaru instead of willingly leaving the village and gets forcibly trained by him. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi almost go rogue to try and rescue Sasuke
•The third Hokage nearly has a heart attack when he realizes that Kakashi and his team have pack bonded
•Neji survives the ninja war
•Sasuke and Naruto still fight after the war since Orochimaru's influence is still in the back of Sasuke's mind which turns to his idea of using hatred to rule the world after the war
•Naruto uses Kurama to get his and Sasuke's arms back, they both end up with serious nerve damage that Sakura scolds them both about while giving them specialized compression sleeves with built in gloves to help the pain
•One of Orochimaru's men revives him, Sasuke hunts him down to get answers about his clan's origins and Itachi's actions
•Sasuke had escaped Orochimaru during the time skip and spent a few weeks surviving in the woods before he was recaptured
•Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura have their last names hyphenated to include the last name Hatake, Kakashi ends up crying when he finds out
•When Kakashi becomes Hokage, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura join Anbu and become his personal guard. Naruto chooses the name Fox, Sasuke chooses the name Wolf, and Sakura chooses the name Akita
•Hinata had a crush on Naruto first but Naruto fell harder. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura came back from an Anbu mission one day and Naruto took one look at Hinata and fell head over heels for her as he has a realization
It only feels right to make my ROOT list now since I posted my ANBU fic list! Similarly to the shadow corps, ROOT had so much wasted potential it actually saddens me. Kishimoto had so many great ideas in Naruto that he just never fully fleshed out and it's a shame. One thing in specific is the whole Torune and Shino situation. Two words: wasted potential!!! It could've been so good and really developed on Shino (and the Aburame clan).
Anyway, once again since our knowledge on the stories and workings of ROOT are limited, this allows for some pretty interesting interpretations. Also, I actually saw an interesting comment the other day about how Sakura would've been a good candidate for the program because of her chakra control and lack of family influence in Konoha and I honestly have to agree. I might be a bit biased, but whatever. Enjoy some root!Sakura recs!
Also, try out my ANBU list (some overlap).
Started: 2024.08.13
Last Updated: 2024.12.19
note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!
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The Small Postures - Celenier || ao3 || T || kakasaku || canon divergence || incomplete
Sakura acts as a spy for Tsunade when Danzo takes an interest in her. While earning her place in ANBU Root, she discovers her own path to greatness. She learns grim secrets about how her village operates, makes terrible enemies, and begins to appreciate the extent of her fractured personality.
The Small Postures was oddly disturbing to me... After Shikamaru is approached for ROOT, it's decided by the higher ups that someone more expendable should infiltrate to take the division down. Sakura is the chosen one, but at what cost? With Kakashi acting as her contact and her only confidant on the matter, how will this affect their relationship? Truth be told, I haven't gotten far enough for any sort of romance, so I have no comments there, but this fic is very well written and quite ominous at times.
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Black Bough - Re_Adrienne || ao3 || unrated || kakasakusai || root AU || ongoing
Sakura's parents are civilians.
It does not spare them.
In which Sakura forgets, Sai pretends, and Kakashi can't tell if he's failing the mission.
I really love this fic! Sakura joins ROOT just before her graduation after her parent's death and it's there she meets Sai. Years later the two of them are extracted by Kakashi and she is put under his watch as she readjusts. Part of the struggle is the known fact that she was supposed to be a member of Team 7, which causes some drama (?). There's some super interesting ROOT lore going on and I always have a soft spot for Sai and Sakura friendships!!
Edit: The author has changed the tags and this now seems like it will be a kakasakusai fic.
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Five Kingdoms for the Dead - Evil Is A Relative Term || ffn || M || canon divergence || complete
After the Forest of Death, Sakura comes to realize that being weak is no longer an option. However, she finds that change is sometimes painful and that truth doesn't always come easy. Luckily, she'll have some help along the way.
It's been a hot minute since I've read Five Kingdoms for the Dead, but I'm fairly certain there is some ROOT stuff going on in here! Nonetheless, this is a great fic with some really interesting worldbuilding.
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Trials of Change - Espoiretreves || ao3 || gen || time travel AU || complete
Haruno Sakura made a promise. Looking in the eyes of her Shisou and the reanimated Hokage, she took on the most important mission of her life. Go back in time and try to prevent the 4th Shinobi War. Now, Sakura is back to her 5-year-old body, with all the knowledge and haunting memories of the future. She vows to keep her precious people safe and stop certain events from happening, without altering the timeline too much. The trials her emotions and logic put her through have her questioning her very existence, but for the sake of peace, she has to push forward. No matter what.
