Team 8

The trouble is, short of rereading things again, there's very little to discuss. A more active fic will have a more active thread both because there's more on topic data to consume, and because that kind of thing is just —-EXCITING and so encourages excited discussion. While Team 8 may be good (I certainly like it), it isn't well known enough to be getting a lot of people searching for a thread to discuss it, and it's a bit long to be rereading for something to discuss.

... Wait, you're saying that Hizashi and Hiashi somehow switched roles/places? That would make a lot of sense regarding the man's treatment of Hinata.

I see your point. Still, we could discuss some of the more prominent points that we don't need to reread the story to remember them.

Also,what was the conspiracy that ruined Kurenai's life and claimed her team?

@silver: Well,it's more that she hasn't appeared as much. In canon,Ino was a classic Libby (on the surface).

edited 15th Mar '11 11:10:37 AM by AckSed

She's the only member of the Leaf 12 that isn't at least implicitly stronger than in canon, and Kurenai has a low opinion of her.

Probably because even though she's from a clan she isn't much better than Sakura in a lot of ways. Spending more time stalking/obsessing over Sauske than actual training wouldn't leave a positive impression on Kurenai. Yes she gets better as the series goes but that character development hasn't happened yet.

Well they haven't had as much of the training. Asuma is a hipster and doesn't want to be seen as a try-hard.

(I kid,I kid)

edited 15th Mar '11 6:07:14 PM by AckSed

I do wonder about the training dynamic. This fic seems to have the Konoha 12 rather more impressive than in canon, largely triggered by the Naruto/Kurenai interaction near the beginning, in which Naruto is convinced to start training at epic rates. (Which drives Shino and Hinata in obvious ways, which pushes Sasuke (especially after the preliminary match...yowch), which makes Sasuke challenge Kakashi, which pushes Sakura and Kiba.) However, the unchanged Ino/Shikamaru/Choji group doesn't seem to be doing the same thing (Choji makes a better show here than in canon at the Chuunin exams, but that's largely because he got an easier opponent (because his original one got killed, because both Sasuke and Naruto were waking up with powerups instead of just Sasuke...) and fought earlier). One wonders if a similar dynamic will emerge; none of those three seem the type to demand proper training from Asuma, the way Sasuke did from Kakashi.

It looks like the next chapter won't be up for a very long time as it seems that S'Tarkan is currently working on Nightmares of Future Past.

I suspect the author just doesn't like Ino very much.

I don't think that's the case. I think it's rather in character given Asuma's lazy teaching. Perhaps now he'll change his mind given recent events, but it's not set in stone.

@ alethiophile: See,this is why it's a good FWOAN story; I can think of one thing that didn't naturally spin out of Kurenai's presence (Naruto's "tactical mind" that thinks in percentages). It's all logical, and it doesn't matter that taijutsu 'n training's been used before when it's been told this well.

I think the reason Asuma's team was unchanged here was that it had the same level of interaction with Naruto as in canon i.e. almost none. Sakura becoming better friends with Ino might trigger a rivalry if Kakashi's training enables Sakura to beat Ino,but the effect would probably be mild.

@ gwonbush: Eeesh. I haven't been a fan of Futures Past ever since he used Irish terrorists as a plot device (I come from Northern Ireland - 'nuff said); I thought he had more taste. And that Americanism... :-/

If he never gets back to Team 8,I would be disappointed,but it wouldn't be a bad place to end. Grieving but surrounded by the first friends Naruto's made,Shino's family behind him,Hiashi taken down a peg,their whole lives ahead of them - I could accept that,I really could.

If he does continue,I wonder if The Stations of the Canon will be in effect? Predictions:

• Naruto and Hinata as the Sannin's apprentices,with Time Skip
• Naruto and Hinata as the Sannin's apprentices,without Time Skip *crosses fingers* (There were so many Missed Moments Of Awesome in the anime. I want to see them!)
• Time Skip to the next chuunin exam (This was another)

edited 30th Apr '11 2:56:23 PM by AckSed

@silver2195: I don't think the author dislikes Ino. It's more that Team 8 doesn't interact with Team Asuma much and when they did, she wasn't present. Besides, even in canon she hadn't quite outgrown her libbiness by this point. I do think she'll begin growing now since Sakura is making the effort to reconnect with her as part of her own Character Development.

