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[ciardha]

I know several of you have been waiting very patiently for me to update Wilderness.I give you my word that Chapter 4 of Wilderness is next. I promise.

In light of the Kishimoto approved fanservice of Sakura in Road to Ninja, surprised Naruto didn't nosebleed at the sight of Sakura in the Kumo female funeral outfit. Despite genjustu Hinata's insult, and Sakura's self-judgement- that's decidedly not flatchested.

Definitely a full B cup there, which is the same size Kushina's looks in Road to Ninja.- that's average for a real world Japanese woman, but C seems to be average in Naruto's world. It's what part 2 Tenten and Temari, and Ino sometimes (Kishimoto can't seem to make up his mind on her breast size- it's changed sizes in the same chapter, anywhere from B-D, C ish seems to be the most common though) and several others look that size.

Since Wilderness is M rated I'm guessing we'll get some decidedly more positive perverted thoughts of Naruto's of Sakura's breast size. (Unlike Jiraiya and Bee, Naruto doesn't seem to be that turned on by big breasts, I've noticed his Sexy-no-Jutsu girl looks around B cup (and noticed Konohamaru did those yuri-no-justu girls having around B cup too. Konohamaru's pervy enough to know what size breasts Naruto finds most sexy on girls.)

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[KnS]

Despite genjustu Hinata's insult, and Sakura's self-judgement- that's decidedly not flatchested.

I have personally never considered Sakura to be flat-chested. I don't think she is at all. I read the manga, and I've seen all the drawings of her. It seems fairly clear that under normal circumstances Sakura is not preoccupied with or insecure about her chest, and it's equally clear that Naruto likes her figure exactly as it is.

The "flat-chested" moment in Chapter 2 of Wilderness was an indication that Sakura was experiencing a flare of insecurity (about more than just her cleavage) due to external influence. In context, she's insecure about where things stand with Naruto after her confession, and she doesn't know how he's going to feel or act when he sees her again. She then arrives in Kumo and is met by an attractive, big-busted young woman who purrs about "Naruto-sama," adding irrational jealousy to her insecurity. The busty gal also identifies Sakura as "the Hokage's apprentice," and there's yet another subtle comparison of her to someone more developed. The Raikage later reinforces this with his leering assessment of how the Kumo funeral dress fits Sakura, and his snide comment.

It's all subtext meant to show the lingering self-image issues Sakura is known to have. It serves as a setup to contrast how others may judge her, how she may sometimes judge herself, but Naruto never does and that he willingly and completely accepts her just as she is. In fact he can't stop staring, lol. It's a characterization tool in my story to show Sakura's insecurities, and how the unwavering purity of Naruto's acceptance may help her resolve them.

Recent allusions to the condescension Sakura might endure because of her chest (in Road to Sakura, Road to Ninja) have convinced me that my characterization in Wilderness is appropriate and consistent with Kishimoto, et al. There are people in the Naruto universe who judge and attempt to intimidate based on chest size, and Sakura would only be human to react on some level regardless of the criticism's accuracy.

You know, as important as creativity and originality is in finding a good fanfic, its sometimes so wonderful to come across an author that just plain writes well. I'm talking about the actual syntax and writing on a line by line basis. KnS, you are a skilled writer and reading your stuff is simply a pleasure.

After reading Yurei, I can't help but start over on my fanfic of a similar premiss that I've been working on.

and I look forward to the next chapter of wilderness too

Thank you, jworks. You are very kind and I appreciate it. As I've said before, so many people read and never bother to say a word, so it means a lot to a writer to know their work is valued and enjoyed.

As for Yurei, I liked the challenge of writing a slightly older, more mature Naruto and exploring a scenario where Sakura would help him deal with survivor's guilt over Sasuke's death. It was an interesting idea to put on paper.

