Tag: naruto

I know the DoS forums has a lot of “DoS meets canon by switching places” (they’re super fun to read), but I’m really curious to see the switch happens and they end up in an AU where Shikako tries her best to avoid ever being close to the plot. Yes, she’s still a Nara, but maybe she goes to a regular school, skips a few grades, and ended up in some boarding school for high school early? And then the DoS cast tried to meet up with her and ruins everything, woops.

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This kinda harkens to this fake fic summary in which Shikako simultaneously lives four distinct lives and only her choices are what make them different. So in All You Have to Do (Is Stay), there is a reality which is DoS(ish), one which is her getting overly involved from the beginning (probably ending up with her on a very stressful genin team with Kabuto), one which she takes a half step back and doesn’t want to mess with canon so she gets a team with “extras” (Team Medic!AU!AU), and one in which she goes AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE and joins the Fire Temple monks.

Monk!Shikako is maybe most like what you’re describing, I think. Except in your version, instead of Shikako knowing about the different AUs (because she lives them all) they are all discrete realities and it’s other people who travel across and find her. Which would be pretty appealing as a story, anon.

I feel like, though, that even if she tries to avoid the plot it still finds her somehow. Like, I mean, at the Fire Temple, maybe she and Sora (who is basically a Naruto-Sasuke fusion) become reluctant friends and together they do extracurricular training in trying to control his pseudo-jinchuuriki status, which may or may not help out when Akatsuki comes around? I don’t know.

And I’m also not sure much attachment Fire Temple monks are allowed to have. They’re obviously not the “enlightenment comes from total isolation” but I’m also not sure if, for example, by joining the temple Shikako had to forfeit her Nara status. Most likely she did have to forfeit any claim to heiress (and maybe some cruel and politically inclined rumors suspect that Shikaku deliberately sent his chakra hypersensitive child to the temple so that would be the case) but perhaps she does get to keep some attachment to her family. Even then, she’s probably not the first Nara to join the temple (maybe full time, yes, but Chiriku didn’t seem at all confused by her request for the month-long sabbatical).

What I’m saying is, I wonder if she’s allowed to visit Konoha and accidentally get involved with the plot despite her efforts. Like… since Chiriku used to be part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja–even though that particular organization did not end well–maybe he’s training Shikako to be his successor?

And so she is tasked with “lower risk” guard duty of the Fire Daimyo’s family members–I mean, the Fire Lady canonically hires Konoha genin to catch Tora frequently enough that everyone hates it–or brought along as Chiriku’s apprentice to protect the royal retinue during the Konoha Chuunin Exams. And look how that ended up.

So… um.

This probably isn’t what you wanted, anon, is it?

Externality 6c/? (2017-09-29)

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She’ll admit, later, that she probably developed tunnel vision trying to find Neji Hyuuga while also avoiding the angry mob. She gets into the rhythm of a task–even if this particular one is frenetic and stressful–and tends to forget her surroundings.

Luckily, Naruto Uzumaki is there to shove her out of the way of a barrage of kunai. They thunk into the tree beyond her.

As Tetsuki regains her bearings, she notices they’re in the perfect outline of her body.

TenTen?

A different blur, much larger and closer, drops down in her peripheral, and this time it’s her own hasty reflexes that have her dodge out of the way of a jab glowing with chakra.

Jyuuken.

Well, they found him…

… hooray?

Neji Hyuuga is not their year’s highest ranked student for no reason and for all that Tetsuki is fast, no one is as fast as him.

In short order her entire right arm is numb and absolutely useless, swinging around and throwing off her balance.

Any thoughts to negotiate a truce flies from her head. In the face of such overwhelming power only one concept remains: survive.

She tries to fight back, he defends easily. She tries to retreat, he follows unerringly. She tries to hold off his stupidly undefeatable attacks, she fails miserably.

And maybe if it were just Tetsuki by herself, that’d be it. But she’s not alone.

“Wait! Hold on you bastard,” Naruto Uzumaki says, brash and somehow endearing now, “We’re not here to fight you!” he says even as he throws a punch, trying to take the pressure off her.

He means well. She does appreciate the effort. Unfortunately, two against one when that one is Neji Hyuuga doesn’t make much of a difference.

