Fire and Shadow: A Naruto Search {Story-Driven}

[Graverobber]

~Current Cravings: ~
Uchiha Mafia AU
Feudal Japan AU (More Concrete Plot in the Works)

Introduction

Heya!

I'm Grave, obviously a huge fan of Naruto (particularly Edgelord Sauce of the Duckbutt) and generally all-around geek. I play video games. I play tabletop games. I used to have Star War bed sheets (apparently you're not allowed to have those once you become an adult, pfffftt). I'm also a college student, who enjoys writing in their free time as a way to destress.

I've been roleplaying since middle school, but I'm too lazy to do the actual math to put an exact number on the years, which is a bit scary, honestly, considering I'm an engineering major. Anyways, when it comes to roleplaying, I enjoy deep and complex characters that drive the stories, and stories that are compelling.

Before we get to the fun stuff, here’s a quick summary of what you can expect from me, as a writer, and what I’m looking for in return:

• DETAIL: Depending on the scene, how many characters are involved, and generally what’s going on, my posts can range anywhere from a minimum of 300 words to 1000+. I firmly believe in quality > quantity, so while I necessary don’t expect my partner to match my length, I do want to write with someone who puts thought and time into their posts.
  
• COMMUNICATION: I’m perfectly fine with, even enjoy, OOC chatter. Also, as with all human interactions, I believe communication is needed for smooth sailing. Not having fun? Did something make you uncomfortable? Did you not understand something in my post, or did I accidentally misunderstand yours? Got an interesting idea to add to the story? Let me know! I’ll always more than willing to work things out.
  
• ACTIVITY: This will most likely be a bit sporadic on my side. While some days (depending on the length of my replies) I might be able to post a few times a day, others I will only be able to do one, and it might turn out that I’m only able to fit a few posts in a particular week. I understand life comes first, will not pressure my partner to reply, and ask for patience in return.
  
• ROMANCE: When it comes to smut, I enjoy writing it, but it shouldn’t be the focus of the roleplay. I want to write compelling stories that I can sink my teeth into, and while I certainly enjoy smut being a part of those stories, I’ll quickly lose interest if it’s the main purpose of the roleplay. Open to M/F and M/M pairings.
  

So, without further adieu, what am I looking for? If you haven’t guessed from the title, mainly Naruto, as I’ve loved the series since I was a dumb kid running around with rubber kunai.

Particularly I'm looking for SasuSaku, with me writing Sasuke. In return, if my partner is willing to satisfy this insatiable craving of mine, I will gladly write just about any other character in any other pairing they want -- doesn't have to be canon-compliment, and can even be OCxCanon.

Other than that, I would also consider an OCxOC roleplay.

Plot Ideas

Uchiha Mafia AU: **Craving

[My Role x Your Role]

My Desired Pairing:
Sasuke x Sakura

Other Pairings:
Suggest! Doesn't need to be canon-compliment, and I'm even opened to OCxCanon.

Side Characters I Can Play:
Madara, Tobirama, Naruto, Kakashi, Obito, Itachi, Shisui, various Akatsuki members to fill out the mafia ranks.

Madara Uchiha came from Japan seeking his fortune, and found it by becoming one of the most feared and respected mob bosses in New York City. In fact, Madara could be described with the words of Pablo Escobar: sometimes he is God; when he says someone dies -- they die that day.

Sasuke, his nephew (son of his sister Mikoto), was made at a young age, has risen to the rank of captain, and is rumored to one day take over Madara's position. Sasuke is known as being just as cold, brutal, and effective as his uncle, but one person seems to calm the fires underneath the surface of his skin. Her name is Sakura Haruno. Maybe she's a college student, new to the city, who happens to meet the Uchiha heir on the subway, or perhaps she's the daughter of a prominent opposing family; whatever the case, the two are drawn together, and must learn to navigate the dangerous landscape that is the criminal underground as their relationship develops.

Notes:

• Some relations between characters will be changed, such as Madara being Sasuke's uncle.
  
• Let's discuss what we want to do with this; I have some vague ideas, and am opened to hearing yours as well.
  

