To be honest mirror, mirror is not dead and is running around my mind all the time. It has changed a lot since I first started writing it and so have my thoughts about it. I've been pretty distracted with real world obligations and projects so I haven't picked it up up consistently in awhile.
I have been venturing back that way though (you can blame The Poppy War Trilogy) and I've been world building quite a bit and refining the themes and ideas for it.
All this is a really long way of saying:
I'm re-writing it!
Not completely mind. I do like quite a bit of the interactions and scenes and will likely recycle them, but I'll be adding more and more heavily leaning into what I liked about the fic and felt was unique about my idea (Keiho having a life outside of her team and her family) and not being as afraid to make her a little OP. Honestly, at this point her not having some kind of weird connection to something is odder. I was kind of not committing to some of my ideas but I've decided to "embrace cringe" and not be concerned about the dreaded Mary Sue designation that made me hesitate before.
Right now I am doing some research and I will be leaving the original up. That's what an archive is for after all. But once I've finished my first draft of most of book one (also decided to divide it into multiple stories instead 150 chapters) I'll drop a new chapter explaining what happened, mark it complete and add the date for the new redone version to go live.
I know I have like one follower but this is one of my favorite fanfics and I deeply appreciate all the love it has continued to get.
UPDATE: I've worked out a new timeline for the Shinobi World after deciding to just say fuck canon and those weird dates.
It is currently 16 pages and growing with copious notes and it's going to be fun to see the people's reactions to the changes. But also so much worldbuilding.
Some of these I think are common knowledge in the fandom at this point, but in case they haven’t reached some ears yet I’ll list them anyway.
His characterization is totally different in Japanese vs English dub, partly because his English VA typically voices utter meat-heads and given that Kisame looks like he would be, I guess it fits…buuuuuut it really doesn’t lol. In English, Kisame is very blunt and sounds pretty aggressive; but in Japanese he’s almost the total opposite:
The register of Japanese that Kisame speaks is called Keigo, which is very old and integral to the dialect spoken predominantly in Kyoto. It’s extremely formal — the nearest English equivalent dialect/register I can think of would be an amalgam of 1860’s Victorian High London English. Which is about the right time period, actually, that keigo sorta “belongs” to. (Meiji Era). I could go on trying to explain it, but the gyst is that Kisame is very formal and sometimes a little rude — there is, in fact, a register in Keigo that allows you to be both simultaneously— but he’s also meek. He’s non-committal and generally soft-spoken, even though he’s got an impressive and commanding presence. He doesn’t exactly minimise himself in a physical space or manner, but he definitely comes across like he’s trying not to “be the big baddie”, contrary to his English VA. He also refers to Itachi as -san even though by all rights he ought to use -kun, given that Itachi is 11 years his junior, which is a much loftier raise in respectful position than it would seem (all the moreso because Itachi is a little shit to him at first lol).
Kisame likes to fight, BUT he likes to fight fair. I have many disagreements with the Wiki, but this is probably my biggest gripe about Kisame on there. He’s demonstrably an honorable person, when he can afford to be. Kisame does taunt his opponents occasionally, but it’s never really anything more, and it’s clearly more for fun than for goading. He never outright insults them, though, not even when they’re very clearly outmatched, and he is curiously fond of complimenting his opponents, again even when outmatched. He’s also quite patient, albeit not as much as Itachi, but that I think comes down to their fighting styles more than anything. Itachi prefers a defensive approach, aiming to disarm, whereas Kisame has a much more smash-n-grab approach, wearing his opponent down in a contest of stamina and brute force. (Truly, these two are terrifying when you consider what they’re capable of when coordinating together.) either way, Kisame reminds me of an old Samurai in some ways, in that he follows a code, although maybe it’s one only he knows, and he sticks to it.
Kisame is very probably based on a Youkai called either the Koujin or more often Samebito. Or at the very least the Hoshigaki clan is likely inspired by the myth. Samebito are shark merfolk, essentially, and look pretty terrifying, but they’re actually quite benevolent to benign towards humans. In their mythology they specialize in making textiles of a special silk that’s entirely waterproof and very tough. They’re also, being water Youkai, very sensitive and often emotional creatures, which like some other youkai, cry tears that can crystallize into precious stones. (Water is the element of emotion). There’s a particularly famous story about one, which I won’t get into here — but the ways in which the myth reflects the man are such: Samebito are incredibly loyal to people that help them, and will literally hurt themselves or even kill themselves to help a friend or ally. They also have an honor system, one which prioritizes hospitality and fairness. They may not necessarily go out of their way to help a random human, but they’ll save people from drowning and if you do right by them, they’ll be sure to return the favor.
Kisame and Jiraiya are almost the same height. (Kisame 195cm or 6’4 3/4”, usually rounded up to 6’5” in the data books, Jiraiya is 191cm, about 6’3”) . They both are some of the tallest characters in manga canon, followed by Gai at 184cm, 6’0”.
