Cutting Loose

Cutting Loose is a For Want of a Nail Naruto Fanfic written by Chengar Qordath. The basic premise revolves around Naruto becoming friends with Tenten while still at the Academy, and ultimately graduating a year earlier than he did in canon and joining Team Gai in Neji's place.

The fic had four story arcs; the introductory arc, an arc centered around Yugito's attempt to either talk Naruto into defecting or forcibly kidnap him, an arc centering on Naruto's involvement with the rebellion in Kiri against the insane jinchuriki Mizukage, Yagura, and the current Chunin Exam arc.

"The Kirk: Naruto The McCoy: Rock Lee The Spock: Tenten"
 * Action Girl: All the kunoichi are depicted as competent, at least, which makes for a refreshing change from canon.
 * The Atoner:
 * Berserk Button: If you hurt either Naruto or Tenten, the other will hunt you down.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Yagura, which is canon, but here we get to see the effects first hand. It's not pretty.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Quite a few, Might Guy/Maito Gai being the most prominent.
 * Can't Catch Up: Lee and Tenten are slowly getting left behind by Naruto's rapid growth.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Tenten and Kakashi, and even Naruto himself to a lesser extent.
 * Demoted to Extra: Team 8 hasn't appeared very much in this fic, and
 * Team 10, too.
 * Designated Girl Fight: Tenten vs. Sakura is an In-Universe example, since they're matched up for the 3rd stage of the Chunin Exams.
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Everyone Can See It: Naruto and Tenten.
 * Evil Counterpart: Naruto treats Yagura as this, which heightens his determination to defeat him. He later extends the same to Gaara, only even more seriously.
 * Exact Words: See Loophole Abuse, below.
 * Flat What: Tenten's reaction to Naruto's "The Man Behind the Man" rambling in chapter 2.
 * For Want of a Nail: In this case, it was a chance conversation between Naruto and Tenten that started with her teaching him how to throw, and ended with them striking up a friendship.
 * Freudian Trio:
 * Team Gai:
 * Team Gai:

"The Kirk: Masaru The McCoy: Maeko The Spock: Neji"
 * Neji's team:

"Maeko:"Hey, I was trying to help!" Masaru: "Key word there, trying. That's all you ever do; you just screw things up and put me and Neji in danger. Did you even bother to pay attention when we were getting lessons in field medicine, or was that just another subject you never bothered with because you thought you were too good for it?" (He while muttering under his breath)... "I figured it was only a matter of time before she ""
 * Friendly Enemy: Yugito seems to genuinely like Naruto. Doesn't mean she won't try to talk him into defecting, and try to beat him into unconsciousness and kidnap him if he doesn't go along with her voluntarily.
 * Genius Ditz: Naruto - completely ineffectual in the Academy setting, a genius in thinking outside the box.
 * Hard Work Hardly Works: Inverted - Rock Lee thinks this is true, but then realises that the real reason he (and Tenten) Can't Catch Up to Naruto is because he's both " a natural genius and a genius of hard work". The reason Naruto's so much tougher here than in canon is because he works hard.
 * I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: Tenten's main argument for not pursuing a Relationship Upgrade with Naruto. It doesn't convince him.
 * Idiot Savant: According to Word of God, Naruto. It sticks in-story as well.
 * Jerkass: Maeko. There have been one or two hints that she might have a Dark and Troubled Past.
 * La Résistance: Naruto gets involved in the rebellion against the insane Mizukage, Yagura.
 * Loophole Abuse: Naruto exploits this
 * Mass "Oh Crap":
 * Meaningful Name: Akane Shatsu, Naruto's replacement on Team 7. Her name basically means "Red Shirt."
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Sasuke after Chapter 16. Maeko also gets this, to an extent.
 * Only Sane Man: Tenten is one in team 9. On the beginning, at least.
 * Masaru appears to be this for his team as well, since he's stuck with Maeko and Neji with no word on their sensei just yet.
 * Original Character: Several; Maeko seems to be the most notable one.
 * Punishment Detail: A common answer for low-mid level offenses by ninjas. D-rank missions to clean the sewers seem to be a popular choice.
 * Platonic Life Partners: Before the relationship upgrade, this is exactly how Naruto and Tenten's relationship works.
 * Plausible Deniability: It's hinted that Naruto's research trip to Kiri was only approved because it would allow Konoha to unofficially get involved the ongoing civil war while blaming it all on an impulsive young Genin.
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Masaru to Maeko in Chapter 16:


 * Relationship Upgrade: After spending more than a year as Just Friends, Naruto and Tenten finally decide to give a relationship a shot.
 * Revenge Before Reason:
 * Rouge Angles of Satin: Generally averted, but unleashing a "fluffy of blows" provided great amusement to all the readers until the author fixed it.
 * Ship Sinking: It's too early to be certain, but may have been sunk following  action in the Forest of Death. Quite telling,  Adding to that is
 * Spared by the Adaptation:
 * The Stations of the Canon: Completely blown apart - the Land of Waves Arc never even happens because due to Naruto helping La Résistance in Kiri, Zabuza decides to leave Gatou's employ and join up. He even kills the man before he and Haku depart. The Chunin Exam Arc has some very notable differences as well.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Maeko frequently shoots her mouth or does stupid things which are liable to get her killed, such as refusing to increase her skills in areas she's actually good at, out of some sense of self-entitlement and Pride. It takes Masaru viciously chewing her out  for her to finally recognise this, and even now she's going to need time to grow out of it.
 * True Companions: Team Gai, but especially Naruto and Tenten - Rock Lee is shown to occasionally feeling like a Third Wheel because although all of Team Gai are close, those two the closest of all.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: While he keeps his tone of voice under control, Kakashi is still ripping into Sasuke when scolding him for  Though he considers kicking Sasuke off the team, he acknowledges that the boy has realised his mistake and will learn from its severity,