Uchiha Non-Massacre AU

What if the massacre never happened? What if Fugaku was killed in battle, leaving Itachi to take up the mantle? What if he is left to deal with clan politics, navigating a vicious landscape, where Danzo still wants to secretly annihilate the clan, and members of the Uchiha still want to overthrow the village leadership? Itachi, along with Sasuke, when he grows older, and Shisui must carefully try to maintain the ice-thin peace.

So, I really just want to write in an AU where Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui (my bois) are all still alive and working together to try to build a lasting peace between Konoha and the Uchiha. And I am open to a lot here: more than willing to work in my partner's ideas and cravings, as long as they're willing to do the same for mine.

My one pairing that I really want to write is SasukexSakura, seeing how their relationship would develop in such a setting, but I would be opened to perhaps an OC as well. Concerning Itachi and Shisui, I'm open to a lot, including OCs. So, if you don't see something you want to do on the list concerning these three, please ask! And not all of the Uchiha boys have to be involved in a romantic relationship, depending on how many characters you would want to play, but I do want them all involved in the RP somehow.

[Characters I want to write are bolded. If neither character is bolded, I'm willing to write either.]

Possible Pairings:
Sasuke x Sakura
Itachi x Izumi
Itachi x Shisui
Itachi x OC
Shisui x OC

These characters will be the focus of the roleplay, but I'm more than willing to include and write others, such as Naruto and Kakashi, to fill out Team 7.

Travels (SasukexSakura)

[My Role x Your Role]

Main Pairing:
Sasuke x Sakura

Side Pairings:
Suggest! I'm open to non-canon pairings, even Canon x OC (selectively), as long as you indulge me in Sasuke x Sakura

After the last great war, peace did not come easily. With the shinobi forces in shambles, mistrust is starting to once again brew between the nations; with two superpowers to call upon, the Leaf is regarded with wariness. And now Orochimaru, a powerful sannin with many secrets, has ascended to the new Kage of the Sound, yet even after his efforts in the war, Kakashi is not quick to accept his intentions, especially when outlying villages, particularly those rumored to be harboring those with rare bloodline jutsus, are suffering from vicious attacks from rogue ninjas. The Hokage suspects foul play, even Orochimaru's involvement, but one wrong step could spark another war.

That's where his former student, Uchiha Sasuke, comes in. Wandering the world in a quest of redemption and self-reflection, he seeks to aid these villages under siege, and has been tracking those responsible, feeding information secretly back to Kakashi. Traveling cloak-and-dagger, Sasuke finally gains a lead in Rain, where he defends off an attack, only to fall to a poisoned shuriken. On his deathbed, taken in by the villagers, Sasuke bitterly muses this is a damned, ironic way for him to go.

Enter Haruno Sakura: a renowned medical ninja and a student of the great Tsunade. The last few years she has been establishing hospitals and offering relief to the various nations, particularly Rain, which has suffered from the constant battling and change of leadership. By some stroke of luck or fate, she just happens to be traveling through the country when she hears of the attack on a nearby village, and stumbles into a shack, finding a man who left her standing outside Konoha's gate two years ago.

Notes:

• Please feel free to offer suggestions to change any of the above, or add anything in. I'm always open to new ideas.
  
• I would like a partner who's willing to help me fill out the world with characters, both canons and select OCs where applicable.
  
• I would like to scale down both Sasuke and Naruto's powers. We can discuss how, but I really don't like playing overpowered characters, and it's hard to throw actual challenges at these characters when they're basically gods
  

OC Squad/ANBU

[My Role x Your Role]

Roles:
OC Genin x OC Genin
OC Jonin Sensei
OC Genin

Or
ANBU x ANBU

Everything so far has involved canons, and if that's not your thing, I completely understand. I'm actually highly interested in writing a completely OC Squad. We could even write 'em in a different village other than the Leaf. As four characters compose a team, I see one of us writing a squad member and Jonin, and the other two squad members. I'd prefer to be the one to write the Jonin, because coming up with grumpy old mentors is a pastime of mine, but that point's negotiable. Or I'd also be highly interested in writing the members of an elite ANBU team. A lot here is negotiable. Let's talk it out.