[tricksie]

So tomorrow? That doesn't sound so bad.

tomorrow, tomorrow..... I'm also doing Camp NaNoWriMo (a summer version of November's NaNoWriMo) which starts...you guessed it, tomorrow. So I'll be churning out 2,000+ words a day in August, working on my original fic novel as well as the fanfic(s). But the next Voice in the Wind chapter is nearly done (editing and rewrites — major fight scenes and some...kissing! ). So it will be out in the first half of August. ...which begins 9 hours and 42 minutes from now...41 minutes from now...gulp....

[ciardha]

It's all subtext meant to show the lingering self-image issues Sakura is known to have. It serves as a setup to contrast how others may judge her, how she may sometimes judge herself, but Naruto never does and that he willingly and completely accepts her just as she is. In fact he can't stop staring, lol.

Heh, thus my comment about being surprised he didn't nose bleed

[KnS]

Heh, thus my comment about being surprised he didn't nose bleed

Maybe I'll make him have one before the story is over.

[KnS]

For those who have been waiting, believe it or not I finally updated Wilderness.

Chapter 4

[jworks]

For those who have been waiting, believe it or not I finally updated Wilderness.

Chapter 4

Edited by jworks, 09 August 2012 - 04:44 AM.

[KnS]

I'm not sure how I should interpret that, lol.

[jworks]

I'm not sure how I should interpret that, lol.

Haha actually I haven't had time to read the chapter yet. It's just that the pure excitement has brought me to tears!

[JoHamSandwich]

For those who have been waiting, believe it or not I finally updated Wilderness.

Chapter 4

Great chapter as always!

[KnS]

In that case I'll definitely look forward to reading more of your story.

Nosebleed didn't make it into Chapter 4, but there will be other opportunities.

Great chapter as always!

Thanks!

[ciardha]

Nosebleed didn't make it into Chapter 4, but there will be other opportunities.


Thanks!

Liked the detail in this chapter- especially inside the house with the corpse.

Heh, I bet she's got a seal tag somewhere that when opened summons a bag that has a can or two of anmitsu in it....

I wasn't quite clear on this point though- is Naruto thinking Sakura is in love with both himself and Sasuke? With the way he is back to his part 1 overt flirting with her (but with considerable more panache it sounds like Naruto's realized, at least, she is openly attracted to him and likes his flirting. (Something Kishimoto hinted at way back in chapter 1, and also showed with the version of Sakura in RTN, Sakura has a weakness for being charmingly seduced) Sakura's overt flirtations with Naruto in part 2- chapters 245 and 343, were pretty much an outright invitation to Naruto that she was open to that from him. I wonder if all this time they are spending alone together will trigger Naruto's memories of those moments in chapters 245 and 343 and he'll realize just what she was inviting him to do... (343 was so overt that despite his wall of denial, it broke through for a brief time.) If he realizes this Let's just say, even at 12 he showed a distinct ability to seductively charm Sakura when he made an effort to do so- chapter 3. At 16 and having been Jiraiya's beta reader on Tactics (even though he found it boring and entirely unimpressive) heh the perverted story I'm sure was an "education" for him. (He certainly picked up a bit of Jiraiya's peeping tendencies- has a definite desire to peek on Sakura when she's naked in a hot spring, only Yamato scaring him about what Tsunade did to Jiraiya when she caught him peeping on her stopped Naruto from trying to peep on Sakura

Edited by ciardha, 10 August 2012 - 09:09 PM.

[Konoha'sCrimsonFox]

Thanks! It's funny, because I was just logging in to post that I'd written it.

A big shout out goes to Dragunov for giving me the story idea from his prompt, "How about you have Naruto carry a heavy burden, like the death of Sasuke and say, Kakashi, but then saved emotionally by Sakura?" I hope you like the way it turned out, man.

And I know several of you have been waiting very patiently for me to update Wilderness. It's been a long time, and that really sucks. I've had a lot of other writing to do (like updating my Gaara fic with three chapters -- YAY!!!), but I give you my word that Chapter 4 of Wilderness is next. I promise.

