nyteangel

When I was choosing which part of Kakashi's life I wanted to paint for this zine, I knew the exact moment I wanted to catch. That second of stillness after he opens Obito's eye for the first time.

The moment just before he pulls his father's tanto for the last time.

To kill a man.

Work in progress 🌱

In print ❤️

COMPLETE

-> The Misadventures of Kakashi and the Girl from Nowhere by Goldfishlover73 Rating: M / Words: 137k

When a girl called Sakura seemingly falls in the sky, Kakashi is skeptical. Far more skeptical than the rest of Team Minato are. War is approaching quickly and this strange girl is leaving more questions than answers in her wake, Kakashi must decide where his trust and loyalties lie in a constantly changing world.

A time-travel AU told from Kakashi's perspective, beginning at the age of ten on Team Minato before the deaths of, well, Team Minato. SUCH an interesting take on the classic time-travel AU. Features angst, cozy Team Minato, and a really well written progression of Kakashi's maturity as he grows up, struggles with the traumas of war, and slowly falls in love with the mysterious "Uzumaki Sakura".

One of the things I really loved about this fic was the way it so effectively addressed some of the canon plot holes, as well as the expected plot holes of a time travel AU. It has a really satisfying plot wrap, some BAMF Sakura, and Kakashi's perspective is really well written and interesting to read. I stayed up all night reading this and deeply regretted in the morning as I zombie-walked my way into work, lol.

-> House Calls by LadyofSnark Rating: M / Words: 229.7k

Always the Team Mom, Sakura opens up her home as a clinic for the hospital-phobic ninja of Konoha. At the same time, her relationship with Kakashi begins to evolve in a way she never expected.

Super cute, fun, cozy, with an interesting premise. Well written and has a really interesting dynamic between Sakura and Kakashi which does not start off necessarily easy or smooth at the start of the fic, even if it is friendly. A very long slow burn you can sink your teeth into.

-> Another Life by Bluefurcape Rating: E / Words: 52.8k

Sometimes you start wondering about what could have been…

Technically a cheating fic--with a twist! Sakura starts having strange dreams in which she's married to Kakashi, and the dreams (in conjunction with very real complaints about her marriage) make her questions whether marrying Sasuke was the right choice. The mechanism behind the dreams is really, really interesting, and the way their marriage spirals out of control, the anguish over its effects on Sarada--and Sakura's emotional turmoil surrounding it all--is page-turning.

-> The Exciting Adventures of Lotus Man, Blue Boy and the Not-So-Relucant Doctor Petals by goldfishlover73 Rating: E / Words: 186k

Sakura enters college with the dream of becoming a top tier nurse. Little did she know her trajectory in life was about to change. Really, they should put the hell portal that's in the middle of campus in the brochure. Or the two mini skirt wearing super heroes… or maybe not. At least she has a cute neighbor.

I honestly don't even know how to describe this one. It's a wild ride. It's cute, it's silly, it made me laugh and made me hold my breath and clutch my phone with anticipation. I loved it.

-> Dear Future You by Scarecrows_to_CherryTrees Rating: E / Words: 80k

Sakura is accidently sent 15 years back to when Team 7 is just starting out. She knows Kakashi, but Kakashi certainly doesn't know her. At least...not yet. Or: What is it like meeting the love of your life, before they even know what you mean to them? Love is not always on equal footing, but it can grow to be.

A time travel fic, in which Sakura accidentally gets sent back in time to Kakashi's ANBU years, and they get stuck together while they try and find a way to send her back. Something of an enemies to lovers, Kakashi falls so hard and it's just delicious; even better as Sakura's secrets are slowly revealed. Extremely well written and well paced, I devoured it in a night.

-> Silver Lining by Thinknicht Rating: T / Words: 60.5k

They were the only ones left.

Written around a really interesting premise surrounding the fourth war: everyone gets cocooned, and a resistance is built out of those who manage to break free. Stars BAMF Sakura and supportive Kakashi, with a quiet romance bubbling beneath the surface. It's unusually written in that the first half deals a lot with more serious/dramatic themes and plot-heavy stuff, and the second half is a largely light-hearted and fluffy, focusing on romantic relationship development; but I liked that--kind of gives you the best of both worlds.

