Karin going to Tenten, noted wielder of Things On Strings, for advice on how to utilize her newly-realized chakra chain ability in combat, and Tenten geeking out over the possibilities of her chains in a way which makes Karin feel, for the first time, that someone sees her abilities as something worthy of awe and respect rather than exploitation and greed; as a weapon in her arsenal, something which belongs to her and makes her strong, rather than as something that simply makes her a useful object to be dragged around like a chakra battery. And also Tenten whipping out a scroll and demonstrating how you can use weapons on chains to just beat the absolute shit out of someone awakens something in Karin which can never be put back to sleep. Send post
It's a pity Karin's shown minimal skill at taijutsu, because her skills as a sensor would probably make her a great option for fighting against a Sharingan since she can literally fight with her eyes closed.
(Or just. Take off her glasses. Because does it really count as meeting their eyes if you can't actually tell where the eye stops and the eyebrow starts?)
That said, we haven't really seen her throw punches at anyone other than Suigetsu, who just lets her do it because it won't do anything anyway. Great at dodging! But her actual taijutsu is not in evidence.
I just wanted to have fun with "Karin can fight without meeting someone's eyes, which Gai would be delighted with until he realizes she can't punch worth a darn." Gai has made it a point to know how to fight against someone without looking them in the eye, specifically to fight a Sharingan. He’d love someone that can fight blind!
And Karin can... well she can do something blind, but ‘fight’ isn’t necessarily the right verb for it. She can dodge, at least.
There’s the option of her being saved by Lee instead of Sasuke, which I’ve seen once or twice, buuuuuuuuuuuuut here’s what I’ve got brewed up at the moment instead:
So, Sasuke still saves Karin in the Forest of Death. All that goes as originally, but, through coincidence and bad luck that seems better than it is (because no, you don't want to stay in Konoha, actually), she and her teammates actually survive the second round and make it to the tower.
One of her teammates makes it to the finals (once again mostly through Luck), and Karin just kinda wanders around Konoha while her teammate gets more training. She runs into... let's say TenTen, they have a small conversation about sealing or something, keeping it light and 'any journeyman would know this, it's not a village secret or anything' level, and at one point TenTen sees Karin's scars and just. Tries very hard not to comment on that, because Karin immediately hides them once she notices that her sleeve rode up or whatever.
Karin keeps somewhat seeking out TenTen, because her teammates are kind of jerks and she doesn't really know anyone else in Konoha, but TenTen seems friendly and cool? And "hey, do you know any good okonomiyaki stands" isn't exactly going to make anyone think ‘stealing village secrets.’
I imagine most of the foreign genin are limited to a single neighborhood for national security reasons, unless accompanied by an active shinobi, TenTen doesn't mind playing tour guide to keep herself from worrying about Lee's state in the hospital.
TenTen still gets to train with Gai when Neji has an afternoon off or something, and one time she has Karin tag along because Hey, Friendship! Gai will approve! Youthful bonds across international borders or whatever!
Gai doesn't take too long to clock Karin as an Uzumaki (it's not on sight, because canon plot holes, but maybe a few hours in her company cause enough flags to go up that he's like 'hm, actually' and wonders if they have any way of testing for that), but mostly he's just impressed by her chakra stamina? The girl can't punch worth a damn, but when TenTen asks her for a spar on the surface of a nearby pond, Karin has zero trouble with the chakra bits and she just keeps on getting up.
TenTen breaks Karin's arm because of a badly-timed bo staff strike, and Karin just gets up and hisses and throws another shitty punch.
Gai obviously approves.
Karin probably heals herself The Usual Way, while Team Gai isn't looking, and just waves it off as a general Healing Factor (which Gai uses as another 'probably an Uzumaki' tick mark).
At some point, I guess Gai mentions he can't wait to find his Rival!!!! and wonders aloud where Kakashi is and Karin's just like "Oh, he's [direction and distance], I think. The one with the white hair and the covered eye, right?"
TenTen is DELIGHTED by the Weird Skill, partly because she wants to tease Neji about this random Kusa nin being able to sensor better than the Byakugan (Neji can be annoying and TenTen may take her little bites of vengeance when she can), and starts asking if Karin can find anyone, and how far, and if she can find people she's never met, and just Generally Enthusing while Karin answers what she can get away with and kinda just blushes harder.
"Could you fight blindfolded?" Gai asks.
"Um. Probably?"
"Let's find out!"
can i ask what gay couples you write for/ do you take story requests?