Something that frequently goes unmentioned is that being one of the 7 swordsmen is more than just a title in Kiri, it awards you a special government role. What exactly that role is, is a bit up in the air, but we know that the swordsmen commanded units, and could command ANBU if they saw fit to. It’s also implied that there’s desk work and other managerial responsibilities associated with the position, which makes sense if we’re going the military commander route. Now obviously some of them were total whack jobs, but the fact nobody except arguably Mangetsu really liked Kisame, (we don’t know about Zabuza, but Kisame’s reaction implies they minded their own business when it came to the other) it’s interesting to think about how exactly that came to be. Cause Mr. Lightning Boy (I do not remember his name) that turns up in part 1 anime is not the sort I envision doing diligent paperwork or anything like proper commanding lol. I know I’m solidly in HC territory here, but I can envision Kisame actually trying to do his job as it says on the tin and every other swordsman looking at him like he’s nuts for sticking to his principles instead of buying into the corruption lol.
In other HC territory that is sort of canon-ish but I guess got retconned for plot or something: Kisame has a PHENOMENAL sense of smell. He’s a very good tracking nin. He’s a sensing type, with added sharky benefits. (Sharks can sense electrical activity in the muscles of prey, so I imagine Kisame is Extra perceptive.) Ergo, it has not ever once made sense to me that he’d of been genuinely surprised by the Tobi/Madara reveal. Unfortunately the tone he uses in Japanese is extremely neutral, so it’s (possibly deliberately) hard to read into. Is he being sarcastic? I’d like to think so, given what canon presents us with, but this is Kishimoto we are talking about lol. In case it’s not clear, I find it Highly doubtful that Obito could have completely changed his scent AND chakra signature beyond recognition, and the fact Itachi knows he’s playing pretend sort of leans into Kisame being aware of it, because I doubt Itachi could really keep his own skepticism under that tight of lock and key. Not around Kisame.
Alrighty, it’s 5am and I need to sleep 🤣 so take this as ye will for now
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hope is a / weapon / hope is a / skill
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hope is a / plant you can / care for or / kill
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hope is a / discipline / something you / choose
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hard to stop / looking for / easy to / lose
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hope isn’t / something to / have or to / take
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
if you can’t / find it it’s / something you / make
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
make it from / willpower / make it from / spite
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
learn how to / weaponize / love in a / fight
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
hope is a / shield and a / thing to de/fend
– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / –
end in it/self and a / means to an / end
metrical form: dactylic tetrameter catalectic
rhyme scheme: AABBCCDDEE
other notes: Line 1 replaces the second dactyl with a trochee. There is arguably a caesura after the second foot of each line: it’s the point at which the line 1 irregularity occurs and it’s often a sense break.
Aubrey Beardsley-inspired(?) black cat kimono and obi (now discontinued), which were to be printed by Gofukuya. I am not sure if those where from actual art or made using an AI? The Beardsley cat I know is muuuch spookier and original!
Well, well, well, if it isn't my very first YouTube video!
This is a video essay on the idea of feminism in fandom discourse; and how it's less effective due to the gap between canon intent and fandom demand in the grand scheme of things.
Hope you like it and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Chapter 3 marks the introduction of Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha in the Naruto manga. And one particular moment in this chapter has spawned a lot of discourse and memes: when Sakura badmouths Naruto in front of Sasuke.
Now, I think that the exact details of this moment have been sort-of exaggerated in order to make Sakura’s actions seem worse than they actually are (not to mention that there’s kind of a big plot hole at issue here).
Regardless, this chapter is pretty interesting in how it establishes one of the core themes of Naruto -- empathy -- and how each member of Team 7 relates to that theme.
In this post, I’ll re-examine this chapter to highlight interesting details about the characters and their dynamics.
[Note: I am relying on the official English translation of the Naruto manga, which may or may not be 100% accurate to the original Japanese text.]
First Impressions
The first time we see Sakura and Sasuke, we see them through Naruto’s point of view: he likes Sakura and thinks she’s very pretty, but dislikes Sasuke in part because Sakura has a crush on him, and because Naruto thinks that Sasuke is arrogant. So it seems at first that Naruto's crush on Sakura is superficial and his judgment of Sasuke is equally superficial.
We also see that Sakura dislikes Naruto, and seems to find him annoying. After the iconic moment in which Naruto accidentally kisses Sasuke, Sakura (seeming to think that this was a deliberate action) says to Naruto, “You make me sick!”
These words will later come back to Sakura.
Shenanigans and Revelations
Later, Naruto decides to impersonate Sasuke so that he can get closer to Sakura. Which, by the way, is a pretty skeevy thing to do!
Something that much of the fandom seems to forget is that Naruto was very intentionally presented as an obnoxious and socially clueless person early on in the series – the other characters often had good reasons to find him irritating, as he didn’t really endear himself to anyone.
