Chapter 25 — Festival, Part 1
Author’s Notes
At long last…. So so sorry I’ve fallen behind in my posting schedule. RL is quite busy right now, and I’ve written every chance I’ve had, but it just has been drops in the bucket here and there. So to get this chapter up sooner, I split it up at a natural breaking place.
Thankyou Kiriban for 500 reviews — so the poll is still up but it looks like most people favor the fluffy N/S moment with the clones. Which is good — it’s one of my favorite scenes! So, instead of tracking down the 500th reviewer, I think I’ll just post the preview after the 500 mark. And, like I said, it will be a preview of Naruto and Sakura, from after he returns to the village. Just my way of saying thank you for all the support.
Chapter Notes
• The inspiration for the trade village is an amalgamation of Japanese destinations, including the Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto…. In writing these destinations, I think of what I want to write, how I want it to look, then I do a bit of research to make sure my ideas are in keeping with places that really exist. I haven’t been to Japan (hope to, someday), but it helps that I go to the cherry blossom festival in Washington D.C. every year though. It really is magical.
• Another thing, in writing this I’ve tried to stay away from cliches, looking for different perspectives to keep thing interesting. So instead of setting the drama beneath the cheery cherry blossoms, I’ve set it at night when the carnival feeling pervades.
• Sakura turned to see a girl, not much older than herself, dressed in a sumptuously layered kimono. She laughed again as another stream of blossoms rained down around her. The young man accompanying her had jostled a branch just to watch her reaction. — This little moment represents a normal boy-girl relationship, and it’s a little bit of a window into what Sakura hopes to have with Katsuro. It corresponds to the last lines of the chapter: Walking back to the inn, Sakura felt as weightless as the blossoms around her. She trailed her fingers along the lowest branches, laughing quietly to herself as the petals streamed down. In the end, Sakura is creating the moment for herself, happy to be moving towards something more permanent with Katsuro. I’ll leave it to you to decide if she’s on the right track or not…. 🙂
• Samurai home based loosely on the historic Aoyagi House and Ishigoru House. Though the surroundings are based on my ideas of ancient Japan, their mannerisms are not. So, I hope that I’ve made it clear that Sakura is more modern kunoichi in a traditional world, and the many characters in this chapter make up all aspects of that spectrum.
• He cocked his eyebrow, looking even more roguishly handsome. — The charming politician enjoys the scar, lends hims a distinction. The scar and description is meant to contrast with Katsuro, a true rogue, who comes on the scene exhausted and travel-worn and only interested in seeing her.
• A nightingale floor — true thing and so cool! Just had to write about it. Called an uguisu-bari corridor, there is one at the Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Do a google search for images and sound clips of the nightingale floor in action.
• A throng of men strolled up the lane, turning to cross the bridge. They were well dressed, in sleek, dark kimonos. Sakura thought she recognized one from the meeting and looked at him full in the face to be sure. It was not him, but her searching gaze did not go unnoticed, and as they passed the men all looked in her direction. A few even deigned to nod at her. — So this is not ever mentioned in the manga, but I believe that a kunoichi would draw some attention wherever she is. Especially a beautiful one like Sakura. Sometimes it’s innocent interest, as here, and sometimes it’s more open admiration, like with the charming politician. This leads her right to watching the courtesan use her charms to get what she needs. And this is another element of a kunoichi that I think is left out a lot: using her feminine wiles. So again, aiming for interesting aspects about Sakura that are not often covered.
• Katsuro took one, long look at her. Standing in the darkness, smiling brilliantly, she’d worked it all out. Taken into account his situation, allayed his fears. How could he say no? Her eyes glittered. She rocked once on the balls of her feet. — Ah. We’ve come full circle. This statement is paraphrases Katsuro’s words to her in Ch. 20, Sakura’s Mission, when he was working to convince her to meet up with him. (From Ch. 20: But Sakura didn’t need persuading. He had already addressed her concerns, allayed her fears.) So their positions are flipped. Sakura is the one persuading while Katsuro is the one holding back.
• But at the end of a row of kittens with pink bows, were a handful of kitsune masks. — lol, hello kitty masks, if it wasn’t completely obvious.
