Disclaimer: Nope don't own Naruto, and I never will. I'm only saying this because I'm at gunpoint. I do own Naruto…I mean I don't!
Story: Fem!Naru/AU/OlderMenReverse!Harem Naruko's in love with Genma who seems distant now, engaged to the new Tsuchikage which is awkward at best, and is now the sole student of Hatake Kakashi. What else could go weird? Alive Yondaime and fanclubs and Mokuton? And something about immortality and a Clan Restoration Act, dammit...
Set as an AU.
Spoilers: Eh, not really.
Warnings: ?
Pairings: KakaNaru, Naru/OMC, Genma/Naru, Hashirama/Naru, Tobirama/Naru, Asuma/Naru, Hiashi/Naru, Kabuto/Naru, Yamato/Naru, Inoichi/Naru, Sasori/Naru, Killer Bee/Naru, Shikaku/Naru, Itachi/Naru, and Yondy!Kaze/Naru.
Yare, Yare! Naruko Gaiden
Interlude: Wonderstruck
It was raining. Asuma hadn't expected the rain, though it would make sense, he supposed. Konoha was heading into the Fall season. Autumn had arrived and it would be just about his birthday around the corner.
It would be Naruko's birthday too.
He shook his head, soaked hair flinging about. He did not want to think about her right now…
Being lovestruck means having mental and physical symptoms associated with falling in love: 'lovestruck. It means to be hit by love...you are hit in your heart by the emotion of love'. Historically, being lovestruck has been viewed as a short-lived mental illness brought on by the intense changes associated with real deep, strong and close romantic love.
Asuma shivered, though it had nothing to do with the cold of the weather.
The concept is associated with a set of metaphors attempting to convey the speed and intensity of the (mainly visual) process of 'falling in love instantly; placing great importance on the moment of being lovestruck.' Thus for example it has been described as 'like struck with a lightning bolt. The second that you see and meet the person, you are instantly in love.'
He ran the rest of the way of the street, finally making it to his apartment complex. He sighed in relief, though he was still feeling rather out of sorts.
'Isn't what we mean by "falling in love" a kind of sickness and craziness, an illusion, a blindness to what the loved person is really like'?...comparing being in analysis 'to the passions and conflicts stirred up anew in the state of being in love which, from the point of view of the ordinary order and emotional tenor and discipline of life, feels like an illness, with all its deliciousness and pain.'
He pushed his door opened tiredly and closed it with a heavy air, leaning against it. He closed his eyes, the feeling of his eyelids being heavy.
…being utterly romantically lovestruck be taken more seriously by professionals. Being lovestruck only occurs when a person has deeply fallen in love, not when a huge crush emerges. However it may develop into pure, real romantic love. 'For lovestruck victims, the world appears altered. Replacing the flatness of ordinary experience is a fullness.'
What do they know? How the hell would anyone know what he was feeling? They weren't him. They can't get inside his head –maybe Inoichi could, but none of the others damn well knew the confusion he was going through. Not like this.
…some of the symptom clusters shared with being lovestruck include: mania or hypomania – abnormally elevated mood, inflated self esteem, extravagant gift giving…
"Asuma, what's with all the flowers? These are lovely, but aren't they normally expensive?"
"Man, quit with the grinning, Asuma! It's creeping me out."
"Maybe I can do better than that lot, huh? Who says I can't?"
…depression – tearfulness…
He splashed water on his face, rubbing his hands harshly against it in agitation. He looked up into the mirror, and couldn't stand the misery his face was etched in.
…insomnia - loss of concentration and difficulty sleeping…
Asuma felt exhausted. The day hadn't gone well for him at all. He felt humiliated and looked down upon when he'd been in the CRA room, felt outcasted and not taken seriously by the lot of them, and hearing Kakashi talk (Genma too, while he was at it) made him feel so shitty right then. And the punch felt good for the moment, but the aftermath not so much. He felt angry at the other man's words and lashed out, so now he was stuck with bruised knuckles and having gotten kicked out and disqualified with nothing to show but feeling like a failure at every step.
He had trouble sleeping that night. His bed felt uncomfortable and cold. He could hear every pitter and patter of the rain against his roof and windowpanes. His mind felt restless, and a blinding smile and flashes of gold kept haunting him.
