By Viridian
Reviews
Harry'n'Horcrux posted a comment on Sunday 13th April 2008 2:33am
I have not watched any of the Naruto film or anime. Thus, I have not read this until this weekend and once I started reading, I could not stop. This is another clssic masterpiece of fanfiction by one of my favourite fanfic authors. In fact, if Matt does not write this, I would not have read any Naruto fanfics, in fact, I would not even know much about Naruto.
I just wanted to say that it would probably be a good idea to have Hinata grow more sure of herself. I think her match against Neji can be seen as Ginny surviving the Chamber incident in NoFP. However, seeing that she does not have anyone close supporting her, this can be quite hard to achieve. Maybe, you could give Naruto a nudge in the right direction to be the person whom Hinata can turn to when she is in doubt. Basically, Naruto can be her family from now on, not just best friend.
Shino is a very loyal albeit quiet friend and the other 3 members of Team 8 are lucky to have him as a teammate. He is reliable, cool in face of danger and rational (this is the trait that both Naruto and Hinata lack). I like it when he asked Lee what flower is appropriate for a funeral.
Naruto for a lack of better words is complex. He definitely is much better than the canon Naruto. I really hate it when a story have a hot headed protagonist. Harry Potter and Naruto come to mind. Fortunately, Matt's character are always more mature and calm. Hopefully, Naruto can help Hinata more with her self-confidence issue, just like when Harry talked to Ginny after the CoS incident in NoFP.
Kurenai... I think she should give team 8 a break from missions to help Hinata deal with her suicidal tendencies. She caould give Naruto some advise to help Hinata, because Naruto may not be able to convey his thoughts to Hinata clearly. The fires of youth are always accompanied with getting tongue-tied in front of the opposite sex. Hence, the wisdom of the aged can be detrimental.
Hopefully, Sasuke can see that there are always people who are more skilled and powerful than he is. That realisation should give him the rude awakening he needs so that he does not think that killing his brother is easy.
Sakure should have been rudely awakened in the Forest of Death to realise that there are many important things in life and they do not include fawning over "her" Sasuke.
Perhaps, Naruto can give a speech after beating Neji (and leaving him broken, if not almost dying like Hinata) to the Hyuuga family about Hinata being more worthy than Neji. Maybe, having Naruto to severely injure Neji to the point that he can no longer do any strenous physical activity (including being a ninja) is also a veery good idea.
shikamaru posted a comment on Thursday 10th April 2008 10:18pm
all i can say is ive waited forever to read this chapter and it was just amazing, i love seeing the different sides of naruto and his reactions. he is starting to understand hinata and her family which is surely going to make the naruto vs neji fight all the more better,
cant wait for the next chapter you are a very talented writer and i apreciate the time and effort you put into writing this story. keep it up
Jonathan Langford posted a comment on Thursday 10th April 2008 11:38am
A really good chapter. I like especially that Kurenai was sick after her conversation with Hinata, but I agree that it had to happen. When I got to the line, "I just thought you actually cared about your teammates," I thought, wow! She can really be a b__ when she needs to be.
I like people getting smarter over the course of a story. And I'm glad *finally* to have a slightly clearer idea what's going on with Neji. (Maybe this is explained in Naruto canon, but since I've never read any of that...)
Machette posted a comment on Thursday 10th April 2008 2:44am
This is the first Naruto FanFiction story I've ever read. But it's still awesome. I've always been a fan of the show and I like the way you changed things. I assure you, I'll be anxiously awaiting future updates.
Keep up the good work!
Rexnos posted a comment on Thursday 10th April 2008 12:31am
First off, great story. I'm not a Naruto fanatic or anything of the sort, but this story strikes me in the same vein as NotFP and I absolutely LOVE that story. Unfortunately, this story implies the same amount of thought and effort as NotFP, which means chapters deserve to come out slowly...
Just one question though... Why didn't Hinata take her weights off at the beginning of the fight with Neji? Seems to me she might have been able to take him in those circumstances...
Viridian replied:
Well, there was the little issue of revealing to her father that she'd been engaged in 'unorthodox' training methods.
Also, removing the weights (especially if you chuck them at your enemy) can provide quite a tactical surprise.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize Neji was shutting down her arms until it was too late.
NeoFenrir posted a comment on Wednesday 9th April 2008 5:11pm
This is the third time I've read this chapter since its release. As you might guess from such a statement, I quite enjoy it. The humor is often understated (and thus, in my book, more hilarious) and the character drama was compelling.
