Post by Nadir on May 26, 2008 8:54:10 GMT 12
While I realize this is a very obscure pairing, and has almost no chance of happening in the manga or anime, I'm supposing a fanfictional world or an AU type scenario. Be warned that there are spoilers for the series in this post, so unless you are one hundred percent caught up, read at your own risk.
I think the first thing many ask here is: why? I'll explain the reasons I think this is a unique pairing with a fair bit to offer readers.
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1) Shizune's power level relative to that of Naruto.
In the series, Naruto is seen to grow at an extremely rapid rate (even if the manga is, at the same time, severely downplaying him). Shizune was a Jounin level shinobi with training from a legendary ninja even prior to the time skip. She also has experience under her belt and has led her own squad since being introduced into the series. In other words, having her on par or only a little below Naruto in a fic isn't all that unreasonable.
Why is power important? Because a female who is always the damsel in distress sux, that's why. Let's look at the other candidates:
a) Sakura. While she has awesome strength now, and super chakra control, she doesn't have the same experience as Shizune. As well, while she may (or may not) have surpassed her in terms of medical ability, I would argue Shizune is still far greater in direct combat. Considering Naruto has an abnormal healing rate, I think combat ability ranks a little higher.
b) Hinata. I realize I'd be stepping on many, many toes by saying this (because she has such a big fan base) but Hinata is really not all that impressive. That isn't to say she is useless, but her personality is meek and her fighting ability likely falls in at the bottom of the 'potential wimminz' barrel.
c) Ino. Because while they hardly interact in the series, fanfiction for Naruto x Ino does exist. I love Ino something fierce, but she has basically been made into 'Sakura-lite'. I'd wager both her combat AND medical prowess fall below Sakura's, and by a fair margin. This leaves her with the Yamanaka Mind Techniques. If you invent your own original ones, she can be quite handy, but if you stick to what has been shown in canon, she really isn't someone you wanna bring with you to a high-level ninja fight (see: her lack of doing anything during the fight with Kakuzu and Hidan)
d) Temari. I'd actually be willing to grant that Temari would be as useful as Shizune, even if her arsenal of sills isn't as broad and her experience as lengthly.
e) Anko. There seems to be this assumption that she is uberly powerful. While I'm sure she is quite strong, there are two things people often forget. The first, is that Anko wasn't trained by Orochimaru for all that long if we do the math. The second is that in spite of that time, she is only a Special Jounin (which is, oddly enough, a lower rank than Jounin) with stats that fall well below Shizune's (if we follow the data book)
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2) Plot importance.
Aside from Sakura, I would argue that Shizune has the most plot relevance of all the potential wimminz for Naruto. She already has a history with him, where they interact quite fondly with one another (note that I am not at all assuming this to be romantic, I know it is on a pure friendship level). As well, she is the Hokage's aide, someone who has been there whenever Tsunade has learned something of importance, when important choices are being made. She would also be privy to information being gathered on the Akatsuki, on Sasuke, on ROOT, on the political happenings with Konoha...in other words, tying her into the story without it looking forced is not at all difficult.
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3) Taboo=awesome. I realize there is a big age difference between the two, which is why when I think of this pairing in a fic, I think of Naruto being close to adulthood. But even if he isn't, that's one of the fun aspects!
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4) Personality. I like Naruto and Shizune because I can see them as equals with each other. If there was a disagreement, one would not simply bow to the other. Shizune isn't fickle either. If she thinks something is the right thing to do, she will do it.
This happened when it looked like Tsunade was going to help Orochimaru. It happened again when she told the council Tsunade planned to send Naruto right at Akatsuki, and I don't think this was done for the sake of being a 'rat' either. I think it was because she cared about Naruto's safety. (but how awful Tsunade's policy on Naruto is can be addressed some other time)
Point being, Shizune takes action when she thinks its needed and isn't a doormat to anyone, even those who could beat the crap out of her. At the same time, she is also a very sweet young woman. Oh, and an experienced ninja. Unlike some, I think she'd be able to slit someone's throat and toss them off a cliff without batting an eye, if the situation called for it.
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5) Originality. As an author, sometimes it's fun to do something so outside the box. As a reader, sometimes it's fun to read a pairing you've never otherwise considered, one which has valid merits.
Honestly, the Naruto section on fanfiction.net has over 130000 stories. I would wager that the vast majority of them which have pairings and aren't about an OC/Mary-Sue/Self-insert are SasuNaru and NaruHina. I would wager that .000001% are NaruShizu, and even less are more than 20k long.