Of course, we as fans sympathize with Naruto because we know what he’s been through and why he’s like that, and also because he’s the protagonist and we relate to him by default. But as this chapter demonstrates, most of Naruto’s peers are clueless about his lived experiences and are only reacting to his current behavior.
However, Sakura stands out because unlike many of Naruto’s peers, who avoided Naruto in part because their parents warned them away from him, Sakura dislikes Naruto because she genuinely misunderstands his intentions.
Here, when Fake Sasuke (Naruto in disguise) asks her what she thinks of Naruto, she takes a moment to think about it before responding. She says: “If he had his way, I’d never find love or happiness…He ruins everything…He enjoys tormenting me! Naruto doesn’t understand me at all! …I can’t stand to have him anywhere near me! In fact, the one person whose opinion I value…the only one I really want to be close to…is you, Sasuke. I’d do almost anything to win your attention…your respect…because I have a crush on you…I’m…desperate.”
This is pretty interesting. Instead of Sakura hating Naruto because he’s a “loser” or a “troublemaker”, as many of their peers do, Sakura hates Naruto because she mistakenly believes that he has a vendetta against her. Which is pretty funny – the girl you have a crush on thinks that you hate her and are trying to ruin her life. I suspect that Naruto has maybe pestered Sakura in the past to try to get her attention, which may have led to Sakura misunderstanding him.
However, what’s also interesting about this is that Sakura is simultaneously correct and incorrect about Naruto.
She’s incorrect in her belief that Naruto doesn’t understand her. In fact, in the above pages, Naruto realizes that he does understand Sakura on a fundamental level, and that’s the reason why he has a crush on her. When Sakura confesses to Fake Sasuke that she only cares about his approval and is desperate to earn his attention and respect, Naruto has a strong reaction to this and thinks, “I’m finally starting to understand…what I love about Sakura!”
Naruto likes Sakura because he knows what it’s like to desperately crave the validation and respect of others. He sees a part of himself reflected in Sakura. He empathizes with her. Although there may be an even more interesting meaning here: Naruto can specifically relate to Sakura wanting Sasuke to validate her. As we know from later in the series, particularly the Naruto vs Sasuke fight at the end of Part I, Naruto had always wanted to be friends with Sasuke, but felt like he had to become Sasuke’s equal first. Hence why Naruto decided that Sasuke was his rival. This fact about Naruto and Sasuke’s dynamic may have been foreshadowed as early as this chapter.
Ironically, Sakura is also proven correct in her belief about Naruto wanting to sabotage her, because he literally plans to do so later in this chapter. Not only does he pretend to be Sakura’s crush to get her to lower her guard (she even almost kisses him), Naruto later plans to manipulate Sakura into hating Sasuke. Of course, he doesn’t succeed because the real Sasuke finally catches up to him.
Again, this is kind of skeevy and shows Naruto’s immaturity and self-centeredness early in the series; despite his ability to empathize with Sakura, he thinks nothing of manipulating her to get what he wants.
The Call-Out
Now we get to the Big Moment that launched a thousand memes. When the real Sasuke comes along and asks where Naruto is, and Sakura has some choice words to say about him.
Sakura says that Naruto “always comes between us (her and Sasuke).” Then: “It’s because he was badly brought up! You know…Because he never had any parents? He doesn’t have to answer to anyone, ever, and it’s made him completely selfish! If I did the kinds of things he gets away with, my parents would ground me for life! Don’t you envy him being alone, not having parents nag at you all the time?”
Many people claim that Sakura was "making fun of Naruto for being an orphan." I think this isn’t an accurate description of what she’s doing here. She’s not saying, “Lol look at that dumb orphan Naruto that’s so cringe,” she’s making a point that Naruto’s obnoxious personality and selfishness comes from the fact that he didn’t have parents to raise him properly, so he doesn’t know right from wrong. She even says that she envies him.
Now, this is obviously still a very inappropriate and insensitive thing to say, and Sasuke rightfully calls her out for it. Sakura’s naivete is on full display here and stems from her sheltered upbringing. She has no idea how good her life has been.
[Personally, I think Sakura wasn’t entirely wrong here; it’s true that Naruto’s bad social skills stem in part from the fact he’s had to raise himself. But the way she said it was still very mean and judgmental.]
Many people have also pointed out the irony of Sakura saying this to Sasuke, who is also an orphan. While that is kinda funny, I also feel like it’s a bit of a plot hole. Why wouldn’t Sakura know that Sasuke is an orphan? In fact, her question, “Don’t you envy him being alone?” suggests that she had no idea Sasuke’s family was dead. It honestly doesn’t make sense, since the Uchiha massacre would have been common knowledge to everybody in the Leaf village.
Anyway, Sasuke scolds Sakura, saying: “Kids without families always grow up selfish. That, and lonely. Being scolded by your parents doesn’t even compare! You…make me sick!” And he’s totally right to do so. Sakura was belittling Naruto’s suffering by speaking so ignorantly, and she needed to face reality. Sasuke literally throws Sakura’s prior words to Naruto back in her face.
