Viridian Dreams Forum

Guess what?!?

Is it the final countdown?

Only in the sense of waiting for the servers to update. It's been posted on FFA and FF.net, so pick your poison...

... the Boss Turtle Summon is The Friend Of All Children?!?

Viridian, you madman you. :)

Let's do the Timeskip Again? Or are we going to go over those six months?

Heh. Iruka's Secret.

A bad precedent it may have been, but I'm sure I'd have liked nothing more than for Tsunade to splatter Hiashi all over the room. Ah well. I guess that'll be Hinata's job. While Naruto and Shino hold him down.

Hopefully Jiraiya will teach Naruto more stuff during this journey than he did in canon.

Another great chapter. Huzzah!


Also, TURTLE!

Aside from some missing spaces in the FFA version, no problems that I saw.

Friend of All Children, huh? Does that mean he'll be siccing the Boss on Hiashi eventually? :D And poor Iruka.

Aside from some missing spaces in the FFA version, no problems that I saw.

Friend of All Children, huh? Does that mean he'll be siccing the Boss on Hiashi eventually? :D And poor Iruka.

It's a formal title...

Formal Title, huh? I have an honest question... are you perchance trolling people who get the reference? Or is the Formal Title something you put in for fun because it puts a smile on your face? Well, it puts a smile on my face too, just from the mental imagery.

Formal Title, huh? I have an honest question... are you perchance trolling people who get the reference? Or is the Formal Title something you put in for fun because it puts a smile on your face? Well, it puts a smile on my face too, just from the mental imagery.

You will get to see the Boss when the time is right.

And there shall be much rejoicing when it happens. Still... won't anyone comment ANYTHING on the revealed backstory of Kurenai?

Hmm... I have a feeling the "Iruka's Secret" thing is going to come back to bite him in the ass. I was also half hoping that Hiashi and Tsunade would have a semi-violent encounter (possibly involving Tsunade super-punching an active Kaiten). Well, we've got plenty of time, so I'm holding out hope. On the other hand, I think a Hiashi-Hinata argument/fight at the end of the six month apprenticeship would be amazing, especially if Naruto returns to Konoha and just happens to walk into the middle of it. XD
Uhh... in the 'other canon,' didn't Gai summon a tortoise, not a turtle? *goes and checks* .....Yeah, it was a tortoise. (Granted, the Turtle contract could (maybe?) be used for both turtles and tortoises... I'll accept it either way.)
And what was the "gag that was planned since chapter 1" (direct quote from A/N)? I'm thinking it was either the Jiraiya-Tsunade conversation or the Aburame's use of bugs as pest removal. Could've also been the Turtle contract with the "Friend of All Children" title for the Boss Summon, but I think the first two are a bit more likely. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure it is NOT the Iruka's Secret.
Also, absolutely loved the scenes that had Naruto, Shino, and Hinata in them as a group. I think the hug is definitely a Crowning Moment of Awww (if it isn't, it's DAMN close...).

And Dech, I'm pretty sure most people are still kind of reeling in shock at some of the plot (and pseudo-plot) reveals in this chapter. I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of it... Particularly how her teammate managed to have the Byakugan. Only thing I can really think of is some member of the Hyuuga clan, at some point in time, didn't actually HAVE the Byakugan, but was still a 'carrier' (most appropriate term I could think of) of the gene, and it just happened to actually manifest in that one person. But then again, unless the Hiashi plot developments include some really REALLY old plot background, we might not even know. (Then again, we all know how well thought out everything from the evil authorlord is...)
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Wow. Was NOT expecting this to end up that long...

Long posts are good. They mean the poster has a lot to say. Usually. I wonder how many long posts we'll get once people finish processing the reveal?

Chapter22SQUEEEEE!
*does search* Boss Turtle is BOSS TURTLE!

And we finally get to see what happened with Kurenai's old team... the deal with Mattai is surprisingly close to what I figured - a Hyuuga spread his wild oats carelessly, and Mattai (or one of his parents) was the result - leading to another reason for his existence to be remedied. Either that or it's Danzo's fault, due to a R00t breeding program. (I'd be tempted to blame Orochimaru, but that is probably going far enough back that he was born before Orochimaru started his experiments.)

Bastard Hiashi is bastardly. Yes, it would be a bad precedent, but it would likely save you a lot of headaches down the line...

Naruto thinking things through before jumping in headfirst, and Iruka willingly treating Naruto to ramen? Things are Wrong. Of course, Wrong Things are funny. Especially when it comes from almost (drat!) bankrupting Hyuuga elders...

Ayame's friend, Aldraia. I see what you did there...

And yes, Naruto. Gai considers Gamabunta's drinking challenge to be a spectacle.

Hug! Squee! Nope, Naruto, not a hangover.

