History Fanfic / Hakumei

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:To the Invasion arc. The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion might have been able to defeat Danzou and his allies had things gone according to plan... but the addition of the Sand/Sound Invasion on the same day turned the whole thing into a MeleeATrois, and the extra enemies combined with some mistaken assumptions about Danzou's own plans mean that the best the heroes can do is retreat before they're wiped out. At the same time, it is noted that Konoha's reputation has taken a massive hit with Hakumei revealing their identities, the village has itself taken significant losses due to the three-way battle, and the invasion has shown that Konoha ''can'' be attacked, and has permanently destroyed the village's image of military superiority. This combined with the defection of Jiraiya and Tsunade leaves the village much worse off than it was at the beginning of the invasion. Not to mention the population is going to be rather unhappy with Danzou for hiding and keeping his own skin safe while people were dying.]]
* BloodKnight: Zabuza, Sasuke, Sakura and Neji all love hurting things. Zabuza and Sakura especially.

* CassandraTruth: No one really believes Gaara when he talks about the monster eating his mind whenever he sleeps until they learn about the Kyuubi in Naruto and Gaara expresses his relief and joy that he's not alone in his situation. In the Chunin exams, Ino uses her Mind Transfer Jutsu on Gaara to try to cheat and the audience discovers that Shukaku is literally gnawing on Gaara's mind, which Ino finds extremely ncomfortable.

The fic itself is complete. A SequelSeries has recently started, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11457678/1/ Hakumei: Kakumei]]'', picking up where the series left off three years later.

* CassandraTruth: No one really believes Gaara when he talks about the monster eating his brain whenever he sleeps until they learn about the Kyuubi in Naruto and Gaara expresses his relief and joy that he's not alone in his situation.

* DesignatedGirlFight: Sakura vs Yumi. [[spoiler:Yumi wins but only because Sakura's undercover and can't use her more powerful, flashy techniques.]] Hinata vs Matsuri could count, except [[CurbStompBattle it wasn't a fight.]]

* DrowningMySorrows: After the 3rd Hokage's death, Gekkou Hayate tells Iruka that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata and Neji are all missing, presumed "kidnapped by the Rock nin that assassinated the Sandaime." He then silently changes his plans for the evening to "get black-out drunk."

** DishingOutDirt: Gaara, of course, attacks using sand, and it's shown that for his powers, "sand" includes any kind of dirt. Also, one of [[spoiler:Yumi]]'s elemental affinities is earth.
** ExtraOreDinary: [[spoiler:Yumi.]]
** AnIcePerson: Haku.
** MakingASplash: Mist nin, Kakashi and [[spoiler:Itachi]].
** PlayingWithFire: The Uchiha.

** Naruto and Konohamaru's relationship is the same despite Naruto being supposedly a foreign ninja.

-->"A. True. Ninja. Is. Always. Growing," [[spoiler: Kimimaro]] said between punches, "Always. Learning. Stronger. Techniques. And. Never. Allowing. Themselves. To. Stop."

* SadisticChoice: Yumi imposes one on Sasuke [[spoiler:when she brings his mother into the street to convince him to stay in Konoha. It stalls him, right up until [[BigDamnHeroes Hiashi shows up]].]]

* ShoutOut: To, of all things, ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}''.
** Anime/{{Digimon Tamers}}, Haku's surname is Akiyama and his pseudonym is Ryo.

* SilkHidingSteel: Hinata. Hanabi is trying to be this.
* SnarkKnight: Zabuza.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Hakumei is this [[spoiler:to the Invasion arc. While they don't win (for reasons explained in Bittersweet Ending), four out of nine of its members were seen and recognized as the children that Konoha originally went to war to save. This means that not only will it get out that Konoha utterly failed to achieve its directives but their resources didn't even get their info right.]] Thus [[spoiler:Konoha]]'s reputation takes a dive.
* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Granted, the events of the stations happen much differently, but the Wave and Chunin exam arcs take up almost the entirety of part 2. Because those events were much different, it would be damn hard to follow the stations coming next, so ultimately averted.
* StepfordSmiler: Sai at the beginning. He still does the fake smiling thing but now mostly when he's angry and [[InvisibleToNormals doesn't want a normal person to notice.]]
* SternTeacher: While she does her share of mothering them, Tsunade has high standards for Hakumei and very firmly guides them.

