''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8944611/1/Naruto-The-Secret-Songs-of-the-Ninja Naruto: the Secret Songs of the Ninja]]'' is a ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' ForWantOfANail fanfic written by @/ArcaneAzmadi. The nail in this case is simple; when Sasuke "died" during his and Naruto's fight with Haku early in the series, [[KilledOffForReal he actually DID die]] rather than waking up again at the end. The story follows the consequences of this drastic change as Naruto and Sakura have to overcome their grief and learn to work together again, together with their new teammate, an older boy named Kyoshun Keiji. Events deviate wildly from the events of canon as a result, leading things to go in drastic and unexpected directions.

At the end of Chapter 12, a gaiden fic called ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12905426/1/Naruto-Melody-of-the-Shinobi Naruto: Melody of the Shinobi]]'' begins, filling in events that would take place during the TimeSkip between Chapters 12 and 13.

The story [[http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/naruto-the-secret-songs-of-the-ninja.247675/ has a thread on]] Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom and [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/naruto-melody-of-the-shinobi.590496/ a separate one]] for ''Melody of the Shinobi'' where you can read drafts of upcoming chapters as they're written. Please do not add spoilers from there until the chapter is officially released on fanfiction.net as unreleased material is subject to change.

Absolutely ''not'' to be confused with ''FanFic/NaretoTheScretOfShiobi''. See also ''Fanfic/ForLove'', a different ''Naruto'' fic by the same author.
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!!''Naruto: the Secret Songs of the Ninja'' provides examples of:
%%* ActionGirl:
%%** Sakura and Hinata both get to be this surprisingly quickly.
%%** Taniguchi Tsuchiko of Iwagakure, a chuunin.
%%** Inuzuka Hana.
* AgonyBeam: [[spoiler:Wabisuke]]'s Inner Suicide Jutsu allows him to inflict crippling agony with a touch of his hand, without inflicting (immediate) lasting damage.
* AllMenArePerverts: When [[spoiler:Naruto shreds Tsunade's obi during their fight]], almost ''every man and boy present'' groans in collective disappointment when she manages to hold her top shut instead of letting her boobs bounce out.
%%* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata in chapter 11.]]
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Wabisuke gets his right hand torn off at the wrist by Naruto with his Fox's Claws.]]
** [[spoiler:Kiba loses his right arm in chapter 8 and his right leg is so mangled that it has to be amputated as well.]]
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Jiraiya rather bitingly asks Tsunade when was the last time she did something ''Shizune'' wanted to do, considering Shizune has followed her loyally all over the world and helped look after her for twenty years, when [[spoiler:he tries to leave Shizune in charge of the Fortress of the Senju while he, Kakashi's team and Guy's team are away]].
* AscendedExtra: [[spoiler:Gen'ryumaru]], the shinobi who originally only appeared on page long enough to [[spoiler:become Orochimaru's new body]] instead fights alongside the heroes when [[spoiler:they bust him out of Orochimaru's prison along with the other prisoners]] and escapes alive to fight another day, developing a grudging respect for Naruto.
* BadassBoast: Delivered by Naruto to [[spoiler:Tsunade]]:
-->'''Naruto:''' Sure I [[KnowWhenToFoldEm know when I'm beaten]], but it's not yet. Because ''[[{{Determinator}} I'm still breathing!]]''
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Jiraiya saves the remnants of the Konoha forces from complete annihilation during the fall of Konoha.]]
* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata's kiss at the end of Chapter 12.]]
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: [[spoiler:Inuzuka Hana ''[[GuttedLikeAFish disembowels]]'' one of the Sound ninja that was going to finish off Kiba, and her dogs tear out the throat of one of the others.]]
** Temari and Kankuro both show this towards Gaara [[spoiler:when the Kyuubi nearly kills him]].
* BigNo: From [[spoiler:the Kyuubi]] just before Naruto [[spoiler:activates the Five Elements Restrained Seal and takes back control of his body]].
* AlienBlood: The Kyuubi has black blood.