No obvious technical errors, though you made some choices in wording and such that I wouldn't have, but whatever.
As for the story itself, I find myself wondering exactly what events from cannon will be kept at all; events like Naruto fighting Gaara, and being trained by Jiraiya seem less likely to happen in the same way as cannon, if at all. I'm somewhat worried that if Naruto fights Gaara, with his current level of ability, plus whatever training he undergoes in the time between now and the finals, he'll kill him. This worries me both because I really like Gaara (at least after he stops being such a dangerous psychopath) and because there'd be some fairly big consequences of that. It keeps me reading, I guess.
Also, I find myself somewhat at odds with your characterization of Hiashi. He's much more of a jerk in your story than he is in cannon; in cannon, he makes up with Neji after explaining that he didn't want his brother's death, but I'm not sure that can happen here. That's not saying he's not a jerk in cannon; he is, but he's depicted as a pride- and tradition-bound clan head who is entirely too willing to sacrifice family for what he perceives is the good of the clan, whereas your Hiashi is, well, evil.
Naruto vs. Neji is another thing that I'm both looking forward to and nervous about. In cannon, Naruto went berserk when Neji injured Hinata, to the point of challenging him at a point when he was obviously outclassed. And that was when Naruto barely knew the girl. In this universe, he's going to mangle the guy, which I can't say he doesn't deserve. But, I wonder if there'll be too much bad blood between them for Neji to take Naruto's words and actions to heart (however that plays out) and change as he did in cannon.
All else aside, you have in me a reader for life (well, for as long as you keep writing, anyway). You have a grasp of character and psychology that few authors, even published ones, do and I take joy in new chapters from you as I do little else.
Viridian replied:
I'll just say that Hiashi's characterization is purposeful, and leave it at that.
As for the upcoming finals, given the lack of Mission to Wave Country in Team Eight, I would not hold onto too many canon-based expectations.
Quizer posted a comment on Wednesday 9th April 2008 5:26am
Great to see this story updated again. I like how Kurenai confronted Hinata. Sooner rather than later, she'll have to decide whose evaluation of her she wants to trust - her family's, or everyone else's. Naruto, with the hints he received from Kurenai and Iruka, also nicely moves that along. I'm looking forward to the moment when the realization finally hits her.
You did a terrific job with this chapter! See you at the next!
Quizer
ShadeHawk posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 7:42pm
Naruto was fairly proud of his self-control. Not a word left his lips. Not a muscle moved in his face. It was just a coincidence that his chopsticks chose that moment to explode into a cloud of splinters.
Very funny! Love it.
Very nice, character driven piece. I think the story needs such "slow" chapters as an intermission from time to time. Good work!
I wonder who would be poor unfortunate soul scheduled to fight Gaara in finals...
Jizzle posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 2:41pm
This chapter is perfectly heartbreaking and touching and just generally beautiful. Really. I felt the way you handled the sudden and rather dramatic revelation (for the characters) of Hinata's depression, self loathing, and suicidal tendencies in an extremely realistic way. I could see reacting just like Naruto if I found out something similar about a friend. Confusion, anger, helplessness. The "clever" attempts at getting advice without betraying the friend's secrets. It all felt very real, and very powerful. Plus, seeing Naruto's serious, almost wise side was really great.
I do have to say that this chapter was nothing like I expected. It was just as good if not better, obviously, but it was way different in subject matter and tone. I expected training, which there was some (Naruto's got Lotus now? Cool) and I expected Jiraiya to pop up. He does in canon, and you even foreshadowed him arriving with the comment about seals last chapter. So way to go. It's not often that things will be so different from expectations, and still make so much sense and just be so damn good. That was really cool.
I loved the part about Iruka cleaning house by betting on Naruto. That was great.
Lastly, I just wanted to share my feelings on how Naruto seems to be a Taijutsu specialist right now. It's cool, certainly, and pretty interesting. However, it does grate a little on me. See, Team 8's such a "pure" AU that I can't help but assume that all the characters have the same basic aptitudes. canon!Naruto is a Ninjutsu genius. (The speed with which he learns Kage Bunshin and Rasengan, and his recent modifications of Rasengan all point to this) So seeing Naruto not pushing himself in the thing that he does the most awesome in? Frustrating.
Kurenai assigned the intensive Taijutsu training because it was his weakest ability. Now it's his strongest. Now, shouldn't she give him the chance to really push the thing where he seemed to have the most potential. If he can learn Kage Bunshin (from a scroll no less) in a couple hours, how far could he push his ninjutsu if he really tried? With or without Kage Bunshin training techniques.