He tossed and turned in his bed the entire night, only falling asleep when he'd expended all of his energy and he'd been mentally exhausted.
…anorexia - lack of appetite…
The morning came with the continuing rain. He made himself coffee and toasted some bread quickly, but he wasn't hungry. Most days, he didn't have an appetite. He forced himself to take a few bites anyway, and it felt dry and tasteless in his mouth.
…stress - high blood pressure, pain in chest and heart, acute insomnia; sometimes brought on by a "crush"…
The jounin meeting was going slow. He had a headache that pounded violently and made him want to slam his head against something. He could barely focus and everything Shikaku was saying flew right over his head.
Asuma frowned, rubbing his chest discreetly. It felt hard to breathe and his chest felt tight, almost like something was squeezing his heart and it was going to burst.
…obsessive-compulsive disorder – preoccupation and hoarding valueless but superstitiously resonant items…
His home was a mess. Too many things scattered, papers everywhere, -Goddamnit, when was the last time he fucking did laundry?!
Would she like living here?
Asuma shook his head violently and redirected his thoughts again, focusing on cleaning his home. It was becoming habit. Every day, he seemed to find his home messy, though inwardly he knew it wasn't too bad.
Even the collection of frog-like things accumulating in his home was straightened up in specific places, though he couldn't understand what had inspired such a need to start such a collection.
…and psychologically created physical symptoms, such as upset stomach, change in appetite, insomnia, dizziness, and confusion…
He left his home with some friends, and it was just supposed to be a private outing. Genma was unusually absent, and so was…Kurenai. Kakashi, obviously, wasn't there. He had thought the other would be back by then, considering the Shadow Clone that had been in Konoha the day before.
She would be back too, right?
Asuma clenched his jaw and curled his hand into a fist, digging his nails into his palm. He brought his focus back to the present and they were all starting to order. He hid his twitches and gave a friendly smile to the waitress, ordering a simple salad.
"Geez, Asuma," Raido snorted. "You going on a diet or something? Where's the burger, man?"
He gave the other a hopefully normal grin. "Not hungry, Raido. I ate a bit earlier."
But even the salad made his stomach churn and he had to hide his distaste. He looked up and felt a momentary bout of vertigo, and the world was topsy turvy for a second. He blinked several times before his sight felt righted, and he was comfortable enough to move a little more.
He thought he'd seen unusually bright blonde hair flying quickly through the crowd…
…concur that at the extreme and under certain circumstances love sickness can drive a person to despair…
They were drinking that night. It was the only thing Asuma wanted, and he kept going and going, until he was sure that each bottle was going by as a blur and he couldn't remember what number he was on. He remembered leaving the others and that place unsteadily, saying a slurred 'goodbye' and left to his home, stumbling every step until he made it through the threshold of his apartment. From there, he fell onto his front on the floor, unable to move. Taking unsteady breaths, he tried to move up, only to heave and gag, eventually throwing up on the floor in front of him.
He groaned, and used momentum to toss himself to the side, lying pathetically on his back but at least away from the vomit, from which the stench was quickly taking over the room and invading his nostrils.
In romantic relationships, falling in love is mainly a Western concept of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards a person to one of love. The term is generally used to describe an (eventual) love that is strong.
He laughed to himself, tinged a bit hysterical.
"You have…such a pretty smile, Naruko-chan."
Why'd he have to say her name? He tried not to, if he could.
"When are you coming back? Can you tell me what's wrong with me? Are my feelings not as sincere, not as real as Kakashi's or Genma's or even that jerk Tsuchikage? Why? It hurts just as much, doesn't it? I feel it, don't I? I can feel so much that it hurts. Is it 'cause you don't know me like them? Like you used to. Like you…like you…used to. You don't remember. You never remember."
Asuma didn't want to think about that.
The use of the term "fall" implies that the process is in some way inevitable, uncontrollable, risky, irreversible, and that it puts the lover in a state of vulnerability, in the same way the word "fall" is used in the phrase "to fall ill" or "to fall into a trap."
He fell into a trap, alright. It must be. This was sickness. This must be something –
"I didn't choose this!" he shouted into his living room. "I didn't choose this!"
He covered his face with his arm. Had this always been inevitable? It really was uncontrollable, that he knew at least. Everything was out of control. He had no control over anything and everything was just slipping from his grasp.
