Art by mawkishtongue
Chiba Takeo, a civilian born shinobi with exceptionally high scores, he was intended as just another body to fill the ranks, meant to be another piece of fuel to fan the flames. Instead, somehow ascending past his station through a mixture of talent and hard work.
— Danzo Shimura’s thoughts on Takeo Chiba
A Leaf of the Tree is a Naruto quest written by thedave, who just goes by Dave. This story was started on April 2021 and was concluded on October 2024.
The original premise for this fic was that the readers would follow the story of a standard Konoha shinobi in the author’s AU, with no bloodlines or clan techniques to rely on as they make their way through it all.
That is until Dave's dice gained sentience, disagreed, and changed everything.
Follow Takeo Chiba, a shinobi from Konoha born to civilian parents, who manages to climb the ranks to become the next greatest ninja in his generation, thanks to a combination of hard work, natural talent, and incredible luck. Hard work in the form of intensive training and studying under multiple teachers. Natural talent he does his best to grow stronger and greater. And incredible luck that sees him go far in his life with many possibilities being presented.
On October 3rd 2024, Dave announced that the main story of A Leaf of a Tree would come to an end, stating that writing the story had become redundant as Takeo and chat kept on succeeding despite the odds, and that after the final update, Takeo has effectively won the game. Dave explained that what was initially a quest where danger was around any corner and that death was always a possibility has now become a story where the fight wouldn't be difficult unless he artificially inflated the difficulty or fudged the background rolls, neither of which he wanted. Instead, he wanted to end the story on a high note and continue working on other projects, though has said he will post omake updates if he is inspired or has been commissioned.
The tropes listed are based on the main story, the character lists, and the canon omakes.
A Leaf of the Tree provides examples of:
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- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Temari and Takeo decide to put their relationship on hold due to not wanting to strain their relationship with long-distance dating, but promise that if they can find a way past that in the future and both are still single, they will continue being together. Later on, Takeo and Sakura end up hitting it off while the two are in Konoha, and eventually they become official.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Asuma manages to salvage the meeting with Utakata after the initial Wave delegation tried to get past his bubble wall.Asuma: Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble, but we figured just waving wasn’t going to get a response.Utakata (pleased): …That’s funny.
- Adaptational Villainy: Itachi didn't kill his entire clan to prevent a coup planned by the Uchiha like in canon, but because he was genuinely insane and went mad.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Danzo seemingly starts to pat Takeo on the head to express how proud the elder is of him for his efforts in assisting the Hokage in killing the Tsuchikage and then landing the deathblow on Han, but Takeo quickly figures out that the gesture is a genjustu and breaks free.
- After-Action Healing Drama:
- Totagi gets poisoned by some missing-nin during Team 24's first C-rank, and is rushed to Suna to get treated. It takes her months to fully recover from the attack.
- Happens again to Totagi, as she gets beaten in the Suna Chunin Exams and is left in a bad state. Both Takeo and Suro go with her to the hospital, where a waiting Hoheto informs them she’s going to make a full recovery after a few days of rest. They still stay with her and miss out on seeing the conclusion of the exams.
- Alpha Strike: A final assault from Takeo, Baketsu, Sugishi, Kurenai, and Yari is used against Kakuzu who attempts a last-ditch escape. Takeo and Baketsu each fire off a Water Severing Wave, Sugishi attacks with a Hardened Water Drill, Kurenai uses a genjustu called Unbirth, and Yari, with his weapon, uses the Great Spear technique. This combined effort foils Kakuzu's retreat and results in his death.
- Alternate Timeline:
- Interactions with Takeo had ended up giving Team 7 and Kakashi early wake up calls, Kakashi to shake off the rust, Sakura to take her training far more seriously, Sasuke to be better emotionally, and Naruto to be less Naruto.
- Kakashi successfully fights off Orochimaru and grievously injures him, leaving Orochimaru with one arm short. This results in the Chunin Exams being uninterrupted, and Konoha not being betrayed by Suna, as the issues with the budget cuts never happened thanks to Hiruzen's good diplomacy afforded by Takeo's team having interacted with Suna prior to the Chunin exams.
- The Sannin, oh where do I even start?
- Tsunade: Not afraid of blood, still in Konoha, and is a respectable member of society as the Directress of the Konoha Hospital.
- Jiraiya: No longer into Tsunade, because apparently Jiraiya said the wrong thing at the wrong time and was hit with a blow to the nuts courtesy of Tsunade. Had she aimed better, she would have blown his balls off, literally.
- Orchimaru: Lost an arm, still hasn't recovered it, why? because he is too attached to Itachi's body, and yes, he has the Sharingan.
- The Ame Orphans get punched, killed, wiped out, and scattered, and finally, get put on spikes by Hanzo the Salamander. How did this happen? No Obito, no Obito means no manipulating Akatsuki to be whittled down one by one, so this would mean that they would be successful this time. Nope, Hanzo gets motivated to finally get back on to the scene as an active shinobi.
- This then results in the second iteration of the Akatsuki having never even been created, and so its members are out in the wind. Some of their locations and fates have already been confirmed. Nagato and Konan's heads are mounted on spikes outside ame. Itachi is dead and assimilated into Orochimaru. Kabuto and Orochimaru are on their own in Otogakure. Kisame is loyal to Kiri. Kakuzu lived as a bounty hunter until he was killed. Juzo was loyal to Kiri, until Sugishi killed him. The Zetsus don't exist. Deidara died to Kotai. The ones who are yet to be confirmed are Sasori and Hidan.
- Alternate Universe Fic: This story is set in a firm alternate universe with multiple changes to canon.
- Kaguya is not a thing.
- Madara is dead and has been for a long time.
- The Rinnegan is a myth.
- Root does not exist.
- Orochimaru has taken over Itachi’s body.
- Amazon Brigade: Team 24 becomes "Team Girl Power" during the Suna Chunin Exams, consisting of Ino, Suro, and Totagi.
- Ambiguous Ending: A Leaf of a Tree officially ended with Takeo and his team destroying Iwagakure as their final assault against the enemy village. While a huge victory for Konoha, this isn't the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War as Kumogakure still remains and Kirigakure lingers on. There are also many scenarios and situations that many readers still wanted, such as getting a new Elemental Release, creating new jutsus, becoming a jonin-sensei, taking control of Konoha as the Godaime Hokage, and even starting a family with Sakura and Temari. Dave has said that any reader can interpret how they imagine it playing out, but also says that he may post an omake about given situations if either the inspiration strikes him or he has been commissioned to write out a scenario.
- An Arm and a Leg: Kakashi manages to tear an arm off of Orochimaru during the second test of Konoha's Chunin Exams.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: When the Fourth Great Shinobi War is starting and Konoha is readying orders for their troops, Takeo finds Sakura, who is glad he's still in Konoha. As the two embrace and Takeo sees a messenger holding his mission details, Takeo takes this moment to say he loves her, to which she says she loves him back.
- Animal Jingoism: Takeo, with his otter summons, fights against an Iwa-nin named Toi Sangaku, who has beaver summons. Both kinds of summons are semiaquatic mammals, and the former has been known to eat the latter.
- Anti-Climax: The resolution of the initial Wave delegation mission ends with Utakata, who beforehand looked ready to fight, telling the group that Wave will accept a proper delegation at a later point. When this is accepted, Utakata disappears back into Wave behind his barrier of bubbles. Takeo and the other chunin are somewhat disappointed.Takeo: That’s it?
- Army of Thieves and Whores: Sone has spread the word that any missing-nin who are looking for a lord to serve can work for him under his protection. So far, he has recruited a handful to act as his guards and is in the process of acquiring more.
- Ascended Meme: Naomi, originally deemed Herzo, was supposed to be only a one-off jonin during Takeo's mission in Ame, but was meme'd into existence by the chat. A lot of hype surrounded the character, but this ended up being Naomi's undoing as although the reveal was well received, the character ended up being quite disappointing to interact with.
- Attack Pattern Alpha: Team Sonoda, an Iwa genin team, has a formation called 'Heavenly Crane', where the two girls in the genin team trap the target physically in quicksand, the jonin-sensei traps the target mentally with a genjutsu, and the boy in the genin team Body Flickers up a makeshift ramp made of Earth Release and descends upon the target with a Lightning Release. Their intended target, Takeo, had already previously trapped them in a genjutsu of his own, so their attack had only hit an illusion of him.