Sorry I couldn't leave a review on FF.net. But it was a great update, and I nearly was fooled that you was going to have such a intimate moment between Naruto and Sakura, when she started working on Naruto's lower regions *whistling*. looking forward to the next update.

[KnS]

I can now die peacfully. I'll be saving this chapter for later.

Don't die!

Liked the detail in this chapter- especially inside the house with the corpse.

Thanks. When you introduce a scene change like that you never know what readers will think. I'm having a blast giving some depth to Sakura's medical knowledge and problem-solving abilities. She's a clever girl, and she and Naruto are definitely in a situation where her smarts and strength (not just physical but personal) are needed.

I wasn't quite clear on this point though- is Naruto thinking Sakura is in love with both himself and Sasuke?

You're right, it's not clear what Naruto is thinking. But that's because it isn't to Sakura and it's her POV. As the writer I know what Naruto is thinking, but no one else does for sure yet.

One of the things I want to examine with this story is Naruto's approach to life. Historically, for the most part it's uncomplicated. He doesn't operate much in the grey areas; with him, things are black and white. He lives in the moment and may not always get the big picture, but he always seems to know exactly how he feels and what he wants.

Up to this point in my story (including canon, in my view) his goals and passions have been pretty static. Saving Sasuke, and now winning the war, are his top priorities. Possibly winning Sakura's affection has always been a goal as well, but to a great extent he seemed to be biding his time and/or to have accepted that her feelings were beyond his control. But what would Naruto do if he discovered his goals were shifting? What would he do if he realized his goals were in sudden and direct competition? Those are the elements of characterization I'm exploring.

With the way he is back to his part 1 overt flirting with her (but with considerable more panache) it sounds like Naruto's realized, at least, she is openly attracted to him and likes his flirting.

(...)

If he realizes this Let's just say, even at 12 he showed a distinct ability to seductively charm Sakura when he made an effort to do so- chapter 3. At 16 and having been Jiraiya's beta reader on Tactics (even though he found it boring and entirely unimpressive) heh the perverted story I'm sure was an "education" for him.

I don't want to be too spoilery, but I will say that you are definitely in the right ballpark with this line of thinking. Even about the educational benefits from his beta reading. Educational indeed.

Sorry I couldn't leave a review on FF.net. But it was a great update, and I nearly was fooled that you was going to have such a intimate moment between Naruto and Sakura, when she started working on Naruto's lower regions *whistling*. looking forward to the next update.

Thanks for letting me know you read it. They're having a lot of intimate close calls, and there will be more.

[ramenanmitsu]

I wonder why there is no Menma/Au Sakura fics. Have anyone seen one? I'm very interested, because AU Sakura is not interested in any boys(she calls Sasuke a player like she doesn't care, she can't even remember Menma's name). It would be interesting to see how an author would execute a story of team 7, with a cool girl, a player who constantly tries to hit on her, and a guy who likes her but tried to destroy the village (I'm just guessing Menma likes Sakura in AU because at one of the Japanese review summary Kushina was teasing Naruto, "so you want to show off in front of the hero's daughter?")

[tricksie]

I wonder why there is no Menma/Au Sakura fics. Have anyone seen one? I'm very interested, because AU Sakura is not interested in any boys(she calls Sasuke a player like she doesn't care, she can't even remember Menma's name). It would be interesting to see how an author would execute a story of team 7, with a cool girl, a player who constantly tries to hit on her, and a guy who likes her but tried to destroy the village (I'm just guessing Menma likes Sakura in AU because at one of the Japanese review summary Kushina was teasing Naruto, "so you want to show off in front of the hero's daughter?")

Yeah, I was thinking I'd like to see a Menma/Sakura (non AU) fic as well. I'm seriously thinking of writing one, but it'd have to be a one-shot as I don't want it to slow down my other projects. (Or at least a self-contained piece that I could potentially revisit later on.)