Trials of Change is actually apart of a time travel series and I have to say that it is probably one of the best of the genre! This fic is the first of a series and the main focus is ROOT and taking down Danzo. I really adore all of the worldbuilding and backstories going on here in addition to the fact that there are breaks. Yes, the story keeps moving, but there are other things going on, like playdates, and not just Sakura trying to save the world. Also, if you love Shisui then definitely check this out since he has a huge role and his and Sakura's friendship is just so precious.
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cut the head off the snake - itsthechocopuff || ao3 || T || time travel AU || incomplete
when eighteen-year-old, post-war Sakura is thrown back into her tiny, pre-Academy body, she makes a decision. she'd had a childhood once already, and this time, she's more interested in Not Dying when the inevitable shit hits the proverbial fan. so she will work harder, care less, kill more, and smile when she's done.and hey, if she ends up reviving an extinct nature transformation to attract the most corrupt, power-hungry man from her timeline, all the better for her, right?
Such a unique take on a time travel AU and Cut the Head Off the Snake executes it perfectly. Sakura decides that her first order of business is to infiltrate ROOT and that's exactly what she does. Sai, Shin, and Shisui are all great characters and team Ro is present as well. Very good!
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In Another World - eleventheeggo || ao3 || gen || T || orphan Sakura AU || ongoing
What if Sakura was an orphan instead of Naruto and Sasuke?A story about a socially stunted girl who has a thirst for knowledge and is surrounded by softies who love her all the same.
Orphan!Sakura is not something I knew I needed in my life! She is so precious and it's great to watch all of these characters come together for her sake. In Another World also discusses ROOT a bit, which you know I love, so I can't wait for the story to get there.
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Rooted - theRazorofOccam || ffn || T || gen || canon divergence || incomplete
In a universe where Sakura takes a wrong turn, she misses out on the apprenticeship with Tsunade, instead getting recruited by a very different mentor. Life turns out very differently from there on, as she takes the path of a very different kind of ninja. Updates on weekends, unless otherwise stated.
I can't remember too much, but it occurs during the time skip between og and shippuden. At a loss of what to do after her rejection from Tsunade, Sakura decides to join Danzo's program with hopes of becoming a better shinobi.
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parsley seed goes nine times to the devil - Mook_aron || ao3 || M || gen || root AU || one-shot complete
Slow to grow, quick to sprout, parsley seed goes nine times to the devil
When she’s six, a man murders her family.
The man is tall, and his features are burned into her mind. She won’t forget him- she won’t let herself forget him.
Root Sakura au
Sakura is taken into ROOT at a young age and is assigned a mission to infiltrate team 7. Spoilers ig, but Sakura ends up telling Kakashi and what happens from there is sorta open ended. Great story
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I Watched a Change in You - YuffiesNinjaInsanity || ao3 || unrated || narusaku || time travel AU || ongoing
Naruto’s lying across from her, still bleeding out and with his lifeless blue eyes staring at her.
“It’s’kay, Naru.. be joining… you both soon.” She croaks.
Sakura gets sent back in time to a universe where everything is peaceful? She comes from a place where after Danzo's succession to the Hokage title, everyone is ordered to take up ROOT training and so adjusting back to a normal team proves difficult. Pretty good.
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Hang Them Up (To Make Them Bleed) - classical_mess || ao3 || T || gen || root AU || one-shot complete
Sakura always used to think a lot of her career as a ninja, but she never thought she'd up here.
Fairly interesting one-shot where Sakura is recruited by Danzo after getting rejected as Tsunade's student. She spends some time in ROOT and Kiba helps her get out. This is on the moments leading up to Danzo's trial. I also quite liked how Tenten was helping out with the seal.
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Sakura - lilac haze || ffn/ao3 || M || minasaku || time travel AU || complete
AU. Non-Canon. Time Travel. Please see inside for full warnings. Cross posted on Ao3. On his deathbed he was granted eternal peace and place to rest for all of time. Of course that was not appealing to him. Ever unpredictable to the end he had a counter offer. One that the Sage had to consider. In which Sakura's going to have a rough time. A really rough time.
I cannot believe that I forgot to add this fic when I initially published my ROOT list!!! Anyway, really good time travel fic with a doomed romance between Minato and Sakura. You watch them, well, Sakura, grow from a young child to an adult and all of the trouble and tragedy that comes her way. Pretty interesting and dark ROOT stuff going on in here.
Head canon that ANBU mostly communicate via sign language, even with the Kage so that they can't even be identified by their voices. Also that each village has a different type of ANBU face covering. Suna wears veils, the leaf village wear porcelain masks, the hidden rock use extreme face paint, etc.
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