--> This little chick was a little too sure of herself for him. He actually liked shy girls. Particularly when they were younger than him. Zabuza blinked as the thought occurred to him. Somehow...that didn't sound right...

* TeenSuperSpy: Being the GoodCounterpart to Akatsuki, Hakumei becomes a group of these. [[BadassAdorable Damn proficient ones too.]]

* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: Sasuke when confronting his mother.]]
--> I won't be coming home again. It's too late. This is my life now. I...am not [[spoiler: Uchiha Sasuke. My name is Arashi no Sasuke. The one who will break the power of the Uchiha clan]]
* ThemeNaming: The two Hakumei girls become “Hinata of the Lunar Eclipse” and “Sakura of the Solar Eclipse”.
** More subtly: "Hakumei" means "twilight". Since two of the group are jinchuuriki, [[FridgeBrilliance Hakumei is almost certainly going to end up fighting against Akatsuki- "daybreak".]]

** The group that gives the fic its name. Tsunade calls them the "Mudpuppies" when she's not calling them "Hakumei."

** Zabuza muses the hakumei's bond with each other is similar to the bond the seven swordsman once had.
* {{Tsundere}}: Tsunade, Anko and Zabuza are Type A. Sakura [[CharacterDevelopment developed]] from a ShrinkingViolet to a Type A.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Dammit, [[spoiler:Konohamaru]]!!
** Mikage Satoshi is this for the entire invasion. [[WhatAnIdiot THE ENTIRE INVASION.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: Sasuke's case of this leads eventually to enough frustration he runs away. [[spoiler: Returning as a member of Hakumei gives him an outsider's perspective that makes him wonder why he wanted the parental approval in the first place.]]
* WhipItGood: Yumi, whose element allows her to control it.

* YouAreWhatYouHate: [[spoiler: Both Sasuke and Itachi hate what the Uchiha clan has become. Both of them have stated that they are planning to destroy it.]]

** Gaara while he's fighting on the Hokage monument.
** [PapaWolf Hiashi]] [[spoiler:while covering Hakumei's retreat.]]

* AllTheOtherReindeer: Naruto and Sakura when they were in Konoha, Gaara when he was still in Suna, Rock Lee for being unable to mold chakra and Tenten later on for being a foreign-born Konoha nin. As a result, Ten-Ten is trying desperately to fit in.
* AmazonChaser: [[spoiler:Despite the fact that he beat her,]] Neji thinks this of Tenten.

* AngerBornOfWorry: After nearly crushing Naruto's lungs in a BearHug, Iruka demands to know where the hell he's been for the past 6 years. [[NoIndoorVoice Loudly.]]

* ArrangedMarriage: The important clans practice these. [[spoiler: Itachi and Yumi were arranged to marry each other. Neither was thrilled with the idea. Yumi in fact was in a relationship with Shisui.]]
%%* AxCrazy: Zabuza, Anko, Yumi and Sora.

** Hakumei and Kinen also pull this off.

* BadassCrew-- Starts out as a FiveManBand with [[TheLeader Naruto]], [[TheLancer Sasuke]], [[TheSmartGuy Sakura]], [[TheBigGuy Neji]], [[TheHeart Hinata]]. Later Sai joins. Then they add a power trio with another SmartGuy in "closet evil genius" Haku and two much more powerful [[BigGuy Big Guys]] in Gaara and Kimimaro.

* BadassLongcoat: In Part Two, the Hakumei uniform includes a white sleeveless coat with blue flames on the bottom, modeled on (but not identical to) the one worn by the Yondaime Hokage.
* BatDeduction: Using just [[spoiler:the fact that Hinata and Neji are alive]], [[spoiler:Hiashi]] is able to correctly conclude that a) [[spoiler:the rest of the kids are also alive]] and b) Konoha done fucked up.
* BattleStrip: Kimimaro. Apparently removing bones through a shirt is awkward...

* BerserkButton: Haku being mistaken for a girl annoys him most of the time, but when it's used insultingly...

** [[spoiler: Itachi feels this way about Sasuke... it's just that he couldn't ''find'' him for a few years.]]

* BigBrotherWorship: Both Sasuke and Hanabi.

