History YMMV / Team8

** Some are also divided over [[spoiler:killing off Kurenai]]. Was it a [[TearJerker powerful emotional moment]], or was it done too early on, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot eliminating possible story and character developments]]? Additionally, was [[spoiler:the cause of her death--a kunai to the head]] realistic and shocking, or anticlimactic? Furthermore, did the author's decision to keep the story on its original trajectory, with [[spoiler:Itachi being the one to kill Kurenai,]] date the fic since [[spoiler:in canon, Itachi was working for Konoha the whole time,]] or did the author's choice to continue with their original plot despite canon changes allow them to create a more original and interesting story?

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kurenai. A large portion of the fanbase likes her for being a more involved teacher for Naruto than Kakashi was in canon, and not only doing more to help him refine his jutsus and learn what it means to be a shinobi, but also deal with the emotional side of being a ninja, and essentially being a mother figure to him and Hinata. Others, however, are more critical of certain aspects, like [[CharacterShilling other characters repeatedly talking about how she's such a great teacher]], her almost always being right when she tells off other characters for their mistakes, and her being portrayed as the more competent Jounin instructor out of the three for the Rookie 9, even when it doesn't seem to make sense for her to be. [[AuthorsSavingThrow The writer might have picked up on this in Chapter 24]], where Iruka tells Naruto that Kurenai may [[spoiler:have been]] a good teacher, but that doesn't mean she was always right.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kurenai. A large portion of the fanbase likes her for being a more involved teacher for Naruto than Kakashi was in canon, and not only doing more to help him refine his jutsus and learn what it means to be a shinobi, but also deal with the emotional side of being a ninja, and essentially being a mother figure to him and Hinata. Others, however, are more critical of certain aspects, like [[CharacterShilling other characters talking about how she's such a great teacher]], her almost always being right when she tells off other characters for their mistakes, and her being portrayed as the more competent Jounin instructor out of the three for the Rookie 9, even when it doesn't seem to make sense for her to be. [[AuthorsSavingThrow The writer might have picked up on this in Chapter 24]], where Iruka tells Naruto that Kurenai may [[spoiler:have been]] a good teacher, but that doesn't mean she was always right.

** In this series, the entire Main Branch Hyuuga clan are in general much worse than they are in canon. Hiashi's cold exterior is more than a case of [[TheChainsOfCommanding acting as his station dictates]]; he's just an abusive ''dick''. He is abusive beyond just strictness to Hinata, and even his canon PetTheDog moment of begging for Neji's forgiveness after telling him the truth about Hizashi's death is replaced by a KickTheDog moment in which he [[YouHaveFailedMe only cares that Neji has lost]]; the only thing Hiashi is interested in is seeing him punished for "disgracing the clan." Similarly, Hanabi is quite dismissive of Hinata, not to mention [[UngratefulBastard completely unappreciative of Hinata's attempt to rescue her]]. According to WordOfGod, the [[ForWantOfANail original divergent event]] that lead to the events of the story is what supposedly caused the change in the Hyuuga clan, but that cause has not been revealed thus far.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Part of the divisive nature of this fanfic comes from its age, being first published around 2006. While it's unlikely it was the [[TropeMaker first one]], it's certainly one of the earliest examples to use [[FandomSpecificPlot certain plot points that have become common in many subsequent fanfics in the Naruto fandom]]. Among the more used and repeated plot points are: A different teacher training Naruto, resulting in his skills developing earlier; the genin teams being different due to someone else requesting Naruto (and leading to a [[FanPreferredCouple Naruto/Hinata]] pairing); and [[spoiler: the presence of a sinister conspiracy inside the Village council]]. While these plot points are treated here with more nuance than in many other fanfics, if you have read similar stories and come to this one expecting something incredibly original, you may be disappointed.
* TakeThatScrappy: Sakura, who was an irritating {{Tsundere}} in the anime and manga that beat up Naruto with little provocation, is served a large slice of HumblePie when she overhears Naruto warning Rock Lee to not waste his time on her, describing her as beautiful but cruel. This serves as a JerkassRealization for Sakura, who vows to be better and begins mending bridges with Ino(the latter happened in canon, but under different circumstances).