But it jolts her out of her hindbrain panic, and she still has use of one of her hands: Tetsuki grabs the two purple armbands and throws them to the ground between them, almost like a gauntlet.

Neji Hyuuga doesn’t look down–Byakugan activated, he doesn’t need to–but he pauses for a moment, almost curious, which gives her and Naruto Uzumaki a moment to breathe.

“We don’t want your token,” Tetsuki says, slowly, still functional arm raised slightly to show no harm, “Or TenTen’s,” she adds, remembering the kunai.

Naruto Uzumaki makes an indignant noise, high in the back of his throat, and she shoots him a look. Tetsuki hasn’t forgotten he still needs another token, but they can’t get it from Neji Hyuuga and she’s not going to let him take it from TenTen (even if he could–he’s not as terrible as he seems in the classroom, but she’d put her nonexistent money on TenTen any day).

Speaking of TenTen, another figure peers out from the foliage, a brace of kunai at the ready between her fingers.

“… we’d like your help with something.”

Something that struck me the first time I watched Moana was how similar the spiral on the boat’s sail was to the Uzumaki Spiral; they both look like a crashing wave if you look at them with the right mindset.

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beka-tiddalik:

jacksgreysays:

Given the importance of the ocean to both island cultures, its not surprising that both utilize spirals as their symbol of mystical badassery. But now that you bring it up, I’m imagining Uzushio also being a voyager society and that is SO DOPE?!

Like. I shouldered my way into a rant about how the Uchiha clan probably isn’t as extinct as it seems on paper and I’ve always had so many overflowing feels about Uzushio, so this is a FANTASTIC possible solution to that, anon, so thanks!

Because. Just. Obviously, a good chunk of Uzushio did die. But maybe not as many as we think. Maybe some of them did flee to the mainland, leading to the smattering of Uzushio descendants that we know from canon (and some that we don’t necessarily know–but I have separate headcanons for that). But what if the rest of them just left?

Maybe at first, they hid. Even if their barrier failed to stop the incursion from Mist (though I follow @blackkatmagic​’s theory on Danzo being involved in some internal sabotage there) there’s no way NO ONE was able to get to some kind of failsafe shelters for noncombatants. Konoha’s “secret” shelters/bunkers inside the Hokage mountain cannot be the only kind of fortified fallback.

So maybe they hid. They hid for as long as they could, for as long as their supplies would last. They waited for Konoha to send reinforcements or aid or anything that their alliance should have guaranteed for them. But nothing. Because Danzo（╬ಠ益ಠ)

And so, because they were mostly noncombatants–scared but all that remained of Uzushio–they decided to leave. They decided to revive their voyaging ways that had been nearly forgotten when Konoha was founded, when Konoha had falsely promised eternal sisterhood. Some of the noncombatants were elders who–while they may not physically kept their voyaging skills–still remembered the lessons that their elders had passed down. And so the remnants of Uzushio fled the Elemental Nations entirely, forsaking the continent that had forsaken them first.

Until, maybe, news of an Uzumaki–powerful, yes, but kind and determined and passionate–spreads even beyond the Elemental Nations. To where the flotilla of Uzushio can hear and begin to consider voyaging back home.

They’ve been hiding out somewhere beyond O’uzu Island (in retrospect that wasn’t much of a secret) and when they make land in Tea Country, their long term ally who actually came to their aid, the Uzumaki are startled to hear the news that one of the Jinchuriki Line is actually Hokage. They decide to go investigate, sending their most subtle spies.

Konoha, some days later

“Shika, is it just me, or are there suddenly an odd abundance of red heads around?”

“….Troublesome.”

😀

Externality 6b/? (2017-09-21)

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Tetsuki knows both less and more about Neji Hyuuga than she’d like:

Less because the Hyuuga clan isn’t exactly going around airing out their weaknesses for some random street urchin to hear.

More because, well, not even she’s so isolated from her classmates that she doesn’t pick up some of the rumors going around their resident prodigy. Unfortunately, it’s nothing particularly useful and more to do with… ugh… what kind of girl he may or may not like?

She’d much rather know his training regimen than his astrological sign and blood type and favorite food (Cancer, O, and herring soba respectively) but them’s the breaks.