As a side note, if romance is a thing here, I'd like to age up the genin.

Vague Ideas and Interests

• Feudal Japan AU (SasuSaku): Really interested in writing Sasuke as some sort of samurai or ronin. Working on a more concrete idea.
  
• Warring States Period Time-Travel (SasuSaku): Somehow Sasuke and Sakura end up in the past (perhaps due to a Rinnegan malfunction), and must infiltrate the Uchiha Clan to find a way back to the present, all the while navigating nasty politics and one Uchiha Madara.
  
• Warring States Period (Uchiha OCxSenju OC): Star-crossed lovers, perhaps? Trying to bring peace between the two clans.
  
• Bounty Hunters (OCxOC): Some S-Ranked criminals who get up to a bunch of shenanigans.
  

Ships and Played Canons

And if none of that catches your eye, but you would be interested in working something out, here are the general ships I sail [bold being my preferred role], though I am open to more than what's listed:

Ships:
Sasuke x Sakura
Shikamaru x Temari
Asuma x Kurenai
Suigetsu x Karin

Characters I can play: Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, Itachi, Shisui, Shikamaru, Kankuro, Gaara, Sai, Rock Lee, Neji, Asuma, Hidan, Deidara, Suigetsu, Madara, Tobirama. Probably others; if curious, feel free to ask.

Indulge me in SasuSaku, and I will mostly likely double as any other canon of your choice, including pairing so said canon with an OC/any other canon character.

Writing Samples

This is a comical post from a dinner scene I enjoyed. For context, there was a cake left in Sasuke's oven that I, the writer, forgot about, and my partner punished me severely by having it almost burn down the kitchen:

Sasuke Can't Bake

Arm pulling Sakura tighter against him, Sasuke kept that smile of his on his lips exclusively for her, planting a soft kiss against her forehead. Eyes trailing down to take in that picture--they all were happy, leaning into each other, while in the first they had taken together, Naruto and Sasuke had practically been attempting to murder each other with glares--he had the thought that it would go quite nicely next to the other one, a reminder every day he came home.

"Er, sure, Sakura-chan..." Naruto was nervous laughing. "I'm sure Hinata will find something for you to do in the kitchen..."

Perhaps he had been too enthralled to notice before, but Sasuke's eyes snapped toward the kitchen at Kakashi's words, the smell of smoke, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The battle against Madara had been nothing. If one wanted to see a display of ninja excellency and talent, they needed to be in Uchiha Sasuke's house at that exact moment. The Great Shinobi Kitchen War was about to begin, and there would be no mercy.

"Ah, shit," the curse fell from Sasuke's lips sharply, and removing his arm from Sakura, after giving her knee an apologetic pat, he was gone. A spoon tumbled into his empty seat in his place.

There was a cascade of more curses from the kitchen, the sound of windows quickly being slid opened, the battling and slinging of a pan, followed by a more colorful array of curses. Naruto blinked from the dining table, before literally falling and rolling over in booming, cackling laughter. "Cooking is not that much of a piece of cake, is it Sasuke?"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"What, Sasuke? If you can't handle the heat, you should stay out of the kitchen!"

A piece of the silverware disappeared from the table, and Sasuke landed crouched in its place, mismatched gaze starring down with the full force of the sharingan at Naruto, one of those death glares expertly wielded by only Uchiha Sasuke. The clone he landed next to jumped in surprise, falling onto the floor with a heavily thud, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Snorting, Naruto managed to get to his feet, swaying a bit, hand clutching the back of a chair to help steady himself, as the chuckles kept on coming out. "You seem to have a little something caked across your face, Sasuke."

There was, indeed, traces of black smoke stains smudged across his cheeks and nose, but Sasuke looked rather unamused at the continuous use of puns. With a growl, he grabbed Naruto non-too-gently by his mop of blond hair, and jumping off the table, unceremoniously dragged him to the kitchen archway, jerked him upright, and grabbed his hand, his sharingan still activated, as he used the idiot's fingers to form a few hand signs, ending in the serpent, and cast a stolen jutsu using Naruto's wind nature; the gust of wind contained the smoke by pushing it back into the kitchen, spreading to carry it out of the opened windows, so that after a few moments only the smell lingered and a weakening thickness of burnt air.