• The kitsune masks — Her hand hovered over a set of fox faces, glossy black with blood red flames swirling out at the edges, but she decided they looked too menacing. This night was to be fun. She kept going, past a more docile brown pair, to a set of sleek white fox faces. Gold arches accentuated the nose and eyes, and playful red whiskers streaked up the sides. Perfect. — These masks actually are real. You can see these (in the japanese-inspired folder) and more of the breathtakingly beautiful masks created by merimask on deviantart dot com.
• Red laces tangling together, the masks gently bumped her leg as she walked. — red thread of fate. Poor things, theirs is tangled.
• Her gaze was fixed ahead on an old stone lantern erected near an old gnarled cherry tree. — Based on the lovely old stone lantern under the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in D.C.
• But this new fiery feeling at her kind words towards him was entirely different. He hated Sasuke. And he liked it a hell of a lot better when Sakura hated him too.— Katsuro’s first taste of jealousy.
• She knew now, without a doubt, that strange, wonderful little breeze came from him. — again, coming full circle. And that wind thing has been there from nearly the beginning.
• “Please,” she pressed. “I-I just want to see you again. Will you come back?” — Sakura uses Katsuro’s very words in asking him to return. From Ch. 18, Whole: Desperation seeped into his voice. I-I just want to see you again,” he said softly.
• Under the mask, he smiled, finally remembering who he was when he was with her. — I think this sentence could be a subtitle for the whole story. He’s still sorting out who he is. And he likes the one he is with her the best.
• Ahead of them a drama was playing out beside one of the shops. Several kids were huddled in an alley, waiting for the sharp-eyed shopkeeper to turn his back. — The young kids stealing from the shop owner scene is set up to contrast with the kids from Ch. 20, Sakura’s Mission. The kids in that chapter/town were in need; the kids in this village are just stealing. The innkeeper cared before; the shopkeeper here clearly hates these kids. Again, bringing things full circle. Reinforcing the differences, the passage of time and Sakura’s hopes for the future.
• He couldn’t take it. He looked away, shrugging a shoulder. “Places like this,” he muttered, “make me jumpy.” — So, if you remember from the last chapter with Itachi, Katsuro’s glancing away, shrugging a shoulder, is a tell that he is lying.
• Finally I’ve laid down some clues that will continue to play out in the next chapter, but you’re welcome to speculate as to what’s going on. This chapter touches on more of the diplomatic wars waged. Next will be a little more physical (more focus on what’s been troubling Katsuro). Fair warning: Things will continue to get bumpy from here on out.
Spoiler Notes
• The merchant’s village is set up as more beautiful than Konoha. But, as it was laid out in the first chapter of this “arc,” things are not what they appear. (From Ch. 18, Whole — However she was quickly discovering that nothing on this mission was what it appeared.) This theme will be reinforced in the coming chapters. But by the end of Ch. 26, Sakura’s opinion of the merchant village will change, as the surface beauty begins to fade for her.
• The handsome politician from the meeting is modeled on Kabuto. This man has a wealth of information and is on his own side. Sakura is right to be skeptical of him. He is also an opposite to Katsuro. The man is outwardly open, but inwardly trying to uncover secrets. Katsuro is secretive, but beneath it all he is trustworthy.
• A nightingale floor — set up as contrast to next chapter with Katsuro infiltrating a house in a similar fashion.
• The thuggish kids in masks stealing from the merchant will put in an appearance next chapter.
• And, like the men, the women had not missed Sakura’s appraisal either. — The well-dressed men show an interest in the foreign kunoichi, while the women display their jealousy. So far, Sakura’s had mostly positive experiences in foreign lands. But I think there would be places where nins are not welcome. So this little touch of jealousy is the beginning of that. Also reinforces the “things are not as they appear” theme. The loveliness was not what it seemed here.
• After seeing several [courtesans] pass by, Sakura began to study them clinically. That would be a good disguise in a pinch. — foreshadowing for much later on.
• She tightened the knot, smoothed around it, and then, when he thought she was done, she reached up and tousled the top of his head. — Sakura puts the mask on the tousles his hair. This little friendly touch is a recurring theme. Katsuro did it to her soon after capturing her, when he first touched her hair. And he watched Sakura do it to the little kid on her first mission. This little touch will resurface in chapters to come.
• He didn’t know what he was doing anymore. Everything seemed to be going wrong. But then here she was. Standing in the middle, bridging the gap. Making the difference. And suddenly, accepting her, and whatever it was she was offering, seemed right. — Touching on a theme from earlier on, of the power of an individual to make a big difference. He sees this in her.