* BottomlessMagazines: Averted by Keiji during [[spoiler:the Hosokusa rescue]] when he uses up his last shuriken. Considering Keiji carries several ''hundred'' shuriken on his body, [[FlechetteStorm this is no mean feat.]]
* BrickJoke: In chapter 5, [[spoiler:Sakura]] persuades Akashi Tsuneo to talk by threatening to [[GroinAttack cut off his balls]] if he doesn't. Next chapter, some other Iwa-nins are discussing his disappearance, believing he's just gone AWOL, and one comments that their commander will cut off his balls for it.
* BringIt: Naruto says exactly this to [[spoiler:Orochimaru]]. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] because he knows he can't win, but [[YouShallNotPass will stand his ground regardless]].
* BroadStrokes: The author's notes for chapter 10 make it clear that Arcane Azmadi is taking this approach to the post-TimeSkip canon, considering his clear dislike for the direction the manga took as it went on. He's very specific that the fanfic will be following the manga devoutly up until the TimeSkip, but everything after that will be cherry-picked at his discretion (he's already made it clear that the Bijuu and the concept of "jinchuuriki" don't exist in his story).
* ButtMonkey: Akashi Tsuneo, a 30-year old Iwa ninja who never made it past genin and is generally considered a loser by his peers. [[spoiler:He gets seduced, drugged and captured by Sakura (using a henge) and cracks embarassingly easily when she and Keiji threaten him with torture- or worse, [[GroinAttack castration]].]]
* CatapultNightmare: Naruto wakes up from one after [[spoiler:his fight with Gaara]], in which [[spoiler:the Kyuubi killed all his friends while possessing him]].
* ChainPain: [[spoiler:Wabisuke]] fights with a kusari-gama.
* ChekhovsGun: It looks like Keiji is finally going to use his [[FuumaShuriken Deathwind Shuriken]] in [[spoiler:the Hosokusa rescue]], but he ultimately [[AvertedTrope decides it's too risky]]. He finally uses it [[spoiler:to ''[[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe cut Orochimaru in half]]'' in chapter 9]].
** The [[spoiler:Five Elements Restrained Seal]] Jiraiya placed on Naruto in chapter 7 comes into play [[spoiler:in chapter 10 when the Kyuubi takes control of Naruto's body]].
* ChekhovsSkill: In between the start of chapter 4 and the end of chapter 8, Keiji has apparently mastered that trick of throwing his shuriken into each other in mid-air to redirect them at new angles.
* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota on Naruto and Kakashi.]]
* TheConfidant: Hinata serves as this to Naruto, as she does in canon [[spoiler:when he confesses to her his doubts about whether he can beat Gaara as well as his fear that actually being able to do so would make him "a monster"]], but Naruto also serves as this to her in chapter 3.
* ContinuityNod: In chapter 6, Naruto catches a kunai is his teeth to fight [[spoiler:Tsuchiko]] without his hands, in a CallBack to Zabuza's last stand.
** The [[spoiler:Five Elements Restrained Seal]] Jiraiya puts on [[spoiler:Naruto]] is the same one [[spoiler:Orochimaru put on him]] in canon, only modified so he can activate it at will as an emergency measure to [[spoiler:CutTheJuice on the Kyuubi]].
* CovertPervert: [[spoiler:Keiji]] turns out to be a secret fan of the ''Icha Icha'' books.
* CripplingOverspecialisation: Keiji is one of the most amazing shuriken-users in the world (most ninja not considering shurikenjutsu something worth specialising in to the extent that he does), capable of pulling off feats most people don't even consider possible. However, the side effects of his incredible distance vision is an inability to focus properly at close range, making him almost defenceless in close-quarter combat. He's also ''exclusively'' adept with shuriken; his abilities with other thrown weapons such as kunai is totally unremarkable.
* CurbStompBattle: Naruto's fight against [[spoiler:Tsunade]] is the most one-sided fight in the entire fic to date, as he's [[spoiler:entirely barred from using his Kyuubi power]]- he can't even ''touch'' his opponent [[spoiler:but manages to win anyway [[DefeatByModesty by modesty]]]].
* CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: [[CallBack Inspired by Zabuza's last stand,]] [[spoiler:Naruto]] holds a kunai between his teeth to fight [[spoiler:Taniguchi Tsuchiko while his hands are shackled behind his back]].
* CutTheJuice: The [[spoiler:Five Elements Restrained Seal]] works like this, allowing Naruto to [[spoiler:completely disrupt his own chakra network if the Kyuubi looks like it's getting out of control, instantly shutting it out]].
* DeadFic: Hasn't been updated since 2017.
* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:Naruto makes a deal with the Kyuubi for not only power but also knowledge of the demon-fox's own unique techniques. It involves him modifying the 4th Hokage's seal and drinking a sip of the Kyuubi's black blood to give the fox a more direct connection to his consciousness.]]
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:Kabuto uses a one of his customisable corpses to fake Hinata's death when he kidnaps her during the fall of Konoha. Fortunately Kiba sees [[TheNoseKnows (or smells)]] through it and calls in TheCavalry.]]
* DefeatByModesty: [[spoiler:Tsunade says she'll fight Naruto with her right hand behind her back and agrees she'll concede defeat if he can make her take it out, which he forces her to do when she grabs him with her other hand, only for him to hit her in the stomach with an incomplete Rasengan, shredding her obi and making her reflexively hold her top closed with her right hand to keep her boobs from bouncing out.]] Also counts as a DisqualificationInducedVictory.
* DemonicPossession: As a result of the DealWithTheDevil, [[spoiler:during the fight with Gaara the Kyuubi, rather than trying to break free from Naruto, takes over his body instead]].
* {{Determinator}}: Naruto as usual, but especially during [[spoiler:his extensive torture by Wabisuke, where he withstands ''unspeakable'' pain for ''days'' without cracking]].
** Also as usual, Hinata.
* DisproportionateRetribution: During the 3rd Shinobi War, [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota]] had his face disfigured in single combat with [[spoiler:Kakashi]]. Years later, this is his motivation for [[spoiler:capturing and torturing Kakashi and Naruto, then attempting to frame them for an attemped assassination of the Earth Country Daimyo to start a new war between Iwa and Konoha]].
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Team 7 do this to sneak into [[spoiler:Orochimaru's base]] (actually using henge to make it more convincing, combined with [[spoiler:KillAndReplace]]).
* EarlyBirdCameo: Although never identified by name, Keiji's old Team 5 was wiped out by Hoshigaki Kisame.
* EnemyWithin: The Kyuubi is more this to Naruto than in canon, with shades of TreacherousAdvisor.
* EntertaininglyWrong: Naruto thinks Hinata prefers to keep the forehead protector he loaned her and give him hers to replace it because it gives her confidence the way it did to him, since [[ObliviousToLove it used to be Iruka's]].
* EyeScream: Offscreen, [[spoiler:Inoichi loses both his eyes in the fall of Konoha]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota]] sometimes comes across as friendly, almost jolly. He's an insane, sadistic, murderous psychopath [[spoiler:who's trying to start a war for reasons of petty revenge]].
* FightingFromTheInside: [[spoiler:Naruto, when the Kyuubi takes control of his body.]]
* FlechetteStorm: Keiji has the fastest hands of anyone Naruto knows; he can throw over 30 shuriken in 20 seconds, even at extreme range. At short ranges he's even faster, albeit less accurate.
* ForcedToWatch: How [[spoiler:Wabisuke]] tortures [[spoiler:Kakashi]].
* ForWantOfANail: Sasuke's death ultimately leads to MAJOR differences in the development of the plot. The first really significant one of these is the new Team 7 being ''refused'' permission to enter the Chuunin Exam by the 3rd Hokage.
** Rather more drastically, this leads to [[spoiler:the destruction of Konoha and the decimation of their forces in the Sand/Sound attack during the Chuunin Exam finals]].
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:Wabisuke's plan is to accuse Team 7 of planning to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Earth (under the orders of the Hokage, with forged secret instructions) in order to provoke a war between Iwa and Konoha.]]