This moment is also interesting re: Sasuke’s characterization, because up until this point, he’s rather distant and seemingly uncaring toward other people. He’s annoyed at the fact that he even got assigned to a three-man team and spends most of the chapter trying to avoid his new teammates. But here, he shows that he does recognize Naruto’s feelings and empathizes with him to a certain degree, even though Naruto behaves very arrogantly toward Sasuke in this chapter (literally ambushing him, tying him up and impersonating him).
Later, Sakura reflects on Sasuke’s words and finally realizes that she’s been acting like a jerk, and resolves to try to do better in the future. She begins to empathize with Naruto.
This moment is conveniently ignored by the anti-Sakura crowd, who only spotlight her cruelty in the earlier scene as “proof” that she’s an irredeemable asshole. But here, Sakura shows that she’s actually a kind person capable of critical self-reflection.
Conclusion
Chapter 3 introduces the other members of Team 7 and the concept of “empathy” which is central to the series. Naruto’s feelings for Sakura are rooted in empathy, but he still lacks an awareness/respect of personal boundaries, hence his willingness to manipulate her to get what he wants. Sakura initially lacks empathy for Naruto because she misunderstands him, but later begins to think more about his feelings and perspective. And Sasuke initially seems cold and unfeeling, only to reveal that he is empathetic to others’ feelings and experiences.
This chapter, despite its brevity, establishes each of these characters as being multifaceted. Naruto cares about Sakura and desperately wants the approval of others, but he goes about it in a self-centered way. Sakura is naïve and judgmental but also compassionate and willing to own up to her own faults. Sasuke puts up a cold and uncaring front but deep down, he cares about other people.
I never see ‘Sakura as Orochimaru’s apprentice’ in the way I think would be scariest yk. Not in the ‘Sakura is just Sasuke with pink hair now’ or ‘Sakura hates everyone and everyone hated her secretly so she’s taking revenge’ or whatever, but like… canon Sakura. Do you understand how terrifying that would be?
Sakura has been stated within canon to be more observant than Sasuke who has a Sharingan - by Sasuke. She, a civilian without any clan training, has near perfect chakra control. She’s noted to have scores at the top of her class academically, she drugs her own team and friends in order to make sure they don’t get in the may of her mission (to kill Sasuke; yes she doesn’t, but that’s because Kishimoto is too scared to have those two actually fight each other), and is perfectly willing to emotionally manipulate Naruto if she thinks its for his own good (yes, Sai was a dick for blaming Naruto’s pursuit of Sasuke on her and making her feel bad about it, but she was still willing to manipulate a guy who she knows has liked her for years if she thinks he’ll be safer for it. Good intentions, still gaslighting). She’s ruthless, intelligent, and academic. She’s also a canon genius (4-5 in intelligence, matched only by Shikamaru who’s outright stated to be a genius), and notably isolated from her peers both as children (bulled as a kid) and even after (she doesn’t seem to have any friends in part 1 other than Ino). Given her parents don’t seem to show up even when she’s literally close to dying in war, they seem either neglectful or that she has a bad enough relationship with them she doesn’t keep in contact with them frequenty.
You literally don’t have to change anything about her. She’s got a perfect personality and social circle (aka none) so that Part 1 Sakura would not only go with Orochimaru, but would probably thrive. Like, Sasuke was with him for a reason, and he got the aesthetic, with the snake summons and all that. But he’s not a scientist, he didn’t get what truly makes Orochimaru terrifying. He got edgier and more depressed. You know who would become utterly terrifying under Orochimaru? Who seems to have that academic curiosity and the ruthlessness that could be nurtured into something much darker if she was caught as an impressionable twelve year old? Who has quite a bit of ability given how, unlike everyone else in this show sans Tenten and Lee, she has no natural power ups at all? Who has an utter lack of guidance given her parents don’t seem too close to her, Tsunade isn’t her mentor till end of Part 1, and Kakashi never bothers actually giving a shit about her? You know who’s been shown to have talent with poisons, who’s made her own jutsu in canon, who could probably still have some of those same skills with the human body, with poisons, only under a teacher who was more focused on the mind, which probably would have suited her part 1 abilities even better than Tsunade?
Sakura Fucking Haruno. And you wouldn’t even have to change much to do it.
And unlike Sasuke, who just became edgier and more murder-y, Sakura would go from a cheerful and preppy twelve year old girl to something much darker. And I for one would be very interested to see how it would have played out.
Sakura Haruno is one of my favorite characters from the Naruto series, and like many Sakura fans, I have my criticisms of how she is written. However, I also recognize that much of the hate directed at her is based on misunderstandings/misrepresentations of the canon text.