Even without hearsay, Tetsuki knows that if a Hyuuga doesn’t want to be found–much less the best Byakugan user in generations–then they won’t.

That being said, she also knows that most Hyuuga are prideful, what with being the most powerful cardinal clan now, and that the prouder they are the more reckless they get when bored.

She imagines that, unlike her and Naruto Uzumaki’s experience, the past sixty odd hours or so have been excruciatingly boring for Neji Hyuuga. Especially if his objective is what she thinks it is.

“Give me your armband,” she hisses at Naruto Uzumaki, as they approach what must be Neji Hyuuga’s chosen space for the exam. It’s not an open clearing turned into a civilian level campsite, but it’s definitely not the overly paranoid and defended nook in some tree roots like theirs was.

Not that Neji Hyuuga would need much in the way of traps, no one would dare attack him.

Naruto Uzumaki pulls out the wrinkled and crumpled mass of cloth from his pouch, looking at her in blatant confusion.

“Your original one,” she clarifies, pulling out the dark purple armband she got from Rock Lee, “the one that looks just like this.”

Why not bring a little excitement Neji Hyuuga’s way?

Externality 6a/? (2017-09-15)

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They’re running, frantic and more than just a little bit blind.

They abandon their camp, scavenging some of the traps for weapons and wire–that shit’s expensive–but not much. Their pockets and pouches stuffed with their stolen armbands and tokens, objective cards crumpled along with them.

The problem is, they’re running out of time. Then again that’s not really a problem, that’s just a fact of life, time marches forward and there’s nothing that can stop it.

If she had the full three days she would be more confident in this idea. Well, Tetsuki wouldn’t even be thinking about this if she had the full three days, now would she?

An uncomfortable amount of this plan relies on luck. Which. Um. Orphans.

Enough said.

Another good chunk of it then depends on how convincing she and Naruto Uzumaki can be without resorting to violence or genjutsu, and for the final dish of this impossibility feast: Neji Hyuuga has to be willing to put up with their plebeian selves until sunrise.

Or, at least, until the angry mob of their former victims gets scared off and accept failure.

Hm, listed out like that, Tetsuki’s not sure anyone could pull it off.

But Naruto Uzumaki seems optimistic enough to give it a shot, so why not?

First thing’s first: find the best Byakugan user in generations in a forest at night when, presumably, he doesn’t want to be found, before they get caught.

I had a sudden, wild idea, which I’m hoping might inspire something in you: Solarpunk Battle Fortifications. In the context I had the idea: entire planets designed to resist alien invasion using Solarpunk techne and aesthetics.

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jacksgreysays:

Anon, I LOVE SOLARPUNK! I used to be part of a FATE campaign that went cyberpunk instead of solarpunk as a setting (and, like, ~80s version of cyberpunk which… okay…) and I was so disappointed.

Off the top of my head, a fic I can think of set in a solarpunk ‘verse is esama’s Blazing Sun, but as the fic will tell you that’s more the… beginnings of a true solar punk movement, and full on SOLARPUNK setting is more… expansive, as you’ve mentioned.

I have a ‘verse which would best match your idea, but my Triptych ‘verse isn’t all that… hm… popular, so I’m not sure if that particular ficlet would be appreciated and it… well, that specific ‘verse has always been a bit of an albatross for me.

I know I haven’t posted in a while, and I do appreciate the prompt. Is there a particular ‘verse you’d like to see with a solar punk setting, anon?

image

Hm, it’s true. Those ‘verses are particularly… malleable… though given that the Harry Potter series is mostly set in the UK and they’re almost constantly cloud-covered, I don’t think solar technology/magic would be very effective there.

And while I do love the idea of the Hashirama trees having something more to them (and which kinda touches on what I was going to do with Triptych) if I were to say any village goes for solarpunk, it wouldn’t be Konoha, it’d be Suna. I mean, what do they have in Suna? Sun, sand, manpower, and–given their Puppet Corps–a more mechanically inclined culture.