- Bad Date: Takeo and Umeni’s first, and only, date. What starts as awkward small talk turns into a disaster waiting to happen as Takeo notices Umeni’s henge and decides to use one as well, aging himself to his mid-20s. Thankfully ends on a bittersweet note, as Umeni gets a laugh out of the situation and the two decide that they are better as friends.
- Bad Ol' Badger: As revealed in an omake, Ibiki's codename in ANBU was Honey Badger.
- Bar Brawl: A drunk Neji convinces Rock Lee to drink with him during a get-together of the other members of the Jonin Bootcamp. This brings out Lee’s violent and inebriated side and he fights the remaining attendants. The resulting clash brings down the walls of the bar and the whole place becomes completely demolished.
- Batman Gambit: The Konoha delegation planned to kill Juzo with one of these during the treaty signing with Noodles. After Sugishi notifies the rest of the Konoha-nin of her animosity with him, they devised for her to taunt him and then retire from the rest of the group, planning on her target to follow her and strike first, letting her kill him in self-defense.
- Battle in the Rain: A rare nonviolent example. During the Ame diplomatic meeting, Takeo plays against Shoichi Tsuchiya in a game of Shogi, who is considered one of the best in the whole village. As they are about to begin, heavy rain starts happening, so the two play underneath an awning while onlookers watch.
- Bazaar of the Bizarre: Suna has a large winding indoor marketplace, teeming with life and all kinds of wares. During his first visit to Sunagakure, Takeo buys a black shawl and some local cuisine for himself, and wood carving tools for his father.
- Behemoth Battle: Boss Yi vs. Ibuse.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: A random Iwa civilian decided it was best die by slitting his own neck with a knife than let himself be consumed by the giant tsunami that's crashing into the village.
- Betty and Veronica: Sakura, as Betty, and Temari, as Veronica, are both vying for Takeo. Sakura has known Takeo since the Academy, both even taking advanced classes. She also sees Takeo as an inspiration for shinobi born to civilians, and follows his example by training as hard as he does. Temari met Takeo when he first came to Suna, and acted as his guide. She fell for his kind-heartedness, such as him bonding with her brother, Gaara, when no one else would. The two kunoichi did their best to win Takeo over to their side, only to fall for each other as well when they got to know one another.
- Big Brother Worship: Takeo's younger brother, Sezaki, idolizes his older brother as a great shinobi and someone who can’t be killed.
- Big Dam Plot: Konoha's plan to defeat Iwa during the war is to lead a force on Iwa's Great Dam, a vital target as it is responsible for singlehandedly regulating the entire country's agricultural production. The operation for the dam was to gather an elite force and sneak past enemy lines to reach the dam before both readying it for destruction and letting themselves be found out, as that would have to draw a response from Iwa. This would result in the dam's demolition and the deaths of notable Iwa shinobi.
- Blank Stare: Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru all stare at Takeo with varying degrees of incredulity when he tries downplaying beating Hanzo in a spar.
- Blinded by Rage: As a way to distract Ken Ogasawara of the Kiri delegation from interrupting Sugishi’s task, Takeo brings out Baketsu in front of them, counting on the fact that Kiri resents Konoha for holding the otter contract. Ken and all of the other Kiri-nin are entirely focused on Takeo, not hiding their stares or bloodlust as the otter is brought out, leaving them distracted as Sugishi kills Juzo.
- Brain Bleach: Watching Kisame adjust his crotch while staring at Sugishi, Takeo realizes that the Swordsman has the hots for his sensei because she killed his comrade, Juzo. It leaves him so disturbed, that the next hour for him passes in a blur.
- Bubble Shield: Utakata has set up a wall of bubbles that surrounds the Island of Wave, making it hard to see the land and near-impossible to get through. Any attempt to breach the shield also alerts Utakata of the disruption.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: A drunk Kurenai is very ecstatic to be escorted home by a flustered Hoheto after drinking at the Torn Silk, with this being the start of their romance.
- The Butcher: Nikuya Shinsato, the Red River Butcher, is a genin from Tanigakure who got his name by slaughtering some bandits in a river, with their blood turning it red for a bit. He has a preference for axes and hates the bigger villages looking down on his own.
- Call to Adventure: The Hokage tells both Sugishi and Takeo that he expects the next great war to break out in the next few years. He then says how many of their greatest shinobi are either dead or not the fighters they used to be. Then, he looks at Takeo and says that the next generation of elites are needed, which includes him."We need to increase the number of, and strengthen the ability of, our answers to other villages’ heaviest hitters,” The Hokage breathes out heavily, his head leaning forwards for a moment, before he seems to find his resolve once more, his stare pinning you in place, “We need the next generation to step up and take their place amongst our strongest. Simply put, we need you."
- Cat Up a Tree: As Takeo casually wanders around town, he comes across a young girl whose cat is up a tree, which he is more than happy to help get down. He even notes how cliché of a setup this is.
- The Cavalry: In an effort to put down a rampaging Han in Tailed Beast Mode, the Hokage Gaurd Platoon teleported away from the battlefield to find reinforcements. At first, they don't succeed and the Hokage orders them to keep searching. Their second attempt is a tremendous success, as they bring Rasa Sabaku, the Fourth Kazekage, to the battlefield.
- The Chase: For one of his competitions against Rock Lee, Takeo proposes the first one to chase and touch Kakashi first wins. They both take off and search all over Konoha, with Kakashi becoming aware of the two and playing along by leaving clues and showing brief glimpses of himself. It ends with Takeo chasing Kakashi onto a roof and pleading to Kakashi that he has to win, to which the Copy-nin relents and stops. This gives Takeo the moment to touch him, making Takeo the winner.
- Chef of Iron: Boira, a personal summon of Sugishi, is a chef who wields a sword.
- Childhood Friends: Takeo Chiba, Suro Etsuyomi, Totagi Kaneze, Kugi Utaboru, and Umeni Katsuno all became friends during their first year at the Academy and still regularly hang out together when they have the time.
- Civil War:
- Ame goes through one that has been brewing for some time. Aika Nakai and Mano Goto, both being possible successors to Hanzo the Salamander, were clashing behind the scenes to gain an advantage while Hanzo was unwell. Eventually, this erupted into a civil war, with the fights taking place in Amegakure. It resolves when Hanzo comes back into play and makes both sides cease.
- The Succession Crisis in Noodles results in two claimants for the position of daimyo fighting each other, with Kiri and Konoha each taking a side. When Konoha's side emerges victorious, the infighting ceases.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: The first part of the remedial lessons on operational security has the students subjected to simulated torture and interrogation as if they were captured by enemy forces and must not reveal any information.
- Collateral Damage: Takeo’s portion in halting Ame’s metalworking was destroying a mine. For this task, he sent Water Clones with explosive tags inside to collapse it from within, as well as flooding it with a charged Exploding Water Colliding Wave directly into its opening. However, while some of the civilian miners retreated, more than half remained and sought shelter deeper in the mines, the latter dying from Takeo’s demolition. That being said, Takeo was unbothered by this fact, only noting that it was simply unfortunate before moving on.
- Collectible Card Game: BIN-GO! The popular trading card game that's based on bingo books. Collect teams of shinobi and beat your opponent!
- Combat Commentator: Kakashi takes on this role, with added whimsical speech, during the airborne assault against the Ame defectors. When he jumps down to finish the fight on land, Takeo takes over this role in his stead.
- Commonality Connection: Both Sakura and Temari bond over feeling overshadowed by their teammates during their time in Ame. Sakura remarks how being on the same team as Naruto and Sasuke, who both have flashier skills, ends with her being overlooked most of all out of the three. Temari empathizes and tells of how Kankuro has revolutionized puppetry as well as won the Suna Chunin Exams and Gaara, being a Jinchuuriki, has his own unique abilities that set him apart from everyone.
- Cooldown Hug: Takeo gives one to Suro after she started tearing up from the aftermath of Totagi’s near-fatal poisoning as well as her own assault on him.
