Chapter Text
Chapter 16: There’s two of them
1) Chapter title refers to the two Sasukes that Sakura is forced to handle.
2) Tea country is divided into districts based on what type of tea is grown in that area.
3) Here, Sasuke is in a catatonic state as a reaction to the traumatic event that he witnessed. By the end of the chapter, Sasuke starts speaking. His speech pattern is somewhat childish implying that Sasuke has regressed to a childish state which is another side effect of trauma.
4) I don’t care what anyone else says, feeding someone is a love language.
5) “He’s just begging me to rip out his arm again.” Other crooned.
Did no-one catch this?!?!? Again?! Again!?!?! Other once ripped out Sasuke’s arm and Sakura had to reattach it. Sasuke suspects that Sakura is clinically insane but that’s like a pot pointing at the kettle.
6) I will go down with the running gag that Sasuke’s feet are constantly in Sakura’s face when he’s asleep.
Chapter 17: A day about the countryside
1) Konoha who? For all she cares, Sakura is on an extended vacation in the country-side.
2) “There’s a town about five miles north.” She said, pointing south.
Sakura x sense of direction, enemies to lovers AU, 12k, slow-burn.
3) Also, Sasuke slowly realizing that Sakura’s sense of direction is absolutely horrendous is making me cackle.
4) Sakura scratched her wrist as she stared. She scratched at her wrist, looking out into the streets. Sakura rubbed her wrist up and down on her Kosode. The communication seal causes an itching sensation when activated.
Chapter 18: Wishful thinking
1) “What-I-I don’t know what that means.”
Any information that Sasuke has ever received has always been against his will. So when someone asks for permission, it’s understandably confusing for him.
2) In the end he scoffed, sitting back down and thrusting his hands back into hers.
Sasuke touched someone. Sasuke, the touch-averse workaholic who is cynical about everything, willingly allowed himself an inch of comfort.
3) Sasuke clung to her as though she was the only thing holding him in place.
He’s hugging her, he’s asking for consolation. He trusts her, whether he admits it to himself or not.
4) Sakura had once contemplated putting him out of his misery.
Around the time of her break-away from Team 7, Sakura genuinely contemplated killing Sasuke. It didn’t ever register as murder to her, it felt more like euthanasia. Killing him would end his suffering as well as keep people safe.
5) Sasuke was withdrawn the next day.
Sasuke wasn’t triggered at this instance of recalling his past trauma.. He was subdued, but thoughtful, able to compartmentalize his emotions and his PTSD reactions. Consenting to the recollection of traumatizing events helped him prepare himself, in contrast to the torture scene that Sasuke was forced to witness.
6) For the scene where Sasuke falls into the water, imagine Sakura hauling up a wet kitten by the back of its neck.
7) They held hands. More casual platonic touch. Make heart go AHHHHHHHHHH
8) Sorui means soul.
9) Midori no hebi means Green Snake. Because the river resembles a green snake when seen from afar. I made this up, if the grammar is wrong, lemme know.
10) Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge. She’s also known as the white snake goddess. Few things to note about Benzaiten:
- The name is atleast a triple pun.
- It’s a goddess of everything that flows hence a river.
- Also a goddess of Time but more on that later.
- Benzaiten consists of 7 tributaries. Each one a different colour of the rainbow. A call-back to the seven colours of the rainbow joining to make white light.
- One of them was Midori no Hebi which we already encountered. It comes down from Rain country.
11) As you can see from the names, there’s a lot of spiritual connotations about this place. The area is also rich in spiritual energy. Sakura’s recurring déjà vu concerned a lot of readers. More of this will be explained in later chapters.
12) Also unusual, Sakura did not get lost while finding Sorui. Also explained in later chapters.
13) The concept of a floating town is not my own, it was inspired by Lake-town from The Hobbit series.
14) Also, Sakura and Sasuke order Naruto’s comfort food when they miss him. Unconsciously
Chapter 19: Rumours
1) Sakura knows what she’s about. She isn't worried about taking people in a fight. It’s just that most people don’t walk away from it alive. She cannot be expected to both keep the kids safe and not kill her comrades at the same time.
2) Kazuya Matsubara Separately, Kazuya means harmony or peace and Matsubara means pine tree fields or pine tree plains. Combined, I wanted to make the phrase “Peaceful pine tree fields.”
3) While the circumstances behind the failure of the mission in Wave country is hushed up, some of the facts that everyone knows is:
- Haruno Sakura died in Wave country. The report said her body was “destroyed beyond the scope of recovery.”
- Uchiha Sasuke was kidnapped by a rogue nin around the same time. People believe it's the same nin who killed Sakura.
- Uzumaki Naruto returned, shaken up but unscathed. Some blame him for his teammates fate. Others wished he had been the one to die. Everyone agreed that he’s quieter now.
- Hatake Kakashi may never become a teacher again.
Chapter 20: Boy, alone
1) While Naruto’s interrogation is mostly a mission report, a secondary goal was to glean information on any future events Sakura may have unknowingly dropped on him.
2) Excerpts from Mission Report #5129111999
- Haruno Sakura.
- Tentatively ranked as an S-rank missing nin. Flee on sight orders for all ninja below Jonin rank.
- Codename: Pink Periwinkle (a poisonous plant with flowers similar to Sakura blossoms. Lmao, Konoha really thought they did something here. Pink periwinkle is the source for two anti-cancer drugs. Take from that what you will.)
- Is a medic-nin and a student under Senju Tsunade’s tutelage at some point in the future. Technically considered Tsunade’s presumptive heir by virtue of inheriting the Creation Rebirth technique.
- Has shown instances of Chakra-enhanced strength and S-rank skills in healing. A-rank skills in Taijutsu. Evident skills in Genjutsu. Has also signed the Slug summon contract.
- Obito Uchiha is alive. War in the future. Fight with Gods. All questionable Intelligence.
- [REDACTED] Shimura Danzō has machinations on recruiting Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
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“Six months from now, a traitor will ambush your village. Your Hokage will die in the attack and therein begins the end of your team. One will betray you and the rest desert you.”
- Attack on Konoha in Six months time. Perhaps during Chunin exams.
- Threat to Hokage’s life.
- Increase security at borders. Enforce stringent visa and passport checks. Station ANBU guards near all foreign delegates.
- Agents unknown. Used the word ‘traitor.’ Either an attack by a former ninja of Konoha or a recent turncoat. May also be a threat of retribution by source.
- Note Uzumaki as potential flight-risk. Assign ANBU detail.
3) Mission report #5129111999 is an easter egg. Weekly Shōnen Jump #51, published on 29 November, 1999. It’s the first chapter of the Wave Mission Arc in the original manga.
4) There were no trees close-by. Iruka chose the location on purpose. It was to keep Naruto’s guard detail far enough as to provide them with some modicum of privacy.
5) Since Kakashi-senpai is busy looking for Sasuke. Even Iruka is more knowledgeable about what Kakashi is doing. Naruto is left completely in the dark.
6) Painfully bare shrine in the corner. Household shrines in Konoha hold the ashes and the various effects of the deceased that they were wearing at the time of death. This was to remember them and to help them pass on into the afterlife. It’s a common belief that those whose ashes cannot be obtained are cursed to haunt the border between the dead and the living. Naruto returning Sakura’s butterfly clip to her mother is significant. It symbolizes Naruto coming to terms with Sakura’s death as well as finally allowing her to pass on into the afterlife.
7) Would often sell him overpriced, wilted cabbage. Either shriveled carrots or limp radishes. Naruto has always been sold food on the verge of going bad.