Oh, yeah, her losing some dignity is actually a good thing in this case. She has, if possible, too much dignity. Has this child ever laughed out loud? No, she’s too dignified, too much pressure from the Hyuuga clan. But you know what? That’s not the way of Konoha.
Also, I kinda like the idea of Hanabi ending up like covered in paint or something and everyone stares at her worried she’s going to explode in anger, but she just starts laughing.
I know I’ve already referenced The Hangover over in this fake fic title brainstorm but just the title alone for this one feels more Hangover-esque.
So I’m thinking pre-graduation for Team Ebisu (Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon) and Team Hana (Hanabi, Chiyako, and Ranmaru) on a field trip / survival training / group project of sorts with Iruka-sensei as the bewildered chaperone.
And while they’re not on par with Team Seven, these six are a heady mixture ready to blow. So maybe it’s something like six soon to be genin are sent on a D-rank mission–considering rising tensions and potential war on the horizon, official genin are being used on more critical missions and students are being transitioned into proper mission etiquette, etc. etc.
Anyway, temporary Team Iruka shenanigans. On the one hand, Iruka is very responsible so he shouldn’t lose track of his team (like a certain elite jounin who will not be named), but on the other hand the six students he has on his temporary team are very… strong-willed. And powerful.
Poor Iruka. He probably thought he was done with the chaos when Konoha Twelve graduated. -_-
I’m not sure what D-rank is… I mean catching Tora the cat seems like the obvious choice, but with a Hyuuga and an Aburame and four other to-be-genin, it would be overkill wouldn’t it? Then again, that’s the only D-rank mission iconic enough to be shenanigans-filled so…
Yeah. I mean, its the Inuzuka that really make catching Tora a cakewalk, and since this is without Hana as jounin sensei, it would be enough of a challenge. It’s not as if the Hyuuga train to specifically tell different cats apart, and I feel like Chiyako’s hives are a little more combat specialized than tracking specialized. I mean, still some tracking because kikaichu, but not as good as Shino.
So catching Tora. This damn cat has gotten especially wily over the years and its not like Konoha bystanders are going to help temporary Team Iruka with it (its a right of passage, and no one else wants to touch that hell cat) no matter how fond of Iruka-sensei everyone is.
I don’t know what else specifically I want from this story. So here’s a summary to finish things off:
The Homework
Team Iruka receive the mission to find Tora the cat with the biggest stakes on the line:
No, not impressing the Fire Lady, passing the class!
(Or, Konohamaru accidentally spends a day with his uncle, Moegi fights her fears, Udon learns more about himself, Ranmaru makes a new friend, Hanabi loses some dignity, Chiyako takes a chance, and Iruka-sensei can’t catch a break.)
I had to google this to figure out what it was a reference to because despite my love of the written word, English was my least favorite class in school. Then again, Emily Dickinson wasn’t covered in my English class anyway so…
The poem by Emily Dickinson of the prompted title is about a family immediately after the death of a loved one who still have to keep going–keep on doing their every day actions, or do the funeral arrangements for said loved one–before they can properly break down and grieve.
… you didn’t specify a fandom or characters or anything, newyn1, and I know most of my followers are here because of my DoS stuff and that I’ve also specifically seen your username over @dosbysilverqueen, but I kinda feel like this would fit better in a different fandom.
I mean, the only thing I can think of in a DoS would be Shikako’s steady but inevitable immortality in which she outlives all of her family members because of her burgeoning godhood. And like, at first she doesn’t think much of it–outliving her parents is sad but not surprising. Outliving Shikamaru is kind of like just a flip of a coin statistics game, and women of Asian descent tend to have longer lifespans than men of Asian descent anyway.
Except maybe there’s the added she’s not aging as quickly as everyone else. She still looks in her twenties when Shikamaru looks in his forties (or something like that). At some point, Kino-chan starts to look older than her.
And then she really realizes it when Kino-chan dies before she does–he lived as peaceful and safe a life as a shinobi possibly could and yet–or when she starts to be confused for Shikadai’s cousin instead of his aunt, etc. etc.