In this post I will re-examine a moment from the Chunin Exams arc in Naruto: The Dosu squad vs Team 7 (and allies). Many claim that Sakura was outshone in this battle by Rock Lee and Team 10 and looked pathetic in comparison to the other Leaf genin. However, upon closer inspection, an interesting fact emerges: Sakura inflicted more damage upon the Dosu squad than Rock Lee and Team 10 combined. She was the first to draw blood from the enemy, and she did it by using basic Academy-level ninjutsu and a simple yet effective strategy. Narrative-wise, this was a big moment for Sakura, and the details back it up.
Before the Battle
Sakura is quick-witted, and early in the Land of Waves arc, she was more quick-witted than Naruto. This is demonstrated here: when the Demon Brothers attacked Tazuna, both Sakura and Sasuke jumped into action while Naruto froze in fear.
Another example of Sakura’s quick thinking in this arc is when, in the next chapter, Zabuza appears. He throws his sword in an arc, making it spin like a helicopter blade, and the Leaf shinobi and Tazuna must get down on the ground to avoid getting decapitated. You can clearly see that Sakura had to push Naruto down (in the background, Sasuke pushes Tazuna out of the way). Sakura literally saved Naruto’s life in this moment.
Later, during the Chunin Exams arc, Sakura’s quick thinking once again saves Naruto’s life. After Orochimaru knocks Naruto unconscious, he starts falling from a height that would have killed or at least seriously injured him. Sakura somehow pins Naruto to a nearby tree trunk by throwing a kunai with perfect precision and force.
These are small moments, but they demonstrate that Sakura has real talent as a shinobi and has protected her teammates in the past. However, like Naruto and Sasuke, she had to reach her limits to surpass them. Naruto is the first on their team to learn the meaning of courage, during the Land of Waves arc. Then, in his fight against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, Sasuke must overcome his fear of death, which had literally paralyzed him. Finally, it was Sakura’s turn to discover her inner strength and resolve to fight even in a hopeless situation.
Another thing I’d like people to recognize is that Sakura is not the only member of Team 7 to be outmatched by the enemies they had to face. Remember, Team 7 wasn’t supposed to be on that mission in the Land of Waves arc, it was above their pay grade and their skill level. Although Naruto and Sasuke got the spotlight, they were still no real match against Haku – they only survived that battle because Haku was too compassionate to kill them (although it's likely that the Kyuubi would have saved Naruto from a lethal attack). Plus, Sasuke’s Sharingan was a great aid to him, and Naruto could only break out of the Crystal Ice Mirrors jutsu with the power of the Kyuubi. Sakura, who lacks a kekkei genkai and a tailed beast, was an ordinary genin, so it makes sense that she couldn’t do that much.
That said, I think there could have been a way for Sakura to contribute more during that arc, but that’s a topic for another time.
Furthermore, during the Forest of Death, both Sasuke and Naruto got taken out by Orochimaru, because Orochimaru is a literal Sannin. And then, there’s the Sound Ninja…
The Sound Ninja
The Dosu Squad is strong, let’s be clear about that. And they were not normal participants in the exams. They were assassins targeting Sasuke. Once again, Sakura is put in a situation that she had no reasonable way to expect or prepare for. But she still rose to the occasion, despite being completely exhausted due to a whole night of no sleep and no food or water.
First, let’s compare her to Rock Lee. Now, I love Rock Lee, and in fairness to him, it’s stated by Tenten that if he hadn’t been distracted by protecting Sakura, he could have beaten the Dosu Squad. However, it’s also a fact that despite using advanced taijutsu moves – which Dosu acknowledged were quite lethal – Lee couldn’t really injure the Sound Ninja. Instead, they were able to block or neutralize all his attacks, then knocked him out flat.
Here, Lee makes a dynamic entrance, landing a hit on all three members of the Dosu Squad, but you can see that all they got was some bruises:
Then he uses the Primary Lotus against Dosu, but thanks to Zaku, Dosu takes little to no damage:
So, despite Lee’s best efforts and the fact that he was using specialized taijutsu, the Dosu Squad emerged from that fight relatively unscathed.
Now, Lee was outnumbered. Surely a three-on-three battle would have been more even, right? Well, that didn’t work out for Team 10.
Choji couldn’t hit Zaku, who was able to just jump out of harm’s way. Shikamaru could only temporarily paralyze Dosu. And although Ino possessed Kin’s body, it was Zaku who made Kin bleed when he attacked her.
So, neither Rock Lee nor Team 10 could really injure any of the Dosu Squad. But Sakura? She stabbed Zaku. She made him bleed. And she targeted his arms because she was smart enough to realize that they were his most dangerous weapons. Again, just by using basic ninjutsu and simple tactics, Sakura inflicted more damage on Zaku than Rock Lee and Team 10 combined.
Character Growth
People often mock Sakura for cutting her hair as if it was no big deal. But the reality is that it was a big deal, hence why the manga emphasizes it so much. Sakura’s vanity was literally holding her back, as represented when Kin grabbed her hair to immobilize her. Kin even openly states that vanity is Sakura’s weakness, she cares too much about her looks and doesn’t push herself hard enough. Then, as Sakura takes a beating from Zaku, Ino remembers how Sakura used to be so insecure in her appearance and put effort into making herself prettier. Sakura allowing her face to be battered shows that she no longer cares about her looks. Literally, Zaku strikes Sakura in her forehead, which was the part of her that she was most insecure about.