So anyway, that's not exactly a criticism. Naruto's growth has been really awesome to watch. Especially the mental and emotional growth that let Naruto handle the stuff in this chapter as well as he did. (Pretty damn well)
It just grates me that Kurenai has a genin who clearly possesses some massive ninjutsu potential, and she hasn't developed it much/at all.
Anyway, thanks for the great chapter, and I look forward to whatever it is you write next. Cheers.
Viridian replied:
Thanks for the kind thoughts!
Recall what happened the last time Kurenai taught Naruto a new jutsu. And remember how cautious she is with safety issues (which is why she taught water-walking before tree climing). Also, consider her personal specialty.
Sml posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 1:08pm
Yes! It's geat to see this up! Interesting twist to, I never really saw it as Hinata trying to help Neji somehow, more trying to get him to admit some fault with himself, but I can see your angle. Now I am wondering though how Hinata will deal with some extra Naruto type attention(Blushing and stuttering return perhaps?) and how the big fights will change. With Naruto being at an almost Lee like ability, plus using the fox chakra, plus having a major mad on for his first opponent may see Neji seeing what Orochimaru felt like when he fought Naruto, but without the same way out. Though I do wonder how the Sand invasion will be dealt with if Naruto can't summon, moving fast can only do so much for a creature the size of a small mountain. All over great though and I am so glad you're still writing!
Infin1x posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 7:14am
Very well done. I am not usually a fan of fluff but there was enough character development to make this a good chapter.
I do have one question. If Hinata had removed her weights before the match had started would she have won?
Viridian replied:
Probably not. Not using Jyuuken against Neji.
And she was worried about her father smelling a rat.
Jeremy DuCharme posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 7:00am
Hmm, running commentary...
Ouch, Gai training Naruto for the finals. Your sensei dumping you to train a competitor for a tourney? That is a harsh statement for what he thinks of you. Training your first round opponent over you? Neji landed very high on Gai's shit list for that to happen, and mini-Gai is right along for the ride. This is a very public slap in the face for Neji.
Shino is furious and envious of Naruto getting first and maybe only crack at Neji. Wonder if the canon Shino felt the same way as the Team 8 Shino? Not that he thinks he'll get a chance, given Naruto's feelings. Take a leaf from Iruka, Shino, bet heavily on Naruto in the opening round. :)
Hmm, the fallout of Sasuke's, very brief, match with Naruto is interesting. Wonder if the Hyuuga clan wants Naruto out for fear of him going Kyuubi on their 'genius'?
And interesting that Kakashi is upping Team 7s training? Is he doing it to keep Sasuke out of the way and protected from Orchimaru, because Kurenai's barbs about their teams' performances hit home, or because Hatake is spending the next month pornless? Either like I speculated if TFF Kurenai got 'The Bet' going among the leaf jounin senseis of the Rookie Nine and since Kakashi's team didn't make the finals he is serviving his penality now, or because he bet all his Icha Icha money with Iruka on Sasuke? If either case is true then in Konoha there is a terrible cry, as if a thousand pornshop owners suddenly cried out in terror, and where just as suddenly silenced.
On Sarutobi noting that the right to be free, includes the right to use that freedom to be unwise,
"In Konoha you have The Right To Be Stupid. If you should exercise this right any negative consequences will be held against you, no matter how much you plead to the Hokage. Even more so if the person you were stupid to BECOMES Hokage." :)
Kurenai dressing down Hinata was probably required by the characters you had built them to be. She shows that she knows how to hit more than just Naruto's buttons as she guilts Hinata over how her team would feel if she kamakazied. It harkens back to her comment to Naruto that their job may very will be to run instead of fight, if the mission demands it. And the harshness IMHO provides lessons and growth to this Naruto that makes him more Hokage material than the original.
It's not just power, physical, chakra, 'cool' jutsus, or god like fighting ability that makes a leader. Even in cannon Naruto has the charisma to inspire, but while a squad leader can get away with saying 'follow me' then jumping in feet first, there is more to even that job. Taking care of your people, knowing when to stop them when they lose persepective and need to be stopped is as important as driving and leading them on. Even more so the more behind the lines you get. By the time you reach Hokage, like a General that is almost all of the job, you only get into the fight when things are well and truly fucked.
Canon Naruto could make an okay squad leader, when in a fight he's great, as long as his SIC can handle the out of combat chores. Team 8 Naruto is seeing their is more than leading in a fight to being a leader.
