mist

My Works

Off The Record — SasuNaru | InoHina | On-Going

The Beauty of Blue Bones — SasuNaruHina | Completed

A Hyūga’s Guide — SasuHina | NaruSaku | Completed

Blossom — SasuHina | SasuSaku | Completed

Our Dependence — SasuHina | Completed

A fan of Sasuke Uchiha, long time writer of SasuHina, hopeful creator of more Sasuke centric content. Not necessarily into any ships at the moment, so I’m open to exploring more down the line. Depression expresso working overtime, slow updates are the drawbacks.

All works are for general audiences or teen because of vulgar language.

Next word count goal: 350K 🔜

Chapter Snippet

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune held onto the small piglet in her arms, her cheeks the same colour as the animal as she muttered many things over until coming to a stop. No words she had could qualm her aunt's rising irritation, but she agreed with what Jiraiya had said regarding her return to Konoha. Perhaps she was being a little selfish, she hasn't seen those green gates and bountiful evergreens of Konoha since she was just a child when she had decided to follow the older woman. Then a thought struck her, one that didn't dare rousing itself in the presence of her mentor's old teammate; "is it because of him?"

Had it been possible, the air would have gotten far colder than it was despite it being late-summer, the heat was pounding on the shutters as the air conditioning unit blasted as much cooling air as it could to compensate. Tsunade's hard stare found a suddenly stoic Shizune, a warning look in her eyes as if she was silently telling her to never mutter a question quite like that ever again. The added threat of 'or else' hung over them as the tea rapidly cooled now that her attention was caught elsewhere.

Shizune knew that the reason Tsunade had asked for two days in order to 'sort out her business' was because of Orochimaru; and judging by her behaviour, she feared that the woman was truly taking his morbid proposal into consideration. "Don't do it," she found herself blurting out, begging her to disregard Orochimaru's proposition. Clearly Hiruzen had done what he did to prevent the fiend from doing something other than forcing Konoha to its knees; if Tsunade were to put her selfish desire above that last act, it would be more than shameful.

"You don't know what I'm going to do." Tsunade mused as she dumped her cold tea down the sink and washed the mug more times than it needed. She was stalling; sitting with her thoughts as the expectations of the young Uzumaki—her grandnephew [?] their family tree was quite complicated—rung in her head in the same frequency as her late little brother. That's right, Shizune didn't know what she was going to do, but neither did she.

"Please…"

"Shizune…just drop it." she pushed past her and grabbed her green haori on her way out of the door. Once the wooden panel separated her from the inhabitants of the small motel room she had rented, she leaned against the opposing wall and stared at it with her lower lip swollen from her nibbling. Tsunade closed her eyes, pushing herself forward with more force than necessary leaving a small crack behind, and left the building to clear her mind.

Chapter Snippet

"You know as well as I do that there is no 'soon'."

Onyx eyes tried desperate to make out the blurry face presented to it. He wanted to bite back but a rebuttal never came; he too knew that leaving would be just as difficult as staying; perhaps more challenging because he got a taste of what he could only label as 'comfort'."

Comfort in seeing his little brother—aloof as he may be—studying under the bright kitchen lights; in being greeted in the morning and wished a 'goodnight' by him; and having the opportunity to hear his bemused scoffs at the jokes being made by his friends. Itachi would never be able to walk away from it much like he had difficulty leaving the compound on the night he swore he would fall by Sasuke's blade in the very distant future.

Cutting out Yuma's voice may have just been an excuse to wallow in his purgatory. No matter how much truth it spoke, acceptance was completely up to Itachi and he struggled with that. He wished to drop the henge out in the open; perhaps undoing the efforts of both the older woman and her summon just so he could return to the pit he dug himself the moment he accepted that deplorable mission.

Self pity had long since dissipated along with the blood that had coated his tanto; there was no such thing as retribution for Uchiha Itachi despite the optimistic approach others seemed to have had.

