#itakai

Ooooo ^_^ I did them separately, though of course each character’s headcanon will probably reference each other :P Slight NSFW ahead. Putting this under a “read more” line because it got loooong.

The Fire Demon.

Another TUTN AU idea: Itachi is a fire demon, Kaiya is a...priestess? warrior? both? of the human Uzumaki tribe. For reasons, she goes to the fire demons’ region (a volcano, probably) to seal the essence of a demon’s power for her people. Itachi is a guardian of that realm, but becomes intrigued by this lone human who dares to encroach on his people’s territory. They eventually fall in love, because of course they do.

Hey there! I have read that novel, yes. To be honest, given that TUTN basically goes AU partway through, I never considered any of that to be…”TUTN canon?” That’s the best way I can put it. But to play the thought experiment for a sec…

If KaiKashi were happening at the time: Kaiya would probably be more amused by the rumors than anything. Also, there’s a good chance that such rumors wouldn’t really exist, since by then it’d be known that they were in a relationship. The existence of an OC changes the story/universe around them; and so Kaiya’s existence in Kakashi’s life would change the way he thought. I think he’d still feel an attraction toward Kahyo and definitely respect for her, but he’s a very loyal person who’d also be counting the minutes (so to speak) to get back to his SO. Kaiya would want to meet this woman who had such an impact on him; it’s not just anyone who can truly impress Kakashi, so I think fascination would overcome any vague jealousy she might feel. (Not saying she wouldn’t feel even a little bit, just that she trusts Kakashi to be honest with her and that he is committed to her.) 

And hey, if they’re feeling particularly progressive…an, erm, arrangement might be worked out ;)

Ooo…this is a fun one! Strap in, ‘cause it’s also a long answer. Gonna break it down by ships:

ItaKai

Important to note: In the story (old version, at least), Team 7 and Team Recon do eventually learn the truth about Itachi.

Team 7

When ItaKai first became a thing (pre-massacre), Naruto was COMPLETELY oblivious. He met Itachi twice during this time, but in classic Naruto fashion, never remembered it. Later on, after learning the truth about the massacre and getting to know the “real” Itachi a bit, he’s just happy that his sister got to be right about him - right to always have those nagging doubts about the massacre, right to never completely give up on him. In a way, it gives him hope that he’s also right about Sasuke.

Sakura has similar feelings to Naruto about it - seeing Itachi and Kaiya able to reconnect gives her hope for Sasuke.

Sasuke…here’s a complicated one. When they were younger, he was a bit mixed. On the one hand, his brother was spending time with this girl instead of with him. On the other, he (Sasuke) actually kind of liked that girl. He also liked how his brother was around her - lighter, happier in a way that he only ever saw with himself or Shisui. Post-massacre, their relationship doesn’t play into Sasuke’s feelings about his brother much; the whole “he killed my entire clan” thing does tend to eclipse a young romance gone wrong. As for later on, when the truth comes out…in my headcanon, he’s again, mixed. Part of him is glad that his brother got some happiness in the end, no matter how short-lived, and he’s even grateful to Kaiya (and maybe a bit envious) for being able to give that to him.

Team Recon

Not thrilled about it. At all. Before the massacre, they were…hesitantly supportive? They were all young, but Hikaru and Gorou definitely felt a sudden burst of brotherly protectiveness over Kaiya when they realized she was developing something with the Uchiha heir. They were worried he was taking advantage of her, that he’d just use her then toss her aside in favor of doing whatever his clan dictated…and they didn’t want to see their “little sister” heartbroken. Of course, that’s…more or less what wound up happening, in an extreme way. Itachi committed the massacre of his clan, becoming a notorious criminal who allegedly had been a psychopath the whole time.

Later on, when they’re together again, Hikaru and Gorou are, again, VERY not thrilled about it. By now they know the truth of the massacre, but even so, neither of them can see anything good coming out of those two being together - except that they trust their teammate and see that while the situation makes her unbearably sad, she’s also, in a way, happy. So they keep their mouths shut, try to accept it for what it is, but plan to be there as soon as things go south to pull her out and/or be her support.

BONUS AU HEADCANON: Again, they’d be hesitantly supportive at first, always with an eye out in case this clan heir was up to no good. But they see over and over again that this is not the case, that Itachi genuinely cares for Kaiya. Plus, in this AU, Itachi and Kaiya have known each other WAY longer than Team Recon has been around. So actually, they might not be as hesitant. Heck, Gorou might even be playing matchmaker in the beginning! Yuuma would be in the background with Shisui, both of them with knowing smiles that say “yeah, we knew all along this would happen.”

Minato & Kushina

This is mostly based on an AU scenario where everyone is alive, there was no massacre, etc. Kushina is totally into this. Seriously. She and Mikoto have been plotting this since Itachi and Kaiya were born (well, mostly Kushina doing the plotting!). When Itachi and Kaiya get married, Kushina is unrestrainedly cheering during the ceremony. Minato…he’s quite okay with it. Itachi is a polite, kind individual, highly skilled and intelligent. He has a good head on his shoulders, a good heart in his chest, and he obviously adores and cherishes Minato’s little girl. Minato may have been a little more protective when they first started dating as teens, maybe even using his Hokage status to…silently remind Itachi not to mess with his daughter, but I can also see him basically grooming Itachi over the years to possibly become the next Hokage.

In the “real world” of the story…I think Minato and Kushina would be heartbroken at what’s become of Itachi, and what that means for an ItaKai relationship. Minato would blame himself for, well, dying so early on - if he’d survived, if he’d been a little faster, a little stronger, defeated the masked man and subdued the Kyuubi without getting shanked…maybe the massacre wouldn’t have happened. Maybe his daughter wouldn’t have been an amnesiac orphan. Heck, maybe even his son wouldn’t have had to carry a demon. Maybe his wife would’ve survived. And maybe, just maybe, Itachi could have had a more normal life where his potential was allowed to blossom in a more peaceful environment.

KaiKashi

Team 7

Naruto and Sakura are all for it. These two are like the parent figures of Team 7, so them getting together is just…right. 

Sasuke is a little more…hesitant? On the one hand, pre-Shippuden, he was just too caught up in his own world to care - or at least, that’s what he told himself. I think he might actually be a little resentful of Kaiya for moving on in any way when he refuses to. Part of him recognizes that this isn’t a fair judgment - as he often reminds himself, she didn’t lose her whole clan that night, it’s not her responsibility to do anything about it - but he’s young. He doesn’t have the maturity yet to separate his experiences from those of others. Another part of him, though, agrees with Naruto and Sakura - the two just work together.

Team Recon

Total KaiKashi shippers here. They’re happy to see Kaiya moving on (however slowly and hesitantly) and they think Kakashi is good for her. They couldn’t be more into this if they were following them around quietly singing “Kiss the Girl” from The Little Mermaid in the background.

Minato & Kushina

Hmm…no AU scenario for this one, so just TUTN-verse: Minato is actually pretty into this. Of course, there’s a little time-shock for him here, because when he was alive and last saw these two, his precious baby girl was just short of five years old and his protege was already an Anbu operative and a teenager…so yeah, there’s a little cognitive dissonance in suddenly seeing them both as adults AND romantically involved. But he’s happy that they’ve found happiness and comfort in each other, and can almost see a bit of a mirror of him and Kushina in them.