Meanwhile Neji critically blows his Wisdom check. Dude, the first rule of Holes is when you are in one, STOP DIGGING. He dismisses Naruto who took out his Rookie of the Year in a single punch, a wise man would study such an opponent who was gunning for him. Naruto likes to smile while he is kicking fate in the balls.
And Naruto using the Shadowclone, a major effort for most Jounin, to make a lunch run for him just underscores how MUCH power he has to play with. Sort of like renting an Airbus to get Chinese.
"Neh, Hinata, it’s okay?" he asked, feeling like a complete idiot. Why didn’t they cover this in the Academy? Most of the boys in his class ended up teamed with a girl, and girls cried, right? Why didn’t Iruka-sensei tell us what to do when that happened
Sorry kid, that's saved for your jounin-sensei, and Kurenai decided you get to learn by being dumped into the deep end. Sink or swim, 'future Hokage'.
And Naruto show some interesting maturity when he admits both Kurenai has good reason to consider taking Hinata off field missions and Shino is 'smarter'. Less insecure so he can admit others are better than him in certain areas, for now. Plus the way he sits down and pulls all the things about the Hyuuga out of Hinata, seeing him in Hokage robes already? Wonder what the Tsunade retriveal will look like with Team 8?
Iruka cleaning up in the preliminary betting is a great bit of leavity.
Enterance to the Chunnin Preliminaries, 200 ryo.
Spot in the guest balcony, 75 ryo.
Cover charge for the betting pool, 150 ryo.
The looks on everyone else face when your ten to one longshot beats the favored contender in three seconds? Priceless!
The final scene kind of mirrors the one where Naruto invites Hinata to regularly join him, Gai, and Lee in morning workouts. Hinata was sick at seeing Naruto's 'public' false smile slip in, and here it's Naruto waking up to Hinata's pathological self-doubt. He seems to be willing to drag it out of her kicking and screaming. Though I suspect Naruto's preference is for Team Eight to do the kicking, and Neji and Hiashi do the screaming.
One last thought, is Hinata going back to the compound when she heals? Kurenai would likely be willing to put her up, and the Aburames basically gave her an open invitation to shelter with them. Getting Hinata out from under might require she be moved away from the clan.
Viridian replied:
Ouch, Gai training Naruto for the finals. Your sensei dumping you to train a competitor for a tourney? That is a harsh statement for what he thinks of you. Training your first round opponent over you? Neji landed very high on Gai's shit list for that to happen, and mini-Gai is right along for the ride. This is a very public slap in the face for Neji.
Technically, Hiashi offered to train him first. But Gai didn’t have any objections whatsoever. So the slap is a little more subtle.
Remember what Gai said to Lee and Naruto before the first exam, about not forgetting who was a Konoha shinobi? Yeah.
Shino is furious and envious of Naruto getting first and maybe only crack at Neji. Wonder if the canon Shino felt the same way as the Team 8 Shino? Not that he thinks he'll get a chance, given Naruto's feelings. Take a leaf from Iruka, Shino, bet heavily on Naruto in the opening round. :)
Okay, for Shino that is pretty furious.
Hmm, the fallout of Sasuke's, very brief, match with Naruto is interesting. Wonder if the Hyuuga clan wants Naruto out for fear of him going Kyuubi on their 'genius'?
Do you think they are really that worried?
And interesting that Kakashi is upping Team 7s training? Is he doing it to keep Sasuke out of the way and protected from Orchimaru, because Kurenai's barbs about their teams' performances hit home, or because Hatake is spending the next month pornless?
All of the above.
Either like I speculated if TFF Kurenai got 'The Bet' going among the leaf jounin senseis of the Rookie Nine and since Kakashi's team didn't make the finals he is serviving his penality now, or because he bet all his Icha Icha money with Iruka on Sasuke? If either case is true then in Konoha there is a terrible cry, as if a thousand pornshop owners suddenly cried out in terror, and where just as suddenly silenced.
On Sarutobi noting that the right to be free, includes the right to use that freedom to be unwise,
"In Konoha you have The Right To Be Stupid. If you should exercise this right any negative consequences will be held against you, no matter how much you plead to the Hokage. Even more so if the person you were stupid to BECOMES Hokage." :)
Like Kurenai said, She’d make him their worst nightmare: a Hokage.