He watched, silent and calculative, as the sun's rays were smothered by grey clouds. The rainfall he was warned about appeared at the horizon; taunting him with its arrival as if asking him to make his decision; run for shelter or back in its frozen icicles knowing that sickness may follow.

The absentminded brushing of his hair, a cool finger against his cheek, made him jump out of his skin and into a defensive position. Eyes widened a fraction, and lips pursed into a thin line, Itachi stared at Yuma with clouded eyes as he waited for a reason to attack. Given no other indication of hostility, he silently calmed the crow in his embrace; apologetic as it twitched and sung its deep tune to complain about his giddiness.

"I have matters to attend to," came his long awaited response to the deconstruction of his resolve. Whether it was an excuse or a genuine desire to be of proper use outside of the confines of Konoha—for he had already betrayed the Third Hokage by silently withdrawing from his position within a criminal organization, he had fed the man information he couldn't completely verify but that was the cost of putting so much trust in a child convinced that they were protecting their little brother—had not yet been explored by him.

One thing was certain, however, he couldn't sit still doing nothing knowing that the world was not safe for Sasuke.

Ironic as it was.

"You still wish to pursue him?"

"I do not wish to find myself within his vicinity, but Sasuke…"

He thought of the short time they've crossed paths and how vile the older man had been; obsessing over his physical appearance as much as his Uchiha blood despite knowing that he was far to young to stir such taboo emotions within him; he did not need his precious brother to become the object of desire of such a disgusting creature.

Itachi listened, his mind's eye mapping out Sasuke's path outside of the manor as he sped through Konoha's streets. He's already taken everything from him, as much as it was to protect him from the strangulated grasps of Konoha's ROOT operation, he could linger out of his sight for a while longer if it meant keeping him safe. Sure, he could do that by sticking to his side as this 'Kurai' individual, but this was as stifling as it was when he betrayed both his clan and village by playing such conflicting roles in their game of iSpy.

Chapter Snippet

Sakura was silent for some time, looking down at her feet as she tried to find the right words. Looking at him, she opened her mouth to speak, "hey, Naruto? Do you really think—"

"You're coming with me, kid."

A large puff of smoke dissipated, revealing a tall man sitting on top of a toad with a serious look on his face. Sakura stared slack jawed, recognition in her eyes as she stared between Naruto and the new arrival.

"Your mentor is Jiraiya of the Sannin?"

"Oh?"

"It was a luck sort of thing, not really sure how it happened, but I guarantee you it feels as if I'm here to babysit him and not the other way around." he steadied himself, brushing off his clothes as if it had been soiled when Jiraiya nudged him not so gently.

"That's so cool."

"I'd much rather have her as my student instead of you, you brat."

"No you wouldn't. The moment she finds out how much of a conniving pervert you are with a disregard for women's privacy, you'd wish you chose a different profession."

And as if to prove his point, Naruto motioned to the look of absolute disgust that settled on her face, replacing the one of surprise and slight awe she had. If Sakura saw the extent of Jiraiya's perversion that not even he could beat out of the old man, he was sure she would make it her business to have the man stripped of any credibility. On second thought, it would be nice to see him wallow about, asking her to pardon him for his behaviour. Heh.

Chapter Snippet

Screw this, she wasn't going to let them ruin something like this for her; not when she's already familiarized herself with his attempts at caring for her so well. Sakura didn't want to admit it, not until her parents started their nonsensical berating, but she fucking loved having someone care for her and see her at her worst instead of tirelessly trying to fit in with people who didn't care all too much. The last time she's had a revelation like this, she went ahead and fucked it up herself by asking for a stupid, one-sided rivalry with someone who saw her as their best friend. Gods' forbid that she let her parents be the deciding factor here now that she's gotten rid of her selfish insecurities.

"Shut up! Gods, can you shut up and listen to me for once?" her chest hurt as she shouted, her fists clenched at her sides as she mustered up the least threatening look she knew she was capable of. There's just been this constant buzz in her ears since she woke up after that freakish redhead zeroed in on her last week, and her parents just keep making it worse. "He's not my boyfriend, not a fuckboy, and he's definitely never getting near my vagina for you to keep acting like this."

