... love for confusing angsty dialogue! Being that it's from Kakashi's P.O.V. it seems even more brilliant. Truly original-bitter Jiraiya "You only get three great loves in your life, Sakumo"

"Jiraya-"

"Three great loves. It's a rule. And goddammit, but why did all of mine come so soon?"

Mildly heartbreaking. Jiraiya needs more love. :(

Brilliant ending. I can never get enough of your endings. Always they catch me. I don't know quite what you wanted Sakumo to be at the end. It seemed more Jiraiya-centric, which is okay because Ero-Sennin needs better stories. Like the side Kakashi parts. You don't believe in simple, do you? ;)

Beautiful and timeless, and strangely sad—it’s disconcerting to think about Sakumo in such a way—leaving the sannin trio for his ‘great love’, only to have it robbed from him. In all the confusion of their drunken rants and sometimes barely understandable banter, you get a great sense of despair, especially from Jiraiya. He seems bitter and angry—bitter at what he has left in his life, and angry at Sakumo for finding love, and losing love, while he has never even once been the recipient of it.

I’m not sure what to make of the line at the end, of: “You CHOSE, Sakumo, and what you chose wasn't me, don't ask this faith of me."—if Jiraiya means that in a brotherly, lost friendship sense, or an implicit romantic sense. Either way, it gives the reader a lot to think about.

On another note, again you’ve managed to wonderfully include canon-sensibility into this otherwise completely fictional situation, which makes the piece all that more addicting and enjoyable to read. I was especially impressed with Kakashi’s naive and complete misunderstanding of love, to the point where the only thing he can think to make sense of it is by falling back on shinobi ethics. Simply stunning.

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Now onto my completely irrelevant question. I’ve noticed in past pieces of yours that you use to take requests. I’m not sure if you even do anymore, but it would be utterly wonderful if you could write a piece about Tenzou/Yamato and Kakashi (in whatever context you like—friendship, romantic, utter loathing—it’s all good). Oh hell, just a piece on Tenzou would be fine if you feel you can’t write anything between the two of them. I love your style of writing, as well as your unique and interesting plot set ups, and I figured if anyone could do the two of them justice in a story together, it would be you. If you’re too busy with life/school/whatever to do it, that’s fine, but I just thought I’d ask.

With Regards,

Kypros.

wow...that was intense! it really sucks that sakumo chose another woman over the three sannin. man, if this were canon and maybe he had stayed...well, it'd be sweet but we wouldn't have cute little kakashi to pick on now would we? :)

great story though. keep it up! XD

Wow! Well written, pulls on the senses and the heart.