Hi there Loyal Lhasapoo Anon! 🐕
I’m not actually taking story requests right now as I have quite a full queue and lots of events coming up! Sorry about that! ❤️
If it’s okay I’m just going to make links to all my pairings that relate to your question (I included bisexual as well!) because if I listed every story this post would actually be so loooooong! 😂
[Shino x Shikamaru x Naruto] – One story: [Ao3]
[Shikamaru x Shino] – Three stories: [Ao3]
[Shikamaru x Naruto] – One story: [Ao3]
[Shikamaru x Tenten x Shino] – Nine stories: [Ao3]
[Shino x Tenten x Ino x Shikamaru] – One story: [Ao3]
[Tenten x Hinata] – Four stories: [Ao3]
[Ino x Sakura] -Three stories: [Ao3]
[Kakashi x Gai] – One story: [Ao3]
[Tenten x Karin] - One story: [Ao3]
[Sakura x Hinata] – One story: [Ao3]
This took me so long omw! 😂 I hope this answers your question!
“So,” Tenten says, and she passes her water flask to Karin. The other girl was clearly unprepared for the kind of workout Tenten was going to throw at her today - so it’s a good thing that Tenten kind of figured that, and came overprepared. “How are you adjusting?”
Uzumaki Karin is an interesting girl, an interesting situation if Tenten does say so herself. She’s pretty used to weird family situations - there’s her and Genma, of course, who are siblings despite not an ounce of blood between them, and people sometimes take that kind of weird. There’s Neji and everything with his whole family. There’s Lee and the fact that Gai-sensei has basically adopted him at this point. She never met Naruto before the exams, but she did ask Genma about him later.
“Kid’s been dealt a hard hand in life,” he had said. “No family here in Konoha. Didn’t really expect him to have family outside of it...”
As far as Tenten knows - though she’s never really been a history buff - clans and family tend to very much stick together, so she’s not sure why Karin’s in a whole ‘nother village. Or. Was.
“It’s... a lot,” Karin says, and she stares down at the water clasped between her hands. “But everyone’s really nice here.”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Tenten asks. Sure, there’s some assholes in Konoha - no place is perfect - but...
“Not everyone’s nice,” Karin says simply, simple enough that Tenten knows better than the press.
Instead, she tips her head back, blinking up at the sky. “Well, glad we are here, then,” she says. “So what are you going to do?” She looks back down, meets Karin’s eyes. “Lee says you’re not sure if you want to stay a ninja or not.”
Karin... hesitates. Presses her lips together in a thin line and looks away. “No,” she says. “I’m really not sure.”
“Okay,” says Tenten, because even if it’s a bizarre life choice it’s still her life choice to make. “Why are you training, then?”
“I’m already behind,” Karin says, and her voice is firm. She meets Tenten’s eyes, determination etched in her gaze. “If I do choose to stay a ninja, I need to catch up.”
Tenten grins, and takes her water back. “Sounds like a plan,” she says, and downs some. “C’mon - enough of a break, let’s spar.”
As Karin looks pained and pushes herself to her feet, Tenten bounces eagerly from foot to foot, ready. Uzumaki Karin is interesting, she thinks.
And she’s a member of Team Gai. Best way for her to get to know someone? Is beat them up.
could you do drabble with karin and tenten? i feel like theyre just a good couple of gals who were both screwed over big time by canon
[Ao3 Link.]
For @narutofemslashevent‘s Free Day.
“Oy,” says Karin, stalking up to Tenten on the traininggrounds. “You’re that weapons chick, right?”
Tenten tosses one more kunai, hitting her sixth bullseye ina row, and turns to look at the redhead, brow raised and hands on her hips. “Yes,Karin, I am. I know you know my name.” Even from Naruto’s cousin, she won’t putup with that.
Karin rolls her eyes. “Tenten,” she says. “Will you teach mehow to fight?”
Okay, that stumps her. “You don’t know how?”
The girl’s cheeks darken, and she glances away. “No. They…wanted me for other reasons, in Kusa and Oto. Fighting wasn’t ever really onthe table for me.”
That’s just sad.
Everyone shouldget a chance to learn how to fight. How to use weapons! Weapons!!!
Oh, my god, she gets to help Karin find the weapons best for her.
Tenten’s eyes light up, and she surveys Karin like she’s anew puzzle, a new interesting mystery to solve. “You don’t have your ownweapon, right? Nothing specific you use?”
“Uh… no?” says Karin, taken aback and kind of wary.
“Great!” She turns, heading over to start pulling her kunaiout of the target. “I’ve got my tarot cards on me – if you treat me to a dateof dumplings, we can get cracking and start figuring out what works best foryou.”
“Tarot cards? Dumplings?” Karin looks a little overwhelmed. “Wait,a date?”
Tenten glances back, a kunai in her teeth, and spits it out.“Yeah, you’re cute. What, you don’t want to? It doesn’t have to be a date, dumplings are just my thinkingfood.”
“No, no, um-“ Karin smiles a little, adjusting her glasses. “Adate’s fine. I’m cool with a date.”
“Awesome,” says Tenten, and she turns back to yanking outher kunai and putting them away.
It’s a few minutes of silence before Karin speaks up. “So…why tarot cards? Those will help you figure out what weapon I should use?”
Tenten laughs. “I’m glad you asked! You see, by looking atthe cards you draw, I can…”