-> There Will Be Time by thekatthatbarks Rating: T / Words: 39k

Naruto doesn't want to be Hokage anymore. Tsunade picks Sakura as her successor. Sakura accepts the hat but doesn't know how to accept the praise and confidence sent her way. Everyone believes in her, but is she really cut out for this?

I loved the premise of this fic! For all that Naruto goes on about being Hokage in the series (and I do love fics with Excellent Hokage Naruto), I thought it was so compelling to explore the idea that, in growing and interacting with the other ninja villages, Naruto realizes Hokage isn't the way he wants to protect Konoha and bring peace to the ninja world. Sakura taking up the mantel was really interesting to read (especially since her mentor is the previous Hokage--so much interest and potential there!). I love a good BAMF Sakura and Supportive Kakashi fic, and this definitely qualifies. With Kakashi falling for this powerful, inspirational woman along the way, of course!

-> A Brief Introspection on Sunflowers by MurderMittens Rating: E / Words: 67.8k

Sakura and Kakashi meet at a bar. The sex is not unexpected. What is unexpected is everything that follows afterwards.

An age-swap AU where Sakura is a Big Somebody and Kakashi is a lovestruck college boy pining after a woman otherwise way out of his league were it not for the fact she is pining in return. Really interesting clan dynamics with Sakura as the ex-Uchiha matriarch and the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Super interesting character backstories as well, and relationship dynamics that feel compelling and grounded. The author gives the characters room to grow with and outside of each other, which I love. Very well written. Excellent smut scenes and tender romance!

-> Code of Conduct by LindtLuirae Rating: E / Words: 11.8k

“You did this,” he murmured, suddenly sure she had meant for them to arrive at this exact position. “Did what?” Her innocent tone belied her telling smirk. “Made me want you,” he husked, their faces inches apart, held there by the tattered remains of his better judgment.

A same-age ANBU AU in which Sakura gets put on Kakashi's ANBU team. What starts as conflict slowly and then all at once becomes attraction. Well paced, snappy, compelling relationship dynamics, great writing. An excellent short read!

-> Red Strings and Lilac Skies by siuilaruin Rating: E / Words: 90.5k

The seduction mission is where they start. It is not where they end. / A canon-divergent AU where there's a seduction mission between the Kage summit and the war; where Sakura moves on from Sasuke; where love is a hearth fire instead of a wildfire.

I am super, super picky about my seduction mission stories (I say, writing a seduction mission story). This one surprised me because Sakura starts out as a virgin which is not usually my thing. But it was handled well. The whole social dynamic surrounding seduction missions in general was handled well. The character development and pacing was good, and the treatment by the narrative and by other characters of both Sakura and Kakashi after their mission felt realistic and grounded.

Actually most of the story takes place after the mission (which is only a chapter long). The mission itself is a catalyst for the emotions which come later, and the development of their romantic relationship. All-in-all, the smut was excellent, the longing was delicious, and the characters were interesting and dynamic.

Warnings for dub-con and non-con elements, and references to rape and pedophilia (all characters in the present-tense narrative are 19+ at the time of sexual activity).

-> The Danger of Smudged Storage Seals by bluemingqueen Rating: M / Words: 53.9k

Sakura should have known that Naruto taking an interest in seals would lead to disaster. In hindsight, maybe she should have looked to see if the piece of paper she’d pressed a chakra-laden finger to was the explosive seal or the slightly smudged miniature storage seal containing all of her shinobi registration documents.

A twist on the usual time-travel AU; young Sakura gets sent back in time and ends up on Kakashi's team seven under Minato where, slowly but surely, she finds her place as a ninja (and in the heart of the team's coldest member!). Very, very cute, with really interesting character development for Sakura.

-> Looped by MyMindsMadness Rating: M / Words: 20.6k

Time, although a funny thing, is also very precious. That’s why Kakashi decides to give Sakura time for her birthday… or did she give it to him? Time travel can be a bit confusing… For her twenty-first birthday, Kakashi sends Sakura back in time to accompany a younger version of him through the most important events in his life. He only does so because she’d already done it… which means he’d already done it, or he wouldn’t think to do it now… he thinks.