- Crack Is Cheaper: While Takeo and Sezaki play a game of Bin-Go, where Takeo is using his brother’s secondary deck, Takeo can’t help but point out how inferior in card quality his one is compared to the one Sezaki uses, that being his main deck. When Sezaki mentions how much a pack of the most basic cards cost, Takeo quickly tries to change the topic.
- Creepy-Crawly Torture: Both Suro and Totagi were subjected to this in a genjutsu during their operational security lessons, with the method being using a bucket and a rat by putting them on the stomach of each girl and then heating up the bucket. Totagi says she couldn't take the pain and gave up resisting.
- Cry into Chest: After Naruto expresses all his worries about the upcoming war to Jiraiya, including his worries about killing people and the expectations of being Konoha's only Jinchuuriki, he breaks into tears and buries his face in Jiraiya's chest.
- Curse Cut Short: Takeo only gets as far as “Oh shi-” before he gets hit by a Hidden Lotus used by a Lee empowered by the Gate of Life.
- Dare to Be Badass: When Kakashi appears at the end of Sakura’s loss against Takeo, Sakura yells at her sensei that he hasn’t taught her anything worthwhile. He responds that she wasn’t willing to learn, but tells her if she’s willing now, he’ll train her.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Takeo conjures an illusion of Tobirama Senju with a combination of the Water Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and True Clone Genjutsu. He uses this to assault Akatsuchi while they are in the Cloying Bog. Thanks to some interactions with Danzo, who told him stories of the Nidaime, Takeo is able to produce an accurate portrayal.
- Deader than Dead: Kakuzu the Mercenary suffers this during the hunting mission. First, he has all but one of his Mask Monsters, the Lightning Monster, defeated thanks to Takeo and Shikamaru. Then, with a combination of Kurenai’s Genjutsu and Sugishi’s attacks, the two kunoichi initially killed the Mercenary. The Lightning Monster manages to reach Kakuzu’s body and is able to revive him. Wanting to escape, Kakuzu begins a Lightning Release, but not before Kurenai, Sugishi, Takeo, and their otter summons intercepted and counterattacked him while he was performing the jutsu. The result is that Kakuzu’s technique misfired and the Lightning Release detonated on himself, his corpse torn apart and no more hearts for him to use.
- Deadly Gas: As expected of Hanzo, this is his specialty, and while he doesn't use it against Takeo during their spar, he does unleash it on Iwagakure after Takeo, Sugishi, and their otters have flooded it to both ensure that there are no survivors as well as making it uninhabitable afterwards.
- Death by Adaptation:
- Orochimaru and Kabuto both die during the assault on Otogakure.
- Akatsuchi dies during his fight against Takeo during the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
- Death from Above: Temari flies both Takeo and Kakashi on her tessen while the two Konoha shinobi unleash Nature Releases, shuriken, and kunai with explosive tags against Mano’s group.
- Designated Girl Fight:
- During their scouting of Kinogasa Village, Takeo and Sugishi have to eliminate a female jonin-sensei, Yori Niwa, and her genin team which consists of two boys and a girl. When the fighting starts, Takeo goes after the boys while Sugishi attacks Yori and her sole female student.
- When Suna came to Ame for the diplomatic meeting, it was decided that there would be spars between each village's shinobi. These consisted of three matches one after the other that featured a combatant of the same gender, with the last one being between Naomi and Temari.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- The Third Raikage, A, still died during the Third Great Shinobi War, but the battle was different. Instead of fighting a force of ten thousand shinobi single-handedly for three consecutive days and nights, he and 12 of his jonin were ambushed in a trap consisting of Hiruzen, Minato, Sakumo, and a group of ANBU. The only survivors of this battle were the named Konoha shinobi.
- The Ame Orphans, Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko, all die together during the Amegakure Civil War instead of separately throughout the series.
- Juzo doesn't die from Yagura, but is instead killed by Sugishi when the Swordsman strikes first.
- While he still dies to a bunch of Konoha shinobi, here Kakuzu dies to Takeo, Sugishi, Kurenai, Shikamaru, and Shino.
- Itachi doesn't die after battling Sasuke and succumbing to his disease, but instead gets assimilated as Orochimaru's newest body.
- The Sound 4 don't die during an invasion of Konoha that was a mission from Otogakure, but instead during an invasion of Otogakure that was a mission from Konoha.
- Onoki doesn't get to die from old age, instead meeting his end during the Fourth Great Shinobi War at the hands of Hiruzen and Takeo.
- Instead of dying from having the Five-Tails extracted from his body, Han meets his end against a combined effort from Takeo, his otter summons, Hiruzen, Baki, Kurenai, Shikamaru, and Rasa.
- Disaster Dominoes: A chain of these are set off that eventually leads to the total destruction of all of Orochimaru's plans. Kakashi was assigned to teach an advanced Nature Release course in the Genin Academy as a condition for being able to instruct the future Team 7. As a result of this, Kakashi realizes how far he has to go as a mentor and seeks guidance from other teachers in Konoha, primarily Gai. Gai encourages him in ways to care and instruct his students, which in turn encourages Kakashi to train obsessively in order to better protect said students. Due to this training, Kakashi is far more prepared once the Chunin Exams take place, and is subsequently able to take Orochimaru unaware and sever his arm from his body. Said ninja's weakened state makes them unable to interfere as severely in the Chunin Exams which means that Konoha has more fieldable S-ranks available once the Fourth Great Shinobi War breaks out, and are fully capable of sending a squad of eight of their greatest shinobi to Oto in order to slaughter the village's entire population, Orochimaru included, down to the last man.
- Distracted by the Sexy: While playing a game of shogi with Shikamaru, Takeo notices Sakura and Temari, who have been recently intimate with each other due to their disheveled appearances, which causes his imagination to get the best of him and makes him to lose focus in the game, letting Shikamaru get the win. When they play another round, and Takeo isn't doing his best because his mind is still elsewhere, Shikamaru forfeits instead, not wishing to play while his opponent's head is full of "troublesome stuff".
- Dope Slap: Neji received a bonk to the back of his head from Sugishi when he tried to use his Byakugan to scout out the daimyo of Noodles' castle. It is internally revealed that what Neji was doing would be considered impolite, as it would show a lack of faith in the daimyo's word as well as in Kiri's ability to behave themselves.
- Eating the Eye Candy: While the two are working together, Baki is more than happy to have Kurenai lead on and watch her from behind, while excusing the behavior as him just being a good mission partner with no other intentions.
- Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: After Suro makes it through the first part of her lesson in operational security, Danzo goes further by bringing out a file on her parents, specifically calling attention to her father originally being from Kumo, and started making threats. When Suro tried to lie her way through the lesson, Danzo knew she was being dishonest immediately, and then had Taeko, her pet dog, brought in for the next part. She says she gave in after that and doesn't go further into details.
- Escort Mission:
- The very first C-rank mission of Team 24 was escorting a trading caravan to the Land of Tea. Unfortunately, the genin team was ambushed by nukenin, and the battle saw Totagi poisoned and in need of immediate emergency healing.
- The second part of the Suna Chunin Exams is an escort mission, where some teams have to escort mock caravans across Suna's desert and other teams have to raid and attack those same caravans.
- Eye Scream: For the final part of Takeo’s operational security torture simulation, Ibiki takes a carving knife and places it at the corner of Takeo’s eye, where any movement would cause it to be cut open.
- Facepalm: It's not known who did it, but it is audibly confirmed someone on the Konoha delegation team did so in response to Asuma's puns.
- Far-Out Foreigner's Favorite Food:
- Temari takes Takeo and Suro to a local food stall when the two first visit Suna, where she orders a beef and lamb mix for the group. Takeo falls in love with it with his first bite, though Suro has the opposite reaction.
- Takeo decides to repay the favor when the Sand Siblings come to Konoha for the Chunin Exams. He takes Temari to an Akimichi restaurant and watches as she goes cross-eyed out of sheer enjoyment from eating honey glazed rib. The next day Takeo takes the whole team to Ichiraku, where not only does Temari again enjoy more of Konoha's cuisine, but her brothers enjoy the ramen so much that they practically race each other to see who can finish their bowl first.