• At the festival, the cacophony of colors and sounds is a direct contrast to her time with Katsuro. It underscores the difference between their two worlds. This will play out next chapter.
• The rough men of the strange envoy skulked there, watching the room. Watching her…. Wherever they were from, life was hard. They all sported scars and gashes. But the marks gave them a kind of threatening credibility among the noblemen. Everyone steered clear of them. — Sakura’s dealing with two sets of scarred men: the rough thuggish guards and the sleek handsome politician. So this ties into the “things are not as they appear,” theme as well. The rough men use the scars to ward people off, and the politician knows his scar makes him look more dashing, sets him apart from the other nobles. More on this to come.
• The big one with the patched eye even went so far as to rest his hand on the hilt of a hidden weapon, drawing it out of his rough waist cloth just enough to be visible. Sakura was so focused on the man’s subtle movements that the gentle pressure on her sleeve completely surprised her. “Looks like you’ve made a friend,” a soft baritone voice laughed at her shoulder. — So the men are responding agressively toward the politician, not toward Sakura. These men look mean/bad on the surface, but underneath they’re ok. The politician says so himself, that those men are her compatriots. They are loyal guards who would give their life for someone. Those scars can be badges of honor as well as frighten off people. And Sakura has one herself, don’t forget. It’s the elegant politician, who seems so perfect on the surface, that may have some questionable motives underneath.
• With efficient grace the man snagged a clean plate and plucked a handful of the choicest desserts. He handed it to her with a curving smile. “Here. Trust me, these are the best.” — So I wanted the politician to actually say “Trust me” at some point. It’s a little red flag that he’s not to be trusted!
• Red laces tangling together, the masks gently bumped her leg as she walked. — red thread of fate. If you remember, Sakura’s mission scroll for this assignment also had a red tassel. This will be touched on again.
• “He’s a talented nin. So the council has to accept him. But they treat him differently.” She shook her head at the recollection. “They hold him back, keep him…locked away. Like he’s some kind of secret weapon.” — Katsuro’s first idea that Konoha has replaced him as the jinchurriki. So this will heighten his feelings of jealousy/rivalry. More to come on this.
13 Jul 2011 No Comments
Chapter 25 Notes
Chapter 25 — Festival, Part 1
Author’s Notes
At long last…. So so sorry I’ve fallen behind in my posting schedule. RL is quite busy right now, and I’ve written every chance I’ve had, but it just has been drops in the bucket here and there. So to get this chapter up sooner, I split it up at a natural breaking place.
Thankyou Kiriban for 500 reviews — so the poll is still up but it looks like most people favor the fluffy N/S moment with the clones. Which is good — it’s one of my favorite scenes! So, instead of tracking down the 500th reviewer, I think I’ll just post the preview after the 500 mark. And, like I said, it will be a preview of Naruto and Sakura, from after he returns to the village. Just my way of saying thank you for all the support.
Chapter Notes
• The inspiration for the trade village is an amalgamation of Japanese destinations, including the Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto…. In writing these destinations, I think of what I want to write, how I want it to look, then I do a bit of research to make sure my ideas are in keeping with places that really exist. I haven’t been to Japan (hope to, someday), but it helps that I go to the cherry blossom festival in Washington D.C. every year though. It really is magical.
• Another thing, in writing this I’ve tried to stay away from cliches, looking for different perspectives to keep thing interesting. So instead of setting the drama beneath the cheery cherry blossoms, I’ve set it at night when the carnival feeling pervades.
• Sakura turned to see a girl, not much older than herself, dressed in a sumptuously layered kimono. She laughed again as another stream of blossoms rained down around her. The young man accompanying her had jostled a branch just to watch her reaction. — This little moment represents a normal boy-girl relationship, and it’s a little bit of a window into what Sakura hopes to have with Katsuro. It corresponds to the last lines of the chapter: Walking back to the inn, Sakura felt as weightless as the blossoms around her. She trailed her fingers along the lowest branches, laughing quietly to herself as the petals streamed down. In the end, Sakura is creating the moment for herself, happy to be moving towards something more permanent with Katsuro. I’ll leave it to you to decide if she’s on the right track or not…. 🙂
• Samurai home based loosely on the historic Aoyagi House and Ishigoru House. Though the surroundings are based on my ideas of ancient Japan, their mannerisms are not. So, I hope that I’ve made it clear that Sakura is more modern kunoichi in a traditional world, and the many characters in this chapter make up all aspects of that spectrum.