So it’d be about Shikako coping with outliving and having to grieve for her family. Being the one to grieve because, eventually, she’s the only one left to do so. But then that’s something that I’d probably throw in along with these other prompts of Shikako’s immortality/godhood so…
My alternative fandom take on it would probably be in my Hikaru no Go/Death Note ‘verse (En)Closure with a similar sort of set up. Not because of godhood, though.
So Hikaru’s POV when his grandfather dies, when Sai asks Haru to help him move on, and then when Haru dies because of Kira. And the thing is, because it’s Hikaru and Hikaru no Go, of course he would be playing go. His grandfather dies and he plays go, because even though it’s because of Sai that he started playing, he never would have met Sai if it weren’t for his grandfather’s love for the game.
So at his grandfather’s memorial service, maybe he gets recognized as a professional go player by his grandfather’s friends–who are all amateurs but passionate–and they pester him into playing with them and they do a whole bout of “when Heihachi was younger” stories. Hikaru’s reputation as a troublemaker go player is not entirely new.
Hikaru is older when Sai moves on (because having two seers makes the ghost stay longer) and Sai chooses to move on, so he doesn’t go into a downward spiral like in canon, but it’s still something to mourn and he does fight with Haru about it here and while they do stop fighting quickly enough, probably they don’t properly make up with each other until they play a game of go. Even though Haru is awful at it.
And maybe they official shut down the Netgo account (which Haru also did for Sai since it doesn’t take a genius to put a stone where he points) and while they don’t disclose who Sai was they do inform the greater go world that he has passed on. I don’t know.
After Haru dies, because of Kira, Hikaru is hollowed out. Because she and Sai were his best friends and the only reason why he didn’t spiral after Sai’s death was because of her. But now it’s just him who knows the truth. He probably does take some time off, trying to see if he can find her ghost (because that’s what tied them together, the ability to see ghosts, but no matter where he looks he can’t find her).
And he comes back to the Institute where Kuwabara-Honinbou challenges him to a game (just like how the story between him and Haru start) and they both mourn for her together because even though she wasn’t part of the go world, she was part of their world. And also no grandparent should have to outlive their grandchild.
(No summary, sorry, but two in one brainstorm so it evens out?)
Anon, this was one of the more difficult yet compelling prompts I have received during this event. It’s such a seemingly simple phrase and yet evokes such specific imagery that I could not figure out what to do for a good three days. Like a nice mental puzzle I could ponder on while things got slow at work.
Angels, anon. Angels! Unless you meant the Charlie’s Angels franchise, then there’s only really one other reference that could be. And it’s not all that compatible with the culture of the Naruto world, so I know the fake fic has to be either an AU of some sort and/or a metaphorical “angels.”
And the Shikaara aspect! I will be the first to admit I am a Shikaara shipper, anon, but it’s a surprisingly tangling part of this prompt. In order to stay… not in character, but accurately relative to each other… Shikako and Gaara have to be from different places. Whether that be countries as in canon or in various AUs–schools, teams, departments, etc–and in my head I’m just like:
Are they enemies that can summon and battle each other with angels? Is one of them the guardian angel of the other and gets frequently summoned to do battle on their behalf? Why am I thinking about battling angels? I mean, actual legit angels are frightening flaming wheels of millions of eyes so that might be cool and horrifying to watch do battle. Wait. What?
Then I thought, hm, what about that reverse/remix of Stories of Ancient Gods–aka, instead of Final Fantasy VII being the distant past of DoS, DoS is the distant past of FFVII. Shikako’s Gelel stone means she can be summoned in the future to help stop Sephiroth/Jenova, whereas the bijuu are the WEAPONs and the jinchuuriki their humanoid avatars. But then that kind of got away from me and it just didn’t sit right.
And then I considered something like the Inuyasha-esque fusion–fully aware of the irony–but with Gelel instead? Like canon!Suna people are in the Gelel Empire and Shikako travels back in time to that era while researching the Dead Wastes and it’s Shikako displaced in time. Which led me to a slightly tweaked version that became Atlantis: The Lost Empire featuring Milo!Shikako and Kida!Gaara–and the rest of Konoha Twelve as the crew of misfits.