- During the Ame diplomatic mission, Takeo, Sakura, and Temari got to a restaurant. The food is noted as being similar to Sunagakure’s cuisine in its use of spices, and while Takeo only enjoys the meal, Sakura and Temari let out twin moans of delight. When the bingsu is brought out as dessert, all three of them each find it to be delicious.
- Femme Fatale: Manami Isa is a Suna jonin who has been teaching Temari in the arts of seduction. She tells Kakashi how she would have enjoyed persuading him to their side before the alliance.
- Festival Episode: Takeo and Sakura have a date during Konoha’s midwinter festival. The celebration is mainly civilian, so the two shinobi both enjoy time away from their usual group. During the festival, they both take in the sights, enjoy delicious food, dance together, and have their first kiss under dozens of sky lanterns.
- Finger Poke of Doom: A single touch from Neji's Gentle Fire Fist causes whatever area of the body he touched to explode in a mess of blood and viscera.
- Fight Clubbing: The Red Drop bar hosts a Fight Night once a month where shinobi can battle each other in matches only using Taijutsu and their related techniques.
- Fish People: Otogakure has a large population of aquatic horrors, ranging in all forms, as a result of Orochimaru's experiments on people.
- Foil: Takeo has a few foils with his fellow shinobi.
- He and Sasuke share many qualities despite their differences. Both were the top students of the Academy during their time and also grew into the next generation of elites in the village, due to the two being able to master skills far quicker than their peers, though the difference is Sasuke can do this thanks to his Sharingan while Takeo is just naturally gifted. They each also have an affinity to a Nature Release that is uncommon in Fire Country, with Sasuke having the Raiton and Takeo the Suiton. Their differences come from their backgrounds and personality. Sasuke comes from a prestigious clan that was all killed, leaving him as the Sole Survivor of the Uchiha, leaving him feeling bitter and vengeful against his brother, whereas Takeo comes from a loving family of civilian parents and a younger brother, giving him no special techniques but instead a happy home. This leads to Sasuke craving strength and skill above companionship, while Takeo is always willing to make friends and train together with them. During their tenure as shinobi, the two were at first rivals but over time Sasuke loosened up soon after becoming a chunin and was able to respect Takeo as an equal.
- Neji conflicts with Takeo much as the same he did with Sasuke. While both are prodigies, Neji came from a distinguished clan of shinobi that trained him in the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist, unlike Takeo and his simple life. Neji's personality also clashed with Takeo's, the Hyuuga was often dismissive of his fellow Konoha-nin and believed that his and everyone else's fates were predetermined, giving him a colder view of the world. This is compared to Takeo, whose belief in the Will of Fire means he won't put down his fellow ninja and believes in himself over the notion that his fate is already decided, so he trains constantly for self-improvement. The two have clashed both physically and debatably, and this has resulted in Neji accepting more of Takeo's worldview.
- Takeo and Rock Lee, unlike the other examples of foils, are much more friendlier. The two were initially written off as anything beyond fodder, due to Takeo's humble background and Lee's underdeveloped chakra coils. Instead of giving up, both each took their own path to greatness. For Takeo, he chose to become skilled in nearly all shinobi skills that he could be trained in, preferring to be a generalist and not specializing in any craft. Lee instead trained as hard as he could to become a taijutsu master, specializing in that and training little to nothing in anything else as his chakra system couldn't support anything else. Despite the odds, both have made a name for themselves amongst their fellow shinobi.
- For Naruto and Takeo, both have an immense belief in the Will of Fire and a drive to be the best shinobi they can be. Naruto, however, struggled in the basics at the Academy due to being a Jinchuuriki and not having an appreciation for the simpler skills, while Takeo exceeded expectations and was able to proceed to the advanced classes. There was also the reality of being a shinobi, where Naruto believed he could continue in his career without killing anyone, while Takeo had no such delusions and wasn't even bothered by his first kill. While Takeo never had any major issues with his work as a ninja, Naruto saw struggles in killing enemy shinobi and questioned his own self-worth, though this was improved due to Jiraiya being there for him.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Suro apologizes to Takeo for hurting him after reacting negatively to both Totagi’s injuries and Takeo’s attempt at calming her down right after. Takeo forgives Suro and says they’re still friends, but clarifies that they will have a problem if it happens again.
- Friendship Favoritism: A friendly argument between Takeo and Totagi devolves into Takeo claiming he’ll form a new team between himself, Suro, and Taeko. Totagi points out that, between Takeo and herself, Suro would most likely pick her over him to form the team. Takeo can only concede to her point.
- Friendship Moment: Rock Lee hears that Takeo requested him and, not knowing it was simply to hang out, automatically assumed he needed his help in some form. When the two meet, Takeo clarified why he wanted to meet up, much to Lee’s disbelief that someone would want to spend time with him, to which he excitedly agrees.
- Gender-Blender Name: Suro named her male dog Taeko, due to sounding very close to Takeo, despite that being a feminine name.
- Giant Wall of Watery Doom: Takeo and Sugishi, as well as their otter summons that specialize in ninjutsu, unleash a massive Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave on Iwagakure that engulfs and floods the village in its entirety.
- Girl-on-Girl is Hot: The first thing Takeo says after Sakura and Temari are done having their first kiss was that it was extremely hot.
- Glamour: Umeni used a henge to make herself appear more womanly and mature during her date with Takeo. When he found this out, Takeo decided to copy her and make himself appear older and with a beard.
- Gone Horribly Right: Takeo managed to break the Genjutsu that would have simulated torture during his lesson on operational security. Danzo at first complimented the performance, but seeing as he still needed to understand the lesson, the elder had Takeo subjected to a torture session done by Ibiki Morino himself.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: This happened to Team 24 during their first C-rank. What was supposed to be a simple escort of a trading caravan to the Land of Tea, Team 24 got ambushed by a pair of missing-nin, one of which was a jonin, and attacked at a time when Hoheto was distracted. Though both missing-nin were killed, Totagi suffered the most out of the genin, being poisoned and needing hospitalization, forcing Hoheto to get her to the closest allied village, being Suna, and Takeo and Suro to finish the escort on their own until reinforcements from Suna could arrive.
- Guilt-Free Extermination War: The Hokage sends a high strength taskforce under Jiraiya’s leadership to Otogakure to end Orochimaru, as he is both not at his best and his immense intellect and complete lack of morals could turn the balance against Konoha in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. The assault on Otogakure ends with Orochimaru and his entire village dead with no casualties for Konoha.
- Hammered into the Ground:
- As part of the introduction to the Jonin Bootcamp, all of the chunin participants fought against both Kakashi and Might Guy. During this fight, Kakashi piledrives Naruto into the ground, head-first so hard and fast that all that's still visible of him are his knees and lower legs. Takeo briefly wonders if he’s even alive before he sees Naruto kicking his legs.
- The finale of the Bar Brawl against a drunken Rock Lee has him perform a Dynamic Re-Entry against Takeo. Takeo, however, has been waiting for this moment for a while, and counters with a mid-air grab and gives him the Dynamic Greeting, which involves slamming Lee into the ground and burying him into the earth.
- Takeo does it again to Sutsu. As the two have their fight at Fight Night, Takeo dominates throughout it. As a finisher, Takeo sets up Sutsu for a powerbomb, which he’s eager to use, much to Sutsu’s panic. The result is a Sutsu-shaped crater with the guy being buried a foot deep from head to ass.
- Hanging Around: The end result of Noodles' Succession Crisis is Konoha's candidate winning, and Kiri's candidate swinging from the gallows in the capital.
- Head-in-the-Sand Management: Averted by Yoshiaki Ando, village leader of Yugakure, who after hearing a report from one of his chunin that Kumo is attacking Frost, he immediately checks his village's files and finds that Kumo had been attending to their village more frequently as of late, and puts it together that they will be next when the assault on Frost is finished. His immediate response is to write a request for help from Konoha.
- Hero of Another Story: While Takeo is having his adventures, Jiraiya has been busy fixing any problems that could face Konoha. So far he’s fixed Gaara’s seal before the Jinchuuriki was ever met, reported on the aftermath of Ame’s infighting, and located and fought Orochimaru, revealing that the snake summoner has possession of the Sharingan.