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:The Kyuubi makes a deal with Naruto to give him access to his power and also his knowledge to save his friends, by modifying the 4th Hokage's seal and drinking a sip of the Kyuubi's blood. This causes Naruto to act extremely viciously in his battle with Wabisuke, as well as use the VoiceOfTheLegion and refer to himself as "we" rather than "I" for the duration.]]
* FuumaShuriken: Keiji's Deathwind shuriken. It folds up the same way Sasuke's shadow windmill did in the first fight with Zabuza, but when unfolded it's actually considerably ''larger'' than the one Kaede wields in the FuumaShuriken page image- each blade is nearly 4 feet long, so at full size it's wider than a man is tall.
* [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Get A Hold Of Yourself, Girl!]]: Ino attacks and belittles Sakura at the climax of chapter 1, forcing her to snap out of her HeroicBSOD caused by Sasuke's death and fight back.
* GodzillaThreshold: [[spoiler:Temari requests Naruto fight Gaara "as one monster to another" when Gaara threatens to destroy Suna. During the fight, Naruto is forced to unleash the full power of the Kyuubi to stop Gaara from doing the same with the Shukaku, and [[DemonicPossession almost pays the price]].]]
* GoThroughMe: [[spoiler:Kankuro stands between the Kyuubi and the fallen Gaara and Temari even after Karasu is destroyed. Gaara even notes that Kankuro has basically no chance, as he neglects his taijutsu and has no weapons other than Karasu, but he prepares to fight the demonic monster with his ''fists'' if he has to. Fortunately, Naruto stops it just in time.]]
* GroinAttack: [[spoiler:Akashi Tsuneo]]'s defiance doesn't last long when [[spoiler:Sakura threatens to cut off his balls unless he talks]].
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Orochimaru after taking Keiji's [[FuumaShuriken Deathwind]] to the stomach. He survives, though.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Naruto and Sakura spend most of chapter 1 in one until they get snapped out of it by Iruka and Ino respectively.
** Hinata falls into a bad one after surrendering to Neji in the Chuunin Exam preliminary rounds as Naruto wasn't there to interrupt his BreakingSpeech. This drives her to run away from Konoha in shame, requiring her to be retrieved by Team 7.
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Naruto technically defeats Tsunade during their duel when she has a HeroicBSOD after he coughs up a mouthful of blood onto her face, triggering her haemophobia and causing her to use her right hand to try and wipe it off without thinking, which would be a forfeit. However, Naruto refuses to accept winning that way and wipes the blood off himself before telling Tsunade to put her hand behind her back again and keep going, even though he's getting absolutely ''wrecked'' by her. He manages to win anyway.]]
* HowMuchMoreCanHeTake: Naruto gets the absolute ''shit'' beaten out of him by [[spoiler:Tsunade]] but simply refuses to quit, eventually finding a way to win.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each chapter is called a "Song" (eg "The Song of Lost Souls", "The Song of Bitter Ashes", "The Song of Coiling Death" etc).
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Keiji with shuriken. His abilities with them are ''absurd''; unfortunately he suffers CripplingOverspecialisation as a result.
* IronicEcho: Kakashi echoes [[spoiler:Wabisuke]]'s earlier statement about [[spoiler:not leaving "unfinished business" [[PreMortemOneLiner right before finishing him off]]]].
* KilledOffForReal: Sasuke, obviously. [[spoiler:Many characters also die in the destruction of Konoha- the 3rd Hokage dies as usual, but also Neji, Shino, Asuma, Shikaku and according to WordOfGod, many characters who don't even get mentioned because we didn't even get the chance to meet them in this story, including Anko, Danzo, Sai, Yamato and most background characters.]]
** Subverted with [[spoiler:Hinata; although her death is formally confirmed, [[DeathFakedForYou it was one of Kabuto's tricks]]]].
* LittleNo: Hinata uses this twice, first at the end of chapter 3 when her father tells her it's OK for her to stop being a ninja, then in chapter 8 to no less a person than [[spoiler:Orochimaru himself when he's trying to intimidate her into submission]].