He knew the moment he would acknowledge this, what he felt, he'd risk everything. Just like last time.
Once he stepped onto this path, there was no going back. Not for him, and not for everyone he'd involved. There was no changing or taking anything back.
That picture was bait. The moment he saw that picture, everything came rushing back and he couldn't help it. He thought all of that was in the past, but it really wasn't.
Asuma didn't want to be vulnerable to her.
…what in falling in love is 'so frightening to us human beings and so frighteningly difficult.'
He was terrified, knowing he was in love with her. There was so much about it that scared the hell out of him.
Falling in love returns us to emotions of infancy and childhood.
"Oji-san! Take me to get some ramen, please!"
"Baka chibi, that's so unhealthy!"
Asuma snorted to himself.
"Not your oji-san," he muttered.
His father had wanted them to be like family.
"Sorry, Dad. It's really not looking like that's happening in the way you want, any time soon."
'Love is a sweet trap from which no one departs without tears.'
"Oji –"
"I'm not your stupid uncle!"
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry…
"Asuma, I'm not stupid. Don't tell me what I'm seeing, when I know what I'm seeing clearly."
Why is your voice shaky? Please don't cry, don't cry, don't cry –
Asuma pressed his arm against his face as hard as he could, swallowing sobs, though too many escaped already.
Love at first sight is a common trope in Western literature, in which a person, character, or speaker feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first sight of them.
Everything had been fine before he'd gotten that picture into his hands. It'd been so long since he'd seen that beguiling smile, and he felt like he was drowning in it, even though it had just been a photo.
In the classical world, the phenomenon of "love at first sight" was understood within the context of a more general conception of passionate love, a kind of madness or, as the Greeks put it, theia mania ("madness from the gods").
It was madness. He thought it was madness. And if anyone else knew, they would think so too. So far, only those in the CRA room knew now…and Kurenai, of course.
She was the one who'd pushed him to this point.
"Love at first sight" was explained as a sudden and immediate beguiling of the lover through the action of these processes…
"'As soon as I had seen her, I was lost. For Beauty's wound is sharper than any weapon's, and it runs through the eyes down to the soul. It is through the eye that love's wound passes, and I now became a prey to a host of emotions..." Asuma muttered, quoting miserably.
"Love at first sight" was not, however, the only mode of entering into passionate love in classical texts; at times the passion could occur after the initial meeting or could precede the first glimpse.
He had seen Naruko before. He had seen her when she was a child and he'd babysat her, and had been told to be like an uncle to her by his father at 15, 16, 17 and all the way until he was 21 and rushing from the village after a blowup with his father.
When he finally came back to Konoha, he'd caught glimpses of her, but he'd never come close or been truly face to face with her.
And then he had a photo that clearly showed blue eyes that glittered and golden hair that shone and a smile he barely remembered –smiles that gave him shelter at times when he just wanted to be a rebellious teen and lash out against his dad.
And those eyes that freely gave affection, that he missed and yet avoided for years…and yet were being directed at someone else now…
"... when [a lover] ... is fortunate enough to meet his other half, they are both so intoxicated with affection, with friendship, and with love, that they cannot bear to let each other out of sight for a single instant."
Intoxication…even though he was currently intoxicated with alcohol, he knew he'd been intoxicated for days…weeks. Drunken because maybe he had found his other half…
In particular, a glimpse of the woman's eyes was said to be the source of the love dart: this doctrine of the immediate visual perception of one's lady as a prerequisite to the birth of love originated among the "beaux esprits" de Provence. [...] According to this description, love originates upon the eyes of the lady when encountered by those of her future lover. The love thus generated is conveyed on bright beams of light from her eyes to his, through which it passes to take up its abode in his heart. In some medieval texts, the gaze of a beautiful woman is compared to the sight of a basilisk.
Damn fucking photo.
Kami, why not just kill him already?
The propinquity effect can be defined as: "the more we see and interact with a person, the more likely he or she is to become our friend or sexual partner." This effect is very similar to the mere exposure effect in that the more a person is exposed to a stimulus, the more the person likes it; however, there are a few exceptions to the mere exposure effect. Familiarity can also occur without physical exposure.
To hell with it. He should have thrown that photo out the minute he'd laid hands on it. He should never have gotten it from Kurenai or kept it. He had been better off, living in ignorance.