This feels like something that would work best with the NGSS. Like, “the NGSS prove themselves true members of the Kazekage clan” or “how the NGSS dragged Suna into the future kicking and screaming” or something like that…

Indelible, a Dreaming of S(oulmates) tangent (2017-08-27)

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A/N1: So psych_girl commented on the ao3 version of Dreaming of S(oulmates) about expanding on the different soulmate AUs, and I gave permission to write double recursive ficlets based on them (hopefully I’ll be able to reblog/post links here), but it put my mind on the subject and I hope I’m not swooping a ficlet out from under them.

So this one in particular is based on the AU (two: inkblot skin).

~

Shinobi will try to weaponize anything, a subconscious mindset more than active strategy: the symbiotic relationship of Aburame and their kikaichu, Inuzuka and their ninken, are just two examples of such.

Fuinjutsu had originally been created to transport Uzushio’s limited, but varied resources across their islands.

Even something as innocuous as flowers–the Yamanaka as much feared for their poisonous arrangements as their mind jutsu.

Soul marks–the transfer of ink and scars and blood from one soulmate to the other–are not exempt either.

///

The main issues preventing soul marks from monopolizing intel communications is that they’re not comprehensive and they’re not immediate.

Sometimes, something as insignificant as scraped knees or absentminded grocery lists will transfer over, while death blows and I love you’s remain on only one half. There doesn’t seem to be any correlation in emotion or strength of bond to explain what gets send and what doesn’t. And so something as important as mission specs or front line movements could never be entrusted to soul marks.

On top of that, any of them may transfer in minutes, in hours, in days–the longest recorded gap being three weeks. Again, nothing explaining the inconsistency: not distance, or age, or emotion.

But still, that doesn’t mean that soul marks don’t have very real, very dire consequences.

///

When his children are almost four years old, they both begin to wear headbands and refuse to take them off in front of anyone.

It doesn’t take a Nara to figure out the why, but the what, exactly, he will later admit to being… hasty.

In his defense, soulmates tend to be born near each other and there’s only one forehead mark in Konoha that is regularly covered up. Given that Shikaku has heard about what ought to be an internal Hyuuga clan matter–the marking of Neji Hyuuga at an abnormally young age, cruel even for a clan that habitually enslaves their own members–it’s a fairly logical assumption to make.

What he does afterwards is less logical and more… fiercely protective.

///

The Byakugan may not have been as storied as the Sharingan, but the Hyuuga’s dojutsu was more dependable and with the decline of the Uchiha–in both numbers and reputation–the Hyuuga enjoyed a loftier, more lenient position than many other clans. Even the other noble clans.

In comparison to the Aburame–whose southern apiaries had been decimated during the Kyuubi attack–and the Akimichi, who spent as much time cultivating their financial and political enterprises as they did their martial prowess, the Hyuuga were more invaluable to Konoha.

But invaluable does not mean immune.

///

They meet, once, while they’re both still at the Academy.

It’s difficult. They’re in different years, which is part of it, but primarily it’s because all of Konoha is keenly aware of the political cold war happening between the clans and all of the teachers are taking measures to prevent any incidents from happening.

Further incidents, that is: a spar turned hostile in the graduating class, resulting in suspensions for the Akimichi and Hyuuga involved. Invisible lines drawn amongst the students from clans, rearranging friendships and even future genin team proposals.

As the pair at the heart of the problem, they are especially monitored. But just once, just for a short time, they manage to meet.

Neither of them will reveal what was said, but afterwards Neji goes without a headband: baring his cursed seal provocatively, almost incendiary.

Shikako becomes all the more paranoid about hers.

///

Eventually, it’s revealed that Shikamaru’s forehead is as blank as the day he was born but, one twin or both, that doesn’t alter the path Konoha is already on.

In contrast, the Uchiha clan, sensing the winds of change, circumvent their fate entirely: allying themselves with the enemy of their enemy and integrating back into, at least, half of the village. Hundreds of lives are spared, though only Danzo, thwarted, and Shikako know.

Not all is good, though: Hinata, already shy and secluded, is deliberately isolated. Where Ino leads, the other girls of the class follow; even though Shikako tries to mitigate the issue, Ino is ruthless in defending what she considers hers.

The mood of Konoha is fraught, tensions high enough for even the civilians to notice, streets of peace and prosperity now dangerous opportunities for public altercations.

Such a small action leading to such far reaching consequences.

