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Fanfic / Five Petals (Naruto)

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All it takes is one moment. One moment of determination, of disregard proving dangerous — for Orochimaru didn't expect the little slip of a pink-haired kunoichi to shove his true target out of harm's way, taking his teeth right in her shoulder instead. And in that moment, years of planning were seemingly wasted, throwing off all his schemes... no. Forcing him to retreat and reevaluate, adjusting as best he can to what's just unfolded.

Besides, what can one little girl possibly do, even with a cursed seal burning through her body?

Five Petals is a Naruto Fan Fic series by PrecariousSauce on AO3, forcing on an alternate universe where Sakura saves Sasuke from Orochimaru's wicked bite, ending up with the cursed seal instead. Naturally, this proves to have a rather dramatic impact on how things play out from there, as she and the rest of Team Seven struggle to adjust to having the world turned on its ear.

Notably, the series' tags declares that it is not a fix-it; these altercations are not depicted as markedly better than how Canon unfolded. Simply different.

Currently, there are four entries in the series:

  • Five Petals explores how events bloom outwards after Sakura takes the Cursed Seal in Sasuke's place, branching through the rest of the Chuunin Exams and beyond.
  • Intermission covers the Time Skip, with a series of snippets detailing various changes over the seasons.
  • Hot Chocolate offers a brief perspective on Sakura's mother, Tsubaki.
  • Yamazakura continues the main story, as everything Sakura's been working towards starts bearing fruit.


Five Petals contains examples of:

  • Armor-Piercing Response: When Orochimaru rants to Anko about how he wasted his seal on "a girl who'll likely die before morning," Anko replies "Don't count her out yet. I survived, didn't I?" He doesn't take having this pointed out to him well.
  • Break the Haughty:
    • Sasuke's Uchiha Pride takes a beating throughout the Forest of Death, as he finds himself desperately defending his unconscious teammates with a bum leg, forced to rely upon several other 'weaker' genin pulling Big Damn Heroes moments.
    • His Humiliation Conga then goes public when he tries to fight his preliminary match despite his injuries, only to lose to a 'nobody' and effectively guarantee that his leg won't heal properly.
  • Commonality Connection:
    • Kakashi attempts to forge one of these with Sasuke by telling him how he used to be "a prideful little jerk who never felt good enough but hated when other people were better than me" when he was twelve.
    • Following the preliminaries, Sasuke and Lee find themselves bonding over how both of them were crippled by their respective matches, though it takes a furious confrontation and a round of Misery Poker to really kickstart things.
  • Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Sasuke taunts Lee when he first shows up to defend him from the Sound Trio, then criticizes him for using a technique that stresses his body.
    Lee: Oh... Sasuke Uchiha, I do not like you.
  • Dies Differently in Adaptation: Abumi Zaku winds up a casualty in the Forest of Death when Sakura kills him.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: The Sound Trio mockingly call Sasuke 'princess' while attacking him.
  • For Want Of A Nail: The crux of the story: Sakura Taking the Bullet for Sasuke in the Forest of Death and ending up with the cursed seal instead of him.
    • Due to Zaku dying in the Forest of Death, Kin and Dosu don't make it to the preliminaries.
    • Sasuke's injuries from the Forest culminate in his loss to Yoroi, along with him suffering permanent damage to his leg.
    • Sakura is eventually convinced to head to Sound as a Fake Defector working for Danzo. In response, Shikamaru takes almost all of the Rookie Twelve after her, save for Shino.
      • Related to the above, Shino arrives from his mission with his father sooner, and sets out after his friends... which nearly gets him killed by Sai, and leaves him with throat damage from smoke inhalation that permanently alters the sound of his voice.
  • Forgotten First Meeting: One happened between Ino and Sasuke when they were very young; the shock of seeing the latter getting curb-stomped brings back the memory for the former.
  • Have You Told Anyone Else?: Discussed in the denouncement of Five Petals: Tsunade comments on how foolish it is for Shikamaru to confront her alone if he truly suspects that she had some hand in Sakura's defection. Shikamaru counters that he ensured that many others are aware of his current location, just in case.
  • Hesitation Equals Dishonesty: Lampshaded; when Sasuke lies to Naruto about what happened while he was unconscious, he pauses long enough that he figures that everybody else present realizes he's about to twist the truth.
  • In Spite of a Nail:
    • Sakura still gives herself a Important Haircut while facing the Sound Trio.
    • The first story still culminates in the cursed seal bearer defecting to Sound, though Sakura's attempting to become a Fake Defector.
    • Related to the above, Shino is still left out of the Retrieval mission, though he follows after the group.
  • Ironic Echo: While watching Sasuke and Lee struggle against the Sound Trio, Shikamaru parrots back Ino's earlier claim that "There's absolutely no way Sasuke could lose a fight," asking whether or not she still stands by her words.
  • Jaw Drop: Ino stares at Sasuke with a slackened jaw upon realizing that he left his Twisted Ankle entirely untreated.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Sakura asks Sasuke not to tell Naruto about the cursed seal.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sasuke's insistence on fighting Yoroi unintentionally ensures that his body won't be making a full recovery.
  • Pair the Spares: Eventually happens with Ino growing closer to Rock Lee.
  • Petal Power: Many of Sakura's techniques are accompanied by a burst of pink petals being left in her wake.
  • Related in the Adaptation: Sakura is the niece of the late and lamented Nohara Rin.
  • Rule of Symbolism: Sakura's cursed seal takes the form of a black flower with five petals and an empty heart at its center.
  • Spanner in the Works: Sakura serves as one for Orochimaru by protecting Sasuke and taking the cursed seal in his stead.
  • Springtime for Hitler: Played for Drama and Dramatic Irony during the climax of the first story: Despite what he told her, Danzo didn't intend for Sakura to successfully fake-defect to Sound; it was all a pretext to give himself a chance to steal Sasuke's eyes. He's none too pleased when she manages it and starts sending intel.
  • Taking the Bullet: Sakura shields Sasuke and winds up with the cursed seal instead.
  • Terms of Endangerment: The cursed seal itself addresses Sakura this way after merging with Inner Sakura, repeatedly calling her 'sweetie' while tempting her to tap into its power.
  • Throwing Off the Disability: The potential for this is discussed after Tsunade brings up the possibility that she could repair Sasuke's leg. They turn out to be severely conflicted about whether or not to take the risk, forcing them to examine precisely why they are so hesitant.
  • Twisted Ankle: Sasuke gets one in the Forest of Death after a bad fall. Deconstructed in that this becomes a serious problem with long-term consequences, thanks in no small part to Sasuke not getting proper treatment for it and repeatedly attempting to ignore its severity.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Orochimaru gradually spirals further and further down one throughout the majority of Five Petals as he attempts to adjust to how Sakura threw off all his plans.


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