Saber Rattling (Naruto, oneshot)

Aug 14, 2011 18:40

Fic: Saber Rattling
Author: aishuu
Fandom: Naruto
Character(s): Itachi
Wordcount: 1,600
Rating: PG
Notes: Part of the Itachi Hokage Verse.
Credit: Thanks to sophiap for kicking me, yet again.
Summary: Itachi takes a Kage class mission, but it's not because his superior skills are needed. It's all about the politics.

He is seventeen when the first Kage class mission hits his desk. )

naruto, oneshot, itachi hokage verse

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Comments 15

illereyn August 14 2011, 23:54:15 UTC
Yes, it was a petty mission, and speaks volumes about the character of the Fire Lord, and that of the court he heads. At least Itachi gets to go out of the village.

I would have thought that Itachi, as the Hokage, would have someone with him. Otherwise, a Kage mission would be an easy route for assasination. I'd think Sarutobi, for example, would have his team with him on Kage missions, and so would Minato. Is this just Itachi being a loner, or does a Kage mission have to be completed with the Hokage only?

And the end - what a cliffhanger and baaad news for Itachi!

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aishuu August 15 2011, 00:22:56 UTC
Yes, it was a petty mission, and speaks volumes about the character of the Fire Lord, and that of the court he heads. At least Itachi gets to go out of the village.

The Fire Lord is very ineffectual from what we've seen. I'm thinking this is all about his court being corrupt and petty.

I would have thought that Itachi, as the Hokage, would have someone with him. Otherwise, a Kage mission would be an easy route for assasination. I'd think Sarutobi, for example, would have his team with him on Kage missions, and so would Minato. Is this just Itachi being a loner, or does a Kage mission have to be completed with the Hokage only?

A combination. Itachi has a limited number of people he can trust, and thus he needs to keep them in Konoha (reference Shisui and Kakashi), so there's really no one to make up a team. He is the loner type personality as well, and there's also the fact that a Kage should be able to take things on alone. Having a body guard takes away a bit of the boogeyman effect.And the end - what a cliffhanger and baaad ( ... )

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cherokee1 August 15 2011, 00:53:35 UTC
I am very happy to see you writing in this universe again.
Itachi is extremely plausible as a Hokage, if things had gone differently for him.
The ones that should be in power are invariably the ones who want it the least.
C

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aishuu August 15 2011, 03:08:20 UTC
My writing time has been severely curtailed, so I do what I can. Itachi would have been a great political choice for Hokage, but that would have required a heck of a lot more planning than Kishimoto would have considered. And yes, the people who want power are seldom the ones who should have it.

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nthcoincident August 15 2011, 03:30:43 UTC
I didn't know how much I'd missed this 'verse until this appeared on my f-list. Thanks for making time to bring us back here again ♥

This installment is probably my favorite so far, even over the Mikoto one which still sets my spine a-tingling in the best way possible.

I LOVE the fact that you devoted an entire ficlet to the sad reality that the ninja villages are only one part of the larger Naruto world, and that too a subordinate part. No matter how much everyone idolizes the Hokage, he's still just a businessman at the head of what is essentially a corporation, and all the shinobi under his thumb are kids playing in their sandbox to the outside world. Itachi along with Shisui and Danzo is probably one of the characters who understood this best and it just makes such a critical focus for the Itachikage verse. Coming from Shodaime obsession land and having to think doggedly about this as I do it was doubly appreciated ( ... )

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aishuu August 19 2011, 01:46:00 UTC
This is the verse that will not die. I've got another six fics or so in the pipeline (I will get to Gai, I willlllll....).

Interesting you'd pick this over the Mikoto one - I see it very much as a backstory fic setting the stage for things to come. I love trying to figure out how the society actually functions - the relationship between the daimyo and Hokage has a lot of room to play with, and if we're being cynical... people lose their heads. I would agree that Shisui and Danzou and Itachi all share a strand of pragmatism which is rare (I'd also add the Nara men to this list), but Danzou differs because he lacks the ability to hope things will get better.

I've seen your Shodaime fics and I keep meaning to get to them, but right now I'm primarily on a Klaine track. When my mood shifts, I'm sure I'll get to them because I love what you do.

I was hoping the Kage class would work for you. It's not about skill, it's about fear. Itachi working propaganda assignments. The Kage is the strongest man in the village, the nuclear ( ... )

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edenfalling August 15 2011, 04:10:08 UTC
That is both chilling and horribly sad -- I think mostly because of how utterly matter of fact Itachi's perspective is. I love the little hints of a greater world (Akatsuki, Gaara, the reminder that the hidden villages are not, in fact, autonomous, Danzo eager for a coup) and Itachi's quiet pleasure at being anonymous for at least a moment. That last is also a very nice contrast with the horribly public assassination -- he can't be himself and be known as himself at the same time.

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aishuu August 19 2011, 01:48:00 UTC
It's kind of an insidious fic - part of the horror is Itachi's resignation to the situation. He does what is right for the village, but it's not what is morally right.

The Hokage has a big bullseye on his back, and Itachi has more than one. I think he wishes he wasn't the ultimate decision maker.

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kairi_01 August 15 2011, 16:31:01 UTC
Oh hello, favorite Naruto verse. I haven't seen you in a long time!

I liked this glimpse into Itachi's world as Hokage. Even though he is the most powerful ninja in the village, he's still a pawn in their political games. And he knows it too; he's also wise enough to know when he has to play his part. The head was a nice touch, though. That'll make the fire lord think twice about sending him on this type of mission again.

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aishuu August 19 2011, 01:51:08 UTC
I feel like I owe a billion apologies for being so blasted slow writing now. ^^;; Glad you're sticking with this.

I would agree the chess metaphor kind of works, but I think Itachi is a promoted pawn. People underestimate him in ways they don't realize it.

I think Itachi will take stands on issues that matter to him, but this one isn't.

And yeah, the head was Itachi's little revenge. "I WANT HIS HEAD!!!" taken to extremes.

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