Kurenai dressing down Hinata was probably required by the characters you had built them to be. She shows that she knows how to hit more than just Naruto's buttons as she guilts Hinata over how her team would feel if she kamakazied. It harkens back to her comment to Naruto that their job may very will be to run instead of fight, if the mission demands it. And the harshness IMHO provides lessons and growth to this Naruto that makes him more Hokage material than the original.
She’s rather unique in that she is the only adult who has taken Naruto’s dream seriously from day one. After all, if a teenage genin can vow vengeance on some of the most powerful people in Konoha, who is she to denigrate as 12 year old boy who aspires to become Hokage?
It's not just power, physical, chakra, 'cool' jutsus, or god like fighting ability that makes a leader. Even in cannon Naruto has the charisma to inspire, but while a squad leader can get away with saying 'follow me' then jumping in feet first, there is more to even that job. Taking care of your people, knowing when to stop them when they lose persepective and need to be stopped is as important as driving and leading them on. Even more so the more behind the lines you get. By the time you reach Hokage, like a General that is almost all of the job, you only get into the fight when things are well and truly fucked.
…or when you are bored. = )
It’s a little different in this universe. Differences in individual skill and power that accompany rank are so extreme that the leaders can’t always hold back from the fight, lest the lower ranks be annihilated by a small number of powerful foes. For example, in an all-out battle, a high-ranking jonin can kill countless genin or even low-ranked chuunin. Individual leaders who enter the fray unopposed can really shift the balance.
Canon Naruto could make an okay squad leader, when in a fight he's great, as long as his SIC can handle the out of combat chores. Team 8 Naruto is seeing their is more than leading in a fight to being a leader.
Meanwhile Neji critically blows his Wisdom check. Dude, the first rule of Holes is when you are in one, STOP DIGGING. He dismisses Naruto who took out his Rookie of the Year in a single punch, a wise man would study such an opponent who was gunning for him. Naruto likes to smile while he is kicking fate in the balls.
From his viewpoint, it’s considerably more likely that Sasuke was merely highly overrated. The Hyuugas aren’t exactly fond of the Uchiha anyway.
And Naruto using the Shadowclone, a major effort for most Jounin, to make a lunch run for him just underscores how MUCH power he has to play with. Sort of like renting an Airbus to get Chinese.
If it’s essentially zero opportunity cost for Naruto to use the ability, why shouldn’t he ‘play’ with it a bit?
"Neh, Hinata, it’s okay?" he asked, feeling like a complete idiot. Why didn’t they cover this in the Academy? Most of the boys in his class ended up teamed with a girl, and girls cried, right? Why didn’t Iruka-sensei tell us what to do when that happened
Sorry kid, that's saved for your jounin-sensei, and Kurenai decided you get to learn by being dumped into the deep end. Sink or swim, 'future Hokage'.
She also surmised that Naruto’s instincts are good, and an un-coached reaction would be the most likely to reach Hinata.
And Naruto show some interesting maturity when he admits both Kurenai has good reason to consider taking Hinata off field missions and Shino is 'smarter'. Less insecure so he can admit others are better than him in certain areas, for now. Plus the way he sits down and pulls all the things about the Hyuuga out of Hinata, seeing him in Hokage robes already? Wonder what the Tsunade retriveal will look like with Team 8?
Naruto gets so worried about his friends that his ego just sort of falls by the wayside. Insecurity and pride are less of an issue here as well, because he has teammates that truly care about him, and have expressed that very directly. From their talks, she knows more about how serious he is about his dream, and as we have seen she has taken on some of those ambitions on his behalf. (Like when she fantasized about being one of the chuunin that guard the door to his office, so she gets to say good morning to him every day.)
Iruka cleaning up in the preliminary betting is a great bit of leavity.
Enterance to the Chunnin Preliminaries, 200 ryo.
Spot in the guest balcony, 75 ryo.
Cover charge for the betting pool, 150 ryo.
The looks on everyone else face when your ten to one longshot beats the favored contender in three seconds? Priceless!
Heh. That’s a good variation on the ads I placed in the photo gallery on the yahoo group.
The final scene kind of mirrors the one where Naruto invites Hinata to regularly join him, Gai, and Lee in morning workouts. Hinata was sick at seeing Naruto's 'public' false smile slip in, and here it's Naruto waking up to Hinata's pathological self-doubt. He seems to be willing to drag it out of her kicking and screaming. Though I suspect Naruto's preference is for Team Eight to do the kicking, and Neji and Hiashi do the screaming.
Preferably.