"If you wanted to hold my hand--" Naruto wasn't allowed to finished the sentence, interrupted by a forceful smack to the top of his head. Not phased in the least, the blond joyfully followed Sasuke back to the table, declaring to the rest of Team 7, "Don't worry. When I host, I'll refrain from burning us out."

So, in this more serious one, Orochimaru rules the Sound Village as a Kage, and has requested Sasuke's presence during negotiations. Yamato and Kakashi had a disagreement about whether if crap went down, if Sasuke should rinnegan Kakashi (the current Hokage) out of there. Kakashi said no, then Yamato sought Sasuke out to tell him to do it anyways:

Sasuke's Resolve

At the thanks, Sasuke firmly nodded once, though he found it to be entirely unnecessary. If what they were discussing did unfold, Yamato would be one of the soldiers left behind. Satoru, as well, a thought that made him want to laugh bitterly at the irony. Perhaps he would be able to make it back onto the battlefield to offer relief, perhaps not. In the end, the decision wasn't about morality, but simple numbers; they could save a lot more tomorrow by sacrificing a few today.

For some odd reason he thought of Itachi, and his grip on his mug tightened for a moment, before relaxing, and his eyes, which had drifted off, found their way back to the wood-style user, taking in his question.

Strange was certainly not the right word to describe what he was feeling and he let go a hard, almost searing exhalation of air, buying more time by taking another sip from his cup. Before now, he hadn't lingered on the thought, but Yamato was another one of Orochimaru's--the muscle in Sasuke's jaw flexed--former playthings (for that was certainly how the snake sannin saw them), and because of that, they shared experience that no one else could quite understand. He wondered what prompted this question: was he trying to reach out, find common ground, or simply test the waters of Sasuke's loyalty?

Closing his eyes for a moment, Sasuke set his tea onto the tabletop with a quiet clank. Placing his palm next to it, splayed upon the wood, his fingers curled into a loose fist, and his dark gaze trailed over his knuckles. "He made the request because he wants to get under my skin: a feeble attempt to exert control over me once more." Turning his hand, one of his knuckles tapped restlessly against the mug. "For the sake of Konoha, I can swallow my own anger at the audacity of it and stomach his presence."

Another pause, another tap. "But I also agreed to prove to myself that he no longer has any power over me."

During a time travel arc, my swordman, Satoru, ends up battling his former sensei, Takeshi, otherwise known as the Swordsman of Sand, in defense of Kakashi:

A Dance of Swordsmen

There was little time for detailed thought, and that fact was considerably irritating, because there were things Satoru needed to sort out before he engaged his sensei in a life-or-death battle: consequences for one, because if this wasn't an elaborate genjutsu, and if he had really been sent back in time, then killing Takeshi now, failing to defend Kakashi, could mean royally fucking up the future. He needed to plan, predict, and all he could do, feeling the wind pause in its pursuit at their heels, hearing the earth lifting behind him, and watching Kakashi take off to engage, was react.

"Fuck," he snarled, the only word that could encompass how much he vehemently hated being put in this position, and how utterly unhelpful that muttered command of his companion's had been: Get the eye.

His body was already moving without explicit direction. Channeling chakra in his feet, he went up the wall instead of around, drawing his chokuto with a wicked slink of metal scrapping against the inside of the leather sheath, and slammed his other hand around the grip of the sword to grasp it in between the seal of the serpent. Wind flowed through him, this jutsu he had inherited from the man on the opposite side of this wall, and moving with a renewed speed, he was at its top in a blink of an eye, peering down to catch what was happening below him.

