Chapter 0: Author's Um Lament?
Yo! So it might be surprising to hear from me so soon and oddly. First, this is not me quitting the story or anything like that. Worry not. This is my attempt to clarify and correct things for current readers and simplify things for new readers. If you are either party, I would bother to read this chapter.
In Chapter 0, I will plainly explain things. There are differences between Despite it All and the Canon Naruto, and explanations of such, with certain limitations. To explain certain elements that seem controversial. And to make things easier to understand.
When I created the idea of Despite it All, it was an odd creation from the get-go. An idea that was initially simple and easy soon grew ambitious and complicated. But I never lamented such; I wanted to take a risk with this story. To be markedly different and unique, to try things out that others would shy away from. I've certainly accomplished such, but it has been at a cost. In protecting the mystery and authentic discovery of such, I unknowingly made it a bit confusing and closed off. Hopefully, with Chapter 0, we will see this somewhat remedied.
But then came the problem. What would be the best way to address these concerns? A frank Author Note on the latest chapter? That would leave new readers and readers behind such a chapter behind. New chapters explicitly designed to address them, either interrupting the current flow or released as a side story? Messy and unlikely to be efficient. I decided on the solution of Chapter 0. Ironically this was something the original draft of Despite it All had. Though it was markedly different from this. A mix of an introduction, premise explanation, and author musings. Remember that this is for new and current readers; we will avoid as many spoilers as possible. I also wanted to release this quickly and keep an authentic feel, so forgive me if this needs to be more organized.
The best way to explain the world and introduce Despite it All properly? I would assume discussing what makes it different. Let's go by the differences to canon. We'll go through them systematically, a summary of the differences, an explanation of why it was changed, and anything else I may add. Listed in roughly chronological order.
Timeline/Age Changing - Let's talk about this slightly and go into more depth about what it means and why it's done. Firstly, this affects our favorite generation of Ninjas primarily. (Think Naruto, Neji, Ino, ECT). This will also be used on certain characters you may not expect. To be clear, this doesn't affect the canon timeline to an absurd degree. The Third Great War still happened, BUT things after this event are subject to change. Many people do not like the established Age Up plan and feel it isn't necessary or a flawed system. And they are most certainly correct. Something that has been picked up or assumed is that this system is purely meant to be superior to canon's setup. It's not, and it's not meant to be. This plan was created in Narrative by Hiruzen. It is a flawed system created by a flawed man and will be used to explore Hiruzen's character and the role of a Kage. We won't be exploring this in earnest until much later in the story, but it is vital to the plot I want to tell.
Jinchuriki / Tailed Beast - These feature some of the heaviest tweaks from canon. I have quite the plan for them; telling them plainly would ruin some surprises. The mechanics of Tailed Beast and jinchuriki have been changed, as well as the lore behind such. They will be much more vital to the story than canon (if such a thing is possible). I'm sure many of you had already caught on with Fuu having a multitude of additional abilities she didn't have in canon. But to make sure we're on the same page.
Akatsuki- The Akatsuki are different in membership, long-term goals and methodology, leadership, and even origin. As much as I would love to fill in all the information here, it will be vital to the story that most of these remain a mystery. Just keep in mind this is not the same Akatsuki, nor will they behave the same.
The Fall of Team Minato- Similar to canon, Team Minato was the victim of tragedy. Though it went differently, obviously. In fact, the situation and context were wildly different and much more based on personalities than just pure tragedy. I really can only get into this much with ruining some future arcs. But let's breeze over some of the differences. Similar to canon Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were sent on a mission they had little chance to succeed in. Similar to canon, Rin died and Obito and Kakashi were forever changed. Unlike in Canon this did not lead to Obito's near death nor his unknowing betrayal of the Leaf. And despite Obito and Kakashi surviving and growing closer. The events caused a fissure in the remainder of Team Minato. Which was only further cemented by the passing of Minato.
Attack of the Kyuubi - This one is a big deal, and we need to be faster to address it. That is intentional, make no mistake, but now I fear we may have been too cryptic. I plan to explain it fully in the plot eventually. But I now recognize that more answers should have been given to this point. Let's do so, shall we? So similar to canon, this is an attack the Leaf suffered during Minato's reign that led to heavy casualties, hatred of the nine tails, and, by proxy of jinchuriki, the death of the beloved Minato Namikaze. In canon, this is done by Obito, but this can't be the case in Despite it All since Obito is loyal to the Leaf. The reason I bring this up is because it is similar to canon. Someone entered the Leaf on the night of Naruto's birth. (I realize I'm still leaving the who unexplained. Can't tell you everything.)Attacked a weakened and vulnerable Kushina and managed to release the Kyuubi. Minato arrives to battle with the man while Kushina aids the Leaf in sealing the Kyuubi back into her. After a close fight with the man, Minato had arrived only to discover Kushina could only seal half of the beast. He sacrifices his own life and seals the other half into Naruto. This leaves the Leaf razed, a mystery man dead, and Kushina alive, left to raise Naruto on her lonesome. Shortly after that, Hiruzen's plan for the shinobi world came into affect, drastically changing Kushina's approach to parenting. Eventually, this leads to Chapter 1. This change will be fully explored soon (I have been working on something for such but wanted to offer some explanation in the meantime.)
The Uchiha Coup- This is a change many are confused about, and rightfully so. This situation is similar to canon, where the Uchiha were found to be conspiring against the Leaf. Unlike in canon, however, the problem was handled differently. I'm slowly building up to this, but let's talk it over to make it easier. Firstly, as in canon, both Shisui and Itachi sided with the Leaf. But their reaction was markedly different. Unlike in canon, not all Uchiha were traitors; some of these loyalist worked to peacefully end things, but others, spearheaded by Danzo Shimura, wanted a more permanent solution. Hiruzen would not allow blood to be spilled; it simply goes against his ideals. But if the Uchiha could be taken down with a decisive strike before the fighting even began, they could stop the coup without any significant loss of life. Hiruzen, Shisui, Itachi, Mikoto, and Danzo found a way to subdue all shinobi Uchiha in a single night. This led to the mass incarceration of much of the clan. The mystery of how this was done and where the Uchiha were taken to is one few in the Leaf are privy to. A mystery Sasuke is marked focused on figuring out. (Also, this is why Itachi, Shisui, and Obito serve the Leaf in relatively low-key ways. Remember that although Shisui is a sensei to a Genin team, he has made very few appearances.)
I will endeavor to ensure this kind of problem doesn't happen again. It will be easy enough since most of these stem more from the premise, but it doesn't hurt to be careful, right? Also I changed the summary for both FF and AO3 so hopefully that helps as well.
I don't know if this will do what I'm aiming for. I'm hopeful this will be helpful and reassuring, but it may come across as nonsensical ramblings. Hopefully, not that… ah well. The point is that this is an acknowledgment and a compromise to clear communication from readers. With any luck, this will be received well.
But even if not, let me know if this was helpful or what some were looking for. It felt like the least I could do for people who have spent time reading my nonsense.
I hope you enjoyed it somehow?
Peace!