Time marches on.

///

Konoha puts on a pleasant face for the Chuunin Exams, united only on the surface in front of foreign shinobi.

Team Seven meets the Sand siblings, Shikako sees the match to her soul mark.

She hesitates.

~

A/N2: I’m not very satisfied with the ending–I had the greater idea but not an actual plot, as you can see–so I kind of just… mreh?

I guess another reason for this ficlet is that I wanted to explore how even things that are supposed to be romantic–like soulmates and soul marks–have non-romantic consequences. So even if this is set in a Shikaara soulmate AU, this ficlet is gen.

I was actually considering some other repercussions of the misunderstanding: Hiashi possibly buckling under external and internal pressures and disavowing Hinata as his heir early on and marking her with the seal–which further splinters the already divided Hyuuga clan–but that seemed VERY CRUEL to Hinata who I already had shunned by everyone in class.

And also, would Sand and Sound still invade Konoha if the Uchiha clan isn’t killed? The Sand Siblings would still be at the Chuunin Exams, of course, but I don’t know if they’d be there as part of the invading force. Konoha isn’t as outwardly weakened, after all.

It seems more likely that if Orochimaru were to invade still, he’d probably have Danzo and ROOT make up the other part of the invading force, but even then if in this AU “I’m a pacifist” mass murdering kin-slayer Itachi is less of a giant hypocrite, I wouldn’t mind him being seriously considered for Hokage which would seriously deter both Orochimaru and Danzo, right?

I don’t know. They were vague thoughts at best.

I’m actually expecting DOS!Sakura entering ANBU in the future. She’s very versatile ninja with high combat and medical skills. Except her Super-Strength technique might be too high-profile? I was wondering what you think about ANBU!DOS!Sakura.

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I have always loved the idea of ANBU!Sakura (in canon, that is) for much the same reasons that you’ve listed above, but also as a sort of… Hokage training? Or leadership training, rather (because, while my heart of hearts will always love the idea of Hokage!Sakura, there’s no way that she’d take the role from Naruto until he willingly gives it up–realizing that it’s not what will make him happy–or if he is unable to).

In DoS though, her career trajectory isn’t the same, especially since her starting point is different, so I’m not sure if ANBU would be the best/desirable path for her. Or at least not anytime soon. (Which is not to say that she wouldn’t be nominated for ANBU, but I don’t think she would accept it in the near future)

Her overall goal in life–as stated in DoS–is to prove herself as a capable kunoichi, such that she will one day have a symbol on the back of her clothes much the same way clan kids carry their clan symbols. Hers is the empty circle waiting to be filled. In canon it’s a little different–her goal is more… emotional, I guess, in that she wants to be a capable kunoichi to prove that she can stand alongside her two teammates.

Since she wasn’t put on a jounin led team in DoS–more specifically, the Team Seven that would, on their first C-rank, free a small country from the grips of an evil despot–and instead started in the Medic Corps, her main obstacle is that, to put it crudely, name brand recognition.

In DoS she starts as a medic and trains toward field readiness, whereas in canon she started as a field nin and directed her path towards medicine. She’s at least a year or more behind on field experience and spreading her name as a kunoichi who can, frankly, survive a lot of weird shit–Shikako got that instead (compounded, seeing as how I’m pretty sure Sakura never literally died at any point). As of Chapter 137, which is pre-Mist Chuunin Exams, DoS!Sakura hasn’t had any international exposure that canon!Sakura got by being on Team Seven.

She has to build her reputation more slowly, but because of that she can do so steadily and more carefully.

ANBU kind of defeats that purpose. Don’t get me wrong. It would–even just the training/audition–greatly aid her in getting field capable (ninja boot camp, level up in just two weeks!) but it would all be anonymous.

And how would she explain her sudden jump in ability? Either that or she’d have to already be capable enough that the ANBU training isn’t out of place, and by that point she’d probably have enough field missions under her belt (as either Tsunade’s second apprentice or as part of Team Anko?) that she wouldn’t need it as much.

Sasuke and Shikako want the anonymity: they’re at a point where their reputation exceeds their skills (or, rather, the risk of having such large reputations exceed their skills) so ANBU lets them use said skills without being hindered by their faces and names.

