Hi there! I wanted to ask in honor of Sasori'sbirthday(cause it was his birthdayright?): have you ever thought of an alternative AU, where he and Baki switch roles, so Sasori becomes the sand sibs sensei, and Baki would become Deidara's partner in Akatsuki. Like, I like this idea a lot. It would've benefited and given more development to all if them. Sure, we'd lose the likeable, funny dynamic between Saso and Dei, but who says they can't have one as enemies who "absolutely do not like each other" (they actually do). Like imagine, Saso training with Kank. Spending time and guiding Gaara. Underrating Temari (cause I think Chiyo said at some point that Suna is pretty sexist?) During the fight with Sakura against him. Just for her to get super string, shut him up, so now he religiously drinks his respect women juice. And give more development to Baki too, like this dude makes 0 appearances after the Gaara rescue arc, lol. Anyways, I think it's a great idea, what's your opinion?
Pd: and also imagine him and Kakashi interacting. Kakashi's dad killed Sasori's parents I think? So they can't stand each other at 1st, but then they get to know each other, and become friends as a result. That would be cool.
i swear i didnt forget about this, it's just been a heck of a week. it was his birthday! (11/8)
now, i started responding to this and got COMPLETELY derailed so we're gonna try again where i stay on topic haha
i have never once thought of baki joining the akatsuki, but i constantly think of sasori staying in the village and becoming a (very reluctant) teacher/team leader. my man is miserable and i love that for him.
there is this absolutely flawless piece of dialogue & art that lives rent free in my mind and is immediately where i go to any time i imagine sassy remaining in the village.
baki with deidara can go one of two ways for me. what we see of baki when he's introduced is that he's clearly managing to wrangle these walking nightmares, with some degree of success. so, like, he clearly has the patience to deal with reckless murder children. although, he could only be dealing with them because they're the kazekage's kids and he doesn't wanna be left to rot in a ditch somewhere....he does murder the fuck outta hayate right off the bat, so like. it's possible he's willing to just dispatch of dei the second the kid pisses him off, but he's also clearly dedicated to his missions, so maybe the kid'll survive.
either way, i think baki and kakuzu get along great in the 'long suffering partner to literal children' club. (kisame, who actually likes his partner, crashes club meetings constantly like 'but did i tell you about the time he...!!!')
now, if you're chill with my personal little headcanon that sassy is cousins somehow to the sand brats, then i guarantee that he will pull the 'sorry. cant. conflict of interest.' card CONSTANTLY. will claim there’s bias, and we can’t have a case of nepotism. (he says, blank faced, as if he’s not talking about the kazekage’s children)
if not, however, then i'll say i personally can't see him taking on anyone who isnt a puppeteer. he has a brand. BUT FOR ARGUMENT'S SAKE! i want his absolute fumbling on how to teach temari. i am living for this mental image. because, as far as i remember, we never see a single puppeteer use a jutsu that doesn't involve puppets. like. not once. (aside from chiyo's forbidden zombie technique. doesnt count). sassy must know how to do something without his puppets, but does he??? little tem rocks up and demands to use a fan and sassy just stalls like 'how...how does that work???? you mean you want to physically hold that weapon? you dont want to use chakra strings??? whhhyyyy?????' sassy having to learn a whole new skill set because she won't budge and she absolutely calls him a coward who can't do it and like fuck will sassy let that stand. (sand sibs learn very quickly that the best way to get their leader to do something is to attack his pride.)