• He cocked his eyebrow, looking even more roguishly handsome. — The charming politician enjoys the scar, lends hims a distinction. The scar and description is meant to contrast with Katsuro, a true rogue, who comes on the scene exhausted and travel-worn and only interested in seeing her.
• A nightingale floor — true thing and so cool! Just had to write about it. Called an uguisu-bari corridor, there is one at the Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Do a google search for images and sound clips of the nightingale floor in action.
• A throng of men strolled up the lane, turning to cross the bridge. They were well dressed, in sleek, dark kimonos. Sakura thought she recognized one from the meeting and looked at him full in the face to be sure. It was not him, but her searching gaze did not go unnoticed, and as they passed the men all looked in her direction. A few even deigned to nod at her. — So this is not ever mentioned in the manga, but I believe that a kunoichi would draw some attention wherever she is. Especially a beautiful one like Sakura. Sometimes it’s innocent interest, as here, and sometimes it’s more open admiration, like with the charming politician. This leads her right to watching the courtesan use her charms to get what she needs. And this is another element of a kunoichi that I think is left out a lot: using her feminine wiles. So again, aiming for interesting aspects about Sakura that are not often covered.
• Katsuro took one, long look at her. Standing in the darkness, smiling brilliantly, she’d worked it all out. Taken into account his situation, allayed his fears. How could he say no? Her eyes glittered. She rocked once on the balls of her feet. — Ah. We’ve come full circle. This statement is paraphrases Katsuro’s words to her in Ch. 20, Sakura’s Mission, when he was working to convince her to meet up with him. (From Ch. 20: But Sakura didn’t need persuading. He had already addressed her concerns, allayed her fears.) So their positions are flipped. Sakura is the one persuading while Katsuro is the one holding back.
• But at the end of a row of kittens with pink bows, were a handful of kitsune masks. — lol, hello kitty masks, if it wasn’t completely obvious.
• The kitsune masks — Her hand hovered over a set of fox faces, glossy black with blood red flames swirling out at the edges, but she decided they looked too menacing. This night was to be fun. She kept going, past a more docile brown pair, to a set of sleek white fox faces. Gold arches accentuated the nose and eyes, and playful red whiskers streaked up the sides. Perfect. — These masks actually are real. You can see these (in the japanese-inspired folder) and more of the breathtakingly beautiful masks created by merimask on deviantart dot com.
• Red laces tangling together, the masks gently bumped her leg as she walked. — red thread of fate. Poor things, theirs is tangled.
• Her gaze was fixed ahead on an old stone lantern erected near an old gnarled cherry tree. — Based on the lovely old stone lantern under the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in D.C.
• But this new fiery feeling at her kind words towards him was entirely different. He hated Sasuke. And he liked it a hell of a lot better when Sakura hated him too.— Katsuro’s first taste of jealousy.
• She knew now, without a doubt, that strange, wonderful little breeze came from him. — again, coming full circle. And that wind thing has been there from nearly the beginning.
• “Please,” she pressed. “I-I just want to see you again. Will you come back?” — Sakura uses Katsuro’s very words in asking him to return. From Ch. 18, Whole: Desperation seeped into his voice. I-I just want to see you again,” he said softly.
• Under the mask, he smiled, finally remembering who he was when he was with her. — I think this sentence could be a subtitle for the whole story. He’s still sorting out who he is. And he likes the one he is with her the best.
• Ahead of them a drama was playing out beside one of the shops. Several kids were huddled in an alley, waiting for the sharp-eyed shopkeeper to turn his back. — The young kids stealing from the shop owner scene is set up to contrast with the kids from Ch. 20, Sakura’s Mission. The kids in that chapter/town were in need; the kids in this village are just stealing. The innkeeper cared before; the shopkeeper here clearly hates these kids. Again, bringing things full circle. Reinforcing the differences, the passage of time and Sakura’s hopes for the future.
• He couldn’t take it. He looked away, shrugging a shoulder. “Places like this,” he muttered, “make me jumpy.” — So, if you remember from the last chapter with Itachi, Katsuro’s glancing away, shrugging a shoulder, is a tell that he is lying.
• Finally I’ve laid down some clues that will continue to play out in the next chapter, but you’re welcome to speculate as to what’s going on. This chapter touches on more of the diplomatic wars waged. Next will be a little more physical (more focus on what’s been troubling Katsuro). Fair warning: Things will continue to get bumpy from here on out.