Later, Ino even states that they all would have been dead if it weren’t for both Sakura and Sasuke.
Conclusion
Sakura’s actions in the Forest of Death should not be downplayed. Although her skill set was not as impressive as that of her teammates or the rest of her peers, her intelligence and resolve showed that she could stand her ground even against formidable opponents like the Dosu Squad. Indeed, I think that Sakura’s peers during this encounter are held back by their specialized skills, relying on their special abilities instead of creative tactics. This battle demonstrates that it’s not the tool that determines the outcome, but the ninja that uses it.
Hm so as I’ve seen many people lump Sakura in with Naruto and Kakashi as ‘bootlickers who ignore all the state’s atrocities in favor of keeping that status quo’, so as both a radical and a Sakura fan I’d like to share why and how I think Sakura could be turned into a radical character.
This isn’t gonna go very deeply into her fighting abilities or any of that, it’s more an analysis of her personality and narrative role than anything.
— An insight about summons: Katsuyu, the slug of the Shikkotsu Forest
The information presented in this post has been checked and revised. My aim is not to hate or to discredit any of the characters mentioned. Please read about me for further information.
This post will contain evidence in picture format directly from the manga Naruto (1999 - 2014) created by Masashi Kishimoto and published by Shueisha in 1999. I will also use information from the official databooks of Naruto.
This informative post will analyze the concept of animal summons in the world of Naruto and highlight Katsuyu’s unique abilities throughout the series providing evidence. This meta will also mention other animal summons from the Three-Way Deadlock. I will not use information present in the novels because there is none.
This meta is crossposted in AO3.
I give my permission to use or share this thread with informative purposes as long as you credit me.
I do not support the anime or the work of Studio Pierrot in regards to Naruto because I consider it over exaggerated and beyond biased. Furthermore, these fillers include some actions that these characters are unable to do in the canon according to official sources and they also generate unnecessary debate.
Please, take this into consideration.
Katsuyu, also known as Katsuyu of the Shikkotsu Forest, is a giant slug from the Shikkotsu Forest, a secret and legendary place from the Three Unexplored Sage Regions (仙人三大秘境, Sennin Sandai Hikyō).
The Three Sage Unexplored Regions according to the Fourth databook.
She is the personal summon of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, and later, her disciple Sakura Haruno; both women are probably the only people in the world that have been able to summon the slug.
Katsuyu possesses one of the most unique qualities and abilities among animal summons, most of which are still a mystery within the series.
— WHAT IS A SUMMON AND ANIMAL SUMMONS?
A summon is the ability to invoke objects, weapons, people or animals. This action is carried out through a Summoning Technique (口寄せの術, Kuchiyose no Jutsu), a special hand seal based jutsu to transport any element to the user’s location for a limited amount of time.
A Summoning Technique is classified as a space-time ninjutsu and a C-Rank (chūnin level) difficulty jutsu.
Summoning Technique according to the First databook.
Usually, in order to summon objects or weapons, users apply scrolls or special sealing techniques to contain the desired material. This is the case of Tenten, for example; she uses scrolls to seal multiple kunai, shuriken and any weapon of her choice, granting her the title of “Master of space-time ninjutsu”.
However, for animals and living creatures, this is different.
An animal summon is a technique that adds to the ninja’s ninjutsu repertoire, as a shinobi can take advantage of the animal’s abilities for battle or other purposes.
Before any animal can be summoned, the animal and the user must sign a contract with the species or the specific creature using their blood. In order to summon said animal, the user applies some of their blood, normally by biting their fingers, and channels their chakra to their hands thus invoking a sealing pattern that transports their summon to that same location. The amount of chakra used to summon the creatures determines the size and number of summons.
The summoning contract of the Toads of Mount Myōboku, Naruto chapter 92.
In the case of the Three Unexplored Sage Regions, the summoning contracts vary.
Naruto Uzumaki Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze sealed a contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku using their own blood, so when they perform a Summoning Technique, any available toad can offer their services to them.
Orochimaru has his contract with the snakes of the Ryūchi Cave tattooed on his arms. The methods his disciple Sasuke Uchiha uses to summon snakes from the same location is unknown.
Tsunade and Sakura Haruno do not have a physical contract, or at least it has never been revealed. However, by reading the manga, the contract with the Shikkotsu Forest might be through their Strength of a Hundred Seal, as it is only possible to summon Katsuyu if the summoner possesses this seal.
It is unknown if there is a blood contract involved, but it is likely that there is since the method of summoning is blood like his companions.
Orochimaru's contract Naruto chapters 165 and 344.
— KATSUYU AND HER ABILITIES, WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL?
Katsuyu is a very intriguing and interesting animal and the only one whose past has never been explored.