Limerence is an involuntary state of mind which results from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated. Limerence has been defined in relation to obsessive compulsive disorder as "an involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive, obsessive, and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest." Limerence has also been defined in terms of the potentially inspirational effects and the relationship to attachment theory, which is not exclusively sexual, as being "an involuntary potentially inspiring state of adoration and attachment to a limerent object involving intrusive and obsessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors from euphoria to despair, contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation."
Wasn't that him completely? Thoughts about Naruko intruded all the time –most days, his every thought would revolve around her. She inspired euphoria, despair in him. He felt this overwhelming need to be near her, and desire for her to reciprocate anything. Even just a greeting back would do.
But if she could reciprocate his feelings –
Nothing was right anymore.
He hadn't volunteered for any of this.
He passed out and only woke when the sun was beating down heavily on him, and he looked around and groaned at the mess. His vomit was still coating the floor near him, and the smell had become worse through the night. He vaguely noted the various textbooks that Kurenai had forcibly thrust into his care, and of which he'd reluctantly read and which information from them seem to invade his thoughts in correlation with Naruko.
He should've burned those books too, and never even read them in the first place.
"Love can really happen all of a sudden. All of you probably have a number of reasons for falling in love. There are times when you fall in love with someone who you never thought much of before, and then there are times when someone who's been on your mind suddenly becomes the one you love. It doesn't matter what triggers it. It doesn't have to be dramatic or cool. Whenever that 'love' light bulb goes off in your heart, treasure it. It could be the first step toward a wonderful romance."
He really shouldn't have read those books.
He forcibly pushed himself up and dragged himself to the kitchen, finding cleaning supplies. He cleaned up his mess, dispose of the disposables, and found his way to his shower where he took a long, hot breather in there to gather himself. He quickly finished up after and then focused his mind on cleaning his apartment again, even though he'd just done so yesterday.
"Everything feels different when you're in love. Of course, you still feel sorrow and pain, but for the most part –love makes you feel happy."
"Then why am I not happy?" he growled to himself, throwing the book in his hand that he'd been trying to put away (one of those stupid, stupid books).
"Maybe because you're not letting yourself," a clipped voice answered him, and he turned around in shock to see Kurenai standing at his door, looking disinterestedly around that area.
"K-Kurenai-chan…" he didn't miss the flinch she gave off as he greeted her hesitantly.
"You look miserable," she gave him a small smile. She briefly hesitated, before entering his home and closing the door behind him. "I wanted to check on you. Anko was sure you'd wasted yourself last night, after the huge drinking binge you pushed yourself through. Even though she was laughing…I was sure you were drinking for more than fun."
Asuma averted his eyes and gave an uncomfortable shrug.
"I can see that you managed to fix yourself," she murmured. "I think I'll be going now."
"Wait!" he took a few steps closer. "Do you…do you want to go grab lunch together or something? I would really like to spend time with you –"
"Don't treat me like a fool," she snapped at him, giving him a cool stare. "I'm not one. So don't do this."
He swallowed heavily and looked away again, retreating back once more.
"Love doesn't always bring happiness. Sometimes pain is a huge part of it too. Being hurt is just as much of being in love as the bliss that's supposed to come with it," Kurenai said, tone laced with an undercurrent of something that Asuma tried hard to not acknowledge, even though tears clearly coated it.
"Even hurting others?" he asked bitterly, still not looking at her.
"…Even hurting others."
Asuma closed his eyes and pressed his palms against them as he leaned against his sofa.
"Goodbye, Asuma," she whispered.
"Goodbye," he murmured long after the door had clicked shut after her.
He leaned his head back and stared at his ceiling blankly.
"Goodbye."
The six year old was kind of cute, but that didn't stop him from being unhappy with his dad for putting him on babysitting duty. He was eighteen and a jounin, for Kami's sake! He shouldn't have to be stuck babysitting some kid, Kyuubi brat or not.
"Keep scowling and you're gonna keep lookin' like that forever," she giggled.
"What did you say?" he focused on her, growling that.
"You heard me," she stuck her tongue out. "Gonna do somethin' about it?"
"Why you!" but he couldn't help his lips twitching up, more so as the girl continued to giggle incessantly, mindless of him trying to hint at retribution. Finally, he joined in on the laughing, chuckling lightly and his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.
