Naruto post-2010 fic recs; semi-obscure pairings
Title: The Grey Crayon
By: checkerbloom
Pairing: MinaKaka (YonKaka)
Rated: PG-13 (reccer’s rating)
Warnings: The circumstances of how this AU came by are largely unexplained; however, the fluff transcends that necessity, and unless you’re almost psychotically pedantic, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Summary: Naruto wants the three of them to be a family, but first he has to get Kakashi to move in with them.
Recced because: This was absolutely adorable! Fluff and young!Naruto and Kakashi and the Yondaime acting like idiots. Guaranteed to mend any heart broken by the previous rec.
Title: A Pocket in Space
By: Reyuna Yukimura
Pairing: MinaKaka (YonKaka)
Rated: PG-13 (reccer’s rating)
Warnings: Slightly odd formatting by the author.
Summary: Minato isn't sure when Kakashi grew up. Kakashi thinks that he should've noticed in the three years they'd shacked up together to raise baby Naruto. Also, they are married to each other, but neither one of them realizes it.
Recced because: Basically the same reason as the previous rec; fluffy, with borderline hysterical Minato and very IC Kakashi. The emphasis is on humor here, rather than the rot-your-teeth cuteness of the abovementioned fic. This one is the embodiment of a huge smiley face.
Title: But Aren’t You Meant to be Dead
By: checkerbloom
Pairing: MinaKaka (YonKaka)
Rated: PG-13 (reccer’s rating)
Warnings: None.
Summary: Written for the 'but aren't you meant to be dead' challenge on lj.
Recced because: The angst, despite the genre tag, is relatively low key, and the fluff conquers all. The writing’s excellent, too, full of lively description.
Title: The Pieces of Gold
By: jusrecht
Pairing: MinaKaka (YonKaka)
Rated: PG 13
Summary: Seven things that did not happen to Kakashi (and did).
Warnings: None.
Recced because: everyone’s a sucker for Kakashi. This is one of those pointlessly tragic fics that leave you empty inside, but with the knowledge that if you hadn’t read it, you’d be a lesser person somehow. On a less generalized note, this fic handles Kakashi's wistfulness and his grief with a delicate touch that's more than enough reason to weather the sense of tragedy.
Title: A Loved Girl
By: coincident
Pairing: HashiMada, HashiMito
Rated: R
Summary: Five women the first jinchūriki wanted to be, and one she was. Mito-centric.
Warnings: Violence, some of it potentially psychologically unsettling given the kyuubi and the presence of Madara. Some sexuality.
Recced because: This is a writer who needs no introduction and bends it like Sasuke (which is my catchy way of saying whoa, the angst) She/He’s been unnervingly quiet during these past few years, which is too bad because she/he’s really really good. This particular story had the bang-on characterization of the Founders that make her/his stories such classics.
Title: The Destructors
By: pennyofthewild
Pairing: N/A, slight TobiIzu if you’re wistful enough. Hashirama/Madara friendship, Tobirama/Izuna comradeship and Tobirama/Hashirama brother…ship.
Rated: PG 13
Summary: [there is an art to falling apart.] Their village is built on blood and tears. Founders. Tobirama narrates.
Warnings: Some violence. Not much really.
Recced because: In my opinion, there simply aren’t enough Founders fic out there. To make matters worse, only a bare handful are centered around - or even mention- Tobirama, whom I am intensely and passionately in love with. This particular fic provides the perfect narration of events leading up to Izuna’s death, and explains the dynamics between the Founders in a way I find particularly satisfying. Well worth the read.
And if you're taken with this one, here's another excellent fic by the same author in a similar, equally touching vein: Incandescence
Title: Threads
By: CreatorsofWorlds
Pairing: Izuna genfic; can be taken as TobiIzu pre-slash
Rated: PG
Summary: Life is a study in relationships: good enemy, good brother, good shinobi. Uchiha Izuna is all three.
Recced because: Izuna, as a character, is so full of potential and this writer has made him into a sharp-eyed, insightful contrast to Madara’s canonish melodrama. And Tobirama’s mistrustfulness and keen wit is described as maybe superior to his older brother’s fluffy existence, which is something that’s worth thinking about. Again, the author has more fics of the same caliber, so go crazy.
Title: And Sometimes it Rains
By: CreatorsofWorlds
Pairing: Izuna, Tobirama gen
Rated: PG
Summary: Some friendships are best saved for a rainy day. Izuna and Tobirama, pre-Founding.
Recced because: of this piece of dialog: “Is that what the Senju say?”
"Among other things." Tobirama's hand trailed a little over Izuna's hair, aimlessly. He was not stroking it. "Another thing we say is I will live my life as a gift in your eyes. What do the Uchiha say?"
Izuna chuckled a little, quiet and raw. "The Uchiha say, I will avenge you." Extremely believable, short, lovely fic.