- Heroic Second Wind: Takeo gets one during his spar against Sasuke when the two were still attending the Academy. After initially being overwhelmed by Sasuke’s greater agility and specialized taijutsu, Takeo manages to create some distance and ready himself as he starts to enjoy this fight. After Takeo’s Syrup Field clashes with Sasuke’s Great Fireball, the resulting steam puts Takeo in the perfect position to sneak around from behind and catch him in another Syrup Field, leaving the Last Uchiha incapacitated and winning Takeo the spar.
- Honesty Is the Best Policy: Hoheto tells Team 24 to not omit any details of their first C-rank mission report, specifically calling attention to his own failure by being distracted during the ambush.
- Honey Trap: Kumo managed to get one of their kunoichi pregnant with a Hyuuga bastard while at Hot Springs. She was immediately caught and killed by Konoha, leading to more tension between the two.
- Hospital Hottie: A male example in Kabuto, as during his time at Konoha's hospital, he was able to easily fluster a civilian girl who was working there by just asking her when his next shift was going to be.
- Hungry Jungle: The Forest of Death is full of beasts that are more than eager to kill and devour whatever they can. During the Konoha Chunin Exams, Team 24 is attacked by a man-sized centipede, a leopard, a porcupine that can shoot its quills, and a giant venomous spider. The latter manages to incapacitate Suro until she is healed by Totagi.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: Suro literally tears out an opposing shinobi's throat with her bare hands during her time on the Kumo front in the war.
- Improvised Lightning Rod: Kakashi decides to give Takeo his first lesson in Lightning Release by demonstrating the Lighting Rod Jutsu…on Takeo.
- In Love with Your Carnage:
- Kisame was really turned on by seeing Sugishi carrying the dead body of Juzo.
- Sugishi herself gets a moment of this towards Hanzo of all people after watching him massacre an enemy shinobi. However, she seems to regret thinking such thoughts about him as her expression pinches together as if she's just bitten into a sour lime.
- In Spite of a Nail: Just as there are many changes, there are just as many things that stay the same.
- The canon teams and their senseis are still the same, just merely added ones.
- Team 7 still gets their respective teachers, even if some of their arsenal is missing or have new ones in their kit. Sakura is still with Tsunade, and far earlier, but has learned some earth jutsu on top of it. Naruto has trained with Jiraiya, and though the Rasengan wasn't mentioned he has signed the toad contract. Kakashi still teaches Sasuke, with much better results.
- Inadequate Inheritor: When Hiruzen gives command of Konoha to Shikaku Nara while the former goes to Ame on a diplomatic mission, it is noted that Shikaku doesn’t have the raw power to be a Hokage nor has he improved since the time of the Fourth Hokage.
- The Infiltration: Their last mission on the border has Sugishi and Takeo go undercover in Ame to gather intel and cause destruction. When they make it through under false identities, Sugishi gets a job as a singer in a shinobi bar while Takeo becomes a janitor at Ame’s Academy, with each position being prime for collecting intel. When a Civil War breaks out, the two use this opportunity to cause damage. Takeo manages to kill many enemy shinobi while in a fight at a hospital, and Sugishi brings down Hanzo’s tower.
- Instant-Win Condition: If two natural 100s are ever rolled in a single round of combat, the fight is automatically won. So far, this has happened twice, the first was against Sasuke while he and Takeo were still in the Academy and the second was against Akatsuchi during the battle at Iwa's Great Dam.
- Interrupted Intimacy: During the Suna Chunin Exams, Takeo tracked down Kurenai to a teahouse with the intent to practice his Genjutsu. When he finds her, he sits across from her and expresses his want to train at the moment, only to be informed by a suddenly appearing Hoheto that Kurenai is in a prior engagement and that Takeo is sitting in his seat.
- Intimate Telecommunications: Temari, trying to win back Takeo from Sakura, sent an arousing photo of herself to him in a letter, asking what he thought of it. Wanting to be honest, Takeo revealed this to Sakura, and she decided to respond to this with her own message to Temari. She took her own seductive photo, giving a copy to Takeo, and sent another copy to Temari, with the message that she can keep sending more pictures like that, and that for every photo she sends, Sakura will send one to her to compare.
- Ironic Echo: During the first part of their spar, when Sasuke has the initial advantage against Takeo he says “Tch. Pitiful.” When Takeo gets his second wind and manages to trap Sasuke in a Syrup Field, he has this response.Takeo: Pitiful, right?
- It Only Works Once: Sugishi explains to Takeo that summoning Boss Yi against Hanzo without the otter's approval was a one-off and it was only allowed to happen because Hige and Kotai insisted.
- It's Personal: The otter contract originally belonged to Kiri, before Konoha managed to kill the then-current contract holder and take it for themselves. Anytime an otter is brought up in front of a Kiri shinobi, they feel nothing but insulted and vengeful.
- Just Got Out of Jail: Dave reveals that this is what happened to Deidara. He initially failed his kinjutsu theft way back when and has been imprisoned ever since as Iwa tried to retrain his loyalty to the village. During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Konoha was fast approaching eliminating them so Kurotsuchi turned to him out of necessity in Iwagakure's final hours, cutting a deal where he'd get his kinjutsu but only if he joined the war effort.
- Karaoke Box: Takeo has plans to build a karaoke bar after he bought the land from the owner of the bar destroyed during Lee’s drunken rampage.
- Killed Offscreen:
- Kochi, Komaza, and Nejiri, the genin of Team Otokaze, die during the Forest of Death stage of the Chunin Exams, with it being reported by Hoheto to Takeo.
- Aika Nakai gets killed by Mano after the latter defects from Ame.
- Orochimaru and Kabuto are killed in a raid by Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and Guy, with it being reported while Takeo, Neji, Sasuke and Totagi are fighting the Sound Four.
- A canon omake shows this fight from the perspective of Jiraiya.
- Killing in Self-Defense: This is how Sugishi is able to justify killing Juzo to both Kiri and the daimyo of Noodles, with one of his servants witnessing the fight so Sugishi can be declared innocent.
- Kiss Diss: When Takeo and Sakura had their spar as genin, he was able to get the advantage and position himself close to her and was about to perform a headbutt. The closeness made Sakura mistake this as an intimate moment, pursing her lips for a kiss and her cheeks to blush. Takeo, mistaking her reddening cheeks as fear and her lip movements as the beginning of her about to plead for surrender, instead chose to end the fight quickly with a leg trip takedown.
- Large and in Charge: Boss Yi is the boss summon of the otters and is kaiju sized.
- Leave No Witnesses: When Takeo questions why he never heard of Naomi in any of the bingo books, she says this as her response.Naomi: Never leaving any survivors definitely helps.
- Loners Are Freaks: Takeo’s mother gives her son a verbal reprimand after the boy spent a week straight training and planned to spend more time creating his own jutsu.Takeo's Mother: I won't have you becoming some kind of isolated pariah. You're going to go into the village and you're going to spend time with your friends. And you're picking up a new hobby as well! A proper one, not just training in disguise!
- Look Behind You: Suro pulls one of these on Naruto during the Suna Chunin Exams. She feigns shock and horror at something behind Naruto, and when he turns around to check, she runs up to him and starts beating him down, winning her the match.
- Love Across Battlelines: During a chunin briefing, Shikaku makes note to all the male shinobi who are in possession of a bloodline that while conjugal arrangements with Kumo-kunoichi within the Land of Hot Springs are allowed, they must take the appropriate precautions to prevent bloodline theft.
- Love at First Punch: Sasuke manages a win in a close fight against Tenten during the Suna Chunin Exam, which he does in an “interesting fashion”. Whatever it was, both became attracted to the other and begin dating.
- Mana Shield: The Chakra Pelt is a secret technique of the otters. It acts as a full-body cloak of chakra that acts as a shield. Taru teaches this to Takeo to further his learning of the Shell Shattering Fist.
- Mark of Shame: Juzo’s cheek scar was courtesy of Sugishi, and he wants to pay her back.
- Martial Pacifist: When Utakata assumes leadership of Wave Country, he makes it known that his land will not be involved with any battles that the other nations are a part of. While he is open to a delegation coming to him to discuss matters, any attempt to bring him and his nation into the fold will be met with retaliation.