** [[spoiler:Zabuza to Yugito Ni on behalf of [[DeclarationOfProtection Naruto]].]]

%%* BigGood: Tsunade and Jiraiya.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Kekkei Genkai families in general. The Uchihas are violent and generally unpleasand. The Hyuugas are extremely prideful and enslave their own relatives. The Kaguyas are bloodthirsty nutcases. Two out of three have been shown to be affected by the disease known as Tainted Blood, which is hinted to be caused partly by inbreeding.

* BodyDouble: [[spoiler: During the Chuunin Exams, Danzou has Uchiha Fugaku pose as him. Fugaku does not survive the experience.]]

%%* BrattyHalfPint[=/=]MouthyKid: Inari and Konohamaru.

* CainAndAbel: Expected for Uchiha brothers, averted for Itachi and Sasuke. Their father is somewhat disturbed that Itachi ''didn't'' try to kill his younger brother at birth. DysfunctionJunction, much?
** Also averted for the Hyuuga sisters and their cousin.
* CastSpeciation: Hinata's Tenshi Byakugan serves to give her a different powerset than Neji's, rather than the canonical situation where their abilities are basically the same but he's better at using them. Also, the three medics- aside from all having completely different fighting styles- end up with different medical specialties; for example, Haku focuses on medical herbs rather than using chakra to heal.

* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler:Hinata removing Neji's Caged Bird seal gets a CallBack when Jiraiya asks her to do the same to the seal on [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Orochimaru's brain]].]]

* ChickMagnet: The Uchiha brothers as usual. Sasuke fears fangirls. [[HilarityEnsues Sure enough, they always find him.]]

* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: In the Chuunin Exams, every time a Hakumei member faces an actual genin. Against other fake genin, things are more complicated.]]

** Sakura isn't. She's deadly, and she's a healer, but so far there doesn't seem to be an overlap.

* DiscardAndDraw: [[spoiler: After Hinata awakens the Tenshi Byakugan, she is no longer able to use normal Byakugan.]]
** Akatsuki does this too. [[spoiler:Itachi defects and links up with Hakumei and the three reunited Sannin, while Yumi Uchiha looks set to take his place]].

* DrowningMySorrows: After the 3rd Hokage's death, [[spoiler:Gekkou Hayate tells Iruka that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata and Neji are all missing, presumed "kidnapped by the Rock nin that assassinated the Sandaime." He then silently changes his plans for the evening to "get black-out drunk."]]
* DualWielding: Yumi with kunai.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: This is becoming a sore spot with Haku. [[spoiler: He and Deidara bond over it in the omakes.]]
* DramaticUnmask: [[spoiler: During their battle, Yumi breaks Sasuke's mask with her whip, revealing his active Sharingan.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: Konan and Zabuza in Chapter 3. Zabuza doesn't appear again until Chapter 11, and Konan hasn't yet reappeared.

** DishingOutDirt: Gaara, obviously. [[spoiler:Yumi too.]]

%%* EnemyMine

* EvilFormerFriend: Technically she's been dead for 13 years but [[spoiler:Kushina and [[LadyMacbeth Mikoto]]]] were once thick as thieves. Yumi invokes this by [[spoiler:killing Inuzuka Hana to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan]]. [[spoiler:Kiba]] sees Naruto as this.
* EvilMatriarch: Mikoto Uchiha, [[spoiler:during the confrontation Sasuke suspects that she only wants him back for political reasons. Her latter conversation with Hiashi confirms it.]]
* ExtremeOmnivore: Sai for awhile after they escaped Konoha.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Naruto dubs the Nine Tails and One Tail "Fuzzy Wuzzy" and "Sandy Wandy" after the rest of the group finds out about them.

* AFriendInNeed: Hakumei will gladly abandon their mission to rescue either [[TrueCompanions their teammates]] or [[ChronicHeroSyndrome innocents.]] [[spoiler:This is seen when Naruto is interrogated by Ibiki, who is in Kinen, luckily and when Sasuke is cornered by his mother and the Uchiha as Hakumei escapes Konoha.]]