So… yeah. An AtlantisxDoS fusion… Never mind that I’m pretty sure Uzushio is the Naruto world equivalent of Atlantis… anyway.
Call On Your Angels
Shikako and her crew of destructive but lovable misfits brave the Dead Wastes in search of the Lost Empire of Gelel.
Action! Adventure! Romance! Betrayal?
I think, instead of Shikako being conscripted onto the crew and being caught off guard when their mercenary ways are revealed, there’s a bit of Ocean’s Eleven mixed into it? Or Inception.
Like, Haido (Orochimaru?) drops major funds on Shikako’s research and she goes and recruits her friends because THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY, GUYS, COME ON. And, well, even if it turns out to be looking at a bunch of rocks that is a lot of money and they could use a distraction etc. etc.
Except, you know, instead of rocks it’s an entire slowly dying nation because the secret behind the Gelel stones have been forgotten.
Like in Atlantis, Haido/Orochimaru does also hire an entire division of soldiers (nameless thugs with either Temujin or Kabuto as second in command) who do the whole “seize the power crystals/princess and auction the livelihood of the nation off to the highest bidder” thing. But I mean. A bunch of nameless thugs versus Konoha Twelve? Come on.
Sorry anon, I know it doesn’t really match the title, but I just really love that movie and this fusion was the only thing that even vaguely satisfied the constant poking and prodding at your prompt.
maybe not necessarily in dos canon, but in your aus focusing on their relationships, it is easy to interpret their relationship as “more than friendship, but not less than romantic, just something different” (and there i would talk about alterous attraction but i haven’t really explored that term myself a lot more) (2/2)
Oh! I did not know about the term alterous, but I think that’s how I interpret Shikaara–as an ambiguous mix between platonic and romantic. Of course, not in canon but in a canon adjacent AU such as Dreaming of S(omething).
I think Naruto and Shikako are very platonic. Even in my post-series Waking Up Starstruck (which is my attempt to do a Narukako ship) it’s still not all that romantic. And not even because of my interpretation of Shikako as aro/demi, but because I cannot for the life of me understand Naruto’s character. He and I just are not simpatico. 
I love him but I do not understand him. I don’t know if they would even have a QPR or maintain their less intense friendship.
Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship is too steeped in canon for me to disentangle (SasuNaru was one of my “Baby’s First Ships”) so I don’t know if they would have a QPR or a romantic relationship… But I do think Naruto and Haku would have a fantastic QPR in a canon adjacent AU, so at least I know him that much, right?
Let’s see, who else…
As Ino’s co-spouses, Sakura and Sai are not romantic with each other, but they do develop a sweet QPR which is very nice for their triad marriage.
I imagine Team Gai are not romantically interested in each other, but they are the closest thing they all have to family which would easily translate to QPRs. Especially when they’re older and their personalities have matured.
Actually, yeah, if I’m not restricting myself to canon. Then in a canon adjacent AU, that Kiba+Shikako QPR would definitely exist.
Oh, in the Team Medic!AU (Team One with Sakura, Youbirin, and Jiro passed with a combat medic jounin sensei)–or, at least, the How To Adult Properly series based on it–Team One definitely have QPR because they have no boundaries with each other.
I don’t know who else, this is a big question. There are so many characters that’s like an infinite number of combinations so…
But I do appreciate your question, so thanks for asking, anon 🙂
I actually quite appreciate that there isn’t any romance in DoS. Which might sound off considering a lot of my DoS fanfic does revolve around various ships, but I’m relieved that canon DoS doesn’t.