Haku's face burned red as he averted his eyes.

"Even if he was, and did, what does that matter anyway? It's always 'Sakura, be a good student', 'Sakura, make sure you ace your classes'. 'Sakura, don't make trouble for your instructors' with you people. When will it be 'Sakura, have you eaten yet?', 'Sakura, do you need any help?', 'Sakura, how about you take a break from your studies?' huh? When will the awards stop mattering, and I become your main concern? Instead, now that I've made it as a genin with friends to help me, and a proper interest, you think I'd throw it all away for instant gratification?" she huffed, her eyes narrowed as she glared at them further. "Why do you keep treating me like one of your merchandise instead of your actual daughter? Is it because I don't want to be like any of you, bargaining and half-assing a career that takes me nowhere?"

"Sakura!"

"I don't want to hear it! I'm tired of hearing how much you've put towards the business, and how much you care about it. Why'd you have me anyway if the shops are your real pride?" her voice was hushed as she whispered her question. The fire within her that took over had since dwindled down as tears put out the scorching wood. "Haku is a good friend to me, and he wanted to make sure I was okay, that's why he's staying here while you two tend to your business. I would appreciate it if you apologized to him before you leave."

Having nothing else to say, and shame filling the pits of her stomach as she realized how she cursed at her parents, Sakura grabbed her windbreaker and left the house before anyone could get out of their stupor.

Chapter Snippet

The foreign insignia caught Sasuke's eye, and he moved to pull her away, somewhat protective of the people who stood behind him once they too noticed that she was a foreigner. He covered the distance between them, the rancid smell of copper making him gag as he reached out to grip her forearm and pull her away harshly. "What are you doing?" he asked as she squirmed in his hold.

"Please, I'm trying to help him before it's too late…" her voice trailed off, eyes shifting to him and back to the shinobi whose chakra was slowly fading away.

"Are you a medic?" Sasuke was reluctant to let her go, especially if it meant that he would have to oversee her in case she turned out to be a threat.

"No, but—"

"Then how are you planning on helping?"

The chakra faded further, flashing dangerously as the core tried its hardest to flow and give power to an idle heart. She could feel it spurt out in intervals, trying and failing before giving up completely. Her shoulders sagged, her heart aching as the constant feedback of dwindling chakra cores around her pricked her own like needles. She hated casualties; being so attuned with the cosmic energy that bred life itself meant that she could feel it struggle to maintain what little life it oversaw. Her glasses fell to the tip of her nose, her shameful tears and sweat making her skin slippery as red pupils gazed at the dead shinobi that had brought her here. He was just trying to save her, even when he didn't have to because she did not belong to the village. He could have left her for dead, and she'd be okay with that too.

Pulling her headband off, she shoved it into Sasuke's chest, a silent surrender as she detached herself from him. "Keep it, I doubt they remember I'm here anyway," she muttered in defeat. Finding a corner for herself to sit in, she pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her forehead on her folded arms as a guilty sob ransacked her body.

Sasuke stared at the Grass insignia on the metal plate, he would not dare looking at the dead body and the pool of blood it left behind as a team quickly got rid of it. The weight of the hitai-ate felt crippling in his hand knowing what it meant to give it up so freely to an enemy. He turned to where the girl had walked off too, the silent [temporary] medical oath he took making him sigh. Foreigner or not, if she was at the hospital at a time like this, he needed to care for her like he cared for the others.

Replacing his now unsanitary gloves as he set his kit down beside him, Sasuke crossed his legs and cleared his throat, "are you injured?" he questioned, giving her a quick look over to make sure there weren't any large gashes that he could see. Other than the quick drying blood that smelt of old coins at the front of her shirt from where she had held the deceased, he couldn't make out anything urgent. Until his eyes caught sight of the barely healing scars of bite marks that her chainmaille failed to hide. Sasuke was quick to pull at her arm, even with her resistance to his touch, as he pushed up the armbands and raised his brow in a silent question. "It's not sanitary to wear chainmaille over injuries, that's an infection waiting to happen." He said it only to make light conversation as she wiped her face with her free hand while he got out some disinfectant, ointment and bandages.