Wow, just wow. I definitely will have to read through the entire story again to get back into the proper mindset, as running into an introspective Naruto can be a bit jarring.

Ok, this was an excellent chapter, with a lot of emotional moments, especially for Naruto. So, Mattai was what I thought he was and was treated in the manner I thought he would be given his refusal of the "offer" he was given. Well, that explains a lot and shows that there are some issues in the root cellar that need to be cleaned out, with fire, brimstone, gunpowder and a lot of glorious violence.

Hmm, didn't expect that contract for Naruto to have. Still, being able to- wait a second. He's going to be summoning the Friend to All Children in the future... Oh, ooooohhh.... This will be awesome when it happens.

Also, props to Aldraia for getting mentioned in the fic. Looks like her cookie bribes worked wonders.

Ayame's friend, Aldraia. I see what you did there...

Now explain that one to me, because I knew there was something weird about the name but the rest went over my head. I haven't been on this board as long, but I'm guessing this a reference to one of the other users?

Hmm... I have a feeling the "Iruka's Secret" thing is going to come back to bite him in the ass.

That part had me rolling for a bit.

I was also half hoping that Hiashi and Tsunade would have a semi-violent encounter (possibly involving Tsunade super-punching an active Kaiten).

Much funner to absorb the unresolved political tension. Nyuck-nyuck-nyuck.

Uhh... in the 'other canon,' didn't Gai summon a tortoise, not a turtle? *goes and checks* .....Yeah, it was a tortoise. (Granted, the Turtle contract could (maybe?) be used for both turtles and tortoises... I'll accept it either way.)

Can we just say "manga" instead of "the other canon", like it's some kind of taboo, like it's some kind of trollop that no one wants to talk about? I've been seeing that a lot lurking here. It comes off as incredibly pretentious and mean-spirited.

And what was the "gag that was planned since chapter 1" (direct quote from A/N)? I'm thinking it was either the Jiraiya-Tsunade conversation or the Aburame's use of bugs as pest removal.

I'm curious about that one too. At first I thought it had something to do with Gai, when Naruto was thinking about what he wanted. Had to be something involving either Iruka, Asuma, Sarutobi, Naruto, Shino, or Hinata. My guess would on Iruka's Secret.

Also, absolutely loved the scenes that had Naruto, Shino, and Hinata in them as a group. I think the hug is definitely a Crowning Moment of Awww (if it isn't, it's DAMN close...).

When you mention that, I'm sort of worried that Team 8 is going to get a Trope Overload again. I really don't want to see that happen again. Same happened for People Lie, Chunin Exam Day, and There and Back Again. It's really annoying when popular fics get that surge of people trying to claw up every trope and exaggerate as much as they can.

And Dech, I'm pretty sure most people are still kind of reeling in shock at some of the plot (and pseudo-plot) reveals in this chapter. I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of it... Particularly how her teammate managed to have the Byakugan.

Born from a Hyuga? Had to be. I was a bit thrown off because I distinctly remember Kurenai describing her team mate having a relation to the Hyuga clan. The Branch family thing made sense, but I was tempted to go back and re-read that chapter when I saw that.

It reminds me of how Sasuke "had" the Sharingan and lost it via amnesia, not the most graceful retcon I've ever seen, but in this case, it works because of the shock value. Nobody was expecting this Fukuda kid to bust out a Byakugan. I liked that. Didn't see it coming. Sets up a believable conflict with the Hyuga.

I also liked the lead-in with the first ambush, where I was expecting THAT to be the event that killed Kurenai's team, but then it got switched to the next ambush.

I'll be the first to call this an unpopular opinion, but my favorite thing about this fic now is that Kurenai is gone. I really didn't like her place in the narrative. I mean, she's a lot more attentive than Kakashi, and a different track of character development has started as a result, but I really didn't like her. Now I can follow the narrative from another, less skeptical perspective. The change-up from Kurenai's gratingly dubious perspective to Iruka, Tsunade, and Jiraiya - all of whom have shown in one chapter to be more than capable of 'getting sh-t done' - is quite comforting.

I'm sort of hoping that Kurenai might come back as an Edo Tensei, but, maybe we should just skip the War Arc... still, her perspective of a future Team 8 could be interesting, tearjerking, heartwarming, the whole gamut.

Heh, or imagine, Kotoamatasu-whatever inadvertently gets used on Edo Kurenai, and then she gets to fight alongside Future Team 8.

First off love the chapter as always.

Was the divergence point Kurenai's father not becoming a ninja? Or was it Mattai not dying in the ambush that killed his parents? Or was it possibly Mattai's existence?

I think the divergence point goes back to Hyuuga Hiashi AND Hizashi. One of them probably threw around his wild oats a bit too far, and Mattai was the result.

Anyway, Gamera as the boss summon is great. What's next...?
Someone's been reading a certain quest thread on Spacebattles I see...