%%* GoodParents: Tenten's foster father.
* TheGreatOffscreenWar: By the sequel, Konoha conquered Sand and Iwa, leaving Kumo as the last major country while Mizu is still recovering.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason why the kids had to leave Konoha in the first place. Later on, Hakumei considers killing [[spoiler:Shino]] when they realize [[spoiler:he]] has put two and two together.

* HeroicBystander: Rock Lee (Danzo instates laws that prevent him from attending the Ninja Academy) and the proprietor of Ichiraku's ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome who manages to clock some]] ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome utterly surprised]]'' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Sand and Sound ninja)]].
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Both Sasuke and Hinata in chapter 32. Hinata, because of Hiashi's death. Sasuke, because, despite him declaring a blood feud against the Uchiha clan, he still hesitated in front of his mother. Naruto helps Hinata get over it. Sasuke determines that he will never hesitate again, and that the next time he meets his family, he will destroy them.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Hiashi]]. See "You Shall Not Pass."
* ICallHerVera: Don't touch Zabuza's sword.
* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Daughter or Nephew]]: Hyuuga Hiashi disowns Hinata and Neji [[spoiler: after Hinata removes Neji's [[RestrainingBolt Caged Bird Seal]]]].
** And then he goes and [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope attacks Yumi in order to allow Hakumei to retreat.]]]]
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Since Hakumei is undercover during the Chuunin exams, there's a lot of this going on.

* ImprobableAge: Naruto and co. successfully escape a very large village with very important information, collect three other strangers, two of which are three years older than they are and live on their own for at least a year, all at the tender ages of six or seven. Then again, [[CombatMedic Tsunade]] herself notes that [[DeconstructedTrope the kids have various amounts of ailments when she finds them]] and well, [[InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja ninja]].
* InSpiteOfANail: Not too many things, but Gaara gets the same nickname as in canon, and [[spoiler: Itachi still becomes a missing ninja]] despite the changes that have occurred by then.

-->'''Tsunade''': My, what pretty little...''(recognizes Naruto's whiskers, Gaara's eye rings, Hinata & Neji's eyes, Sakura's pink hair)''...chil...dren...''(flops into her seat)'' I NEED A DRINK. NOW.\\

* IOweYouMyLife: Hakumei believes in calling in any and all [[BigDamnHeroes life-preserving favors]] they've been presented with.

* ItsPersonal: Sasuke always disliked Yumi, but when [[spoiler: she nearly kills Sakura in the Chuunin Exams]] he declares a blood feud against her clan. [[spoiler: Which is also ''his'' clan.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Zabuza would rather be fighting... but given the chance to honestly help, he can be talked/ guilted into it. Also, Kiba.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler: In Chapter 32, Yumi murders Hana in order to unlock her Mangekyou Sharingan.]]
* KickTheDog: Sora during his match against Dosu. Yumi, whenever she talks.
* KickTheMoralityPet: AsYouKnow, gaining the Mangekyou Sharingan means killing the person closest to you. [[spoiler:Hana Inuzuka is pretty much the only living person in-story that Yumi is comparatively nice that isn't an Uchiha. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope So...]]]]

* LaResistance: Kinen.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata are this to Iruka, Itachi and [[spoiler:Hiashi]] respectively, since the former's absence brings about drastic changes in the latter's lives i.e. Iruka becomes bitter and jaded, Itachi falls out of favor with his family and [[spoiler:Hiashi]] [[DespairEventHorizon gives up on the world.]]

* MeleeATrois: [[spoiler: The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion? It's on the same day as the Sound/Sand Invasion.]] Cue a three-way battle between [[spoiler: the rebels, the invaders, and Danzo's forces.]] Things get messy ''fast'' [[spoiler: and because no one was planning for this, no one wins. All three sides take losses, but Hakumei and the exposed members of LaResistance have to cut and run, leaving Danzou still in power.]]
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: The Inuzuka clan is loyal to Danzo simply because he's the Hokage. They're pretty decent people- they just don't question orders that seem to come from a legitimate authority.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Good working running straight to Danzo, [[spoiler: ''Konohamaru'']].
* TheNicknamer: Tsunade gave the nine members of Hakumei their distinctive names.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Kimimaro likes telling weird stories. And reanimating his bones while they're away from his body.

* PapaWolf: You will be missed, [[spoiler:Hiashi]].