"I'm fine," she attempted to pull her arm back again, "they're not serious."

Chapter Snippets

"Wait, you forgot to introduce him to Sasuke," Naruto pointed out in confusion.

"We met already," he said so casually as he carefully adorned his omelette with tomato slices.

"Wow, thanks for telling me this life changing news in advance," he responded sarcastically, trying and failing to hide the contempt in his voice. In return, he received a raised eyebrow and shrug, clearly the sarcasm wasn't picked up on as he'd hoped.

It wasn't like they were on 'telling each other everything unprompted' terms at the moment. They hadn't been for what felt like months. He hadn't known that Sasuke worked at the academy—and that's why he wasn't wasting away at home like usual—until Himawari broke the news first; just as Sasuke didn't know that he was thrown into a ravine so he could summon a fucking boss-toad. There just has not been a conversation that was appropriate enough for him to share that story yet.

"Whatever you two are fighting about—"

"—we're not fighting," Naruto quickly interjected by his lonesome, much to his regret and embarrassment.

"—can wait. Nice to meet you, Kurai-san." Haku offered with an abashed smile and an empty plate.

Sakura was quick to take note of it, and a glint appeared in her eyes as she elbowed Haku quite roughly.

.

.

.

Hinata brought her hands to her chest, poking her index fingers together as she nodded hesitantly. "I worked really hard, it's normal to lose them." Her voice had lost the confidence she was trying to build up before she saw Ino. It drives her mad how easy it was for the blond hothead to unravel her as if she was in those romance dramas the girls of their class used to rage on about. Except her love interest was the 'class president' instead of the top athletes. Hinata felt the butterflies tip back another cup of their happy-juice-laced tea as she imagined Ino swooping her off her feet and into her arms as they declared their love for each other.

"Come on down, little owl, I can't have you drifting off in the middle of the day." Ino poked her nose, internally wishing that she wasn't a bit of a coward otherwise she would have pecked her on her lips then and there, no questions asked.

She hid her face finally, overwhelmed by the spectacles of it all. Ino's warmth could be felt through the spandex, radiating and spreading over the sensitive skin of her waist. Hinata wondered how she was still standing on her own at this point, she was sure that her legs weren't her own anymore. Ino's giggles didn't help at all, and her compliments buzzed around her head, creating music for the party in her stomach, as the girl went on and on about how good she looked in her new clothes. She could barely get her own compliments out because Ino was quick to direct them all back at her, fanning away her praises and curiosity about her training just so she could poke her stomach and mourn the loss of pudginess.

Chapter Snippet

The air around him became heavy, as if he was on a steep alpine mountain struggling to breathe. He played his part, however, of an abandoned boy looking for his lost caretaker. Even when Himawari approached him with faux tears, worry and surprise plastered on her face. Even when she held out her hands for him to take, to guide him gently towards her so she could study him. Even when Sasuke asked who he was, and he couldn’t for the life of him mumble out a response in fear that he would reveal the truth. Itachi played the part well.

The chūnin and any passerby observed them with curiosity, wondering who the young boy who almost towered over Himawari was. A son? A nephew? They looked alike well enough for anyone to infer that they must be related to one another.

He felt his eyes fill with sickening tears as he bit his lip to hold back the anxiety induced bile that rose and scratched at his throat. She quickly wiped it away with a well placed thumb as she brought him into her chest. She whispered something into his ear that he had missed until she repeated it again.

It felt stupid.

He felt stupid.

He wasn’t home because this wasn’t his home. The welcoming warmth that radiated from her was nothing but a façade meant to convince the onlookers.

Itachi stared right at Sasuke who did not know that he held his attention. He stared and breathed heavily; he felt his knees shake, and his heart thump loudly in his ears as blood flooded his mouth. He managed to whisper out a soft ‘I’m home’, only to sell the story. The owl on his shoulder was long gone, choosing to perch itself on a lamppost as it watched.