- Mean Boss: Hayama Shirakumo proved to be this during Takeo and Sugishi’s border duty. He was generally unimpressed with having the two instead of the full chunin squad as he wanted, despite the pair being extremely skilled. He was especially unimpressed with Takeo, seeing him as untested. When Takeo proves his prowess after coming back from Ame and recounts what happened, Shirakumo's face was reddening.
- Meaningful Name: Otters have a strong naming tradition, with each of their names translating to either their personality, appearance, or role.
- Baketsu means bucket, and he is a water carrier.
- Taru means keg, and he is a hefty guy.
- Hige means whiskers, and her own whiskers are what make her an exceptional sensor.
- Kotai means solid, a reference to Solid Snake.
- Boira means boiler, and he is a cook.
- Kyuti means cutie, and she is adorable.
- Yari means spear, which is his weapon of choice.
- Meet the In-Laws: Temari brings Takeo to her father and formally introduces him as her boyfriend. She then introduces Rasa to Sakura, saying she is dating her as well, and that the two Konoha-nin are dating each other too. Takeo notices how even the Kazekage was stunned by this.
- Mêlée à Trois: The final fight of the Suna Chunin Exams is this, with the combatants being Sasuke, Neji, and Kankuro. Kankuro emerges victorious.
- A Million Is a Statistic: Danzo casually mentions to Takeo how his actions of destroying Iwa's Great Dam have not just destroyed thousands of lives, but ruined the livelihoods of tens of thousands. Takeo has no negative reaction to what he says and instead nods along to Danzo's words.
- Mirror Character: The similarities between Takeo and Minato were always there but became striking after the assault on Iwa's dam. Both men possessed brilliant minds even all the way back during their Academy years, and were also charismatic and friendly despite their profession. Each also built a legacy that earned them titles of renown, Minato being the Yellow Flash and Takeo being the Numanin. These reputations would be solidified by their actions against Iwa, showing just how dangerous they truly are with Minato slaying a thousand enemy shinobi on his own and Takeo personally devising the plan of attack on the dam and getting the killing attack on Han. What truly cements this is that both have been chosen to succeed Hiruzen to become Hokage, Minato being the Fourth and seemingly Takeo is next, soon to become the Fifth.
- Motor Mouth: Kugi complains that his teammate, Nini Imarabi, constantly runs her mouth whenever their team is together, whether it is to gossip about what the other Konoha genin have been up to, or giggling at anything their sensei says.
- My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: The brother variant. Sezaki takes Takeo to what the latter thinks is just him showing off shinobi skills for his brother’s friends. In reality, Sezaki was arguing with another boy about whose brother was tougher and brought Takeo to them both, keeping his shinobi nature a secret. When they see the shinobi headband, the pair run off. Takeo gets reasonably angered at Sezaki for this.
N-Z
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: One of Kurenai's genjutsu moves is called Unbirth, which not only sounds horrifying, the effects it does to its target remains unknown.
- Neck Lift: Kotai carries Kyuti by the scruff of her neck so they can better sneak their way through Iwagakure to assault Kurotsuchi and Deidara. Kyuti, for her part, doesn't complain about this and even goes along with his movements to make it easier.
- Neck Snap: During his assault on the Ame hospital, Takeo gets into a Taijutsu battle against a tokubetsu jonin. He managed to get the upper hand and put her in a blood choke, and from there applied enough force to snap her neck.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!: When Kabuto gave Takeo all the ninja info cards, he probably didn’t expect them to be brought to the attention of the Hokage. This led Hiruzen and Danzo to realize the faulty security of Konoha, and have more safeguards to prevent another breach.
- Official Kiss
- During the Suna Chunin Exam, Temari kisses Takeo, away from the village and under the stars, to which he reciprocates. Though they both like each other, the couple agrees to only date while Takeo is still in Suna, not wanting to resent the other while they can’t be for one another, and both promise that if it becomes feasible to stay together while there is still something between them, they'll revisit these feelings.
- While Takeo was back in Konoha, he and Sakura started casually dating. Takeo resolves himself and plans for his date with Sakura during the midwinter festival to be where he makes a decision, either he’ll kiss Sakura tonight and become official or tell her he wants to remain friends. In the end, he does kiss her and they become boyfriend and girlfriend.
- Temari and Sakura don’t just have a kiss, but instead an official makeout session when the two of them and Takeo are at an Amegakure restaurant. Not only does this have the two kunoichi start dating, but Takeo also gets with the both of them as well.
- Orgasmically Delicious: Sakura and Temari both let out a moan after experiencing Amegakure cooking. Takeo notes that they’ve both made similar sounds around him before, just under different circumstances.
- Ornamental Weapon: One of Kugi's teammates, Yamano Orimoto, has a pair of swords on his back that he never trains with despite his sensei offering to teach him.
- Out Sick: Hanzo's current state was mostly unknown. He was still alive and in control of Ame but his well-being was contentious, with many of his own shinobi not knowing the details. After the Civil War, Hanzo was thriving again and ready to fight.
- Over-the-Top Secret: Sugishi and Takeo’s report on what they experienced during their covert infiltration of Amegakure, which includes not just the inner workings of their shinobi and Academy teachings, but also their involvement in Ame's sudden Civil War, gets a double black band with direct orders that it be personally given to the Hokage.
- Parents as People: Takeo’s parents, especially his mother, are quite fearful that one day their son won’t return home when he leaves for a mission. At one point, she asks if it is at all possible for Takeo to leave the shinobi lifestyle, but he dismisses the notion and tells his mom even if he could, he wouldn’t.
- Physical Fitness Punishment: During a chunin meeting that discusses Orochimaru and Otogakure, a shinobi questions Shikaku about the location of Jiraiya and Tsunade, as well as doubt if those two and the other elite jonin of the village are capable of stopping Orochimaru if he launched an attack on Konoha. After Shikaku scans the room for others who agree with the one who spoke out, he decides that they've just "volunteered" to help Might Guy with his personal training for the evening, and that attendance is mandatory.
- Playing Possum: Exploited. Takeo was given orders to leave a member of an Iwa genin team alive but kill the rest, so he deliberately gave one of the genin a wound that appeared fatal, but was in fact nonlethal as the attack missed all of their vital organs, betting that they would fake being dead and therefore accomplishing his goal without seeming suspicious.
- Poisonous Person: Hanzo the Salamander and his granddaughter, Naomi, as they are holders of the salamander contract.
- Polyamory: After Temari and Sakura kiss, followed by the two of them kissing Takeo each, the three come to realize they each have feelings for one another and decide to make it all official.
- Power Glows: Whenever Neji uses the Gentle Fire Fist, his fingertips glow an ominous orange light.
- Precision F-Strike: Takeo has one thing to say after listening to Hige about summoning Boss Yi against Hanzo and Ibuse before he was given permission.Takeo: … Fuck it.
- Private Tutor: Takeo’s father managed to acquire the services of a tutor for Takeo before he started the Academy. Osato Inuzuka, a retired chunin, and his ninken Taka helped train Takeo early on in basic chakra control and target practice.
- Put on a Bus: As the story is told from Takeo's perspective, characters who he becomes acquainted with will stop appearing in the story as he moves on in his life, such as with Kugi and Umeni when he graduates from the Academy, and even his own genin teammates after they all become chunin and go on their own specialized routes. Though they show up occasionally and might stick around for a while, they don't appear as often as they once did.
- Raging Stiffie: The table on Takeo’s side rises by an inch or so as he watches Temari and Sakura aggressively makeout.
- Rank Up:
- Takeo, Shikamaru, Lee, Temari, and Gaara are promoted to chunin following the Konoha Chunin Exams
- Suro, Totagi, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Shino, and Kankuro are promoted to chunin following the Suna Chunin Exams.
- At least Takeo, Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino have been given a field promotion to jonin following Konoha preparing to enter the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Team 24's C-rank after the Chunin Exams was a mission to exterminate a group of bandits that was targeting a village with extortion. Their method involved killing the village elder and demanding a tribute of food and coin, as well as three young women to be used as hostages. When the team locates the bandit camp, Hoheto judges from the appearance of the hostages that the bandits have been "making use of them".