My interpretation of Shikako in canon is also aromantic–though for shipping/fic writing purposes I tend to extend that to demi-romantic. Then again, considering how mild my writing expression of romance is, all of my shipping fic could be interpreted as queerplatonic? But I understand what you’re saying (my Trailblazer character Tetsuki is qpp with Ryohei Sasagawa) so let’s see…
I think Shikako and Ino are one step away from a canonical QPR… but it’s one of those “in a kinder world” sort of situation. Even without the oncoming war, both of them (or, at least, Ino does) have clan responsibilities, and I do think Ino is a romantic at heart. She would want a romantic relationship (not necessarily with Shikako, per se) and while I know QPRs aren’t incompatible with romantic relationships, that’s a lot of people to juggle since I do really quite like the triad of Sakura/Ino/Sai (which is at least 2/3 canonical for Naruto and could very well be completely canonical in DoS?)
Alternatively the only other character who I think Shikako is closest to a canonical QPR with is Sasuke. But the problem with that is I cannot help but headcanon that Sasuke is in love with Shikako most likely romantically. So while it’s platonic on Shikako’s end, it’s probably romantic on Sasuke’s, and I don’t think she’d be comfortable with deepening their friendship into a QPR for fear of breaking Sasuke’s heart by not being able to reciprocate his romantic feelings.
Who else… I don’t know. I would have considered Kiba before but not particularly recently and not more than Ino and Sasuke… Yeah. Those are the most canonical potential QPRs.
It’s not weird at all–or if it is, then I must be weird for being flattered! It’s one of those “how much do writers write for themselves or because of their readers” matters: A lot of my readers are here because of my DoS stuff, so they prompt more DoS stuff so I generate more and its a very cyclical, sustained process. If there were less prompts for DoS then I’d probably stray into other fandoms more often or work on some of my original fic–not because I enjoy those more than DoS stuff, but because I have a problem focusing and committing to any one thing at a time unless prompted.
Anyway.
Thanks, anon! I’m glad you like my brainstorms 🙂 When it comes to ships I think I enjoy them more as the character equivalent of crossovers/fusions than as actual romantic relationships. So more of a “how do these two characters get along” than a “I want these two characters to smooch.” Whether that’s because I’m aro-ace or because I love world-building and “ship-building” is a step away from that, I’m not sure…
Friendship is a (Mutual) Con ‘verse is heavily based on the show Leverage which I cannot recommend more (it’s on both Netflix and Hulu)
Hm… this has to be an alternate!POV of Stars Also Dream or a prequel of it. Outside!POV of young Jedi!Yoshino, probably back and forth between Bant and Obi-Wan.
I think maybe Bant’s reluctance/pickiness about her padawan has always been a point of contention between her and Obi-Wan. Especially since he almost aged out of padawan-hood, but also because he stepped up and took on Anakin even though he had only just recently become a knight himself.
There are other canonical points of contention in their friendship beside that (Obi-Wan possibly being indirectly responsible for her first master’s death) but I wonder how much Bant knew about the future that was coming.
Did she know that Anakin would lead to the downfall of the Jedi? Did she know that Obi-Wan would be indirectly responsible for an even greater tragedy than just Master Tahl? Did she know that, one day, far in the future Obi-Wan and Yoshino would be two of the last few Jedi in existence? That Obi-Wan would get to see her padawan as an adult, as a knight, as someone who had grown beyond Bant’s own reach while Bant herself only gets Yoshino for a few scant years. How unfair that Obi-Wan and Anakin get over a decade and ruin it for everyone else.
Alternatively, maybe Obi-Wan has visions about Yoshino. And because he can’t comprehend the context–of a Yoshino crash landed on a hidden planet post Order 66 and rise of Darth Vader–all he sees is Bant’s little, sweet faced padawan as an adult covered in blood and without a lightsaber.
Are both Bant and Obi-Wan suspicious of the others’ padawan?
And while Yoshino was starstruck by The Hero With No Fear, I wonder if Anakin might have also gotten Force feelings from Yoshino during their one meeting. She’s not going to be his downfall, but he can’t destroy her.
Which he shrugs off because, first of all, why would he even try to destroy this tiny padawan (ahahaha… haha… goddamnit Anakin), second of all, how could said tiny padawan possibly withstand the full power/ability of Anakin?
Basically, a bunch of criss-crossing suspicions in the not-really-but-kinda Jedi family of Bant and Obi-Wan as siblings and Yoshino and Anakin as cousins.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bant stands on the edge of loss, looking down. Anakin takes, uncaring. Obi-Wan suspects the wrong people. And Yoshino doesn’t know yet that she can lose everything.