Summon’s habitats and the Three Unexplored Sage Regions are home to a single species of animals.
The Ryūchi Cave is home to snakes such as the White Snake, Manda or Aoda, and Mount Myōboku is home to toads like Gamakichi, Gamamaru or Gamabunta.
But, unlike those, Katsuyu is the only organism living in the Shikkotsu Forest. She does not have any other slug companions.
Following the same scheme as the rest of summons, Katsuyu resembles a real slug.
She is white or ivory in color, with three turquoise stripes running on her head and sides that start on her head and end in her tail.
One special feature about her appearance is that her true size has never been seen. Using one summoner, Katsuyu is bigger than the Hokage Residence, and using two summoners, Katsuyu is the size of the roots of the God Tree, which is just one tenth of her real size according to Tsunade.
Katsuyu's size summoned by one person or two, Naruto chapters 422 and 650.
Her size changes depending on the amount of chakra used to summon her. She can appear as a small slug used to gather intel or help in supplementary tasks, or she can appear as a giant creature using one or two summoners.
Small Katsuyu summoned to assist Headquarters Naruto chapter 561.
Her age is a true mystery. It is known that toads and snakes live many years and have descendants, such as Gamabunta and Gamakichi’s father and son relationship, or Aoda having great grandchildren; or certain summons retiring when they reach an age while their companions or children replace them.
The Three Unexplored Sage Regions are legendary places known for many generations.
Katsuyu, on the other hand, is the only inhabitant of the Shikkotsu Forest. She does not have descendants or companions in her home habitat. Her age or her true origins are a mystery. The first shinobi to discover her existence or previous masters before Sakura Haruno and Tsunade are also unknown.
The first and most important thing to point out is that Katsuyu can only be summoned by users of the Strength of a Hundred Seal. This seal is an extremely difficult jutsu to learn and achieve, so there have only been two summoners in history.
The reason for this is that Katsuyu is such an enormous animal that it requires an immense amount of chakra to summon, and that chakra is stored inside the seal.
Tsunade and her disciple Sakura Haruno are the only beings able to summon Katsuyu Naruto chapter 650.
The primary skill Katsuyu has is the ability to divide herself in many fragments, hundreds or thousands of them in fact. This technique is called Slug Great Division (蛞蝓大分裂, Katsuyu Daibunretsu) and it can be used for supplementary purposes, as well for battle.
In a fight, thanks to her rapid ability to transform her body and divide herself, she can separate herself to nullify attacks by avoiding any strike at incredible speeds. She can do this as many times as she wants without exhaustion. Each of these fragments are also quite fast, able to throw themselves in front of people to shield them from danger.
Manda trapping Katsuyu but she escapes Naruto chapter 170 and Second databook.
She also has the ability to spit a sticky and elastic acid, a jutsu called Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid able to melt stones and vaporize everything it touches (probably senjutsu although never truly revealed). It is also very difficult to dodge due to its unpredictable nature.
Slug acid, Naruto chapter 170 and Second databook.
Unlike Shadow Clones or other regular clones that are independent from each other and are not interconnected, what Katsuyu does is divide her own body in equal parts, so she is in as many places as she wants at once. She is one entity divided into many other independent and interconnected parts while remaining one single body. Each of her divisions behaves like their own person, so she can complete different tasks while also knowing what her other parts are doing in other places.
Being the summon of medical ninjas, Sakura Haruno and Tsunade take advantage of Katsuyu’s ability to divide herself in order to channel their healing chakra and treat as many people as necessary.
With a technique called Immense Network Healing (蛞蝓・網療治夥, Katsuyu: Mōryōjika), Katsuyu collects chakra from the Strength of a Hundred Seal to transform it into healing chakra and treat the injured.
Using the Great Division and Immense Network Healing in tandem, Katsuyu has the ability to heal and protect everyone she makes contact with. Healing any kind of injury or absorbing people inside her in order to shield them from attacks or sudden explosions is her specialty. Her body is able to resist explosions and even Kurama's corrosive chakra.
Katsuyu divides her body and heals the Alliance Naruto chapter 634 and Fourth databook.
This jutsu also acts as a sensing technique due to Katsuyu being connected to the chakra of the injured in order to heal them and her master. Katsuyu is able to relay Kakashi Hatake and Chōza Akimichi’s conditions to Tsunade through their connection, as the slug is connected to the Strength of a Hundred Seal; as well as being able to tell Sakura that Kurama’s chakra was still connected to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Katsuyu can transmit the chakra levels and the condition of everyone she is in contact with Naruto chapter 427.
This way, Katsuyu was able to protect Konoha’s citizens from Pain’s Shinra Tensei and even survive Kurama’s toxic chakra.
Able to be in many places at once, her ability to cover infinite distances while her parts remain interconnected allows her to fulfill communication and intel gathering roles. Being in many places and her clones being part of the same body, Katsuyu relays information to one person or multiple people, something she could do by attaching herself to someone’s shoulder and speaking.