Another time-travel AU, this time a closed time loop. Really cute to see the way Sakura and Kakashi's relationship develops as she hops through his timeline. Fun, a little sentimental, a little spicy. A long enough story to satisfy but short enough to read quickly in an afternoon. Perfection.

-> Star Magnolia by scorpiogojo Rating: E / Words: 17.9k

Two years after the Fourth Shinobi War, Hatake Kakashi prepares to take on the role of Hokage — and breaks up with the only woman he’s ever loved. Haruno Sakura, brokenhearted and still very much in love, lets him go. But Konoha is small, their wounds are big, and love never really leaves when it's real. After their quiet unraveling and brutal separation, will they find the slow, tender, irrevocable way to find each other again?

Aaaaaaangggsstttt, all aboard the angst train! Starts post-breakup, with frequent short flashbacks filling in context. A nice, quick read, full of drama, angst, and passion. Well, written, good smut--an engaging, quick read.

-> An Icha Icha Romance by Melody_Grace Rating: T / Words: 10.6k

In which Kakashi isn’t the only perverted member of former Team 7, and people fall in love in mysterious ways.

Sakura sneaks into a sex shop under a henge for some new steamy romance novels and runs into Kakashi. Flirting and shenanigans ensue. Features soft!Kakashi and flustered!Sakura. Super cute, well written, well paced. A really fun read!

-> Dreaming's End by thepiedsniper Rating: T / Words: 107.2k

Sakura didn't avoid the Infinite Tsukuyomi with the others, and all the events that happened afterward were simply the product of her dream-state. When Sakura finally wakes up from years spent in her personal "paradise," she must to learn how to start again. Kakashi is there to help her.

A really interesting premise--that all of the material of Boruto was Sakura's infinite tsukuyomi dream. The story follows her struggle both to come to grips with having spent that much of her life in a dream, feeling aged beyond her years, struggling to tell the difference between genjutsu and reality--and Kakashi, by her side, helping her heal.

-> The Roles We Play by insomnikat Rating: M / Words: 45.6k

Guide and support. Defend and heal. In the grand scheme of Life, these were the roles Kakashi and Sakura had probably always been meant to play. And it had been enough… until it wasn't.

A really thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of Sakura's heartache in the early years of her marriage with toddler Sarada, coming to terms with her unhappiness and loneliness. Kakashi is there to see her break and steps in to support--and along the way, they fall in love. An affair fic that is really so much more. Beautifully written with a snappy pace, smitten Kakashi, and satisfying KakaSaku moments littered throughout. Lots of yearning and dancing around each other and "We Cant"s. I absolutely ate this up.

-> The Problem With How Time Works by MurderMittens Rating: E / Words: 39.4k

"I don't remember you being this uncomfortable when Kakashi was nine and had a crush on you," Ino pointed out neutrally. "You thought it was flattering before." She moved to pour more wine into their glasses as Sakura exhaled sharply out of her nostrils. "Obviously! It was fucking cute when he was a kid! But now he's..." she trailed off, gesticulating feebly. Ino, taking pity on her, finished the sentence: "Now he's a stone cold hottie who looks and sounds like he'd murder the ever-loving shit out of your vagina."

An age-swap AU where Kakashi falls for his sensei Sakura and pursues her ardently when she returns to Konoha after years of training. She absolutely has a meltdown over it before finally giving in. So cute!! Well written, fun, sweet, and a little spicy.

-> Heavy Reading by bluefurcape Rating: E / Words: 39k+

A terrible book series might be Sakura's only chance to save Kakashi's life.

I adore this story. It's a quick, snappy read, which as a busy adult I appreciate in a fic--but honestly the premise is so good I kind of wish the author had made it into a detailed long fic instead! The premise and setting is so fun, and the characters are delightfully rich. Kakashi gets captured on a mission and employs a jutsu to protect his mind and Konoha's secrets from foreign invasion--only it of course, goes awry, and when he's brought back to Konoha he's trapped in his own mental labyrinth reenacting a book series he and Sakura shared throughout the previous several months. Super cute, fun, and incredibly creative.