* MagiBabble: In chapter 7 Jiraiya is explaining to Naruto the purpose of a complicated seal [[spoiler:which will supposedly allow him to shut down the Kyuubi if it tries to run out of control]] and Naruto thinks of it as a "torrent of jutsubabble".
* MotivationalKiss: [[spoiler:Hinata]] gives one on the cheek to Naruto the night before his duel against [[spoiler:Gaara]] as a "good luck charm". It ends up [[spoiler:saving them all when it [[ThePowerOfLove allows Naruto to hear Hinata's voice and take back control of his body from the Kyuubi]] during the battle]].
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: On Naruto's first meeting with Jiraiya[[note]]Actually an [[InvertedTrope inverted example]] as Naruto is excluding Kakashi from a ''negative'' label[[/note]]:
-->This was the great Toad Sage who had [[spoiler:saved Konoha’s survivors from total annihilation]]? The disciple of the Third Hokage who was almost a legend? A writer of dirty books for dirty men (and Kakashi-sensei)?
* MyGreatestFailure: For Keiji, the deaths of his previous team.
** For that matter, Sasuke's death is this for Naruto and Sakura.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[spoiler:The Kyuubi]] unleashes this on [[spoiler:Gaara]] after [[spoiler:taking over Naruto's body during his and Gaara's duel]]. A fight that up until then had been a brutally closely-contested slugout becomes a one-sided beatdown in an instant.
* NoMatterHowMuchIBeg: [[spoiler:Naruto tells Kakashi not to reveal any information about Konoha to Wabisuke no matter how much Wabisuke tortures him ([[RevengeByProxy Naruto,]] that is, not [[ForcedToWatch Kakashi]]).]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark:
** Naruto to Keiji after he hears the story of how he lost his ''entire'' team in a mission gone wrong (very much like the Wave Country mission, only worse).
** He also has this to Gaara, as in canon, although it's partly subverted when Gaara says their radically different beliefs make them not alike after all, something Naruto is happy to agree with.
* ObliviousToLove: Naruto continues to be a classic example of this trope with regards to Hinata. When she asks if she can keep his forehead protector that he loaned her and gives him hers instead, he thinks she wants it because it used to be ''Iruka's.''
** [[spoiler:Much of Chapter 12 is dedicated to Naruto working his way through this and coming to the realisation that he does actually love Hinata.]]
* OddFriendship: It's not exactly a "friendship" but [[spoiler:when Hinata has some free time while at Suna she hangs out with ''Kankuro,'' observing him while he works on repairing Karasu and, flattered by her interest, he educates her on Suna's combat puppet tradition]].
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata, as of chapter 12.]]
* OhCrap: A series of consecutive ones during [[spoiler:the fight between Naruto and Gaara]] as each combatant keeps raising the stakes higher. The biggest probably comes when [[spoiler:it looks like the Kyuubi has taken complete control of Naruto.]]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In chapter 10 Kakashi notes with astonishment that he's never heard Guy swear before in the entire twenty years they've known each other when [[spoiler:Gaara retreats to his sand sphere to summon the Shukaku's armour]].
* ThePowerOfBlood: [[spoiler:Naruto's enhanced contract with the Kyuubi requires him to drink a sip of its blood.]]
* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler:The kiss Hinata left on Naruto's cheek as a "good luck charm" allows her voice to reach him when the Kyuubi possesses him and suppresses his consciousness within his soulspace.]]
* PreMortemOneLiner: The IronicEcho above.
-->[[spoiler:'''Kakashi:''' You were right about one thing, Wabisuke. [[SlashedThroat It's not smart to leave unfinished business.]]]]
* ThePromise: Between Naruto and Hinata:
-->'''Naruto:''' I’ll make you a promise- for as long as you keep trying without giving up, even when you fail, just remember that I’ll believe in you so you can stay strong. And I’ll do anything I can to help you. OK Hinata?
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Kakashi delivers a brief one of these to [[spoiler:Wabisuke]] while pointedly [[spoiler:destroying the forged mission scroll Wabisuke needed to ignite the war between Iwa and Konoha]] in front of him, right before [[spoiler:killing him]].