Sakura isn’t at that point yet. And given she’s not technically a Lucky Seven, that may never happen. Her reputation will probably match her ability throughout her career without any weird imbalances or spikes.

Of course, there are other reasons why people join ANBU, but I don’t really think they much apply to Sakura in either iteration.

As for the super-strength technique, if she were to join ANBU, she’d train herself against using it while wearing the mask (the same way Shikako trained herself against using shadow jutsu and other, easily recognizable techniques). I’d say her pink hair would be the most obvious thing, but I suppose in ~anime world~ pink isn’t explicitly weird? Harder to hide than regular brown and switching between braid and bun, but hand wave that.

I hope I’m not raining on your parade, anon. As I’ve said before, ANBU!Sakura is a wonderful image and I can only ever dream of being a fraction as badass.

I love your pokemon au! I also love the tidbit about Shikako’s Arcanine. Like, I can imagine a little stray Growlithe following academy-team 7 around and Naruto is just begging to take care of it, and Shikako ends up doing it cause she has an actual home where it can stay (Naruto’s an orphan and pretty irresponsible), but the pup offers all three companionship and it just warms my heart to think about lil kids taking care of this pup haha.

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jacksgreysays:

Maybe growlithe is shikako’s “starter” rather than a traditional Deerling? Like, the clan sees that Shikako’s basically taking care of it on her own, so they let her have the Growlithe to start with anyway. (2/3)

And maybe the deer contract consists of Virizion or Keldeo +a bunch if Sawsbucks, and thats where she earns a Sawsbuck instead? Waah, I’m just really craving a lot of Pokemon!DoS stuff, especially the worldbuilding of a Pokemon-DoS fusion. (3/3)

The thing is, I did want the Growlithe to be specifically Shikako’s. Like, everyone’s team is distinctly their own. Sometimes in crisis situations or in very messed up situations (which, granted, happens frequently with the Lucky Sevens) they’ll have to muddle through partnering up with their teammate’s… team… but otherwise Growlithe (and eventually Arcanine) does prefer Shikako.

Which is not to say that it wouldn’t cuddle up to the boys if they were in need of it, but probably only after making sure Shikako doesn’t need a cuddle as well and after getting permission. Like service dogs. They can be affectionate with strangers, but when they’re on the job, they are focused on their human and their human is their priority.

In the Pokemon-DoS fusion world, Academy students can get up to two Pokemon before graduating. Their third is the more traditional “go to the lab and receive a Pokemon” and that’s only if they graduate and become genin. Non-shinobi can have two Pokemon, but only shinobi can have more than that. So Shikako “starts” with both Deerling and Growlithe.

I did do some brainstorming about how there are Nara clan myths about “a legendary deer Pokemon with the power over life, whose very presence can create vast forests” etc. etc. And that’s Xerneas. But since Xerneas only shows up once every thousand years, it’s been assumed to be an exaggerated account of a very powerful Sawsbuck.

I’m never sure how Legendary Pokemon ought to be considered. Are they gods? Cryptids? Is it considered a religious thing or a historical/mythological thing or a deluded conspiracy theorist thing? Virizion and Keldeo (who is more horse/unicorn than deer, in my opinion) are a little too OP to be so accessible to the clan members. Maybe Sembei-obaasan once fought alongside Virizion long ago during her trainer days, but I don’t think it’s a current part of anyone’s team?

I will… well. Here’s some review response for now, because it’s already midnight and I don’t want another missed post, but I will ponder actual writing post for tomorrow.

Thanks, anon! 🙂

A/N: As promised! Some Shikako-centric world building in the Arm in Arm ‘verse. Enjoy!

The Nara clan compound is not as calm and sedate in the mornings as their members appear to the public. Or, perhaps, their calm and sedate reputations is because they are so exhausted by their chaotic morning routine:

Everyday, the unlucky younger members of the clan go harvesting for medicine ingredients.

Which, perhaps, sounds like a mild and even, possibly, calming venture. After all, people throughout the Land of Fire–and even beyond–travel to pick berries from the Aburame clan orchards and buy their premium honey. And, perhaps, if it were just picking berries from trees, all would be well.

Trees don’t walk around, after all.