- Rare Random Drop: Sezaki is having a hard time finding Takeo’s Bin-Go card, as not only is it rare, but the card packs are in low print.
- A Real Man is a Killer: Takeo's father takes his son out to a sake bar after the boy comes back from his first C-rank that had him kill a missing-nin, with his reasoning being that, by the laws of the village, he is now a man and now understands what those responsibilities entail.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Orochimaru reveals he is in possession of the Sharingan due to taking possession of Itachi's body.
- Releasing from the Promise: Hanzo the Salamander releases the promise of his desired rematch against Sannin as he received a well-fought match against Takeo, deeming that he honored it instead of them.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: After Ame signs a treaty with the Konoha and Suna alliance, Mano and his followers rebelled. He slew his previous rival, Aika, and defected with his group. They didn’t get far.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Kyuti, Sugishi’s scout otter summon, is a small otter with a positive attitude. She also happens to be Sugishi’s favorite for being excessively adorable.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: As soon as Han sees that the Hokage and Takeo have not only survived their fight against Onoki but also killed him, the Jinchuuriki immediately goes into his Tailed Beast Mode and starts to go berserk.Han: ... I failed? I failed… Kokuo, we take our revenge.
- Romantic Spoonfeeding: Takeo, in an effort to see if Temari and Sakura are into each other, offers a spoonful of bingsu to Sakura and then does the same to Temari. After both girls each give him a share, he says it’s only fair that they offer each other a taste, which they do. It all comes together when Takeo feeds the girls at the same time, which culminates in Sakura and Temari kissing.
- Rousing Speech: Kugi gives a toast to Totagi, Takeo, Suro, and Umeni after the five meet up and are all back in the village. For himself and Umeni, he is grateful for how far they’ve come even if they haven't been promoted yet, just happy being alive and coming along to the average age to reach chunin. He thanks Totagi in advance, knowing her medical skills are going to save their lives at least once each. He remarks how Suro is going to make a name for herself collecting a multitude of bounties while she’s away. And for Takeo, he doesn’t bother with any predictions, knowing he’ll blow past them eventually.
- Royal Brat: Played with, as the jonin that Team 7 had to escort as part of the Suna Chunin Exams played the role of the Wind daimyo’s uncle, and he acted the part. He refused to be carried across the desert, which lengthened their trip to a week instead of a single day, and he decided that they would travel during the hottest time of the day when the sun was out at the start of their journey, something that Team 7 wasn't accustomed to.
- Running Gag: The dice seem to regularly conspire against Takeo any time he is about to be greeted by Lee, giving him just enough time to realize what's about to happen before taking a Dynamic Entry to the face.
- Sacred First Kiss: After Takeo and Temari kiss underneath a starry desert, they both mention they were each other's first kiss.
- Scoring Points: This is how Whack-a-Naruto is played. Naruto summons a bunch of clones and creates traps for the other players. Meanwhile, the players pop the clones and find the real Naruto. Every popped clone is worth a point and the person who gets the real Naruto earns ten points and the game ends. The player with the most points by the end wins, or if Naruto traps all the players, he wins.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: The original deal for Takeo being able to summon Boss Yi was to gain the approval of five other otter summons as well as take care of any other responsibilities that were asked of him as a signer of the contract. After Takeo kills Han, Boss Yi gets fed up waiting for Takeo making progress and makes himself his fifth summon, effectively skipping in line.Boss Yi: You fought a bijuu? Forget all the formalities and summon me already. I'm sick of listening to Kotai and Hige bragging about the great fights their grandson has been getting into by your side already.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: Takeo is met in Ame's onsen by Sakura and Temari, who've all been planning this after they all agreed to wanting to progress their relationship physically. While nothing is explicitly mentioned, Takeo can only describe what happened as "indescribable".
- Side Bet: Konoha’s jonin sensei decide to have a bet on whose student makes it the furthest in the Chunin Exams, with the winner getting three nights of free drinks from the losers. Hoheto wins the bet with Takeo.
- Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: Takeo gives a speech to Kugi after the latter has been suffering from severe depression stemming from his past teammates' fates, and his own failures, saying that even though what happened is tragic, Kugi's dream is still achievable and can make sure their efforts weren't wasted by doing what he can to achieve it.Takeo: There's no guarantees for us. None. That was never a secret. What happened to your team is terrible, but it's not something you can change at this point. The only thing you can influence, is where you go from here. You were the only one to walk out of Suna alive and unharmed. Are you really going to insult their losses by living a half life? Because that's what giving up would be. They knew what your goals were going in, just as you knew what they wanted out of life. Of those 3 dreams for the future, two are impossible now. But yours isn't. And you owe it to them to make it a reality.Kugi: None of that is going to help either of them though.Takeo: No it won't. But it'll help you. And if you were a good team, then I believe that they'd both want that. And that will have to be good enough.Kugi: What if it isn't?Takeo: It'll have to be.
- Sliding Scale of Free Will vs. Fate: This is an arguing point that Takeo and Neji were divided on during their initial meetings, with Neji on the side of fate against Takeo on the side of free will. After Neji has multiple conversations with both Takeo and the other members of Team Guy, he comes to realize that there is no such thing as a predetermined destiny, and instead becomes a firm believer that true destiny is about overcoming obstacles and reaching new heights in spite of whatever or whoever seeks to hold you back.
- Spare a Messenger: Hiruzen gives the order to Takeo to take out an Iwa genin team and their jonin-sensei, but to leave one alive so that they can report back about the attack and with hopes that it would draw the Tsuchikage himself into the conflict and away from his defensive position.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- The Konoha Crush never happened, in part due to Hiruzen and Rasa coming to agreements beforehand. As such both Kages are still alive.
- Not only are both Zabuza and Haku alive, but they are also loyal to Yagura.
- Though he has yet to be encountered, Mangetsu is noted as still being alive.
- The Spartan Way: This is the purpose of the Jonin Bootcamp, to train the members of Team 7, Team Guy, Shikamaru, Takeo, and Shino into the next elite fighting force to combat Konoha’s enemies. They each have personalized regiments and are taught by jonin that they themselves are specialists in their own distinctive fields.
- Spy Speak: Team 24's C-rank mission in Noodles reveals that Konoha has code phrases to use for allies within the land that involve Hokage.“Shodaime.”“The tree that grew larger than all others.”“Let all the elements bow before it.”
- Sticky Bomb: Takeo practically turns himself into one to deal the deathblow on Han. He first launches at the Jinchuuriki in Tailed Beast Mode and uses the Hardened Water Drill to burrow himself into its chest. While lodged in there, Takeo uses the Vacuum Bomb, a Wind Release technique where he is the epicenter of a wave of destructive vacuum energy. The attack is successful in killing the Five Tails, as the entirety of the upper half of its body is torn apart from the inside out.
- Storming the Castle: Konoha's first mission at the start of the Fourth Great Shinobi War is an assault on Otogakure, with the group in charge of carrying this out consisting of Jiraiya, Kakashi, Guy, Neji, Sasuke, and Takeo. It is a two-fold aim of finally locating and destroying the hidden village, with an even more crucial objective in killing Orochimaru.
- Strip Poker: Takeo's father wins a bet against a busty woman who wagers her bra to him in a game of dice. He makes Takeo promise to keep silent about it.
- Student–Master Team: Sugishi and Takeo form this when the latter becomes the apprentice of the former and both travel to Ame's border. Over the course of this, while both work together on missions, Sugishi instructs Takeo on ninjutsu and the more covert workings of being a shinobi.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The bridge Takeo blew up while he was traveling to Ame was utterly devastated as if it never existed at all.Bridge? What bridge? You mean that single rock in the middle of the river?
- Stripped to the Bone: All that remains of Onoki following the combined assault Hiruzen's Great Konoha Guardian Dragon Technique and Takeo's Lightning Rod Sensor is a child-sized skeleton atop a cooling glass spire.
- Succession Crisis:
- Ame went through one of these when their leader, Hanzo, was temporarily out of commission. Without a clear successor, two of his shinobi, Mano and Aika, each tried to establish themselves as the rightful leader. When Hanzo makes his recovery, he was able to settle the dispute by naming his granddaughter, Naomi, as his heir.