-->'''Naruto:''' Hinata, could you use your eyes to check me out?

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Sakura Haruno was TheScrappy for large portions of the canon, and [[LoveMartyr her love for Sasuke Uchiha]] turned into one of the most [[StrangledByTheRedString infamous romances]] in anime history. In ''Team 8'', although Sakura starts out hostile to the heroes, after overhearing Naruto criticizing her faults, she resolves to do better. While she still retains a {{Tsundere}} side and her crush on Sasuke, she makes an effort to be kinder, and also looks at her attraction to Sasuke more objectively. Also, she [[spoiler:[[Awesome/Team8 impales the head of a giant snake.]]]]

** In this series, the entire Main Branch Hyuuga clan are in general much worse than they are in canon. Hiashi's cold exterior is more than a case of [[TheChainsOfCommanding acting as his station dictates]]; he's just an abusive ''dick''. He is abusive beyond just strictness to Hinata, and even his canon PetTheDog moment of begging for Neji's forgiveness after telling him the truth about Hizashi's death is replaced by a KickTheDog moment in which he [[YouHaveFailedMe only cares that Neji has lost]]; the only thing Hiashi is interested in is seeing him punished for "disgracing the clan." Similarly, Hanabi is quite dismissive of Hinata. According to WordOfGod, the [[ForWantOfANail original divergent event]] that lead to the events of the story is what supposedly caused the change in the Hyuuga clan, but that cause has not been revealed thus far.

* TakeThatScrappy: Sakura, who was an irritating {{Tsundere}} in the anime and manga that beat up Naruto with little provocation, is served a large slice of HumblePie when she overhears Naruto warning Rock Lee to not waste his time on her, describing her as beautiful but cruel. This serves as a JerkassRealization for Sakura, who vows to be better and begins mending bridges with Ino.

* HypeBacklash: For the similar reasons to ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast''; it's a very popular fic with an avid fanbase, but some readers will likely find themselves turned off by the story, particularly some of the changes the author makes to canon.

** The fic itself has a lot of fans but it also has a good deal of people who either outright hate it, or don't think it's as great as hyped. Much of this comes from how AlternateCharacterInterpretation is used, particularly when it comes to making some characters more antagonistic than in canon (mostly the Hyuuga clan); as anyone who's read ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast'' might have observed, the author seems to have a preference for the "Black" end of the spectrum when it comes to villains, to nearly StupidEvil levels. While some of this is apparently justified by the ForWantOfANail, some readers feel these characters strain credibility.

** Some are also divided over [[spoiler:killing off Kurenai]]. Was it a [[TearJerker powerful emotional moment]], or was it done too early on, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot eliminating possible story and character developments]]? Additionally, was [[spoiler:the cause of her death- a kunai to the head]] realistic and shocking, or anticlimactic? Furthermore, did the author's decision to keep the story on its original trajectory, with [[spoiler:Itachi being the one to kill Kurenai,]] date the fic since [[spoiler:in canon, Itachi was working for Konoha the whole time,]] or did the author's choice to continue with their original plot despite canon changes allow them to create something new, interesting, and entirely theirs?

* HypeBacklash: For the same reasons as ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast''. Quite simply, it's a very popular fic with an avid fanbase, but some readers will likely find themselves turned off by the story, particularly some of the changes the author makes to canon.

** Like Itachi? You won't in this story, not after [[spoiler: he kills Kurenai.]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some readers believe that [[spoiler:Kurenai was killed off too early]] and [[spoiler:her]] potential as a character was wasted. Others argue that [[spoiler:her letter might inspire Naruto to find the truth about what happened to her team]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kurenai. A large portion of the fanbase likes her for being a more involved teacher for Naruto than Kakashi was in canon, and not only doing more to help him refine his jutsus and learn what it means to be a shinobi, but also deal with the emotional aspect of being a ninja, and essentially being a mother figure to him and Hinata. Others, however, are more critical of her, whether [[CharacterShilling characters talking about how she's such a great teacher]], her almost always being right while she tells off other characters for their mistakes, and her being portrayed as the more competent Jounin instructor out of the three for the Rookie 9, even when it might not make sense for her to be. [[AuthorsSavingThrow The writer might have picked up on this in Chapter 24]], where Iruka tells Naruto that Kurenai may [[spoiler:have been]] a good teacher, but that doesn't mean she was always right.