But since I'm doing Camp Nanowrimo this month...I don't see why I couldn't just fold another short story into my daily 1,600+ word writing goals! So yeah, I guess that means I'll probably be writing one!

I looove your idea though! After the chapter of Voice in the Wind is finished (eta next week, Nick! ), I'm going to spend some time investigating their characters more thoroughly - Menma's in particular since I've only given a cursory glance at the movie summaries — and try to see what shakes loose plotwise.

I wonder, have they added AU characters to the FF.net pulldown? Like "Sakura (AU)"? I would think an idea like yours would certainly catch on. I wonder how they handle extraneous characters like that, what the rules are? Like recurring manga and anime, but no one-time movie characters....

[ciardha]

Yeah, I was thinking I'd like to see a Menma/Sakura (non AU) fic as well. I'm seriously thinking of writing one, but it'd have to be a one-shot as I don't want it to slow down my other projects. (Or at least a self-contained piece that I could potentially revisit later on.)

But since I'm doing Camp Nanowrimo this month...I don't see why I couldn't just fold another short story into my daily 1,600+ word writing goals! So yeah, I guess that means I'll probably be writing one!

I looove your idea though! After the chapter of Voice in the Wind is finished (eta next week, Nick! ), I'm going to spend some time investigating their characters more thoroughly - Menma's in particular since I've only given a cursory glance at the movie summaries — and try to see what shakes loose plotwise.

I wonder, have they added AU characters to the FF.net pulldown? Like "Sakura (AU)"? I would think an idea like yours would certainly catch on. I wonder how they handle extraneous characters like that, what the rules are? Like recurring manga and anime, but no one-time movie characters....

I think Menma did mean something serious to AU Sakura. The way it played out in the episode it looked like the more significant a person was the harder it was for her to remember them. She had to actually see her parents to remember them. Sasuke she remembered quickly and dismissed as "a playboy" Her difficulty with remembering Menma could also be tied into maybe knowing something about what happened to him. I wonder if her mission wasn't looking for Menma too...

Then you have AU Kiba's automatic assumption that Naruto and Sakura were on a date...

Edited by ciardha, 11 August 2012 - 04:52 PM.

[KnS]

Wow that sounds really interesting, I'm excited about this story. I definitely want to find out more about both Naruto and Sakura's thoughts and feeling and see how their interaction will change.
(Oh and I look forward to the lemony part. )

There's a lot of stuff coming up in the story, and they can't avoid dealing with any of it because they can't go anywhere and there's no one else to distract them from each other. Thanks for reading and for your interest. It's appreciated.

I wonder, have they added AU characters to the FF.net pulldown? Like "Sakura (AU)"? I would think an idea like yours would certainly catch on. I wonder how they handle extraneous characters like that, what the rules are? Like recurring manga and anime, but no one-time movie characters....

You may have answered your own question by now, but in case you haven't.... I looked the other day and Menma was listed, but there was no AU!Sakura. I didn't check for any other characters.

I think Menma did mean something serious to AU Sakura. The way it played out in the episode it looked like the more significant a person was the harder it was for her to remember them. She had to actually see her parents to remember them. Sasuke she remembered quickly and dismissed as "a playboy" Her difficulty with remembering Menma could also be tied into maybe knowing something about what happened to him. I wonder if her mission wasn't looking for Menma too...

That seems very likely to me, and it's actually a very ingenious and impactful thing for Kishimoto (or the animators, depending) to suggest.

[ciardha]

I wonder, have they added AU characters to the FF.net pulldown? Like "Sakura (AU)"?

I could see where that could get complicated if the name stayed the same (Naruto's was the only name that changed)

I was thinking on a related issue but fandom in general people see AU and would tend to think alternate version made up by the fanfic writer. I noticed in the RTN novel on the character sheets some kanji was after the name (I'm at work right now and don't have access to tell you) and then ver. (meaning the English word version) We may have an official label to call the alternates...