As Naruto grapples with the harsh realities he has been faced with that night, the author grapples with finding an appropriate thing to use as an example of an understatement. Naturally, the author goes with the obvious- examples with which he can bash Sasuke and Sakura.
Naruto thinks back to the time he killed Kouro, and recalls how he enjoyed the man’s fear. He knew all along that ninjas will have to kill, but heard from an old man that he would not have any problem with it. Naruto wonders if his mind is being corrupted and is almost Driven to Suicide as a result, but decides to persist, at least for the sake of the mission.
Hinata thinks back to her rescue of her sister, and Naruto’s praising her. She dreams of the day when he becomes Hokage, able to teach others his ninja way, and she can become one of his bodyguards.
Hinata talks with Kurenai, and learns that Naruto killed not one, but two people in the encounter. They suggest leaving him alone for the moment to let him sort out his problems himself, which is a reasonable suggestion from their perspective, although the readers who know that he contemplated suicide might disagree. Hinata knows that while one should not become callous to killing, It Gets Easier over time, and hopes Naruto will eventually recover.
Naruto doesn’t recover the next day, taking on the job of hunting in order to be alone. Hinata even wonders if he blames her and Shino for not doing more. Hinata finds that Naruto being so quiet is not like him, and a troubling sign, at that, and goes to talk with him. That’s a reasonable observation, but the problem with deviating from canon characterization is that it’s harder to tell what is standard behavior for a character, and what is uncharacteristic of them (whether deliberately or a lapse in consistency).
Hinata walks up to Naruto, and mentions what the old man told her. He then mentions that the same man had told him he thought Naruto would enjoy it. Hinata, outraged, says “That’s bullshit!” The moment is amusing and Hinata’s outrage is characteristic of her, but I don’t think that she would so easily use profanity, even if she is mortified afterward.
Hinata worries about how Naruto will react, but he’s quite amused. Their conversation turns to Naruto not being himself, and she links it with the red chakra. Hinata also recognizes that she has only seen Naruto’s seal in prisons, an unusual amount of awareness from a mere Genin, even a Hyuga. Naruto points out that no one celebrates his birthday, and after a little bit, she realizes that he was born on the day the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village, and because the Fourth Hokage couldn’t kill it (or, as it turns out, killing it wouldn’t be the best option), he had to sacrifice himself to seal it inside of Naruto.
Naruto mentions that everything they discussed is secret, but after the mission’s done, he will be resigning, unable to live with almost killing Hinata. Hinata points out that he saved her from the flames, and that was not the demon acting, but Naruto worries that he will lose that sense of concern for her. Hinata reminds him that the same old man who considered Naruto a demon said such feelings were normal in a confrontation (it seems he has some good advice- just none for Naruto), and tells him that she wants him to stay on Team 8. It’s touching to see Hinata’s concern for Naruto, but it seems unlike him to get to this point.
Naruto and Hinata return to the camp, and Hinata wants Kurenai to talk to Naruto, noting that the old man gave him poor advice. Kurenai is hesitant to discuss Naruto’s secret, until Shino mentions that he knows about the fox, noting 1)Naruto’s jutsus, 2)The fact that there’s nothing left of the fox (given that it’s made of chakra, this doesn’t seem that unreasonable), and 3)Naruto has incredible stamina and chakra reserves.
Shino reassures Naruto that the Hokage wouldn’t have put him on a team if he were a danger to his teammates, and believes that if the villagers don’t realize this, their behavior is illogical, especially since Naruto seems remarkably forgiving toward them (albeit more bitter than in canon).
Hinata reiterates her point about Naruto receiving poor teaching, and Kurenai pulls Naruto aside for a talk. Naruto recounts what happened in the battle. Naruto points out that Shino and Hinata were injured, but Kurenai reassures him that he did everything that he could, and they are Leaf ninja. Kurenai points out that feeling such emotions isn’t necessarily wrong, but he shouldn’t allow him to goad him into making any mistakes. One has to wonder, however, why the instructors would intentionally mis-train Naruto like this, if they know that an emotional meltdown could release the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Shino tends to his wounds, and thinks about Naruto and Hinata. Shino knows that Naruto knows that something is wrong with Hinata’s family. He rules out the possibility of Naruto trying to manipulate Hinata, since Naruto doesn’t even know how she feels about him.
Shino wonders if Hinata’s feelings for Naruto are like Sasuke’s fangirls are towards him, but doubts it; Hinata is not as forward, dedicating herself to improving herself rather than obsessing over him, and Hinata, rather than Loving a Shadow, actually understands Naruto better than anyone else- better than even Shino, as he realizes. Overall, this came off as somewhat gratuitous (if indirect) Sakura bashing, even though I agree with the point regarding Hinata understanding Naruto better than anyone else does.
Shino admits his mistake, and says Hinata was right about Naruto all along. He also concludes that there was intentional sabotage at play, but believes that with the help of his teachers and friends, he will become Hokage someday.
Hinata rejoins Naruto, and he compliments her cooking, resulting in her taking it wholeheartedly for the fist time. After some joking with Shino, Naruto goes to bed.