** In this series, the entire Main Branch Hyuuga clan are in general much worse than they are in canon. Hiashi's cold exterior is more than a case of [[TheChainsOfCommanding acting as his station dictates]]; he's just an abusive ''dick''. Even his biggest PetTheDog moment from canon (bowing down on his knees to beg for Neji's forgiveness after telling him the truth about Hizashi's death) is replaced by a KickTheDog moment instead in which he [[YouHaveFailedMe only cares that Neji has lost]] (despite Neji ending up ''far'' more badly injured from his fight with Naruto than he did in canon; the only thing Hiashi is interested in is seeing him punished for "disgracing the clan"). Similarly, Hanabi is quite dismissive of Hinata. According to WordOfGod, the [[ForWantOfANail original divergent event]] that lead to the events of the story is what supposedly caused the change in the Hyuuga clan, but that cause has not been revealed thus far.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Not inside the story itself, but regarding its relationship with canon. [[WordOfGod The author]] has mentioned that, since he outlined most of the plot since the beginning, the story will not conform to the way things turned out to work in canon, and that the fanfic will stop actively following canon events after a certain point.

** Hinata UpToEleven compared to canon due to the 'nail' shifting her family life from aloof to outright abusive.

** Kurenai, given what we've learned so far about her backstory, qualifies bigtime. As does Naruto, of course... Really, of all of Team 8; only Shino is completely well-adjusted, and given he's TheStoic, that says a ''lot''.

** The fic itself has a lot of fans but it also has a good deal of people who either outright hate it, or don't think it's as great as hyped. Much of this comes from how AlternateCharacterInterpretation is used, particularly when it comes to making some characters more antagonistic than in canon (mostly the Hyuuga clan); as anyone who's read ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast'' might have observed, the author seems to have a preference for the "Black" end of the spectrum when it comes to villains, to near-StupidEvil levels. While some of this is apparently justified by the ForWantOfANail, some readers feel these characters strain credibility.
** Some reviewers are also divided over [[spoiler:killing off Kurenai]]. Was it a [[TearJerker powerful emotional moment]], or was it done too early on, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot eliminating possible story and character developments]]? Additionally, was [[spoiler:the cause of her death- a kunai to the head]] realistic and shocking, or anticlimactic? Furthermore, did the author's decision to keep the story on its original trajectory, with [[spoiler: Itachi being the one to kill Kurenai,]] date the fic since [[spoiler: in canon, Itachi was working for Konoha the whole time,]] or did the author's choice to continue with their original plot despite canon changes allow them to create something new, interesting, and entirely theirs?

** To a lesser extent, Sakura more readily bad-mouths Naruto than in canon. This is in part due to them not being on the same team, and so not having the same ties as in canon, but her flaws are presented in a worse light here, and Naruto (and later Sakura herself) are more critical of her shortcomings than in canon.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kurenai. A large portion of the fanbase likes her for being a more involved teacher for Naruto than Kakashi was in canon, and not only doing more to help him refine his jutsus and learn what it means to be a shinobi, but also deal with the emotional aspect of being a ninja, and essentially being a mother figure to him and Hinata. Others, however, are more critical of her, whether [[CharacterShilling characters talking about how she's such a great teacher]], her almost always being right while she tells off other characters for their mistakes, and her being portrayed as the only competent Jounin instructor out of the three for the Rookie 9, even when it might not make sense for her to be. [[AuthorsSavingThrow The writer might have picked up on this in Chapter 24]], where Iruka tells Naruto that Kurenai may [[spoiler:have been]] a good teacher, but that doesn't mean she was always right.

