Fanfic / Chiaroscuro (Naruto)

aka: Chiaroscuro

Team 7 (from left to right): Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kakashi. Art cover by KuroChersire-Cat.

But I never forgot my father's boogeyman, and all throughout my life, his words – words that he didn't even know I had heard – would haunt me: "Those who walk the shadows may very well become one with them."

Chiaroscuro is a Naruto fanfiction by Boomvroomshroom. It is set in an Alternate Universe where Shikamaru is born hardworking like his mother instead of lazy like his father. Because of that, he beats out Sasuke for Rookie of the Year and ends up being put on Team 7 under Kakashi along with Ino and Naruto. (Sasuke is put on Team 10 with Asuma, Hinata, and Choji; Sakura is put on Team 8 with Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino.)

Though it starts out similar to canon, it very quickly devolves into something a lot more complex, involving original missions and plenty of scheming within Konoha and the rest of the ninja world. Despite the "smarter and darker" setup, Chiaroscuro does well in avoiding the overpowered hero pitfall by consistently setting up believable challenges and mistakes, caused by incomplete information rather than logical errors. It also regularly features many different types of intelligence, such as strategy, logic, deception, self-awareness, and maturity, and with it, strong yet relatable characters.

With its distinctive blend of humor and drama, Chiaroscuro definitely lives up to its name.

(Not to be confused with Chiaroscuro, the art trope.)

Side Links

• The Chiaroscuro Effect A forum created on ff.net, for extras and short writing blogs by the author, as well as inspired works.
• boomvroomshroom's links Fanart compilation.

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Chiaroscuro provides examples of:

• Adaptational Heroism: Hinata prevents Sasuke from going rogue.
• Adaptational Protagonist: For Want Of A Nail, a hard-working Shikamaru is the rookie of the year and, thus, assigned to Team 7 with Naruto and Ino. Unlike canon, he's not Naruto's Deuteragonist and Rival but the sole protagonist whose genius and ninja career we explore.
• Anti-Hero: Many of the shinobi have darker characterizations due to psychological issues.
• Ascended Extra: Shikamaru and Ino get this as a result of replacing Sasuke and Sakura in Team 7.
• Behavioral Conditioning: The members of Team 7 eventually enter the screening process for ANBU and are compelled to go through a strict behavioral modification regimen that is designed to make them as non-distinct and inscrutable as possible. Shikamaru likens it to extended psychological warfare, and notes that it goes a long way to explaining exactly why Kakashi is so hard to pin down in a conversation (he, Ino, and Naruto pick up the same tendencies as they progress through the conditioning).
• Brick Joke: In chapter 5, Shikamaru finds a bag of sunflower seeds in their tent bag and tosses it. In chapter 51, the team notices an out-of-place patch of sunflowers growing among the trees. While Shikamaru wonders where it came from, Kakashi suggests that it might have fallen out of someone's tent bag.
  "Normal people don't store sunflower seeds in tent bags."
  Kakashi-sensei honest-to-goodness giggled.
• Boring Yet Practical: Kawarimi, Henge, and the Headhunter are often used, and for good reason.

• Calvin Ball: Somehow ninja chess ends up involving playing cards and kunai.
• Chekhov's Armoury
  • Chekhov's Classroom:
    • The history lesson on Uzushiogakure sets up most of the framework for sealing later on in the story.
    • The kids' first C-rank to Tanyu is also revisited multiple times.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The identification wristbands given to the competitors during the Chunin Exams. Shikamaru manages to hack the seals and uses them to incapacitate Orochimaru.
  • Chekhov M.I.A.: Remember how the Wave arc is skipped in favor of an original first C-rank? Zabuza and Haku don't die, so they eventually reappear as Mei Terumi's subordinates and help her infiltrate the Akatsuki.
  • Chekhov's Skill: Shikamaru first comes up with an offensive use of the Kawarimi during the bell test. It's used to save his life from Orochimaru.
  • Forbidden Chekhov's Gun: Shikaku's "original technique" wasn't just a random power-up. It was actually a rediscovered version of Kaguya's Will Manifestation technique.
• Combat Pragmatist:
  • Ino defeats Lee in the Chunin exams by spamming genjutsu and then hitting him when he is busy taking off his leg weights.
  • Even Kakashi admits that Raikiri is too loud and flashy to be a reliable technique. He has other original techniques, but up until Orochimaru, no one lived to tell the tale.
  • Sakura also counts, when she gets around Neji's Byakugan by using auditory genjutsu instead.
• Cool Big Sis: Ino, after she understands Naruto a bit more.
• Crazy-Prepared: This even goes down to explain some important details like always researching the terrain and targets before starting a mission.
• Cutting the Knot: Because Kimimaro's bones were too strong for regular attacks, the Akatsuki simply immobilized him with a genjutsu and choked him to death instead.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Shikaku creates one, which he teaches to Shikamaru. It's later revealed to be a rediscovery of the same technique Kaguya used to create Black Zetsu.
• Dark Humor: The characters often laugh at cruel things, including their own comrades dying, because the only other alternative is to be scared.

