This is everything I could have wanted from an Ino-Sakura friendship fic, especially one that starts by repairing their friendship after the Sasuke Breakup. They're SO supportive and SO good to each other. I LOVE watching them take care of each other and look after each other, and I'm so glad this version of Kakashi is not only supporting it but encouraging it and giving it space to thrive. I know part of the narrative is the contrast between the two Kakashi and that we're going to see more development as the story continues, but it is so good to see a Kakashi actually practicing what he ostensibly preaches about friendship AND including himself in it, which is the ultimate show he cares and is putting himself on the line.
It's remarkable how engaging it is to read ninja caring about their relationships with a modicum of common sense. You've even brought Shikamaru and Chouji into it starting to think not just about what is "expected" but what might be best for themselves vs someone they do care about but has surprised their expectations.
Naruto is a shounen series and blah blah blah shounen don't "do feelings," but your writing just shows how dumb that is. Caring about oneself enough to be confident and then extending that care to others at surface level feels like one of the main tenets of the series, but in actual practice not so much (or at least only unequally applied to certain characters). Interpersonal relationships are absolutely vital, especially for adolescent characters trying to build themselves in a hostile world like this one. And Kakashi's character is so much more well-rounded and humanized by seeing him actually interact with the kids, much less having his actual perspective and seeing how much he's struggling with treating them somewhere between people needing investment and growth and mini-soldiers who need to be protected before they can capably protect themselves.
Reading this is just very emotionally fulfilling on a lot of levels and I'm enjoying it immensely. Thanks for writing!
Comment on Are You Ready?
Natarie on Chapter 12 Sun 06 Sep 2020 07:39PM UTC
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