* HypeBacklash: For the same reasons as ''HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast''. Quite simply, it's a very popular fic with an avid fanbase, but some readers will likely find themselves turned off by the story, particularly some of the changes the author makes to canon.

** The fic itself has a lot of fans but it also has a good deal of people who either outright hate it, or don't think it's as great as hyped. Much of this comes from how AlternateCharacterInterpretation is used, particularly when it comes to making some characters more antagonistic than in canon (mostly the Hyuuga clan); as anyone who's read ''HarryPotterAndTheNightmaresOfFuturesPast'' might have observed, the author seems to have a preference for the "Black" end of the spectrum when it comes to villains, to near-StupidEvil levels. While some of this is apparently justified by the ForWantOfANail, some readers feel these characters strain credibility.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Kurenai. A large portion of the fanbase likes her for being a more involved teacher for Naruto than Kakashi was in canon, and not only doing more to help him refine his jutsus and learn what it means to be a shinobi, but also deal with the emotional aspect of being a ninja, and essentially being a mother figure to him and Hinata. Others, however, are more critical of her, whether [[CharacterShilling characters talking about how she's such a great teacher]], her almost always being right while she tells off other characters for their mistakes, and her being portrayed as the only competent Jounin instructor out of the three for the Rookie 9, even when it might not make sense for her to be.
** [[AuthorsSavingThrow The writer might have picked up on this in Chapter 24]], with Iruka telling Naruto that Kurenai may [[spoiler: have been]] a good teacher, but that doesn't mean she was always right.

* {{Fanon}}: Much of the story is based on fanon theories such as an extremely powerful village council and intentional abuse and mistraining of Naruto. However, unlike their common use in fanon, they are very fleshed out and the consequences of such things even occurring are explored in full.

** And of course, Tsukuyomi works differently in canon.

** The portrayal of a certain villain ([[spoiler:Itachi]]) is different from how he turned out to be in canon ([[spoiler:that is, GoodAllAlong, [[OmniscientMoralityLicense for a certain value of good]].]]) Nevertheless, this fanfic was first published in 2006, prior to the manga's certain revelations regarding said villain.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Not inside the story itself, but regarding its relationship with canon.
** Two aspects of the fanfic that are not related to the [[ForWantOfANail nail]] don't match the way they appear in the original series. Specifically: The [[MagicAIsMagicA use of elemental jutsus]] in chapter 6 is inaccurate, and the portrayal of a certain villain ([[spoiler: Itachi]]) is very different from how he turned out to be in canon ([[spoiler: that is, GoodAllAlong, [[OmniscientMoralityLicense for a certain value of good]].]]) Nevertheless, this fanfic was first published in 2006, prior to the manga explaining how elemental jutsu actually worked, as well as prior to certain revelations regarding said villain. On that regard, [[WordOfGod the author]] has mentioned that, since he outlined most of the plot since the beginning, the story will not conform to the way things turned out to work in canon, and that the fanfic will stop actively following canon events after a certain point.

** To a lesser extent, Sakura more readily bad-mouths Naruto than in canon. This is in part due to them not being on the same team, and so not having the same ties as in canon, but her flaws are presented in a worse light here, and Naruto and Sakura herself are harsher on her shortcomings than they are in canon.

** In this series, Hiashi's cold exterior is more than a case of [[TheChainsOfCommanding acting as his station dictates]]; he's just an abusive ''dick''. Even his biggest PetTheDog moment from canon (bowing down on his knees to beg for Neji's forgiveness after telling him the truth about Hizashi's death) is replaced by a KickTheDog moment instead in which he [[YouHaveFailedMe only cares that Neji has lost]] (despite Neji ending up ''far'' more badly injured from his fight with Naruto than he did in canon, the only thing Hiashi is interested in is seeing him punished for "disgracing the clan"). By WordOfGod, something happened to Hiashi related to the incident with Mattai, which supposedly explains this behavior, but that cause has not been revealed thus far.
** Similarly, Hanabi is also quite dismissive of Hinata, a common characterization of her despite appearing in only a few scenes.
** This also extends to the entire Main Branch Hyuga clan, who are in general much worse than they are in canon.
** To a lesser extent, Sakura more readily badmouths Naruto than in canon. This is in part due to them not being on the same team, and so not having the same ties as in canon, but her flaws are presented in a worse light here, and Naruto and Sakura herself are harsher on her shortcomings than they are in canon.