She really did have a pretty and bright smile, and it was so contagious…
He'd babysat her when he was fifteen and she was three, and he'd used to play with her in his home and reluctantly enjoyed making her giggle and laugh brightly like the sun. When he was sixteen and she was four, he babysat her and took her to the park, playing with her because no one else would. When he was seventeen and she was five, he babysat her again and took her rooftop hopping, letting her scream in his ear because she enjoyed the thrill of the flight as he went faster and faster.
Now he was eighteen and he was still stuck with the girl.
These were his teenage years, where he was supposed to be out like a rebel teen, when he wasn't doing missions. Instead, he was out playing with Uzumaki Naruko, and though he bitched about it incessantly (especially to his father), he truthfully never really minded spending time with her.
And in the times where he was being rebellious and angry with his father, those moments with Naruko were the bright spots that anchored him because he clung to the brightness she exuded and the affection and warmth she gave out to him, when he just grew increasingly furious and resentful of his dad.
Maybe most would find it strange to find comfort from a little girl, but Naruko was much smarter than she let on and very empathetic.
She knew when he was upset, when he just wanted to scream and storm out, when he just wanted to be left alone…
Although, at that last part, though she would know that, she would never leave him alone. In fact, she would either incessantly pester him, trying to take his mind off of whatever it was that had pissed him off and just be a willing distraction, or she would sit quietly with him and even hold his hand in comfort.
He'd always appreciated it.
"Oji-san! Look, look! I got this pretty ring from this nice man," she told him all about the incident and what the man said, though she was upset that she didn't get to find out who he was.
Asuma thought his description sounded like that Tsuchikage that his father had invited over for some reason.
He smiled at Naruko and took the ring from her. "Yeah, it's real pretty. Why don't we go look for a string to put it on, then you can wear it around your neck?"
"Yatta! Okay, Oji-san!"
It was only a week later when she told him about meeting another man, though this time she knew who it was.
"Oji-san, I met someone really nice today! Genma-san helped me with my shuriken and kunai practice! I'll be able to get better and I'll beat Sasuke-teme's butt next time!"
"Watch your language," Asuma said in amusement, though he was surprised. He hadn't thought that Genma was someone who would have time or even bother with something like this. The twenty year old seemed like he would have other things he'd much rather do with his time.
And then a few years later, he was also in his twenties and still connected to this little ball of sun.
When he was twenty one, he'd had enough and had the hugest argument with his father so far. They had screamed at each other and were so angry, and Asuma just felt like he couldn't stay no matter what. He'd impulsively resigned, and then ran from his father. When he was home, he immediately started packing and was only interrupted when little Naruko, the sweet girl now nine, had poked her head into his room.
"Oji –"
"I'm not your stupid uncle!" he burst out, angrily interrupting her as he turned towards her.
He froze in shock, having not meant to snap at her. He felt even worse when he saw her shocked and hurt face, more so when her eyes began to slowly tear up.
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry…
"N-Naru –"
"I," she hiccupped and tears were rapidly dripping down her face. "I-I-I," she rubbed at her face with her hands, trying futilely to wipe the tears away and make her eyes stop crying. "I hate you!"
She ran from him and he stood miserably in his room.
That night, he left Konoha and it wasn't long until he was recruited into the Fire Daimyo's Guard. He forcibly repressed all memories of the times he spent with Naruko, but he could never forget that last moment with her fully.
When he'd returned to Konoha some years after, he didn't go looking for her. He kept his distance and made sure his mind refrained from ever thinking too much on her.
He saw her around, but when it came to Naruko, he knew he'd always been such a coward…
That photo forced him to confront too much and too quickly.
He had just gotten into another argument with his father. Again. Damn jerk.
He sat curled on the couch, glaring at the roaring fire. He felt a slight weight next to him and glanced over, only to see it was Naruko who had quietly joined him.
"Jiji made you upset again," she said knowingly.
He scowled. "Damn right he did. Kami, he makes me want to just pull my hair out."
She didn't say anything else, settling herself closer and leaning against him. Her small hands snaked around his arm and gripped the side of his shirt.
"Not going to defend your Jiji, eh?" he said, trying not to sound bitter at the reminder of the man.