Trees don’t run away at the slightest hint of movement, or charge at unsuspecting harvesters, or indulge said harvesters for a few seconds before getting bored and galloping away while smaller trees nose at the harvesters’ pockets for treats or maybe chin scratches or maybe just to be irritating and get out of trouble with their giant adorable eyes.

Sawsbuck change with the seasons, as do their antlers–their velvet is what makes Nara brand medicine so much more effective.

At the cost of so many younger Nara clan members’ dwindling patience.

—

Bizarrely, for a village with such a large and growing population, there are many abandoned sectors.

The most notorious being the Uchiha clan compound, of course, but there are other, smaller houses and neighborhoods that are just empty.

Of humans, of course.

Shikako doesn’t know what possesses her–figuratively, that is–to explore the Haunted Mansion in southern Konoha.

No, that’s a lie, she probably wanted to find a ghost.

Ghosts imply souls, imply something beyond death, and she already knows that exists, but still. She wants confirmation.

Or reassurance, maybe.

At the end of it, she comes out not with a ghost type, but a Growlithe that reminds her to focus on living than dying.

—

Shikako is the only one who sees it in Land of Rivers, then Land of Wind. She supposes it’s because its dark purple skin blends into the shadows, but all she can see are its sparkling red eyes and wide, sharp grin.

It guides her–and, in turn, their makeshift team–towards the shrine of Diancie where they arrive in time to stop Haido’s plan.

At the cost of Shikako’s life.

(It’s okay, it’s only temporary.)

I love your pokemon au! I also love the tidbit about Shikako’s Arcanine. Like, I can imagine a little stray Growlithe following academy-team 7 around and Naruto is just begging to take care of it, and Shikako ends up doing it cause she has an actual home where it can stay (Naruto’s an orphan and pretty irresponsible), but the pup offers all three companionship and it just warms my heart to think about lil kids taking care of this pup haha.

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Maybe growlithe is shikako’s “starter” rather than a traditional Deerling? Like, the clan sees that Shikako’s basically taking care of it on her own, so they let her have the Growlithe to start with anyway. (2/3)

And maybe the deer contract consists of Virizion or Keldeo +a bunch if Sawsbucks, and thats where she earns a Sawsbuck instead? Waah, I’m just really craving a lot of Pokemon!DoS stuff, especially the worldbuilding of a Pokemon-DoS fusion. (3/3)

The thing is, I did want the Growlithe to be specifically Shikako’s. Like, everyone’s team is distinctly their own. Sometimes in crisis situations or in very messed up situations (which, granted, happens frequently with the Lucky Sevens) they’ll have to muddle through partnering up with their teammate’s… team… but otherwise Growlithe (and eventually Arcanine) does prefer Shikako.

Which is not to say that it wouldn’t cuddle up to the boys if they were in need of it, but probably only after making sure Shikako doesn’t need a cuddle as well and after getting permission. Like service dogs. They can be affectionate with strangers, but when they’re on the job, they are focused on their human and their human is their priority.

In the Pokemon-DoS fusion world, Academy students can get up to two Pokemon before graduating. Their third is the more traditional “go to the lab and receive a Pokemon” and that’s only if they graduate and become genin. Non-shinobi can have two Pokemon, but only shinobi can have more than that. So Shikako “starts” with both Deerling and Growlithe.

I did do some brainstorming about how there are Nara clan myths about “a legendary deer Pokemon with the power over life, whose very presence can create vast forests” etc. etc. And that’s Xerneas. But since Xerneas only shows up once every thousand years, it’s been assumed to be an exaggerated account of a very powerful Sawsbuck.

I’m never sure how Legendary Pokemon ought to be considered. Are they gods? Cryptids? Is it considered a religious thing or a historical/mythological thing or a deluded conspiracy theorist thing? Virizion and Keldeo (who is more horse/unicorn than deer, in my opinion) are a little too OP to be so accessible to the clan members. Maybe Sembei-obaasan once fought alongside Virizion long ago during her trainer days, but I don’t think it’s a current part of anyone’s team?

I will… well. Here’s some review response for now, because it’s already midnight and I don’t want another missed post, but I will ponder actual writing post for tomorrow.

Thanks, anon! 🙂