The next day, on patrol, Naruto wonders if the Rock ninjas are afraid of them, but is sobered by the thought of the Fourth Hokage killing people, especially after Obito’s death. He wonders if he’ll have to wage war for his village, and determines that he will do what is necessary to protect his people; I wonder if Naruto will end up far more ruthless than in canon.
A group of ANBU arrive to relieve the group, and their leader isn’t happy about Naruto’s suspicion of him. Team 8 begins to return home, but Hinata is less than eager to return, and Naruto takes notice, as the chapter ends.
Now that we’ve reached a turning point for Naruto, let’s discuss Naruto’s character growth. An anonymous review, which effectively summarized some of the reasons why people like this fic more than canon, claims to like this fic’s Naruto more than the canon Naruto, saying that the fic’s author:
-Gave him some intelligence that isn’t a forced retcon.: Naruto’s not as stupid as many people, in and out of universe believe, as some of his battle strategies and insights on people prove.
-Gave him some humility.: It should be pointed out that much of Naruto’s boasting is something of a defense mechanism, and he realizes that a great deal of it is bluster. As Part II goes along, the things that he can’t do weigh heavily on him, especially when he fails to save Gaara in his first mission.
-At some point, you put him in a position where he has to make a “terrible choice”, one where he will be “wrong” no matter what he does (very important part of a hero’s growth).: Yes, this is interesting to see, but Naruto as a whole, is more idealistic a series than this- which is not a bad thing.
-Got rid of most his terrible jokes, embarrassing attempts at humor, and stupid facial expressions.: It's not a bad change, but he's a prankster (albeit to gain attention) and has a sense of humor to match.
-Had Naruto actually mature: Again, he does actually mature, but he refuses to give up his beliefs or become cynical as he does. I wonder if that's what this reviewer had in mind.
-Made him grow out of his self-important blowhard nature.: See the “gave him some humility” point.
-Gave him some extent of real anger and hatred that he needed to overcome instead of that total BS waterfall-of-self-reflection Kishi tried to force.: A lot of this is due to the fact that the village mistreats him much more actively and cruelly than in canon. It thus naturally follows that he'd be angrier if he was treated worse,
-Had him stop chasing Sasuke’s dick.: That’s a bit of a crude way to put it, although I'd rather have Sasuke as Naruto's rival than the joke he's become in this fic..
-Had him treat his team mates decently (specifically Kurenai in this case): This is a decent concept, although something can be said for him and Sakura becoming close in spite of their differences, and doing the same with Sai (Sasuke's a bit of a complicated case). It's touching to see them become friends, although I'd rather not see them as lovers. Team 8 has a different dynamic, which is good in its own way, but shouldn't invalidate what happened in canon.
-Had him develop a close relationship with Hinata: Ok, I’ll agree with this one.
-Made him actually kill his enemies.: Again, he killed Yuura-as-Itachi, and all but killed Kakuzu. I’m also not happy with the equation of being “badass” with killing people.
-Gave him some new jutsu.: This is OK, so long as it’s done in a reasonable and believable manner.
-Didn't destroy other characters for the sake of lifting him up.: Arguably, the author ends up doing that for Kurenai.
-Made sure he wasn't the “only” person who was ever allowed to do anything.: Again, I can't really argue with this one, so long as it's done well.
The author then made the following proposals.
- Keep the demon fox a demon: If this means “purely evil and out to take over Naruto any chance it gets,” I’d rather not. It was actually fairly interesting to consider things from the perspectives of the tailed beasts, rather than consider them Always Chaotic Evil.
- Actually develop a believable friendship between him and Sasuke instead so that his weird obsession with him at least has a basis.: See the "stop chasing Sasuke's dick" comment.
- Get rid of the Child of Prophecy garbage.: Ok, it’s a bit clichéd, but as Neji says, even if one’s destiny is pre-determined, those who chase their dreams are strong. Naruto would not have gotten this far without that determination
- Get rid of “Talk no Jutsu”. It doesn’t work that way.: This, combined with the desire to have Naruto kill his enemies is a bit worrying. It’s interesting that Naruto often learns something from his foes, and is able to realize that they’re ultimately human, and may very well have been like him.
- Maybe give him an interesting backstory with parents who have legitimate depth. Having it consistent throughout would also be nice, as opposed to modifying it as plot demands.: I agree, although I wonder what the author is going to do with it apart from Naruto's more abusive childhood. I suspect, given how the story is going, the Fourth Hokage will be dismissed as yet another well-meaning yet ineffectual figure in Naruto's life.
- Give him more new Jutsu's: See above.
So this list of the points this reviewer praises the author on, as well as the proposals the reviewer makes, gives some idea of what many of the fans of this fanfic like about Naruto’s character development here, and why it doesn't sit well with me.
What I liked
- The idea of looking at Naruto’s mind after killing, if not the execution. Not everyone breaks down in angst after killing someone.
What I didn’t like
- Most of Naruto’s problems being blamed on the village.
- Naruto becoming more and more angsty and out of character.
- Some of the reasons the reviewers have for praising the fic as Better Than Canon and how they would like it to further improve.
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