- Two claimants to the title of daimyo of Noodles were vying for control against each other. The resulting fallout started a Civil War in their country, with Kiri and Konoha each taking the side of their favored candidate and supporting them covertly. Thanks to Konoha's efforts, their candidate, Sone, was able to come out as the victor.
- Takeo notices everyone else's reactions when Hiruzen gives Shikaku overall command and makes Danzo his second in command. Shikaku is unhappy but saw it coming, Danzo is irked at the decision, and Kakashi is gleeful that he wasn’t given the position. And seeing as both of the loyal Sannin are absent from the meeting, this clues in Takeo to the fact that Konoha doesn't currently have a suitable candidate lined up to take up the mantle of Hokage should Hiruzen pass.
- Hiruzen resolves this issue by telling Takeo that he will be named his successor should he return victorious in the mission to destroy Iwagakure in its entirety.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: After much speculation surrounding him, Deidara makes his debut during the destruction of Iwagakure. However, he isn't even fought directly by Takeo, as Kotai ambushed and killed him relatively simply.
- Swamps Are Evil: The swamps around Ame contain murderous chakra beasts of all kinds as well as other dangers. This becomes subverted due to low encounter rolls, as when Sugishi and Takeo take a detour through it to Ame, they find no danger through their run and arrive back on the road safely.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Ame’s security practically held the door for Takeo and Sugishi during their infiltration. Their false identities fooled the shinobi on security. The two were then able to get jobs with access to easy reconnaissance, with Sugishi working a shinobi bar and Takeo employed at Ame’s academy. Bonus to Takeo because he convinced the teachers he couldn’t read, so he had access to all their paperwork. And thanks to an abrupt conflict in the city, the two escaped without being caught or identified.
- Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors: This is the system for taijutsu battles, which uses strength, agility, and endurance. It’s explained as strength can't hit agility, agility can't hurt endurance, and endurance gets overpowered by strength.
- Take a Third Option: Hanzo, after finding both Mano and Aika to be lacking after regaining control of Ame, decided to name his granddaughter, Naomi, as his successor.
- Talking Animal:
- The otters that Takeo and Sugishi possess are all capable of speech, though this is a given since they are animals from the Summoning Realm.
- Suro's ninken, Taeko, is shown to be capable of speech in her interlude.
- Tastes Like Friendship: For every initial otter summon, Takeo brings a food offering as a show of respect in hopes that they accept him as a summoner.
- Teach Me How To Fight: This is Takeo’s main reason for initially summoning Taru. Takeo notes he lacks a defined Taijutsu style and wants to be trained in a proper fighting style to overcome this.
- Thicker Than Water: The Sabaku family, the Sand Siblings and the Kazekage, all have their misgivings towards one another, from Rasa pitting his children against themselves to see who will be his heir, to Temari and Kankuro being wary of Gaara due to his past before his seal was stabilized. Despite their history, they all love one another and have each other's back no matter what.
- This Is a Drill: The Hardened Water Drill is a ninjutsu where the user condenses a large amount of water around the hand and has it rotate at great speed, forming a large drill made of water. This is Sugishi's Signature Move, and she teaches this to Takeo over the course of his apprenticeship.
- This Is Gonna Suck: This is Sugishi’s tone when she sees and identifies Kakuzu as the missing-nin her and the rest of her team are hunting.
- A Threesome Is Hot: Takeo, Temari, and Sakura each share their first times together the night before their final mission against Iwa.
- Throw-Away Country: The kickoff to the Fourth Great Shinobi War is an Iwa-led assault on Taki. The end result is the destruction of the Land of Waterfall's village, with all of their land subjugated and their shinobi forces either scattered and trying to find refuge, or dead from the attack.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Sasuke awakens his Sharingan after his defeat against Takeo, with the Uchiha being left stuck to the ground from a Syrup Field, staring up at him in outrage.
- True Companions: Team 24 is this as a whole. Being friends since their Academy days, the three have absolute faith in each other. Suro and Totagi don’t let their failures over their own performances at the Chunin Exams stop them from cheering on Takeo as he continues forward. Takeo himself chooses to remain a member of Team 24 after his promotion, wanting at least one other to become a chunin before the team is disbanded. Kakashi notes that the three would have crushed the bell test due to their friendship before their team was even formed.
- Two Girls and a Guy: The genin of Team 24, consisting of Takeo Chiba, Suro Etsuyomi and Totagi Kaneze.
- Unexpected Kindness: When they meet again for Konoha’s Chunin Exams, Gaara doesn’t understand why Takeo was being friendly and taking him and the others on his team. When Takeo explains it’s because he’s already friendly with Temari, he wanted to know more about her brothers. Gaara takes a moment to process this, and thanks Takeo for the invite.
- Universal Group Reaction: The Konoha-nin who are in the sessions for operation security each collectively blink whenever Danzo reveals the success rate of the students who passed each portion of the lesson. When it happens the second time, Danzo makes note of the phenomenon.
- Unnamed Parent: Takeo's mother and father are not named, despite having multiple lines throughout the story and appearing frequently.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The sight of an exhausted shinobi bringing in a wounded ally isn’t an uncommon sight for the people at the Konoha Hospital, so nobody spares a second glance at Takeo bringing in a badly injured Shino.
- Wake-Up Call: A spar between Team 24 and Team 21 results in Kugi's team getting bodied. Following this, Nini and Kugi both decide to step up their training, Yamano agreeing to do better but admits he dislikes working hard, and their sensei, Tekuno Kanden, admitting they do need improvement.
- Was Once a Man: It is noted that the abominations surrounding Otogakure are the result of Orochimaru's experiments on people, either that they are just civilians or are the dregs he tossed out when he made advancements.
- We Can Rule Together: Sone, The daimyo of Noodles, offers Takeo a position in his future Village Hidden in Broth if he chooses to serve him, with him hinting to Takeo that he could rise up and become the first Burokage. The daimyo entices him with promises of money, women, and power as well as the right to bring any friends and family with him under the daimyo's protection. Takeo refuses, as he already has plenty of money, is in a happy relationship with Sakura, and would rather earn his power rather than take a shortcut.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 24.5 has the official start to the Fourth Great Shinobi War, with Iwa leading a surprise attack on Taki, forcing many of their shinobi and Fuu into retreating from their home, Kumo attacked the Land of Frost and subjugated them, and Hot Springs has requested Konoha for aid in the oncoming war.
- Wham Shot: The climax of the fight between Jiraiya and Orochimaru in Chapter 24.5 has the Snake Sannin weakened from Jiraiya's Sage Mode assault , so he has no choice but to reveal his possession of the Sharingan and use a genjutsu to escape.
- What the Hell, Hero?: After Sakura admits to Takeo that she doesn’t train outside of team meetings, he can’t help but harshly asks what she does with her spare time, followed by telling her she should train more as Team 7 is a combat team, and he beat her easily and he isn’t even a combat specialist.
- Witty Banter: Expect to have this whenever Takeo interacts with someone he is friendly with, a prime example of which is during the First Chunin Exams, in which Takeo and Temari can’t help themselves but engage in this both before and during their fight in the Chunin Exams. Sugishi finds it as adorable as it is childish.(Before the fight)Takeo: What’s up with the flying? Wanted to make your last fight a memorable one for the crowd?Temari: No, I was just looking if I could find you a good seat for when you’re not allowed in the competitors’ galleries anymore. I’d hate for you to miss my next two matches after all.(During the fight)Takeo: Aww, you getting tired already? I was just starting to feel that!Temari: Oh really, you were beginning to feel it? I’m supposed to ignore the scraps of clothes and the drops of blood I saw flying off of you then?Takeo: What, those little cuts? I’ve had papercuts that hurt worse!
- Woman Scorned: Shino warns Takeo of this when he mentions dating both Sakura and Temari. He simply explains that they are all together.
- X-Ray Sparks: When Kakashi watches as Takeo uses the Lightning Rod Jutsu on himself as practice, Kakashi is sure he can see the boy's skeleton right through his own skin.
- Zerg Rush: This is Naruto's specialty thanks to the amount of Shadow Clones he can produce. One particular instance is when he lets loose an "Orange Tide" at the Iwa Front during the war.