Chapter Snippet

She knew her memories were becoming blurry day by day, faces disappeared and the sounds of voices felt as though they were underwater. However, she was certain that this particular action of hers wasn't deserving of this reaction, after all, it was just meditation. "That's a huge misunderstanding, a coincidence at most considering that I taught all the children about meditation. I wasn't aware that Naruto was even able to call forth the chakra." She shook her head in disagreement with the silent accusation. She may be from a time further down the line, with a singular goal that no longer felt like a selfish priority in mind, but even she was unfamiliar with things she wasn't directly involved with or told about extensively. That was a truth she was forced to accept long ago when Naruto came to her absolutely terrified that she would hate him for holding Kurama.

It was why she focused on raising the children in a manner that would equip them with the emotional knowledge, and mental fortitude, to avoid some of the conflicts that she was aware of. She could not prevent situations she had no part in in her life, so she trained them to be confident in their intuition so as to not be easily bribed with power or pretenses of 'peace'. And unfortunately, despite this, Himawari was still aware that outside variables would effect the outcomes as well.

This was one of those variables that presented itself, and frankly, she thought herself too naive to believe that something like this would never happen. The chances weren't very high, yet neither were they nonexistent.

"I wish to believe you, Himawari-san, but coincidences start looking deliberate when it keeps happening."

Chapter Snippet

"It's adorable." Naruto sat down beside him, pulling his knees up to rest his elbows on top.

"What is?"

"The way you get quieter, and a lot more reserved in her presence. It's fascinating since I'm used to the enthusiastic, 'youthful' Lee that's extremely boisterous."

"Well, that version of me is somewhat gone now." He didn't have to say anything more. His enthusiasm came with his ability to push himself and break his personal records, now that he couldn't fight, yet alone train, there wasn't any reason to be that way. Initially, that attitude was built by insecurities and fear, wanting to be accepted despite his inability to use chakra, until Gai came along. He associated his happiness with those moments where his muscles burned and his hair became wet with sweat. Taking that away drained him, and he couldn't quite care about how out of character it was for him to be mellow. He was depressed, it didn't take a genius to figure that out.

Naruto, not wanting to add to the souring mood, leaned forward as he studied Sakura. "I thought you were joking at first when you mentioned her."

"Why would I—"

"Listen, from what I know about Sakura, she wasn't exactly easy to like because of the persona she put on, so shoot me for thinking that your crush would fall through once you saw that she's changed. But, seeing the way you looked at her just now, I realize that you weren't concerned about the snobby attitude she put on, were you? The look in your eyes were almost begging to be acknowledged by her, as if having her do so would prove something to you. That's where I'm confused, what is it that you want from Sakura? Why is she your crush?"

Lee's face erupted in flames as he stared at Naruto with widened eyes. He never shared the reason as to why he fancied his friend's teammate, he sort of left it open for speculation without much thought. There was no reason to verbalize his intentions anyway, and Naruto never bothered to ask. Sure, he would poke fun at him for having a crush—he swore to get back at him in someway if he ever discovered who Naruto develops a crush on—but it never went beyond the jokes and pranks.

"Dude, no need to overthink it, you can just say she's pretty and I'd concede."

"It's…It's not only that." He played with the stopwatch in his hand. "Sakura-san is very…she is very kind and genuine. She may not remember, but she had cared for me after one of my hectic training sessions. At that point, I looked a lot different, and I never told her my name. Her hands were soft, and she was careful with my injuries while scolding me about being safe." He chuckled at the memory. "That was all I remembered from that day, I can't even recall what got me into that mess to begin with. She told me her name then, but I never got a chance to tell her mine since her friends interrupted us. I know that years have passed since then, and people change, but when I see her in passing, I can always tell that the person I saw that day was still inside."

"Woah…" Naruto stared at him slack jawed. "I mean, that's a lot better than what I would have thought. Why haven't you told her though?"

"Are you kidding me? I wear a green leotard, with orange leg warmers, a bowl cut and have huge eyebrows—which you laughed at when you first met me, by the way—she would never think twice about a person like me."

