Three of Kakashi's summon dogs are injured, and Kakashi has to leave on a five-week mission so isn't able to care for them. So, he decides to allow Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura to care for them. Unfortunately the dog under Naruto's care, Guruko, isn't exactly happy with his arrangement.
However, as he spends time with Naruto, he learns more about the 13-year old blonde and what exactly life is like for Naruto.
An Alternative Character Interpretation story written by Windschild8178
and told from the focus of Guruko, it is a well-written story that can invoke strong emotions from the reader. It can be read on FanFiction.Net here
Accidental Companions provides examples of:
- Beauty Is Bad: Syne is described as pretty but she's best avoided.
- Big Damn Heroes: Might Gai seems to have this as a special ability.
- Blatant Lies: Pretty much everything that comes out of Naruto’s mouth when he’s around his precious people.
- Blood from the Mouth:As per Naruto's illness, this trope is a sign that things are getting worse.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Team 7’s attitude, even when Naruto the complainer is right or just asking for help.
- Deal with the Devil: Naruto makes one with Syne. To keep from being homeless, he puts up with her abuse and doesn't have too much of a way out of it, as she'd do far worse if he refused.
- Definitely Just a Cold: Naruto tries to shrug or downplay his illness.
- Determinator: Naruto is a darker take on the trope, serving as something of a deconstruction, as him being so determined isn't doing wonders for his health.
- The Dog Bites Back: Eventually but it comes a bit too late.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Subverted. Sakura's 'funny abuse' against Naruto is shown to affect him severely.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: SO averted. It is all levels of wrong in the fic.
- However, invoked in the author's notes. "One more thing. I'm not describing male on male. The rapist is a female for my sanity's sake..."
- Downer Ending: Implied, assuming chapter 18 is supposed to be the last chapter, as Sasuke comes to an empty hospital room.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Naruto thinks he’s in one of these kinds of stories when it’s a completely different one.
- Fair-Weather Mentor: Dammit, Kakashi and Jiraiya; you’re spitting all over Minato’s sacrifice!
- False Friend: Naruto’s view on Team 7
- Flanderization: Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura can be seen as this.
- Freudian Excuse: Naruto, several times over. He acts up because he wants attention but, more importantly, he just wanted to be loved, as he doesn't have any parents and he's ostracized because he's a jinchuuriki
- Greater Need Than Mine: How Naruto sees everyone around him after years of being pushed aside
- Gold Fever: In the sense of greed for money. It actually works out in Naruto’s favor.
- Heroic BSoD: Naruto after Ino’s prank and the resulting reaction from the villagers.
- I Never Told You My Name: Gives Naruto a real BSOD moment when a certain someone knew his name before he told them it.
- In the End, You Are on Your Own: Naruto’s view after years of abuse and neglect by the entire village.
- Jerkass: Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura to Naruto, as they all treat him as a nuisance, push him aside, and, in the case of second, even beats him up when he's not able to fight back .
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Naruto needs to learn just when to stop struggling painfully and get a little help from some friends, though that’s not Naruto’s fault.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After all the unforgivable shit she pulled with Naruto, Syne's last moment in the story is spent being tortured to unconsciousness and back by Anko. When she tries to be defiant by attempting to pull a Taking You with Me with Naruto via a death hold jutsu, Anko simply responds by stating she'll have the Yamanaka take over for her while she watches.
- Loners Are Freaks: But it’s not like Naruto can help it; he’s tried making friends with Team 7, which failed.
- The Millstone: Team 7’s opinion of Naruto, including Naruto's .
- My God, What Have I Done?: The rest of Team 7 realize too late how badly they’ve messed up.
- In Kakashi's case, he realizes that Naruto was trying to ask him for help and that the latter was sick the whole time, along with that, due to finding him annoying, he failed to help him.
- After a prank, Sakura realizes how much that prank really hurt him, especially since she remembered that she never even apologized.
- After beating him up, Sasuke realizes why Naruto didn't want to fight him. When he goes to see him at the end, he finds an empty hospital room.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Sasuke delivers one on Naruto because the latter refused to fight him.
- Not Even Human: The justification used for Naruto’s abuse (most of it).
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Syne's deal with Naruto is laced in this. He was homeless and alone without too many ways to pay rent and Syne offered a solution, which was to have certain "sessions" with her or deal with worse if he tries to back out. It's made even worse since Naruto was very young when this started.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Syne’s connections keep any sort of retaliation from happening, nor does Naruto have an opening for escape. At least, until the status quo falls to pieces.
- Security Cling: Poor Naruto; shame his first experience with this is after a ‘session’ with Syne.
- Sex Slave: Naruto, technically, as Syne's his landlady and the alternative is that he'd be homeless
- Sexual Extortion: Syne is Naruto's landlady and so abuses him the way she does because 1) he'll be homeless otherwise, 2)her abuse is the closest thing that Naruto has to affection, and 3)she'd do far worse to him if he refuses, so he puts up with it.
- Shower of Angst: Naruto takes one after extremely stressful days.
- Stepford Smiler: Naruto hides his upset (and condition) behind a smile.
- Soap Opera Disease: Whatever Naruto is sick with isn't really described but it's very serious and he's had it for a while.
- Tagalong Kid: This also seems to be Naruto’s role, as he doesn’t seem to accomplish any other role for the crew.
- Talking Animal: Guruko, like most of the summoned animals in Naruto. However, he didn't talk to Naruto at first.
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: In probably the worst interpretation of the trope possible.
- Trauma Conga Line: Naruto endures a rather brutal one that doesn't end.
- The Un-Favourite: Naruto is a student version of this to Kakashi.
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Syne pretends to be nice and caring but don't be fooled. At one point, she tells Naruto that she's not a nice and caring person without changing her tone.