-->'''Kakashi:''' It's over, [[spoiler:Wabisuke]]. You’ve lost. It’s time for you to exit the stage now, for good.
* TheRemnant: [[spoiler:The survivors of the destruction of Konoha who fall back to the Hidden Fortress of the Senju, led by Jiraiya.]]
* {{Revenge}}: [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota]] seeks revenge on [[spoiler:Kakashi]] for [[spoiler:mutilating his face in battle at the end of the 3rd Shinobi War]].
** RevengeByProxy: He enacts this revenge by [[spoiler:capturing Kakashi and Naruto and torturing Naruto in front of him. He also plans to reignite the war between Iwa and Konoha after executing them in order to complete his "unfinished business" by destroying it.]]
* RunningGag: The [[IDoNotOwn disclaimer at the start of each chapter]], rather than the usual "I do not own ''Naruto'', everything is property of Masashi Kishimoto etc", is some kind of snarky dismissive or denial. WordOfGod is that that he considers such disclaimers [[CaptainObvious an expression of the bleeding obvious]] and satirising them is a trademark of all his stories.
* SayMyName: [[spoiler:When the Kyuubi has taken over Naruto's body during his duel with Gaara, Hinata screaming his name is the only thing he can hear when his consciousness is suppressed inside his soulspace, waking him up and giving him a chance to fight for control his body.]]
* TheSchlubPubSeductionDeduction: Sakura (with the assistance of a henge) seduces, drugs and captures a particularly hapless Iwa shinobi [[spoiler:so she and Keiji can interrogate him about Naruto and Kakashi's situation]].
* ShipperOnDeck: Sakura and Jiraiya for [[spoiler:Hinata and Naruto]], although it only takes one good conversation for each of them to [[spoiler:convince the other two to get together]].
* ShoutOut:
** According to WordOfGod [[spoiler:the Hidden Fortress of the Senju]] is a ShoutOut to the classic Creator/AkiraKurosawa film ''Film/TheHiddenFortress''.
** The [[IDoNotOwn disclaimer]] at the start of chapter 7 is the spoken track "Disclaimer" from Music/TheOffspring album ''Ixnay on the Hombre.''
** The [[IDoNotOwn disclaimer]] for chapter 9 is one of [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bart Simpson's]] old catchphrases.
* SoProudOfYou: Kakashi tells his students how proud he is of them all after [[spoiler:Sakura and Keiji rescue him and Naruto from execution]].
* StuffBlowingUp: Explosive tags are starting to become Sakura's trademark, especially when she gets a chance to set them up in advance.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Sakura's plan to rescue [[spoiler:Naruto and Kakashi from execution]] features no less than [[spoiler:''thirty-six'' precisely placed explosive tags going off simultaneously]]- and that's just the ''first'' step!
* [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself This Is Something She's Got To Do Herself]]: After [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre giving her some encouragement]], Naruto leaves Hinata alone to deal with the gang of thugs and their renegade ninja boss who were planning to kidnap her and sell her into slavery by herself, to let her build up some confidence. However he does hide nearby and remains ready to intervene if it looks like she's going to lose.
%%* TimeSkip: There will be one between Chapters 12 and 13, although not yet written.
%%* TookALevelInBadass: Sakura during the Hosokusa arc.
%%* TortureTechnician: [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota.]]
* ToThePain: [[spoiler:Wabisuke]] explains how his Inner Suicide Jutsu works to [[spoiler:Kakashi]] after giving him a small sample so he'll know exactly what will be happening to [[spoiler:Naruto]].
* TrojanPrisoner: How Team 7 infiltrate [[spoiler:the Sound base]], with Sakura playing the prisoner.
* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler:Wabisuke Ryota.]]
* WhamLine:
-->'''Keiji:''' [[spoiler:Konoha's been destroyed.]]
* WhenSheSmiles: Hinata.
-->A sudden random thought struck him at that moment- [[WhenSheSmiles when she smiled]], Hinata was actually quite pretty. [[ObliviousToLove He wondered how he'd never managed to notice that before.]]