** Ninja Puffs,

* TheGreatOffscreenWar: By the sequel, Konoha conquered Sand, and was now setting its sights on Iwa.

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: To the Invasion arc. The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion might have been able to defeat Danzou and his allies had things gone according to plan... but the addition of the Sand/Sound Invasion on the same day turned the whole thing into a MeleeATrois, and the extra enemies combined with some mistaken assumptions about Danzou's own plans mean that the best the heroes can do is retreat before they're wiped out. At the same time, it is noted that Konoha's reputation has taken a massive hit with Hakumei revealing their identities, the village has itself taken significant losses due to the three-way battle, and the invasion has shown that Konoha ''can'' be attacked, and has permanently destroyed the village's image of military superiority. This combined with the defection of Jiraiya and Tsunade leaves the village much worse off than it was at the beginning of the invasion. Not to mention the population is going to be rather unhappy with Danzou for hiding and keeping his own skin safe while people were dying.]]

** Haku's medical abilties rely on herbs and chemicals; he also uses drugs and poisons in battle.

** [[spoiler: Kimimaro to Kiba]] during their match in the preliminaries.

* [[spoiler:TellMeAboutMyFather: Naruto learns about his family and his condition early on thanks to Tsunade.]]

%%* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Dammit, [[spoiler:Konohamaru]]!!
%%** Mikage Satoshi is this for the entire invasion. [[WhatAnIdiot THE ENTIRE INVASION.]]
%%* WarriorTherapist: Hinata to Matsuri.

%%* WhipItGood: Yumi.

** [[spoiler:[[PapaWolf Hiashi]] while covering Hakumei's retreat.]]

* TheGreatOffscreenWar: It's mentioned early in part II that Konoha conquered Iwa, and was now setting its sights on Kumo.

%%* IdiotHero: Kiba.

%%* KickTheDog: Sora during his match against Dosu. Yumi, whenever she talks.

%%* LargeHam: Konohamaru.
%%* LaResistance: Kinen.

%%* LittleMissBadass: Sakura, Hinata, Isaribi and Yumi.

%%* MinoredInAssKicking: Haku and Hinata.

%%* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Good working running straight to Danzo, [[spoiler: ''Konohamaru'']].

* OhCrap: The kids when, after escaping Danzo, [[spoiler:Itachi]] finds them escaping Konoha in a merchant's cart. [[spoiler:[[PetTheDog He gives a scroll to Sasuke]] and sends them on their way.]]

%%* PapaWolf: You will be missed, [[spoiler:Hiashi]].

* [[spoiler:ParentsAsPeople: As it turns out, the reason why Hiashi disowned both Hinata and Neji is that Hinata is too gentle for the village elders to ever allow her to be clan leader and she would need protection, something that Neji could provide. [[FridgeLogic Why he decided this when they were 6 and 7 years old is anyone's guess]] but for once, he wasn't motivated by spite.]]

%%* PsychoExGirlfriend: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Yumi is Itachi's former fiancee.]]

%%* TheRival: Kiba and Kimimaro, Yumi, Sakura and Sasuke[[spoiler:, Zabuza and Kisame]].

%%* SilkHidingSteel: Hinata. Hanabi is trying to be this.
%%* SnarkKnight: Zabuza.

%%* TheSquadette: Sakura and Hinata.

* [[spoiler: HeroicBSOD: Both Sasuke and Hinata in chapter 32. Hinata, because of Hiashi's death. Sasuke, because, despite him declaring a blood feud against the Uchiha clan, he still hesitated in front of his mother. Naruto helps Hinata get over it. Sasuke determines that he will never hesitate again, and that the next time he meets his family, he will destroy them.]]

The fic itself is complete. A SequelSeries has recently started, ''Hakumei: Kakumei'', picking up where the series left off three years later.

The fic itself is complete. A SequelSeries--as the author said it couldn't be contained in Hakumei proper--has been promised, but is not forthcoming...yet.

* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: To the Invasion arc. The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion might have been able to defeat Danzou and his allies had things gone according to plan... but the addition of the Sand/Sound Invasion on the same day turned the whole thing into a MeleeATrois, and the extra enemies combined with some mistaken assumptions about Danzou's own plans mean that the best the heroes can do is retreat before they're wiped out. At the same time, it is noted that Konoha's reputation has taken a massive hit with Hakumei revealing their identities, the village has itself taken significant losses due to the three-way battle, and the invasion has shown that Konoha ''can'' be attacked, and has permanently destroyed the village's image of military superiority. This combined with the defection of Jiraiya and Tsunade leaves the village much worse off than it was at the beginning of the invasion.]]

* RoseHairedGirl: Sakura. [[LampshadeHanging Noted frequently.]]

** {{Digimon}}, Haku's surname is Akiyama and his pseudonym is Ryo.

* {{Digimon}}, Haku's surname is Akiyama and his pseudonym is Ryo.

* CreepyChild: Sai, Gaara and [[spoiler:Shino]] are heroic examples and Yumi is a villainous one.

* ShoutOut: To, of all things, {{Ratatouille}}.

** {{The Smart Guy}}s: Sakura and Haku.

* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: Sasuke to his mother.]]

[[caption-width-right:187:[[SoCoolItsAwesome This is as awesome as it looks.]]]]

A {{Naruto}} ForWantOfANail that takes the WhatIf of '''[[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Danzo's]] [[MoralEventHorizon bastardry]] [[UpToEleven taken to its logical extreme]]'''. Danzo kills the leader of the Leaf Village and in the following ReignOfTerror takes over. Unfortunately, he didn't count on six neglected children witnessing him in the act. As the kids escape with secrets given by the dying Hokage, aided and abetted by one of the ANBU, they pick up other lost children... and a force that will be the twilight of its enemies is born.

What really gets you into it is the character development. Pryotra starts off the kids realistically, and they are still the same people-- but with a few twists, they are given very different lives. Their life on the run is harsh. Drawing a few favorites from outside Konoha into the group and avoiding a straight [[TheStationsOfTheCanon Stations of the Canon]] approach keeps things fresh.

* ActionGirl: [[CuteBruiser Sakura]] notably. Hinata tends to work in the background but [[MinoredInAssKicking she's also not to be sneezed at.]]

* AntiVillain: Isaribi[[spoiler:, Kakashi and Shino]] during the Wave arc and the Inuzuka clan.
** Of all people, [[spoiler:Orochimaru]] appears to be this.

* AxCrazy: Zabuza, Anko, Yumi and Sora.
* BackToBackBadasses: Jiraiya, Zabuza, [[spoiler:Itachi and Yugito]] in chapter 32. Hakumei and Kinen also pull this off.

* BadassCrew-- Starts out as a FiveManBand with [[TheHero Naruto]], [[TheLancer Sasuke]], [[TheSmartGuy Sakura]], [[TheBigGuy Neji]], [[TheHeart Hinata]], and [[SixthRanger Sai]]. Then they add an essential power trio with another SmartGuy in "closet evil genius" Haku and two much more powerful [[BigGuy Big Guys]] in Gaara and Kimimaro.
* BadassGrandpa: Jiraiya.

* TheBerserker: Sora. Naruto and Gaara have to remind themselves ''not'' to do this.

* {{BFS}}: Zabuza, as usual.
** He's obsessed with the thing and the kids are quick to speculate about [[CargoShip their relationship]]. Sasuke actually thinks about how impractical the thing must be to wield.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Kimimaro is the oldest member of Hakumei, and he would do anything for them. [[spoiler: Itachi feels this way about Sasuke... it's just that he couldn't ''find'' him for a few years.]] Neji [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] his by calling Hinata "Imouto" (Little Sister).

* BigFancyHouse: Jiraiya's "hermitage".
* BigGood: Tsunade and Jiraiya.
* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding: To the Invasion arc. The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion might have been able to defeat Danzou and his allies had things gone according to plan... but the addition of the Sand/Sound Invasion on the same day turned the whole thing into a MeleeATrois, and the extra enemies combined with some mistaken assumptions about Danzou's own plans mean that the best the heroes can do is retreat before they're wiped out. At the same time though, it is noted that Konoha's reputation has taken a massive hit with Hakumei revealing their identities, the village has itself taken significant losses due to the three-way battle, and the invasion has shown that Konoha ''can'' be attacked, and has permanently destroyed the village's image of military superiority. This combined with the defection of Jiraiya and Tsunade leaves the village much worse off than it was at the beginning of the invasion.]]