** [[AbusiveParents Hiashi]] does this [[spoiler: when he disguises a training session with Hinata to beat her. The rest of the cast is visibly disturbed when they find Hinata battered and bruised, starving, and unable to stand because she hadn't slept at all.]] If Kurenai's [[spoiler: post-death letter]] is any indication, Hiashi may also be the one pulling the strings on the incident that [[spoiler: killed her former teammates]] after it was revealed that Kurenai's best friend [[spoiler: had the Byakugan despite not being a Hyuuga and refused to join the Branch Family and submit to their treatment of them, which would include getting a Curse Mark.]]

** In this series, Hiashi's cold exterior is more than a case of [[TheChainsOfCommanding acting as his station dictates]]; he's just an abusive ''dick''. Even his biggest PetTheDog moment from canon (bowing down on his knees to beg for Neji's forgiveness after telling him the truth about Hizashi's death) is replaced by a KickTheDog moment instead in which he [[YouHaveFailedMe only cares that Neji has lost]] (despite Neji ending up ''far'' more badly injured from his fight with Naruto than he did in canon, the only thing Hiashi is interested in is seeing him punished for "disgracing the clan"). By WordOfGod, something happened to Hiashi related to the incident with Mattai, which might explain this behavior, but since that has not been revealed in the fic yet, he still comes off as slightly over-the-top.

** Similar to Sakura, Sasuke acts a bit more coldly than in canon. The most striking instance is in his preliminary match with Naruto, where he insults Hinata to Naruto's face, when she was just hospitalized from her fight. While this is admitted to be a valid psychological tactic, other characters still note that it was a pretty callous move.

* TakeThatScrappy: Sakura, who was an irritating {{Tsundre}} in the anime and manga that beat up Naruto with little provocation, is served a large slice of HumblePie when she overhears Naruto warning Rock Lee to not waste his time on her, describing her as beautiful but cruel. This serves as a JerkassRealization for Sakura, who vows to be better and begins mending bridges with Ino.

** [[spoiler:Sasuke]] has a moment as well: ''Yup, make fun of Hinata, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown right after she got beaten within an inch of her life]]. Piss off her [[TrueCompanions teammate]], the guy who helped you fight [[spoiler:Orochimaru]], and [[BullyingADragon actually fared better than you did]]. This will [[SarcasmMode totally]] [[CurbStompBattle end]] [[IHitYouYouHitTheGround well]].'

** This also extends to the entire Main Branch Hyuga clan, who are in general much, ''much'' worse than they are in canon.

** Kurenai, given what we've learned so far about her backstory, qualifies bigtime. As does Naruto, of course... Really, of all of Team 8, only Shino is completely well-adjusted, and given he's TheStoic, that says a ''lot''.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some readers believe that [[spoiler:Kurenai was killed off too early]] and [[spoiler:her]] potential as a character was wasted. On the bright side, [[spoiler:her letter might inspire Naruto to find the truth about what happened to her team]].

** Similar to Sakura, Sasuke acts a bit more coldly than in canon. The most striking instance is in his preliminary match with Naruto, where he insults Hinata to Naruto's face, when she was just hospitalized from her fight. While this is noted to be a valid psychological tactic, other characters still note that it was a pretty callous move.

** To a lesser extent, Sakura is more of a jerk than in canon, and more readily badmouths Naruto. This is in part due to them not being on the same team, and so not having the same ties as in canon, but her flaws are presented in a worse light here, and Naruto and Sakura herself are harsher on her shortcomings than they are in canon.