Title: Happenstance
By: firefly
Pairing: ItaTema
Rated: PG 13
Summary: We know each other. You've heard my name. I know I've heard yours. It's the benefit of rank, circumstance, and infamy. I wonder if you'll get a chance to see me in a new light. Itachi. Temari. Vignettes.
Warnings: N/A
Recced because: there’s a level of observation here that makes me a little bit giddy. It makes the characterizations spot-on and the plot itself inherently plausible. Lovely stuff. Incomplete as of yet.
Title: I Had Such Friends
By: Akatsuki210
Pairing: Itachi & Kisame genfic
Rated: PG
Summary: Kisame's new partner isn't at all what he'd expected, and Akatsuki is the last place Itachi would have expected to find friendship.
Recced because: Even if you’re like me and are fairly wary of the barrage of angst that is Itachi-centric fic, this is worth a read if only for the complexity of interaction between Kisame and Itachi. While Kisame narrates, this fic doesn’t make the common mistake of over-glamorizing our second favorite Uchiha, either. At 3k, this is succinct and lovely.
Title: Embracing Dreams
By: Arigatomina
Pairing: SasuNaru, KakaIru
Rated: PG
Summary: Iruka and Naruto offer up their home as a safe haven for mutants with nowhere to go. Kakashi offers to help out, dragging Sasuke along for the ride.
Recced because: Are these pairings even obscure, or have I gone mad with power? Either way, this story is too good to pass up on. I haven’t even finished reading it yet, but it’s extremely promising, and definitely NOT the X-Men rip-off I initially suspected it might be. Epically long, satisfying AU.
Title: A Litter of Misfits
By: Minni
Pairing: Tsume/Danzou
Rated: R
Summary: Kingdoms rise and fall for the want of a nail. Shimura Danzo desperately wants Konoha as his kingdom, but collides headlong with a nail named Inuzuka Tsume.
Uchiha Madara wants to destroy Konoha, but forgot about the consequences of nails and the wants thereof.
Inuzuka Tsume just wants a pack of puppies, but she inevitably builds an empire with her strays, including a newborn Kakashi abandoned at birth by his mother, a naked 3 year old Naruto seeking refuge in Tsume's dog kennels in the dead of winter… and a cranky old man named Danzo. (Tsume always had questionable taste.)
Recced because: This is a long, well thought-out fic that’s about a clan’s ideologies and its matriarch’s priorities. Inuzuka Tsume is portrayed as the wild card that could very well change the world by her sense of pack and belonging, same as in canon. Also, her world view is piss-your-pants funny. My thanks to hannahattack for reccing this to me.
Title: Wood and Strings
By: SylvanDreamer
Pairing: SasoDei
Rated: R
Summary: Deidara is on the brink of death. Sasori finds this unacceptable.
Recced because: Dark, dark, dark take on the penultimate plot for this pairing. Most fics try to sidestep Sasori and Deidara’s conflicting beliefs to give them a happy ending, but this story tackles it head-on and the result is…disturbing, to say the least. However, the romantic aspect of the whole thing really shines through. Excellent writing.
The recent anime arc is practically screaming homosexuality and incest, and I am nothing if not suggestible:
Title: Taken
By: PureWaterLily
Pairing: ItaSasu, SakuIta
Rated: R for mindfuckery
Summary: AU. The ring around Itachi's finger doesn't stop gleaming. Only Sasuke knows bitterly that this isn't revenge. This is justice. ItaSasu. SakuIta. That's the right order.
Recced because: This is a tricky little AU, told in Sasuke’s PoV (that poor author) and therefore, is inevitably twisted and steeped in denial. The layered insights into Sasuke’s mind (he’s a fucking lawyer, lord be with us) are both revealing and utterly IC. Itachi's sense of justice makes a very convoluted appearance as well. Very, very highly recommended.
Title: Sinner’s Hymn
By: PureWaterLily
Pairing: ItaSasu
Rated: NC-17
Warnings: Rape; non-con; torture; and other things in the world that make the small woodland creatures shrivel up and die.
Summary: Through an unexpected twist of events, Danzou gained position as Hokage four years after the Uchiha massacre. Sasuke ceased to exist, and in a desperate attempt to find his brother, Itachi allowed himself to be captured by Konoha.
Recced because: I have no frame of reference for this. Suffice it to say, it’s dark and a little bit soul-crushing with seemingly no end in sight. Not for the faint of heart. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE FAINT OF HEART, DAMMIT. Otherwise, this story is utterly perfect.
On a separate note, this author has become my go-to for ItaSasu, as her fics range from the cracktastic to Sasuke-and-Gaara’s-combined-angst. Link included above.
And finally, my go-to for the Naruto fandom, the fic that makes Sasuke my favorite character and makes me sympathize with the lunatic no matter what crackpot whims he comes up with or strange wardrobe choices and back-to-back betrayals he pulls off: Ruth, by firefly.
I'll update as I go along. For now, any input and recs are much welcome.