* BrattyHalfPint[=/=]MouthyKid: Inari and Konohamaru.

* BrokenBird: Isaribi is mutated to the point of nearly being a CuteMonsterGirl and upon seeing how [[RedOniBlueOni many]] [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl different]] [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan personalities]] are in Hakumei, doesn't understand why they don't just kill each other.
* BrutalHonesty: Sai, as usual. He never really loses it but eventually learns when to be quiet.
* ButtMonkey: Kiba. Big Time.

* CharacterDevelopment

* TheChessmaster: Danzo.

* CombatMedic: Sakura (at least so far) is this in contrast to Haku's DeadlyDoctor.

** JackOfAllStats: Sai.
** LightningBruiser: Naruto and Neji.
** StoneWall: Gaara as well.
* CoolTeacher: Jiraiya tries. Sometimes, he even is... until Tsunade bursts his bubble.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Mostly played straight. [[RunOrDie Mostly.]]

* DarkActionGirl: Yumi.
* DarkestHour: None of the kids are even sure they'll survive their first winter. [[spoiler: But that's when they meet Tsunade...]]
* DeadlyDoctor: Haku is turning into this. His medical abilties rely on herbs and chemicals; he also uses drugs and poisons in battle. Hinata may be another example, since her fighting style seems to involve poison; curiously, Sakura isn't. She's deadly, and she's a healer, but so far there doesn't seem to be an overlap.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Yumi. Also, RavenHairIvorySkin.

* EnemyMine

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero and TheCaptain: Naruto.
** TheLancer and NumberTwo: Sasuke, a role he proves very competent at.
** {{The Smart Guy}}s: Sakura and Haku.
** {{The Big Guy}}s: Neji, Gaara and Kimimaro.
** TheHeart: Hinata.
** SixthRanger: Sai.
** TheMentor: Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune.

* GoodParents: Tenten's foster father.
* HannibalLecture: [[spoiler:Neji]] gives one to Tenten during their fight. [[WarriorTherapist It works.]]

* IdiotHero: Kiba.

* IShallTauntYou: Sai, [[ItAmusedMe pretty much always.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: Yumi, Gato and Sora. Surprisingly, the Sound nin actually behave themselves outside of battle.

* KickTheDog: Sora during his match against Dosu. Yumi, whenever she talks.

* LargeHam: Konohamaru.
* LaResistance: Kinen.

* LittleMissBadass: Sakura, Hinata, Isaribi and Yumi.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata are this to Iruka, Itachi and [[spoiler:Hiashi]] respectively, since the former's absence brings about drastic changes in the latter's lives i.e. Iruka becomes bitter and jaded, Itachi falls out of favor with his family and [[spoiler:Hiashi]] pretty much [[DespairEventHorizon gives up on the world.]]

* TheMedic: Sakura, Hinata, and Haku fill this role for Hakumei.
* MeleeATrois: [[spoiler: The Kinen/Hakumei rebellion? It's on the same day as the Sound/Sand Invasion.]] Cue a three-way battle between [[spoiler: the rebels, the invaders, and Danzo's forces.]] Things get messy ''fast''. [[spoiler: And because no one was planning for this, no one wins. All three sides take losses, but Hakumei and the exposed members of LaResistance have to cut and run, leaving Danzou still in power.]]
* MinoredInAssKicking: Haku and Hinata.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Tsunade gives the kids some very badass nicknames, partly in the hopes they'll grow into them, partly to give them a treat, and largely to keep from using their surnames, some of which are... conspicuous. Here are the characters' new full names as translated by the author:

* NeverMessWithGranny: Tsunade [[spoiler:and Chiyo]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Good working running straight to Danzo, [[spoiler: ''Konohamaru'']].

* PapaWolf: You will be missed, [[spoiler:Hiashi]].

* PsychoExGirlfriend: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Yumi is Itachi's former fiancee.]]
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Haku to some Iwa genin in the Chunin exams: "I. Am. Not. A. Girl."

* TheRival: Kiba and Kimimaro, Yumi, Sakura and Sasuke[[spoiler:, Zabuza and Kisame]].

* RunningGag: Ninja Puffs, Neji kicking people in his sleep.