Anyway, Gamera as the boss summon is great. What's next...?

Uh, Nit? I don't think mentioning who you think the Boss Summon is by name is appropriate at this stage... as Matt could easily pull something else out of his sleeves to surprise us all. Not that it wouldn't be awesome, but still... Of course, I could still be wrong and it could really be the Naruto version to the Friend to all Children.

What I find interesting about the revelation of Kurenai’s past is not what was revealed (which pretty much confirmed what most suspected already), but the questions that still linger.

Specifically, Mattai’s origin which is still very ambiguous: Who were his parents and how exactly he got the Byakugan? There is also the mention that Hiashi demanded his submission to the Branch family shortly after Hizashi’s dead, and when that didn’t happen, it seems that he pulled his weight on the Conspiracy to have him killed.

We still don’t know what exactly happened that made Hiashi such a vicious bastard in this timeline, or when exactly that happened, but given that he was willing to train Neji (and that viridian drew attention that fact), I have my doubts that he actually threw his brother to the wolves to save his hide, like Kurenai was implying in her letter. So the specific mention of Hizashi makes me suspect that Mattai’s dead might not have been merely a matter of keeping the clan’s bloodline purity intact or an extramarital affair under check.

What if it was an act of revenge due to misdirected resentment? What if Mattai, or one of his parents, were not a product of an indiscretion on Hiashi or Hizashis’ part, but on their father’s part? Of course, I’m only conjecturing right now, and I really need to re-read the entire fanfic to remember all the details, not to mention that we still don’t know how the dead of Hinata’s mother figure in all of this. But I do remember viridian once mentioned that the “nail” was very Shakespearean in nature, and what would be more Shakespearean than that?

On a different matter, I chuckled at the entire “Iruka’s secret” odyssey (poor Iruka, he can’t catch a break in this fic ), and I practically squealed like a fangirl at a boys band concert when Naruto meet Gai. Given that he hadn’t signed any summon contract yet, that could only meant one thing and the scene didn’t disappoint. Now, the shout-out to Gamera was nice, but what I find especially interesting is the mention that every turtle has a very different personality because they spent much of their time on their own, and the mention of their role “in the end of the world”. So are we going to meet expies of Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael?

I'm sort of hoping that Kurenai might come back as an Edo Tensei, but, maybe we should just skip the War Arc... still, her perspective of a future Team 8 could be interesting, tearjerking, heartwarming, the whole gamut.

Heh, or imagine, Kotoamatasu-whatever inadvertently gets used on Edo Kurenai, and then she gets to fight alongside Future Team 8.

Honestly, I doubt we will actually see any of the canon arcs from this point onwards. The story has diverged so much at this point, that I think we are in full AU territory now (the timeskip is not even going to be that long for instance), not to mention that the authorlord outlined the entire story years ago. I do wonder if he might incorporate some elements of the original series that have been revealed in the meantime, though.

Obviously, Itachi’s canon characterization, motivations and backstory are completely out of the window, as well as the reasons behind the Uchiha massacre. But I wonder if any of what has been revealed about Naruto’s family, the day of his birth, or the objective and leadership of the Akatsuki will make it into the story, at least in passing. Of course, I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem if all those things get omitted, as the main conflict in Team 8 has always been more intimate in nature than the battle to save the world that you typically see in a shonen fighting manga. The incorporation of the Moon’s Eye plan would obviously wreck that.

Actually, on that note... I just realized, what if (Team 8-verse) Itachi turns out to be one of those guys who just joined the bad guys because the 'good' guys got too corrupt/whatever, and just so happens to believe that "destroy everything related to that" is the 'best' way to 'fix' the problem? I mean, it's pretty much been confirmed that Hiashi and the rest of the council are 'evil'... and they have a MASSIVE amount of in-village influence. Granted, that is held somewhat in check by the Hokage, but as the Third said to Kurenai, the Hokage's power is not absolute, contrary to popular belief...
Dammit. Now my mind is trying to find some kind of pseudo-rational reason for pretty much everything... which usually ends with my head in a LOOOOT of pain.

Resist, our brethren, resist!

Dammit. Now my mind is trying to find some kind of pseudo-rational reason for pretty much everything... which usually ends with my head in a LOOOOT of pain.

Don't worry, it's only a phase and it will pass. Don't forget to roll 2D6 during your sanity check at the door.

Dammit. Now my mind is trying to find some kind of pseudo-rational reason for pretty much everything... which usually ends with my head in a LOOOOT of pain.

Don't worry, it's only a phase and it will pass. Don't forget to roll 2D6 during your sanity check at the door.

That's for sanity damage, right?... I don't have much of that left, anyways...

If you haven't got much left, how are you lucid enough to post in this threads?

...And did we derail this thing again? Man, there aren't much people discussing things about the new chapter, are there?