Diversity+originality=awesomesauce.
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Some possible arguments against this pairing:
A) Shizune is too old for Naruto.
From a western standpoint, it sure looks that way. But considering the time and place the series takes place in, I don't think it would be all *that* frowned upon if Naruto were nearing or at adulthood.
B) But Kabuto beat Shizune up, therefore she isn't that strong.
Kabuto is also on par with Kakashi by his own words--Kakashi, who is one of Konoha's uber elites. It's true Shizune lost, but here are some things to consider...
-Prior to that battle, Shizune was likely inactive in combat considering the lifestyle she lead with Tsunade. After the time skip, she has been on more missions and grown in strength. Of course, I'd bet Kabuto would still win, but this doesn't make her weak.
-What female could have beaten Kabuto? Save for Yugito, I think every last potential girl for Naruto would have lost just as swiftly, perhaps even more so.
C) Naruto x Shizune is bad because Naruto x (this girl) is better.
The potential of pairings tends to be relative, especially when there are so many ways to interpret events. As well, when we think of what can be or what could have been, there are so many possibilities that no one can say proof positive who would end up with who, or who would make the best couple. Opinions are find and dandy, and many contain merit, but the main point is...one pairings existence does not negate the validity of another in hypothetical worlds.
D) Naruto x Shizune is bad because they are like brother and sister.
Relationships are subject to change, and that might be one of the interesting elements of the pairing: seeing that change take place through the character's eyes. Feelings are very complicated and can change surprisingly fast.
E) Naruto x Shizune is bad because neither of them feels that way about each other right now, where as one person already likes the other with Naruto x Sakura or Naruto x Hinata.
One annoying habit some fanfics make is rushing romantic development. When one character already has a crush on the other (note that this is a *crush*, not love), they just make the other suddenly feel the same way and that's that...onto the fluff and conflict-less relationship. It's stale
But if you begin from a point where neither even has a crush on the other and work your way up, you presumably have to lay a foundation of your own. Instant love might fly when one character already likes the other, but when neither feel that way from the start, people are *way* quicker to call 'OOC'.
F) OTHER
NO, U!
-
This concludes my hastily crafted argument in support of Naruto x Shizune. Now if you ever find a fic with such a pairing and it's GOOD, please let me know, I will be your friend forever *_* If you need elaboration on any points or whatever, fee free to add your thoughts. I realize I likely left a lot of bases uncovered.
I think the first thing many ask here is: why? I'll explain the reasons I think this is a unique pairing with a fair bit to offer readers.
-
1) Shizune's power level relative to that of Naruto.
In the series, Naruto is seen to grow at an extremely rapid rate (even if the manga is, at the same time, severely downplaying him). Shizune was a Jounin level shinobi with training from a legendary ninja even prior to the time skip. She also has experience under her belt and has led her own squad since being introduced into the series. In other words, having her on par or only a little below Naruto in a fic isn't all that unreasonable.
Why is power important? Because a female who is always the damsel in distress sux, that's why. Let's look at the other candidates:
a) Sakura. While she has awesome strength now, and super chakra control, she doesn't have the same experience as Shizune. As well, while she may (or may not) have surpassed her in terms of medical ability, I would argue Shizune is still far greater in direct combat. Considering Naruto has an abnormal healing rate, I think combat ability ranks a little higher.
b) Hinata. I realize I'd be stepping on many, many toes by saying this (because she has such a big fan base) but Hinata is really not all that impressive. That isn't to say she is useless, but her personality is meek and her fighting ability likely falls in at the bottom of the 'potential wimminz' barrel.
c) Ino. Because while they hardly interact in the series, fanfiction for Naruto x Ino does exist. I love Ino something fierce, but she has basically been made into 'Sakura-lite'. I'd wager both her combat AND medical prowess fall below Sakura's, and by a fair margin. This leaves her with the Yamanaka Mind Techniques. If you invent your own original ones, she can be quite handy, but if you stick to what has been shown in canon, she really isn't someone you wanna bring with you to a high-level ninja fight (see: her lack of doing anything during the fight with Kakuzu and Hidan)
d) Temari. I'd actually be willing to grant that Temari would be as useful as Shizune, even if her arsenal of sills isn't as broad and her experience as lengthly.
e) Anko. There seems to be this assumption that she is uberly powerful. While I'm sure she is quite strong, there are two things people often forget. The first, is that Anko wasn't trained by Orochimaru for all that long if we do the math. The second is that in spite of that time, she is only a Special Jounin (which is, oddly enough, a lower rank than Jounin) with stats that fall well below Shizune's (if we follow the data book)
-
2) Plot importance.