It was Katsuyu the one giving Naruto Uzumaki information about Pain and also told him that Nagato had revived Konoha citizens through the clones that stayed in the village, kept every villager informed about the situation and followed evacuation protocols when Naruto transformed into six tails, and told Tsunade everything that was happening in the battlefield thanks to having another body summoned by Sakura on the other side of the country, and vice versa.
Sakura instructing Katsuyu to evacuate the area through the multiple clones Naruto chapter 438.
This communication ability can cover immense ground at once because the communication is instant. It works similar to regular telepathy, but instead of hearing the other person's voice in their head, people are talking to Katsuyu, and Katsuyu in turn is actually talking to herself through her clones.
Katsuyu's clones on different parts of the Land of Lightning tell Tsunade and Sakura the events that have taken place on both ends Naruto chapters 635 and 647.
An animal summon can only perform at the top of their abilities for a limited amount of time, what is known as the summoning time limit.
It is unknown exactly how long the invocation lasts, or whether it varies between animals. A summon will help its master before the jutsu runs out or the summon has exhausted its power.
Gamakichi mentions the summoning time limit Naruto chapter 642.
However, for Katsuyu, this is not the case.
The slug can be summoned for unlimited periods of time and several times a day, as seen when Katsuyu spent the Fourth Shinobi World War by Tsunade’s side in the Headquarters, primarily helping Shikaku Nara and participating in the planification of the troops, and later with the Five Kage against Madara and Sakura with the Allied Shinobi Forces.
This could be explained by the symbiotic bond Sakura and Tsunade share with Katsuyu through the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The seal stores unimaginable quantities of chakra inside, which are used by Katsuyu to perform healing on people. As long as Katsuyu has been transmitted every drop of chakra in the seal, she will continue her work, as seen when Tsunade gave the slug all the chakra inside her Byakugou to the point it disappeared but Katsuyu physically remained in Konoha until her services were no longer needed.
Tsunade's Byakugou disappears but Katsuyu still serves her purpose as a summon to evacuate Naruto chapter 430.
Still, like any other summon, Katsuyu can be exhausted from battle and disappear. When the Ten Tails absorbed the chakra of every shinobi in the battlefield as the Kurama Chakra Cloak, every Katsuyu fragment attached to them was also absorbed and vanished, but the main body remained intact protecting Sakura Haruno form the tree.
Katsuyu's clones disappeared absorbed by the God Tree Naruto chapter 647.
— THE PERFECT SUMMON?
Katsuyu is very different from the rest of summons.
From the immeasurable amount of chakra it requires to summon her, to her multiple multitasking and supplementary abilities and her mysterious origins, Katsuyu might be the perfect summon and the strongest animal summon of Naruto and Boruto.
Her ability to divide herself in thousands of fragments, a body and chemical composition resistant to blasts that can reshape her own state, no summoning time limit, outstanding healing and regeneration factor, the unlimited wide range communication she offers, acidic attacks, useful to gather intel by herself and turn small enough to offer battle assistant, and a sensory connection with her master and other people she is attached to.
Katsuyu is the ultimate creature.
Without a doubt, the most essential ally in desperate times. A valuable help in case a village is being attacked by powerful enemies that threaten to destroy everything around them, Katsuyu is the only weapon able to protect thousands of people from any attack and offer assistance while in contact with her master and everyone she is with.
Thanks to her, every Konoha villager that had not been killed by the Pain Paths previously could survive the Shinra Tensei explosion that destroyed Konoha, which later allowed the surviving shinobi to handle evacuations, as well as allow Naruto to obtain intel about Pain and Nagato or be told that Konoha's villagers were revived.
Katsuyu is an unrivalled intel summon Naruto chapters 431 and 449.
She was also the main link of communication between the Headquarters and the two different fronts of the war, Five Kage and Allied Shinobi Forces, and the reason why the Five Kage survived the fight despite their fatal injuries.
Lastly, it was also Katsuyu who protected the Allied Shinobi Forces against the roots of the God Tree, saving a large portion of the shinobi from death, and later offered a healing area for their future fight against the Kanzeon Lotus King.
— CURRENT WHEREABOUTS.
Ever since the death of Madara Uchiha, Katsuyu has not been summoned again.
With no threats to the destruction of Konoha or the need to establish connections between battlefields, Katsuyu was not summoned in the Blank Period.
In Boruto, Katsuyu’s debut is strictly linked to Sakura’s appearances: if Sakura does not appear, neither does the slug. This is something that is hard to fathom considering that the village has been exposed to explosions, invasions and multiple deceased shinobi ever since the start that could be prevented by Katsuyu like previous times.
Katsuyu appeared in the anime arc “Kawaki and Himawari in the Academy” where the students had to put on a play about the Sannin and Kawaki dressed as Katsuyu.
Kawaki representing Katsuyu in Boruto episode 267.
-
Keiho’s Notebook @keihosmirror - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