IN-PROGRESS

-> Mission x Papa by HokageHotake Rating: M / Words: 20k+

Her dad had tried to kill her. It didn’t matter that it hadn’t been on purpose, or that he hadn’t even recognized her. That truth cut deeper than the blade he’d almost driven through her heart. But Sarada wasn’t one to dwell (too much). If her father wasn’t willing to be the man of the family, she’d find someone else who was. Or, Sarada sets out to set her mom up with the finest bachelor in Konoha. And if the lucky guy also happens to make a great new papa? Well, that’s just killing two birds with one kunai.

I absolutely ADORE this story. Told entirely from Sarada's perspective, it follows her trying to get Kakashi to teach her how to use her newly activated Sharingan while also contemplating him as a romantic prospect for her mom, while ALSO trying to deal with the realization that her father doesn't know her at all and has functionally abandoned her. Extremely well written and well paced, with fantastic characterization. The developing relationship between Sarada and Kakashi is extremely compelling, and the third-person perspective on Kakashi and Sakura's relationship is riveting. I straight up run for AO3 when new updates are posted.

-> Chikai (Oath) by megamomprime Rating: M / Words: 60k+

After nearly succumbing to a brutal injury during her last mission, Sakura regains consciousness in the hospital a month later only to discover she has absolutely no memory of the last four years. During the recovery process, she struggles to reckon with just how much her life has changed.

A slow burn with soft Kakashi and Relationship Dynamics (tm), this story is so tender and sweet and full of emotion, and both of them are so vulnerable, uncertain, and gentle with the other. Well written, and the author captures their characters so well. Their relationship struggle is set against a really interesting social setting (Kakashi's inauguration as Rokudaime), and the nature of Sakura's memory loss is also really fascinating and thoughtfully done!

-> The Healing Slugs Sage by BrazilianWriter Rating: E / Words: 139k+

The war has come to an end. Madara won. In a world destroyed by his power, a dying Obito uses his last strength to give the last other person alive the chance to continue living. Or: Six years after the fall of the resistance, Sakura is sent to an alternative universe to save her life. A universe in which everyone she knew is not dead anymore, with the exception of Tsunade Senju, who never existed and, therefore, never created medical ninjutsu. A universe in which medicine is almost fifty years behind, ninjas die like flies and Sakura is the only one who knows how to cure them.

The premise of this fic is really interesting, and if you like bamf Sakura this one is for you. It is definitely Sakura-centric, with a very slow-boil romance. Tons of interesting world building and relationship development. Long chapters, though updates are extremely sporadic.

-> A Guide to Icha Icha Neighbors by thereddqueen Rating: E / Words: 53.1k+

She moved to escape the trauma. She didn’t expect to live next to it. By it, being defined as a man with perfect beach hair, defined abs, and a tendency to be ruthlessly annoying at all hours of the day and night. After burning out as one of the top trauma surgeons in the city, Sakura Haruno escapes to a quiet beach town hoping to rebuild her life and her sanity. A new job. A fresh start. No more blood or broken hearts. But the mysterious man next door who is just too cocky, mysterious, and always in black might just unravel the peace she's worked so hard to find.

Sakura suffers burnout as an ER surgeon and moves to a beach town to find some peace at a small, local clinic; but she also finds she has a hot new neighbor! Features surfer!Kakashi, beach vibes, a mysterious military past, interesting worldbuilding, and tender romance. Very cozy, sweet, and fun!

-> A Novel Idea by mummapaintstheblues Rating: E / Words: 33k+

Kakashi has spent his years of retirement building sanctuaries for his sanity around the village of Konoha. Sometimes a man just needs a quiet place to read a good book, and sometimes he needs to share that space with a fellow reader who needs her own peace of mind. A cozy book fic in which Kakashi builds elaborate and secluded reading nooks and annoys librarians.

The summary does NOT does this gem justice. It is so, SO cute, a love letter to both readers and writers. Book nerd Kakashi shares his secret reading hideaways with Sakura and romance unexpectedly blooms. Each book they share with each other is a real world book and the author's choices are hilarious and on-point for their characters. And the way Kakashi falls for her... oh! So sweet!