"Nuh uh. Love Jiji lots, but love Oji-san too, and you're the one hurting and upset and the one I'm with right now," she sounded oddly rather wise for being so young.
He swallowed and felt touched. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close and they stayed like that.
Maybe there was some kind of poetic irony going around, where he now had such an emotional pull and such feelings for the chibi girl that had once been the brightness in his gloomy and angry world. It had to be. Maybe someone up there was laughing at him.
Maybe it was karma for making her cry.
He can't believe Kurenai. What in the world was she talking about? He was falling for her. There was no way that he was in love with Naruko. Nothing his 'almost-girlfriend' said made sense.
Asuma would admit that he was extremely drawn to Naruko, and that he guiltily acknowledged some of his thoughts and had toyed with the idea of and played in his mind of being with her, and he'd even tormented himself of the how's and why's and what's.
Caught in his thoughts about the blonde girl and that incriminating photo, he could only listen and weakly deny and argue with Kurenai about his feelings. Now he was walking around in the rain, trying to make sense of things in his head.
The sound of musical laughter reached his ears and he curiously, though not knowing why, walked in the direction of it. He found himself watching Naruko twirl around in the rain, dancing about in joy as the Tsuchikage calmly but contentedly watched her from his silent perch, a little smile on his face as he watched. The sight of it surprised Asuma.
Naruko must be taking a break from her training with Kakashi for the third stage of the exams, and was spending time with her fiancé…
She laughed again and she did another twirl, throwing her hands up in the air as she threw her head back. Rain splattered onto her face, and she was completely drenched but uncaring.
She was smiling so widely and so happily…
The sight of her like that enchanted him and he couldn't help but be rooted to his spot, watching her in captivation.
Maybe Asuma had always been wonderstuck by Uzumaki Naruko.
Started 7/5/13 – Completed 7/8/13
A/n: Ahah! The promised Asuma chapter. Hope you liked him and his point of view. No one else has some secret past with Naruko (except maybe Itachi). Anyway, to be clearer and to make it absolutely certain for everyone's knowledge, yes Itachi's in. I was going to have an interlude for Hashirama and Tobirama before I wrote the last chapter, but getting their part in there, I think I'm okay with just revealing them through the chapters. So next chapter is back with the group and finishing up in Iwa and then heading back to Konoha. I was going to try to fit in that mysterious talk with Kurenai from that earlier chapter, but decided it can be fit in later. I was also going to fit in other smaller scenes from the others, but this was just getting too long XD (awwwww, where are you?! Chocolate deprivation isn't good for meeeeee!) Hope everyone enjoyed and please drop a review (or else I'll be like Orochimaru and kidnap you all, kukukukuku…)
To Clandon: You don't have your PM on and I doubt you've read this far and will be reading this, but I'm not the type to let things go. Obviously, you just read the summary, which I changed to specifically counter your rather sexist remarks, but the point of my CRA is more to do with politics and other stuff. Just because she's female doesn't mean a CRA won't be enacted anyway. That's just dumb, especially being the last of her clans. I even had a thorough explanation of the process, in a later chapter, which you didn't read and just judged this fic solely to seemingly insult preganant women being useless. Also, I wanted to do a damn reverse!harem, which is already as rare as it is, and so I'm going to do a damn reverse!harem fic. And make sense, while I'm at it.
To nanashi: Ah yes, but I try not to give everyone blue balls :) Schedules to me are more so I can have a basic outline, something for me to attempt, but the I forget that I literally have to act as a second mom to my siblings…and my own mom, while I'm at it XD I spoil her, I do. Who else makes their mom coffee every morning and night? And also, in terms of cleaning and chores, I'm practically head of house, eheh. I thought I did put the keyword try in profile though –I'll have to emphasize that. But I am updating stuff more than I did before, especially several things at once, which is crazy and too ambitious.
As for Bee, I'll tell you that he will definitely be getting lectured. As far as I'm concerned, though I know it's for comedic effect in the manga, rapping is not something done all the time. It's meaningless, and the thing behind rapping is that it's usually meaningful and having to do with experiences. Though it's not my favorite genre, I do really like 2pac and Eminem, and occasionally some other songs if they flow well and I really like the lyrics. Lyrics are almost always the most important thing to me, when I listen to music, especially when I can listen to it and help the mood I'm writing for.