A paper bomb was exploding, the kunai it was attached to slicing through Takeshi's weapons pouch--there was the clattering sound of metal hitting rock, but it was drowned out a split second later by the shaking boom--and the flames ate hungrily at the wind chakra, climbing and devouring, and for a moment, heart drumming wildly in his chest, eyes widening, Satoru thought--

(not again, not fucking again)

--But Takeshi was far from dead. Skidding up the wall--hair singed, vest scorched, blood dripping down his right arm, and his face and exposed skin burnt nastily--like a revenant, he launched himself off, blade raised to quickly finish off the vulnerable silver-haired man below him.

Satoru was already moving, propelling down, blade meeting blade as his feet landed in front of Kakashi, forcing Takeshi's downward; hardened amber eyes locked with guarded grey ones, and the air whirled to life around the two swordsmen, forceful enough to make the leaves and branches of the trees around the clearing tremble violently.

('Dead,' Takeshi grunted, blade of his chokuto resting against the young boy's throat. Grasping the fabric of his shirt, he pushed the grey-eyed kid into the dirt, skidding his own feet back and snapping his sword into a readied position. 'Patience. Watch me, boy. Closely. Predict, do not react.')

With a jerk of his hand, Takeshi was scraping metal against metal, jerking the two swords up to disengage. They parted, circling the clearing, before they were rushing to meet each other again. It was an elegant dance, precise and timed. Ethereal, in the way their forms flickered at the speed they moved, practically incoherent to the normal eye, how their blades met with enough force to cause sparks, a constant ringing of block and strike.

Seconds turned into minutes, and with his body humming with adrenaline, his mind cleared with one, narrow focus of his current engagement, Satoru lost track of how long this fight lasted, but keeping the chakra flooding his body to merely keep up with his sensei was a strain on his muscles and stamina, and he was starting to slow: an insignificant amount to the normal shinobi, but to one who relied on speed--

Takeshi dodged Satoru's attack, and instead of moving to retaliate, danced backwards to create distant; the gust of forceful wind sent in his direction kept Satoru from immediately pursuing, and he was forced to summon a second gale to rush out to meet it, or risk loosing his footing. While his grip was loosened around his sword to clasp his hands into the serpent, that's when it happened: a sharp tug. The chokuto was pulled from him, the chakra-infused wind carrying the blade to snap into his sensei's waiting hand.

A foreboding chill assaulted Satoru's spine.

Takeshi spared the not-quite-so-new weapon a narrowed glance, brows scrunched together, one Satoru knew as angry confusion, but then he was on the offensive.

The next dance was a lot less graceful. Panicked and desperate, Satoru was dodging, putting footwork to use, summoning up scythes of wind to repel blows that now came from two swords instead of one, and his chakra was draining quickly. His mind was racing for a solution, but he simply didn't have time. Guard broken, a slice to his lower leg sent him tumbling to the ground. Knees digging into earth, he saw the sun glint against the metal of the blade as it came for him.

An eternity in a infinitesimal span of time.

He knew he was going to die. This is how it ended, and he thought--heart in his mouth, a strange absence of fear overwhelming him, an acceptance of this moment--of all the regrets he still had riding his consciousness.

Then he felt a sharp pain, the cool metal of the chokuto pressed against the artery of his neck, digging enough into his skin to draw a line of blood. And Takeshi was staring him down, jaw rigidly set, the other chokuto still held in his free hand.

"Who are you, boy?" The Swordsman of the Sand rumbled in an demand for an answer.

The sword was rather simple, unadorned, without much that separated it from any other of its kind, except for the engraving near its hilt: the symbol of the forgotten Minamoto clan, the chakra-infused blade that made it powerful, unique. How foolish had it been, Satoru thought, gazing up at the man who seemed like a god in this moment, to fight his master with his own blade.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he simply answered, voice barely a whisper.

"You think you're clever?" Takeshi insisted, pushing the sword harder against his neck, forcing another line of blood to drip down sweat-slicked skin.

"Not clever enough." He couldn't help the ironic smile that tugged at his lips, the desperate humor that sunk into the weightless air that tumbled from his mouth.

Amber eyes guarded, the Swordsman stared down at this enigma he had stumbled upon, and with a frustrated grunt, withdrew the blade before infusing it with his chakra, then threw it.