kankuro is obvious. little genin kank, fresh out of the academy, starry eyed to be working with his idol. completely heckin smitten. and then he realizes this, what, late-20s? early 30 year old? spends most of his time when not training them just hunched over a workbench in the dark, filthy and greasy and gross and completely unable to remember anyone's name if you come knocking at his door. he's brilliant! he's genius! his knowledge and techniques are unparalleled! but he's got classic 'grad student who hasnt eaten anything but coffee or left the library stacks in three days' vibe as soon as he's off shift. kank spends equal amounts of time learning from sassy and bullying sassy into staying the fuck alive because who else is gonna teach him??? this is the best of the best, don't you dare leave me to pick this up on my own! sassy has an obvious soft spot for the kid though. i mean, he'll die before he ever says that to kank's face, but! he absolutely gets called out when the jonins hang out. (if said jonin has to miss their next mission due to mild food poisoning, oh well) likes to challenge kank and pick his brain about puppets. they work well together, when he's not being a pompous bitch.
gaara is probably the one sassy has the hardest yet easiest time with. he's absolutely willing to just let this kid do his thing, but at least leave the bodies intact! (sassy, no!!) if sass stays in the village, he's probably not the one who murdered the third and thus has no experience with sand techniques. like, not even by proxy of using a puppet. and it's not like the kid needs training in it!! the kid's fine! little pisspoot gaara, throwing a murderous tantrum and sass just staring him down, blank faced. kank, pleading, because that's his teacher! his favorite person! don't make him mad! i dont want you to die! and sass just, still deadpan, 'im already dead inside.' shukaku screeching about how he likes this one. the bizarre bonding over nihilism. temari is so gd done with these idiots. gaara, bringing back bodies when shukaku needs to rampage, like a little cat! coming back from the chunin exams like 'how do you get past the intense bloodlust?' and model citizen sassy responding 'you don't. you just redirect it.' sass, utterly fucking deligted to pawn off his tiny brittle garden on someone else because he hates trying to remember to water those fuckers. (sass simultaneously disappointed because now he doesn't have a supply of bodies for his experiments)
now, i think we're losing an absolutely golden opportunity of baki still leading sand brats while sassy has his own team for the chunin exams/invasion arc and the absolute EXHAUSTION that baki is feeling the entire time, but! sassy just letting his team of sand sibs do what they want, he doesnt care, as long as they stick vaguely to the script and then watching gaara get wrecked by lee and thinking 'huh, kid's probs not gonna take that well...' and then watching gaara in his little malted milk ball during the fight with sasuke and thinking 'well fuck, there goes the plan...hope the kage doesnt pin this on me.' AND THEN! watching his team stumble out of the woods at some point, beaten and bruised and clutching each other and sassy having to reevaluate everything he knows about these kids in like ten seconds. sasori, crashing on the sand sib's floor, face first, when he breaks the news about rasa, because gd, now he's responsible for these walking disasters. like. he already was, no one in that room has any illusions about rasa's parenting skills. but gdi, he did not sign up for this.
listen. listen. i am LIVING for sasori and his cricket shoulder pads glaring across that funky little shed the first round of the chunin tournament took place in. kakashi is sweating, there is so much going on with his squad, and now he's got some redheaded asshole burning holes through his skull??
sasori and kakashi, who never really meet before the chunin exams because they both pull the ‘i dont want a team’ bullshit. kakashi because trauma and a lack of socialization and sassy, well probably for the same reason, but mostly just because he doesnt want to.
this is, of course, assuming that sasori even knows what kakashi looks like. he's used to granny bitching about this man who killed his parents (valid), but he doesnt know what he looks like. he finally recognizes the name though, when someone (naruto) yells his name and then it's fucking on sight. he knows that's not the man who killed his parents, but, eh, close enough. (figures he'll get him during the invasion, misses his chance. is extremely fucking bitter about this. and then his kid befriends one of kakashi's kids? what??? reluctant guardian hangouts while the jinchuriki dorks go out for snacks and training and play games and just. uuuuggghhhhh. sassy is miserable. kakashi apologizing for sassy's parents one day. sass begrudgingly accepting it because he is intimately familiar with the feeling of losing a parent and fuck, he does not want to trauma bond with his enemy, gdi. he can't believe this is his life.)
here i was, trying to keep this short and i just babbled more haha. sorry bout that! anyway.