As for Asuma, I hope you're a little more sold on him after this chapter. I don't think I really wrote anything about him liking Naruko for just being blond, loud, cute, or anything to do about clans (so a little confused on how Ino would compare, because I don't think when liking someone that you would like someone similar because it's that particular person you like –did that even make sense?! XD). He likes her, so I would think that similar girls wouldn't be similar in the eyes of a person in love, or so, and one would be focused on the person they like. Er, right?
Yep, Itachi's in. As far as I'm concerned, Sasori goes AWOL on Akatsuki, leaving behind on a vague explanation, and Itachi is sent over to "spy" and figure out what's going. Then let the brainwashing begin (mwahahaha!). Eh, Sho and Ni will learn. Repressing feelings are never a good thing, and Naruko is just one giant can opener. Yes, finally for Kakashi! And at least Kakashi has a failsafe with Icha Icha. The others will just be clueless. Looking, I think I chose the most awkward group of guys ever. They're just going to be completely awkward and it's great, because normally these guys are so composed and assured –and just being top dog. And then here comes Naruko, who's their downfall (insert more maniacal cackling).
Yeah, Nakago will be rather violently pushed off his comfortable perch above all the others guys, especially when he was so reassured about his spot. He'll probably floundering for a bit, and even maybe denial. Also, I look forward to Naruko mentioning baby Nakago moments (because you know Onoki was eager to spill stuff). Yes, the ring! He had countless opportunities. Naruko will be upset about why not. And another ring in the mix (yes, he is very sly, ain't he). I imagine jealous spazzing from some. And it's funny you mentioned rings not being fit for shinobi XD She's already got the Shodai's necklace from Tsunade (which is canon), which is more recognizable. Her looks are a dead giveaway, AND she wears orange (canon Naruto too). Canon Naruto and other characters are overall flashy. I think you must be identifiable in order to be a shinobi in Naruto (I have this headcanon joke, in which Team 7 are Team Show Offs/Rockstars/Dysfunctional –their clothes are flashy, their hair and hairstyle are flashy, their moves are flashy, even their personalities are larger than life personas. Even Kakashi. Face palming at this team, but they're so great to parody and exacerbate). As for significant others, Naruko's can more than handle themselves XD And for her, she'll have more than few obsessively trailing after her. There's Nagi, who doesn't have to do or go anywhere unless it's with her, Kakashi, who's her teacher, and then Genma and Asuma could probably pull a few strings to accompany every now and then. And then there's Sho and Ni, who are bound to her and follow her everywhere. And she won't be getting a ring from everyone, Nagi and Nakago do as patriarchs of the two clans. That would make a good omake though.
Inoichi and Hiashi were pretty fun to add. Fleshing out their personalities though, would work more when Naruko's back and they can actually interact with her, and changes in them can then be seen. Otherwise, they are who they for now, until they get rather an awakening of sorts, and you can see more differences. And don't worry! The other guys will definitely be getting their turn (as for Nagi, I can't it –I'm just really fond of the guy and he's already with Naruko, so it works XD), it'll just take Naruko returning to Konoha and having to deal with this CRA thing she's being thrust into. And Yamato –oh dear, I just keep picturing him trying to shyly impress her with his wooden house move, and then the Shodai shows off and makes her a mansion or something.
Zabuza! I love this guy. Actually, I've been thinking about Anko, considering they're like-minded and I can imagine her encouraging him on in regards to Naruko and overall both of them working together to thwart the other guys. Originally, I think I was planning on putting her with Iruka, but then you mentioned Zabuza and she came to mind (and the more I liked the idea).
Don't worry, Genma will definitely be back. And in a strange way, they are like the Ouran Host Club, aren't they? XD Kabuto's Kyoya, haha. Like I said, Itachi's coming! Sasuke's at the "I hate him!" stage right now, so he would be more prone to attacking first. And then realize he can't. When he finds out the truth though, then he'll advocate Itachi and think the others are unworthy cretins. And a little more of Naruko and Iwa should be in the next chapter, before she leaves.
Thanks as always! And I'll keep trying to update every week, even though it's more like every two weeks XD
Eri
To Guest: Ahaha, thanks. I'm so way over them. Blocked and ranted at, and now I'm content :D
To Shika: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the fic so much. And thank you for not minding about waiting, though I try and hope to not keep you all waiting too long!