White, searing pain. Gritting his teeth, the chokuto impaled through Satoru's shoulder, striking into the ground, leaving him pinned. Blood seeped into his vest, and he tried to fight through the haze invading his mind, tried to plan.

Takeshi left him there, walking toward Kakashi, shadow cast before him like a giant, moving statue. Reaching the ANBU operative, he kneeled down before him, twisting his sword around in his hand--shuriken flew through the air, and he simply deflected them with his blade, not even throwing a glance at the struggling Satoru--before jerking the young man's head up so he could look upon his face before delivering the final blow--

A blow that did not come. Chokuto stabbing into the ground, Takeshi stared at Kakashi's face, as if he were confirming something within his mind, something unreadable, yet compelling with his amber irises.

"I remember you, Hatake."

Sasuke comes to the aid of a village under attack:

Sasuke to the Rescue

Rain Country .

He appeared like a fleeting shadow at the edge of vision: a dark silhouette against the black of the night, moonlight dancing across his pale skin as he gracefully flickered across the fray like a ghost.

Hazel eyes wide, Amaya thought that was what the flash of wavering cloak and sparking metal was: a phantom, or perhaps a god. The sound of steel meeting steel and screams of terror thundering in her ears like a consuming chant, the girl fell back into the wet earth slicked by the unyielding downpour of her home country, and watched with a mixture of awe and fear as the revenant sliced down foe after foe. The natives of the village behind her, all wielding makeshift weapons, could only stand immobilized in the same fashion, like motionless figures painted against a backdrop.

They had come a few hours ago, these ninja without headbands, demanding information that the villagers did not have, and when they were denied, had laid siege to the out-skirting settlement like the hounds of hell; though the people who called this place home had refused to go gently and quietly, it had been nothing short of a slaughter. Outmanned, out-armed, out-trained, they had engaged with war cries and determination that were quickly broken, transformed from lions into sheep with the first wave of men that had fallen uselessly, only managing to scratch the armor of their tormentors.

And then he came, an answer to a silent prayer, a god of death and destruction to rain down judgement upon those who had taken their loved ones from them.

And he did it effortlessly .

"Amaya-chan!" Her father's voice broke through the white noise, and she felt his presence skidding next to her, his hands gripping onto her shoulders tightly as he dropped his sword into the mud. "I told you to wait inside!"

But she had wanted to fight . Fingers grasping into his roughspun tunic, she couldn't tear her eyes from the wraith. "What is he, otousan?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly in a taut voice. Gripping ahold of her tightly from behind, he began lifting her up when it came from their side: a fury of kunai. With a curse, he went to turn on his heel, shield her with his own body, when the nameless apparition appeared before them. Katana rising, the dark-haired man stopped what weaponry he could not deflect with his own body, and with his dual-colored, hardened stare--a mixture of blood red and ringed purple--boring into them both, he demanded in a low voice: "Move!"

Gripping more tightly into her father's shirt, Amaya looked over his shoulder as he started running back toward the rows of stone buildings, and watched as their savior rushed out to meet the last of their assailants. After the bodies fell, a roar of triumph rose from the populace, only to die out in muttered concern, as the cloaked man, the phantom who appeared in their time of need and moved like an indestructible force of nature, stumbled across the corpses, and collapsed into a runoff of rain.

"Otousan! Stop!" The young girl screeched, tearing herself from her father's arms as she ran across the battlefield to fling her fingers into the black cloak. "He's hurt! We've got to help him!"

"Amaya-chan!" One of the nearby villagers was quick to pry the sobbing girl from the stranger, looking desperately toward her father for direction. "Sadao-san?"

Kneeling down, the elder man called Sadao examined the kunai that lined the injured man’s back, his mouth forming a thin line at the sight of a dark liquid that stained the metal, yet wasn't blood. "Poison."

"What do we do?"

Looking up to watch his distraught daughter, Sadao grunted, as if the answer was obvious. "We take him in."

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Since I'm done, I'm going to make myself sharin-gone. No? I'll show myself to the door.