"Okay, point taken, no offence though. Just ditch the get up and dress how you'd normally dress. I know for a fact that you don't have a closet of green leotards alone…right?"

"I'm not that insane."

Naruto sighed in relief, earning himself a punch to the shoulder as Lee rolled his eyes. "With that instructor of yours, I feared for the worst."

"My grandma would kill me if I swapped everything out. She spends so much time making clothes for me, if I got rid of them, I'd feel bad."

"She's a sweet old lady, you wouldn't want to give her a heart attack."

"I agree."

"So…"

"Do you think she'd look at me if I appeared normal?"

"Define 'normal'."

"If I looked how I did that day, instead of like a green caterpillar with bushy eyebrows."

"I don't see why she won't. You're a fun guy, and if she talks to you some more, I think she'd like being around you. Of course, I can't say she would accept your feelings just because you're nice, but you might become good friends after."

"Being friends with Sakura-san would be lovely, even if my feelings would remain one-sided."

"And for that to happen, you're gonna have to actually talk to her instead of gaping like a fish out of water."

"Shut up."

Chapter Snippet

"That didn't work, did it?"

"Not at all. I knew it wouldn't work, I just felt like I've made my bed, so I might as well lay in it. I couldn't take back my words the next day, I was too ashamed to, because what would I say? That I'm an envious brat who wished the worse for my friend over a little crush? No, that would be very harsh of me. I can't look Ino in the eyes and tell her that, everyday, I wished for her to suffer so she could forget about Sasuke, and I'd have a better chance. So I watched as my friend masked her hurt by surrounding herself with superficial people, and then one day, she wasn't in the courtyard because she found someone else who wouldn't hurt her like I did. I can't bare to tell her the truth about our 'rivalry', and why it's lasted this long due to my stubbornness."

"Hm." Naruto stared into the stream. "Ino knew that."

The shock on her face made him smile.

"She's always known it. She didn't say anything since the rivalry was the next best thing to being your friend. With the faux resentment, at least she'd still be within reach for you. She could talk to you, even if it was about who deserved to be with Sasuke. She could keep an eye on you, despite how you saw it as her entertaining the childish fight. To Ino, Sasuke wasn't as important as being your friend. Being with Sasuke would be nice, sure, but losing a friend you care about in the process isn't so gratifying—and you've noticed it yourself."

"Is that why—"

"She said those harsh words that day? Ino loved you; the boisterous attitude, determination, and your forehead. She watched you change into something she knew you weren't, and tried loving that version of you until it began to hurt her instead. She always wondered where she went wrong, and if anything would change if she lied to you about liking Sasuke. She loved the real Sakura that you wanted to get rid of because it made you different."

She frowned.

"She still does, I think we both know that, but in a different way."

Perhaps it’s because I’m still very unfamiliar with the AO3 landscape, and the Naruto fandom as a whole, but…I’m just blabbering about comments and I don’t want to appear as ungrateful. Rereading the ones I get for Off The Record makes the cogwheels turn and I get so absorbed in trying to incorporate something someone mentioned slightly.

Chapter 50 Snippet

Himawari was very well aware that the old man was proposing the idea so she knew that, despite the surveillance being lifted years ago, he still kept his eye on her. The chakra spike that was sensed could have been the brief appearance of Itachi’s clone, though she highly doubted that the young man would make such a mistake. It could very well be a lie as well…The Hokage wasn’t someone who swore under oath to tell the complete truth.

Nonetheless, she heeded his words, and mentally applauded the stray Uchiha boy for prolonging his arrival to Konoha. She didn’t want him causing a scene, yet alone one that she was behind. Still, she made a mental note to notify Itachi of their current predicament so they could work around it somehow.

He couldn’t waltz into Konoha as Uchiha Itachi; he needed a disguise, and a strong alibi as to why he was seeking refuge with her of all people. This was going to be harder than she initially thought, and with Orochimaru’s presence causing the village to be on their highest alert, it felt impossible.