* SecretProjectRefugeeFamily: Hakumei again.

* SilkHidingSteel: Hinata. Hanabi is trying to be this.
* SnarkKnight: Zabuza.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Hakumei is this [[spoiler:to the Invasion arc. While they don't win (for reasons explained in Bittersweet Ending), four out of nine of its members were seen and recognized as the children that Konoha originally went to war to save. This means that not only will it get out that Konoha utterly failed to achieve its directives but their resources didn't even get their info right.]] And thus [[spoiler:Konoha]]'s reputation takes a dive.
* TheSquadette: Sakura and Hinata.
* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Granted, the events of the stations happen much differently, but the Wave and Chunin exam arcs take up almost the entirety of part 2. Of course, because those events were much different, it would have to be pretty damn hard to follow the stations coming next, so ultimately averted.

* SternTeacher: While she does her share of mothering them, Tsunade has high standards for Hakumei and very firmly guides them.* ThatCameOutWrong: Zabuza has a moment like this when [[spoiler: he rescues Yugito Nii during the Sound/Sand Invasion]]. In a twist, he doesn't say it aloud and it ''still'' comes out wrong.

* TeamDad: Jiraiya.
* TeamMom: Tsunade.

* TrueCompanions: The group that gives the fic its name. Tsunade calls them the "Mudpuppies" when she's not calling them "Hakumei."

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Dammit, [[spoiler:Konohamaru]]!!
** Mikage Satoshi is this for the entire invasion. [[WhatAnIdiot THE ENTIRE INVASION.]]
* WarriorTherapist: Hinata to Matsuri.

* WhipItGood: Yumi.

* YouShallNotPass: Gaara while he's fighting on the Hokage monument. [[spoiler:[[PapaWolf Hiashi]] while covering Hakumei's retreat.]]

A {{Naruto}} ForWantOfANail that takes the WhatIf of '''[[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Danzo's]] [[MoralEventHorizon bastardry]] [[UpToEleven taken to its logical extreme]]'''. Danzo kills the leader of the Sand Village and in the following ReignOfTerror takes over the Leaf village. Unfortunately, he didn't count on six neglected children witnessing him in the act. As the kids escape with secrets given by the dying Hokage, aided and abetted by one of the ANBU, they pick up other lost children... and a force that will be the twilight of its enemies is born.

* ThatCameOutWrong: Zabuza has a moment like this when [[spoiler: he rescues Yugito Nii during the Sound/Sand Invasion]]. In a twist, he doesn't say it aloud and it ''still'' comes out wrong.
--> This little chick was a little too sure of herself for him. He actually liked shy girls. Particularly when they were younger than him. Zabuza blinked as the thought occurred to him. Somehow...that didn't sound right...

* SnarkKnight: Zabuza.
* SternTeacher: While she does her share of mothering them, Tsunade has high standards for Hakumei and very firmly guides them.

** [[spoiler:Zabuza to Yugito Ni on behalf of [[IWillProtectHer Naruto]].]]

A {{Naruto}} ForWantOfANail that takes the WhatIf of '''[[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Danzo's]] [[MoralEventHorizon bastardry]] [[UpToEleven taken to its logical extreme]]'''. Danzo kills the Sandaime and in the following ReignOfTerror takes over the village. Unfortunately, he didn't count on six neglected children seeing him. As the kids escape with secrets given by the dying Hokage, aided and abetted by one of the ANBU, they pick up other lost children... and a force that will be the twilight of its enemies is born.

There are a lot of Danzo-as-Hokage fics out there. There are a lot of Naruto-forced-out-of-Konoha fics out there. This one takes both ideas and runs. The divergence happens before the main Naruto story begins.

What really gets you into it is the character development. Pryotra starts off the kids realistically, and they are still the same people-- but with a few twists, they are given very different lives. Their life on the run is harsh, a fact some fics forget to mention in such a situation. Drawing a few favourites from outside Konoha into the group and avoiding a straight [[TheStationsOfTheCanon Stations of the Canon]] approach keeps things fresh. In fact, as one troper reccomending the fic said, [[CrazyAwesome things are much crazier]], [[LighterAndSofter heartwarming]], [[DarkerAndEdgier yet more intriguing and harsh]] [[MoodWhiplash at different scenes]].