Naruto Shippuden & Bleach ™

Teacher: Yuuhi Kurenai

  Kurenai’s role in part 2 of the manga has also been small so far, looking concerned at several points when Asuma was fighting. When Asuma falls in battle, she feels a sudden shock as if hit by a premonition. Shikamaru himself would later give Kurenai the bad news. She and the rest of Konoha would then gather to honor the fallen ninja. Shikamaru would get revenge for his Team and Kurenai, neutralizing Hidan by blowing him up and burying him deep in the earth. Shikamaru would return and find Kurenai at Asuma's grave. He explained how Asuma always looked out for him and he in turn would look out for her son. We then learn that Kurenai is pregnant and wearing a ring. During Naruto's time away Kurenai and Asuma took their relationship to the next level, either becoming engaged or getting married to Asuma. Though she had lost her love, she would soon have a new Sarutobi in her life.

     The pairing of Asuma and Kurenai by fans was a firm favorite, with the two cited being together and quickly denied with blushing even in the manga. Their eventual marriage carried out Kishimoto's hint that there would be romance in the second part of the series. On a trivial note, Kurenai is one of the few kunoichi that uses cosmetics and makeup in a regular manner, with purple eye shadow and dark red lipstick. In conjunction with her striking two-tone red eyes, it might be possible she uses this to draw attention to herself and trap the enemy in Genjutsu more effectively.

Aburame Shino 

   Demonstrating some of the Destruction Bugs’ more unusual abilities, Shino used them to make a decoy of himself, while moving close to Kankurou to strike at him. While Shino’s hand-to-hand skills were none too impressive, he had deliberately made a feint to plant a female bug on Kankurou, giving the rest of his bugs a permanent target to chase after. Despite Kankurou managing to catch Shino with a poison gas bomb, Shino forced the stalemate as his bugs tracked Kankurou down and left him paralyzed after eating all his chakra. Shino’s father later appeared and saved his life, injecting him with his own bugs that ate away the poison. Later, Shino would be absent from the mission to rescue Sasuke, on a mission with his father.

     Aside from a brief appearance in the timeskip, Shino’s appearances in the series are few and far between. His strong, unshakable confidence, mysterious look and cool aura make him popular among fans despite his ultimately creepy habits. In his spare time, Shino tends to his bugs and at one point, recommends Hinata to do the same. His analytical skill and cautious nature often annoy Kiba, who thinks Shino is trying to become the de facto leader of the team.

 Inuzuka Kiba

   Kiba would feature in a number of anime-exclusive episodes, living up to his usual character as a hot-headed and energetic foil for Naruto. One episode covered his relationship with Akamaru, who had been mutated by a bio-attack of Konoha, the results of which made him much larger in size and more savage. Although the events of the manga occurred first, this would prove ironic as his first appearance in part 2 showed Akamaru to have grown to around 5 times his previous size, enough for Kiba to ride comfortably on his back. Aside from his re-introduction that showed their changes in appearance, neither Kiba nor Akamaru have had another appearance in the manga to date, much to the annoyance of fans of Team 8, which has been proven to be the most underused team in canon.