One last thought, is Hinata going back to the compound when she heals? Kurenai would likely be willing to put her up, and the Aburames basically gave her an open invitation to shelter with them. Getting Hinata out from under might require she be moved away from the clan.
They’re going to have to do something, aren’t they?
Tom Mathews posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 6:47am
Nice the way you are building interactions between Hinata and Naruto.
However, are you setting Iruka up to be the next Hokage?
Viridian replied:
How so?
Teresa Lynne posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 4:32am
Many thanks for the excellent chapter! Here's hoping that Naruto and the others not only help Hinata, but deliver a certain message to assorted parties who are long overdue for that information. Every time I see that father of Hinata's in action I consider mayhem to be just a minor warm up for a slimeball like him! And as for Neji, maybe he'll realize what's really going on, but it's unlikely. He and Hinata's father are so hyped on themselves and their own interpretation of the world and life that the chances of them actually getting a clue are slim. Unless, of course it's delivered with lots of pain and agony. It should be an interesting series of matches both on and off the field in the next chapter(s)! Thanks again!
Cuey posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 4:17am
I never know what to say during a review, but I enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for posting it.
haphazard1 posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 4:13am
Thanks for another chapter of this excellent story. I really like seeing Naruto learning how to look "underneath the underneath". The glimpses into others' points of view were also good. And some semi-fluffy stuff now and then is not a bad thing.
Prince Charon posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 3:15am
Very interesting. Yeah, I can agree that Hinata's decision was very foolish, perhaps more here than in canon. Still think Neji's an asshole, though, and you convey his personality well. Interesting changes to Shino.
Thank you for updating.
More soon, please.
Gullwhacker2 posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 3:14am
You know, I like where this chapter went. Sure, my inner action fan wants to see how the exams go - but we just had the preliminaries. So, it's time for repercussions.
Specific thoughts - I don't think you've stated who Shino's facing. Shino doesn't actually seem to care - he's nearly as vengeful as Naruto, regarding Neji. Scary...
Kurenai chewing out Hinata for her folly - while determination is all well and good, that makes a good point. One that I don't think I've ever seen covered before.
Hokage having to deal with petitions... I really pity the old man. I can just imagine how flabbergasted people were when they heard about the match.
Naruto and Hinata interacting more...I think you showed three separate visits, each with a different tone. Really nice to see.
So, how much /did/ Iruka make off that betting? I loved Ichiraku's comment about wishing he'd been able to get in on it - nice to see that there are people who believe in Naruto.
Lastly, Gai. You write him well. And interesting idea, that all the youth speeches - or at least some of them - could be a cover...
Also, regarding your Author's Notes: Nice job heading off any complaints that Naruto shouldn't have been able to win. I applaud.
Overall, I good chapter. Not for the first time, however, I curse my speed-reading abilities. I guess I'll just have to go and reread from chapter one...
Viridian replied:
I've actually thrown open the betting scene as an Omake Contest. See my blog for details...
Philip Jacobs posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 3:04am
Yay, more win and awesome from one of my favorite authors! Seriously, I am glad that Hinata came out of her shell and demanded screen time here, because I think that we needed to see just what sort of effects that stomp-down defeat from Neji was having on her and the team as a whole. It's the background issues like this that inevitably shape and refine future responses from each team member, and it's always more satisfying for me when I get a better idea of where motivations are coming from than if things start happening and I have only a vague idea of just what has happened off-camera to lead to the onstage actions.
The whole Hyuuga family dynamic has always seemed to me to be seriously disfunctional, even in the canon manga. Ok, so they are paranoid about theft of their special bloodline ability, so I can see where that self-destruct seal would have evolved in the first place. But the whole Main and Branch family division just seems like it's an implosion waiting to happen from the get-go. Hinata losing face in her father's opinion for being weaker than her cousin, son of the esteemed brother that was sacrificed because her father's actions had repercussions makes way too much sense, and honestly I'm surprised that Neji hasn't been getting secret coaching from Hiashi for some time now, since it's been a proven fact through her entire training career that Hinata's not meeting his expectations. Something needs to be done with that family, and hopefully Naruto is going to be part of the clue-by-four that smacks them.
All in all, an excellent bit of bonding for Naruto and our favorite white-eye, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment. Loved the bit with Iruka cleaning up on the betting, I wonder just which other Konoha personages managed to reap a windfall? :)
As always, thanks for sharing, and I hope your Muse stays content and productive for you.
pyrodaemon posted a comment on Sunday 13th April 2008 8:31am