* WithMyHandsTied: [[spoiler:Naruto]] has to fight with both hands shackled behind his back during [[spoiler:the escape from Hosokusa]]. He does so by [[spoiler:getting Sakura to toss him a kunai which he catches in his teeth, in a deliberate CallBack to Zabuza's last stand]].
** Tsunade fights [[spoiler:Naruto]] with one hand behind her back. [[spoiler:If Naruto can make her take it out, he wins. He does, [[DefeatByModesty defeating her by modesty]].]]
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:Wabisuke]] would not only hurt one, but also torture one for days on end.
* YearInsideHourOutside: Naruto's soulspace works this way (as it does in canon, although attention was never drawn to it)- during [[spoiler:the fight with Wabisuke]] Naruto is panicking about not having time to waste talking to the Kyuubi while the fox tells him they have as much time as he needs. It also [[YearOutsideHourInside works both ways]] if Naruto goes there while unconscious- he can spend a few minutes or hours in the soulspace, but won't leave until his body wakes up, even if he's out for an entire day.
* YoureInsane: Kakashi to [[spoiler:Wabisuke]]. [[AxCrazy He's right.]]
* YourMindMakesItReal: Played with and partly inverted with the world inside Naruto's soul where he meets the Kyuubi- the world is partly shaped by his thoughts, so he can, for example, breathe underwater as long as he convinces himself that he can. [[spoiler:However, if he dies in there, his consciousness will perish, leaving his body an EmptyShell- which the Kyuubi can then take over.]]
%%* YouShallNotPass: Naruto declares this to [[spoiler:Orochimaru]] to cover the escape of [[spoiler:Sakura, Hinata, Hanabi and Temari]].

!!''Naruto: Melody of the Shinobi'' provides examples of:
* BaitAndSwitch: A trio of Sound-nin attack during one of Naruto's shamisen lessons. [[spoiler:They don't even know who Naruto is, and are actually there to capture his teacher, a formerly retired Sound jounin who deserted the village when Orochimaru took over and tried to "un-retire" him.]]
* BreatherEpisode: Pretty much the entire fic serves as one of these (or several of them) to the more-serious ''Naruto: the Secret Songs of the Ninja.''
* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler:Otoshiki Koushino deserted Oto because of his contempt for Orochimaru when he took over and tried to turn his sonic techniques to more malevolent purposes.]]
* {{Filler}}: Subverted; the fic is designed to cover a variety of one-off, usually more light-hearted events that took place during the timeskip in the middle of ''Secret Songs of the Ninja'' and aren't quite significant enough to have chapters dedicated to them in the main story, but these events are fully canon and can actually provide CharacterDevelopment as well as affect the relationships between the characters. Arcane Azmadi has stated that reading the fic will be ''helpful'' to fill in some details for the rest of ''Secret Songs'', but not ''essential.''
* FleetingPassionateHobbies: Subverted; Naruto takes up the shamisen as a hobby simply by deciding one day "Hey, I'm gonna learn to play the shamisen!" because he walked past an instrument store after seeing a kabuki performance, but despite how spontaneously he decides on it, he sticks with it, because giving up would be like admitting defeat.
* GrumpyOldMan: Koushakuji Tokikawa, Naruto's extremely strict shamisen tutor.
* JerkAss: Koushakuji Tokikawa, who is strict and brusque with Naruto to the point of rudeness, treating him with thinly-veiled contempt.
* MusicalAssassin: [[spoiler:Koushakuji Tokikawa, Naruto's shamisen instructor, is actually Otoshiki Koushino, a powerful (retired) Sound ninja who can use his shamisen to unleash devastating sonic attacks capable of ripping his opponents to shreds.]]
* ResignationsNotAccepted: [[spoiler:Otoshiki Koushino, an aged Sound jounin, was already retired when Orochimaru took over Oto, but Orochimaru wanted to turn his sonic techniques to his own purposes, so he abandoned the village and now constantly has Sound-nin after him.]]
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