Spoiler Notes
• The merchant’s village is set up as more beautiful than Konoha. But, as it was laid out in the first chapter of this “arc,” things are not what they appear. (From Ch. 18, Whole — However she was quickly discovering that nothing on this mission was what it appeared.) This theme will be reinforced in the coming chapters. But by the end of Ch. 26, Sakura’s opinion of the merchant village will change, as the surface beauty begins to fade for her.
• The handsome politician from the meeting is modeled on Kabuto. This man has a wealth of information and is on his own side. Sakura is right to be skeptical of him. He is also an opposite to Katsuro. The man is outwardly open, but inwardly trying to uncover secrets. Katsuro is secretive, but beneath it all he is trustworthy.
• A nightingale floor — set up as contrast to next chapter with Katsuro infiltrating a house in a similar fashion.
• The thuggish kids in masks stealing from the merchant will put in an appearance next chapter.
• And, like the men, the women had not missed Sakura’s appraisal either. — The well-dressed men show an interest in the foreign kunoichi, while the women display their jealousy. So far, Sakura’s had mostly positive experiences in foreign lands. But I think there would be places where nins are not welcome. So this little touch of jealousy is the beginning of that. Also reinforces the “things are not as they appear” theme. The loveliness was not what it seemed here.
• After seeing several [courtesans] pass by, Sakura began to study them clinically. That would be a good disguise in a pinch. — foreshadowing for much later on.
• She tightened the knot, smoothed around it, and then, when he thought she was done, she reached up and tousled the top of his head. — Sakura puts the mask on the tousles his hair. This little friendly touch is a recurring theme. Katsuro did it to her soon after capturing her, when he first touched her hair. And he watched Sakura do it to the little kid on her first mission. This little touch will resurface in chapters to come.
• He didn’t know what he was doing anymore. Everything seemed to be going wrong. But then here she was. Standing in the middle, bridging the gap. Making the difference. And suddenly, accepting her, and whatever it was she was offering, seemed right. — Touching on a theme from earlier on, of the power of an individual to make a big difference. He sees this in her.
• At the festival, the cacophony of colors and sounds is a direct contrast to her time with Katsuro. It underscores the difference between their two worlds. This will play out next chapter.
• The rough men of the strange envoy skulked there, watching the room. Watching her…. Wherever they were from, life was hard. They all sported scars and gashes. But the marks gave them a kind of threatening credibility among the noblemen. Everyone steered clear of them. — Sakura’s dealing with two sets of scarred men: the rough thuggish guards and the sleek handsome politician. So this ties into the “things are not as they appear,” theme as well. The rough men use the scars to ward people off, and the politician knows his scar makes him look more dashing, sets him apart from the other nobles. More on this to come.
• The big one with the patched eye even went so far as to rest his hand on the hilt of a hidden weapon, drawing it out of his rough waist cloth just enough to be visible. Sakura was so focused on the man’s subtle movements that the gentle pressure on her sleeve completely surprised her. “Looks like you’ve made a friend,” a soft baritone voice laughed at her shoulder. — So the men are responding agressively toward the politician, not toward Sakura. These men look mean/bad on the surface, but underneath they’re ok. The politician says so himself, that those men are her compatriots. They are loyal guards who would give their life for someone. Those scars can be badges of honor as well as frighten off people. And Sakura has one herself, don’t forget. It’s the elegant politician, who seems so perfect on the surface, that may have some questionable motives underneath.
• With efficient grace the man snagged a clean plate and plucked a handful of the choicest desserts. He handed it to her with a curving smile. “Here. Trust me, these are the best.” — So I wanted the politician to actually say “Trust me” at some point. It’s a little red flag that he’s not to be trusted!
• Red laces tangling together, the masks gently bumped her leg as she walked. — red thread of fate. If you remember, Sakura’s mission scroll for this assignment also had a red tassel. This will be touched on again.
• “He’s a talented nin. So the council has to accept him. But they treat him differently.” She shook her head at the recollection. “They hold him back, keep him…locked away. Like he’s some kind of secret weapon.” — Katsuro’s first idea that Konoha has replaced him as the jinchurriki. So this will heighten his feelings of jealousy/rivalry. More to come on this.
by tricksie in Chapter Notes