Aside from Sakura, I would argue that Shizune has the most plot relevance of all the potential wimminz for Naruto. She already has a history with him, where they interact quite fondly with one another (note that I am not at all assuming this to be romantic, I know it is on a pure friendship level). As well, she is the Hokage's aide, someone who has been there whenever Tsunade has learned something of importance, when important choices are being made. She would also be privy to information being gathered on the Akatsuki, on Sasuke, on ROOT, on the political happenings with Konoha...in other words, tying her into the story without it looking forced is not at all difficult.
-
3) Taboo=awesome. I realize there is a big age difference between the two, which is why when I think of this pairing in a fic, I think of Naruto being close to adulthood. But even if he isn't, that's one of the fun aspects!
-
4) Personality. I like Naruto and Shizune because I can see them as equals with each other. If there was a disagreement, one would not simply bow to the other. Shizune isn't fickle either. If she thinks something is the right thing to do, she will do it.
This happened when it looked like Tsunade was going to help Orochimaru. It happened again when she told the council Tsunade planned to send Naruto right at Akatsuki, and I don't think this was done for the sake of being a 'rat' either. I think it was because she cared about Naruto's safety. (but how awful Tsunade's policy on Naruto is can be addressed some other time)
Point being, Shizune takes action when she thinks its needed and isn't a doormat to anyone, even those who could beat the crap out of her. At the same time, she is also a very sweet young woman. Oh, and an experienced ninja. Unlike some, I think she'd be able to slit someone's throat and toss them off a cliff without batting an eye, if the situation called for it.
-
5) Originality. As an author, sometimes it's fun to do something so outside the box. As a reader, sometimes it's fun to read a pairing you've never otherwise considered, one which has valid merits.
Honestly, the Naruto section on fanfiction.net has over 130000 stories. I would wager that the vast majority of them which have pairings and aren't about an OC/Mary-Sue/Self-insert are SasuNaru and NaruHina. I would wager that .000001% are NaruShizu, and even less are more than 20k long.
Diversity+originality=awesomesauce.
------
Some possible arguments against this pairing:
A) Shizune is too old for Naruto.
From a western standpoint, it sure looks that way. But considering the time and place the series takes place in, I don't think it would be all *that* frowned upon if Naruto were nearing or at adulthood.
B) But Kabuto beat Shizune up, therefore she isn't that strong.
Kabuto is also on par with Kakashi by his own words--Kakashi, who is one of Konoha's uber elites. It's true Shizune lost, but here are some things to consider...
-Prior to that battle, Shizune was likely inactive in combat considering the lifestyle she lead with Tsunade. After the time skip, she has been on more missions and grown in strength. Of course, I'd bet Kabuto would still win, but this doesn't make her weak.
-What female could have beaten Kabuto? Save for Yugito, I think every last potential girl for Naruto would have lost just as swiftly, perhaps even more so.
C) Naruto x Shizune is bad because Naruto x (this girl) is better.
The potential of pairings tends to be relative, especially when there are so many ways to interpret events. As well, when we think of what can be or what could have been, there are so many possibilities that no one can say proof positive who would end up with who, or who would make the best couple. Opinions are find and dandy, and many contain merit, but the main point is...one pairings existence does not negate the validity of another in hypothetical worlds.
D) Naruto x Shizune is bad because they are like brother and sister.
Relationships are subject to change, and that might be one of the interesting elements of the pairing: seeing that change take place through the character's eyes. Feelings are very complicated and can change surprisingly fast.
E) Naruto x Shizune is bad because neither of them feels that way about each other right now, where as one person already likes the other with Naruto x Sakura or Naruto x Hinata.
One annoying habit some fanfics make is rushing romantic development. When one character already has a crush on the other (note that this is a *crush*, not love), they just make the other suddenly feel the same way and that's that...onto the fluff and conflict-less relationship. It's stale
But if you begin from a point where neither even has a crush on the other and work your way up, you presumably have to lay a foundation of your own. Instant love might fly when one character already likes the other, but when neither feel that way from the start, people are *way* quicker to call 'OOC'.
F) OTHER
NO, U!
-
This concludes my hastily crafted argument in support of Naruto x Shizune. Now if you ever find a fic with such a pairing and it's GOOD, please let me know, I will be your friend forever *_* If you need elaboration on any points or whatever, fee free to add your thoughts. I realize I likely left a lot of bases uncovered.