• Dead Fic: The author officially discontinued the story just before the Fourth Shinobi War was about to kick off, citing dissatisfaction with canon developments in the main franchise and their resulting loss of interest. They did post a final chapter with detailed writer's notes to allow readers to get some closure on a lot of the hanging plot threads, which includes a fully fleshed out epilogue to wrap up the main narrative.
• Dope Slap: Naruto gets this a few times in the beginning, from Ino.
• Dumb Blonde: Averted. Ino is sneakier than she looks. Naruto also wises up more than in the main series.
• Evil Lawyer Joke:
  "Giant, bloodsucking, parasitic insects. Are you sure it wasn't a lawyer?"
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin:
  "Great Heavenly Rotation!"
  There were great gasps from the crowd. "What is that technique?" they were saying.
  Obviously, Shikamaru thought, it involves greatness, the heavens, and rotation.
• Face–Heel Turn: Averted. Hinata prevents Sasuke from abandoning the village by calling him out on his selfishness and punching him in the face when he tries.

• Insane Troll Logic:
  • Kakashi messes with the Suna nin by eating fresh sushi in front of them. And then claiming he got the fish from "ponds" (mirages) out in the desert. And then claiming he ran faster than the speed of light to catch them.
  • Kakashi and Shikamaru arguing about cheating at board games.
    Shikamaru: That only works if you're five.
    Kakashi: Actually, I was born on a leap year, so technically, I'm six.
    Shikamaru: No you weren't. You were born on September 15th.
    Kakashi: September 15th on a leap year.
  • Another quote from Kakashi:
    "There is a limited amount of chaos available in the universe. Therefore, if we create a regular amount of expected chaos, it will deter the unexpected chaos from also joining in, because the space it requires will already be taken up by the chaos we prepared for."
• It Amused Me: One has to wonder how many of Kakashi's pranks are actually part of a greater scheme.
• Manipulative Bastard: The Sandaime, though it's clear that he doesn't really want to do it, and that he's very guilty over it.
• Morton's Fork: The idea of the Friendship Rule is Deconstructed this way. If you prioritize a mission over your teammates, then you're abandoning your friends and allies, potentially leaving them to die. But if you prioritize your teammates first, then other friends of yours who were depending on you taking that mission are likely to suffer instead.
• Noodle Incident: When he announces they got a new mission, Team 7 starts complaining about how Kakashi has needlessly complicated each of their D-rank missions — things like throwing rocks at them when they were repairing a house. Then, Shikamaru says "two words: rice cakes" and his teammates nod vigorously. Kakashi's internal monologue admits that he did whatever that was just to mess with them, but nobody elaborates.
• One-Word Title: Chiaroscuro alludes to a painting technique where high-contrast lightning is employing to produce a dramatic effect.
• Shaped Like Itself: Kakashi trolls his students (and they later troll him back in the exact same way) by answering "things" to a question and when prompted to elaborate, answers "stuff". It doesn't matter what exactly was asked, just that the cycle has the potential to go on for hours.
  "What sort of things?"
  "Stuff."
  "What sort of stuff?"
  "Things."
• Shout-Out:
  • The proctors of the Chunin Exams are two guys named Shi Masa and Moto Kishi.
  • Three of the random Genin nominated for the Chunin exams were named after well-known manga artists — Tite Kubo (Bleach), Hidekaz Himaruya (Hetalia: Axis Powers), and Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z).
  • Three more Genin were puns of manga titles – Tama Gin (Gin Tama), Ina Yashu (Inuyasha), and Ruroshin Kenrouni (Rurouni Kenshin).
  • Lady Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist), Lord Isayama (Attack on Titan), and Captain Takeshi (Death Note) are named after more manga artists.
• Super Special Move: The Shadow Splitting jutsu is, at its core, just an advanced version of the Shadow Manipulation various techniques. Like those, it requires channeling Yin chakra through one's shadow in order to command it. Unlike the others, it's necessary to, well, split it in two so one portion remains attached to the caster and the other portion can act independently. This way, the shadow is not restricted to the user's position and, once it makes contact, overrides the victim's self-will. It also means it doesn't need more chakra afterward. Unfortunately, it's quite dangerous to cast.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: Shikamaru and Ino get assigned to Team 7 alongside Naruto due to the more motivated Shikamaru ending up as Rookie of the Year. Sasuke ends up on Team 10 alongside Hinata and Chouji, while Sakura is on Team 8 with Kiba and Shino.
• Technicolor Ninja: Defied. One of the first problems the rookie sensei set out to correct is the clothing choices of their students. For one, getting Naruto to wear colors others than orange and Ino to discard her purple dress.
• Training from Hell: Team 7's D-ranks included chasing Tora… through the Forest of Death.
• Weak, but Skilled:
  • Shikamaru and Kakashi manage to take down Orochimaru by tricking him into attacking himself.
  • Sakura manages to beat Neji due to a combination of greater planning and Neji being foolish enough to monologue during a fight. He might have been faster, stronger, and more skilled, but she took that time to set up a flashbang genjutsu.
  • Shikamaru again, when he distracts Itachi by messing with his mind instead of trying to compete against his technique.

• You Are in Command Now: Several instances throughout the story.
  • Kakashi gives each member of Team 7 a turn as team captain for a B-rank mission to acquaint them with the role of squad leader and offer a chance to gain experience as planners.
  • Temari carries out a scheme that unseats the Wind Daimyo and removes his heirs from the picture, stinging up his younger brother as his successor. In return, she is named the Godaime Kazekage.
  • Ino is forced to take on the leadership of her clan after her father is killed in action against members of Akatsuki while transporting Gaara to Konoha from a remote location.
  • Hinata deposes her father and assumes leadership of the Hyuga clan after freeing every member of the Branch Family from the Caged Bird Seal's secondary purpose, which was to be a leash held by the Main Family.
  • Kakashi is compelled to be named the Godaime Hokage in order to gain sufficient authority and influence to avert Danzo's schemes to destabilize the clans and take control of Konoha.

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