I actually have a few theories on why Ino would change. Obviously the effectiveness of her techniques will play a part in it plus two other things I think: 1) She'll get to pursue Sasuke exclusively; 2) One or both of her teammates (possibly Shikamaru if it's just one) will get seriously hurt. My reasoning behind 1 is I think reality is about to ensue for Sakura about Sasuke, just like it did for Naruto about her. Maybe it's only temporary, maybe it isn't but she'll choose to focus more on improving herself than Sasuke. Whatever the reason, Ino will get a clear shot at him. As for 2, it's a bit trickier but like Ack said, Asuma doesn't train them so hard. He mostly just hopes for the Ino-Shika-Cho thing to work itself out. The author likes taking some of the canon and running with the logical consequences of it. While I can't completely plot out how it would happen and I don't think they'd die but without them, we'd get to see how Ino handles being the team's sole defense. I think something to this end happened in the anime but I'm curious to see how S'TarKan handles it.

Love the story, although it got partially spoiled for me after I read the fanon page and realized that the amount of abuse Naruto suffered is the exaggerated fanfic version rather than what's actually seen in the source material.

I don't really have a problem with Naruto's defeat of Sasuke (the explanation of the author made sense), but Sasuke insulting Hinata to provoke Naruto was kind of an Out-of-Character Moment for him. Also the author portrayed Sasuke as a jerk for being angry at Naruto who has attacked him for apparently no reason and Sakura as a bitch for being angry at Naruto who has disguised himself as Sasuke to steal her Sacred First Kiss. It's not a bad story apart from this and some other things.

edited 3rd Nov '11 2:30:11 PM by kay4today

I think the author was trying to show how Sasuke would have turned out had he hadn't had Naruto as a teammate up to that point.

That would imply that Naruto had a good influence on Sasuke which I don't really think. For most of Part 1 he was The Stoic and sure as hell nobody who'd act like a total jerk. Also attacking Sasuke and wanting to steal Sakura's first kiss was before they were actual teammates.

On the Sakura point, it wasn't Naruto trying to steal a kiss that made her a bitch, it was everything else she had done to him during their school days, as she violently attacked him daily and talked down to him.

On the story itself, I have to say that I really enjoy it since it makes two people who I really found more interesting than Sakura and Sasuke (those being the other Team 8 members) into main characters, and they grow very well throughout the story, while still giving some focus to Team 7 and some of the other characters who are still on the sidelines.

Speakin' as a girl who had boys hitting on me occasionally in elementary and high school, you have to be firm with them if you want them to go away. The problem is, everyone is firm with Naruto all the time, so he wasn't getting the message. Sakura lost her temper over his constant badgering and eventually stepped things up violently in hopes that he'd leave her alone. It's a pretty obvious chain of escalation. She's kind of a bitch, sure, but I'm saying it's not entirely unjustified. I'm more annoyed with her fangirling of Sasuke than the way she handles Naruto.

Actually, I'd say her abuse is very unjustified since she (and about a dozen other girls) do the exact same thing to Sasuke every day. The only difference between Sakura and Naruto's situation was that Sasuke has the self-control not to commit assault because people annoy him.

Also, after rereading the beginning of Naruto, I noticed that while Naruto always admires and wants to be with Sakura, he never directly asks her out, and Sakura beats seven shades of ugly into him after he accidentally kisses Sasuke, and she is also very open with her dislike of Naruto. The only thing wrong with Narutos situation is the fact that he doesn't seem to decide to ignore her and be with literally anyone else who won't try to beat him for being near Sasuke.

You sound like you're surprised that twelve year olds are hypocritical idiots.

.

edited 6th Nov '11 12:05:52 PM by FurikoMaru

I'm not surprised, since they're twelve and I doubt Sakura cares how justified it is, I'm simply saying that Sakura beating on Naruto is not justified.

As for your opinion on her fawning over Sasuke, I agree that it is more annoying than her Tsundere tendencies. Then again, I've read Ranma 1/2, so maybe I'm simply jaded.

edited 6th Nov '11 1:54:33 PM by Alfric

About Sasuke - what do you think he's likely to do? Will the ties he's formed here tie him to the village more or less strongly?

On one hand he and Naruto now have a common enemy and are sorta rivals, and Kakashi's giving him the training he needs. On the other hand,there doesn't seem to be the same camaraderie between Sasuke,Sakura and Kiba. Because of that,I'd hazard it's slightly more likely that he'll defect.

edited 28th Nov '11 5:49:44 PM by AckSed

I think he'll want to defect, but Kakashi will be more careful and prevent him from doing so. I'd like to see Kakashi vs the Sound Four

I'd also like to note that unlike in the manga, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal was removed thanks to Naruto's insistence to Sakura and Kiba that they inform Kakashi about it and take the appropiate measures.