I don’t know how the timing of Ahsoka as Anakin’s padawan would match up in all this. Then again, she and Yoshino might have been initiates at the same time so…
OMG, tell me about it, I love reading DoS but I also get secondhand stressed out. Shikako! Just… just stay put for a little bit, please. Just. Have another spa day with Ino, please. I am so concerned. So concerned.
Have you checked out the We’re all just Dreaming of Sunshine forum? Everyone can gather and be worried for Shikako together 🙂
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Hi anon, welcome! 🙂 Chapter 131 is pretty compelling isn’t it?
I do take prompts here (though less frequently outside of a specific ask box event) but not really like that. Hm… how do I put it… it’s more like AUs or canon divergence or hypothetical futures. I’m not really much one for companion pieces especially not when they’re meant to be canonical but outside!POV.
Mostly because I’m hesitant to do anything very close to canon, but also because my flights of fancy tend toward world building and outside!POV in a canon setting doesn’t give much opportunity for that.
Although, I’m sure there have already been some ficlets cropping up in the forum, so I’d recommend checking that out. Or Heliocentrism which is the community for DoS related fic.
Monster Smiles (blood in my teeth)
Loyalty, teamwork, and the Will of Fire–all just pretty words to hide the truth:
The foundation of Konoha’s strength is child soldiers.
And some children are stronger than others.
Mashing up your title offerings since they’re both kind of long but I did like their vibes. So for your prompt in which child genius shinobi reluctantly (or sarcastically?) say “I require an adult” I’m thinking an anthology of various adults of the Naruto world during their time as frighteningly deadly children.
And I know you suggested Kakashi, Itachi, and Tenzo, but technically–seeing as how average graduation age is twelve (in peacetime, nine(?) during war)–all shinobi were child soldiers at some point.
I’d definitely want a scene of basically the Worst Night of Young Shizune’s Life. Because even though she can kill or heal a person in over a dozen ways, life outside of Konoha with Tsunade has a lot less to do with fighting or healing and more to do with finding her shishou in sleazy bars or avoiding debt collectors. Which is made more difficult when, according to civilian standards, she is too young to enter either establishments.
I imagine there’s a lot of Tsunade drunken shenanigans and Shizune having to outmaneuver these DUMB CIVILIAN LAWS and she ends up maybe breaking up an illegal animal fighting ring? And she finds TonTon who was SUPPOSED to be the reward for two dogs (bears?) but is now Shizune’s pet. Basically, the story of why the honorable Godaime Hokage and her first apprentice are banned from one city in particular for eternity.
I would like a section for… aw, I’m already making myself sad… Aoba. Because can you imagine how much of a chatterbox Gossip King Aoba must have been as a child? Just. The most talkative child, so nosy and curious and NO AOBA DON’T TOUCH THAT. (He probably had a saint of a jounin sensei, let’s be real.)
I think maybe his path to Cryptography started early on. He’d play the part of lost child to infiltrate the place, memorize the layout and guard rotations of the place, and for all that he’s annoying he’s also weirdly endearing? Aaaaand then it turns out he’s the vanguard for the REAL mission which may or may not include burglary at the least all the way up to assassination.
Hm… who else would I want to do…
I have a vague horrific idea about Ibiki’s first encounter with torture. He is heartbreakingly young and the last living member of his team but he keeps quiet, keeps his village safe, and manages to gain some counterintelligence while escaping by the skin of his teeth. He crawls his way back to Konoha/the nearest war outpost (because this is probably wartime right?) and is just like. Super professional but bleeding out “I need to speak to the commanding officer,” aka an adult. And everyone’s trying to usher him to the healing tent and he’s just like, no way I have to give a report, my team died and I got tortured for a week, I can handle a few more hours of dying this information is important.
Uh. But yeah, that’d be it. Riding that line between childhood hijinks and the dawning horror of what shinobi childhoods are actually like. 😀
JackSGreyson Says 