Osorenaide : "So don't be afraid"

Even though I live ambiguously
My heart is immature, but
Because of it, look, over there is
The person important to me

If you get lost
I will be your guide
If you believe in me

I'm positive I know the way
So don't be afraid

_{- Michi ~To You All~ (Shippuuden 2nd Ending)}

In the spirit of last Saturday's successful Lights Out _Yaoi convention, here is a photo from the Konoha Gakuen photoshoot (that turned into something rather different).

myself as Uzumaki Naruto
Miguel as Uchiha Sasuke
photography by Erving ~Huzafan


Art direction was done by Charmie ~yaoiangel14, and we're in what we dubbed "The Fanart Pose", poking a little fun at this positioning of characters that's usually seen in fanart or doujins. Made you think SasuNaru thoughts, didn't it? You naughty children.

I'm sure most of you are _painfully aware of how big a fan I am of the Naruto series, but sometimes I have to agree when people like =starlightdevil say that the title ought to be changed from Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles to SasuNaru: The Epic Tales of the Companionable Rivalry with Strong Homoerotic Undertones (thank you, momopi) in order to accurately describe what is happening in the series.


IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SKIP THIS PART
_{[scares you away with lots of text]}

Here are some official screencaps and song lyrics from the anime, as well as lines from the manga that remind me that the rabid yaoi fangirls are not completely to blame. (Let me just say that I have nothing against rabid yaoi fangirls; some of my closest friends would put themselves under that classification.)

1. [link]
- Episode 3
_{When I first saw this, I had second thoughts as to whether I should pursue following the series.}

2. [link]
- Episode 134
_{I was afraid they would kiss AGAIN. Spider-Man style.}

3. [link]
- Shippuuden Episode 1
_{Well, that certainly is a nice way to threaten an old friend huh, Sasugay. Putting your hand on his shoulder with your arm across his chest; in such a way that causes your top to open wider and expose more of hairless pecs. Let him have a whiff of your scent as the wind blows, then whisper into his ear. That's totally devoid of any sort of sexual tension. Yup.}

4. "So I have the right affinity for Sasuke... The only thing that can save a fire from dying and give it even more power is wind."
- lines spoken by Naruto in Chapter 333
_{I think you kinda have to read up to this part and understand the context to totally get this. But I guess the gist of it is something like "We were made for each other." BAWWW.}

5. [link]
- Nagareboshi (Shippuuden Ending 1)
_{Despite the crude chibi style, you can tell that Sasuke is totally giving Naruto the YOU GONNA GET RAEPD face.}

6. [link]
- Mezamero Yasei (Shippuuden 4th Ending)
_{So the first frame is a drawing of Naruto and Sasuke. With chains. Then out comes the text... "SASUKExNARUTO" Oh, if they only knew what that x implies. (And later on there are frames that say SAKURAxNARUTOxHINATA and also... KIBAxAKAMARU. Oh god. I need brain bleach.)}

7a. [link]
7b. [link]
"You haven't forgotten the dream from that day yet, have you?
You are my dream"
- Distance (Shippuuden 2nd Opening)
_{Heh, with Naruto it's not just his dreams that Sasuke occupies; practically his every waking thought as well. It's always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.}

8. "But just one thing
Remains, remains
Your voice"
- Michi ~To You All~ (Shippuuden 2nd Ending)
_{Throw in the lines I quoted in the first part of my Artist's Comments.}

9. [link]
- Blue Bird (Shippuuden 3rd Opening)
_{Dear animators,
Please don't use SasuNaru fanart as references for your storyboard.
Love,
Jin}

10. "Please kiss me, please kiss me all night"
- Broken Youth (Shippuuden 6th Ending)
_{OH YES, these lines are definitely fitting for an ending sequence that shows only Naruto and Sasuke! It really expresses their companionable rivalry!}

11. [link]
- Chapter 403
_{There there, Naruto. Stop worrying so much about your boyfriend. I'm sure he loves you, too.}

12. [link]
- Chapter 411 cover
_{Matching necklaces? Yeah sure, all my guy friends do that.}

13. [link]
- Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den special
_{They've been kissing AGAIN?! Wait, why does Naruto seem to be pulling his pants up? You know what, don't tell me.}

14. [link]
- Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den special
_{What is this emphasis on holding hands?}

15a. [link]
15b. [link]
- Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den special
_{Those lines... I couldn't believe I was watching official footage.}

TL;DR

Rant ends here. Don't take me too seriously, okay? I'm not interested in debating, haha. This NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF PROOF THAT NARUTO AND SASUKE ARE LIEK OMG SO TOTALLY TOGETHER. Just thought I'd point out things in the manga and anime that tend to fire up the imagination of SasuNaru fans, in an attempt to explain the staggering amount of support for this pairing.

Although... Kishimoto did say that Naruto and Sasuke have a better chance of ending up together than with any of the girls. Let's hope he's joking. You never know with that guy. I mean, look at this: [link]

a rather image-heavy Lights Out _Yaoi Convention report: [link]