Choosing the team

In your first run Iruka hands you your forehead protector and lets you choose your team. Pick the one you like best. In time you'll have every ninja.

The teams

What changes

• The first three ninja: the genin of the chosen team are playable right away.
• The sensei: your team's sensei joins after chapter 1 of the saga.
• The saga dialogue: where Kakashi speaks in the series, your sensei speaks, with lines written for them. Some enemy lines change too, for example Zabuza in chapter 1.
• Reinforcements: when Konoha's reinforcements arrive, your unlocked teammates come into battle. In the Dojo's Team category you make them arrive more often and stay longer.

What doesn't change

• The story: chapters, places, enemies, bosses and rewards are the same for every team.
• Difficulty: no team is stronger or weaker. Every ninja has their own style, but they're balanced against each other.
• Which ninja you can have: every team ninja can be recruited, whichever team you choose.

Recruiting the others

1. In the saga, missions and Survival you may meet the Bell Test, a ninja with a bell on their belt. They run from you and keep to their path, but they're slower. Chase them, cut them off and stay close until the yellow ring fills up. Then they join you and fight by your side for a while.
2. If they get away, you'll find them in the next run. After 2 runs without meeting one the test is guaranteed.
3. I sensei of the other teams come to the test when you have all three of their genin.
4. When you have everyone, the ninja keep challenging you for fun and leave some ryo.
5. Team Bond: when you have all four members of a team (three genin and the sensei), playing one of them you start with +10% damage and +15 health.
6. Completing the saga with a team's three genin unlocks a costume for their sensei (Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai).

Team call

In battle, next to the secret technique, there is the team bar. When it is full press C (left trigger on a controller). The teammates you've recruited arrive for 10 seconds and do the team combo.

• The bar charges by itself in about 200 seconds and starts half full; a defeated general adds 25, a legendary enemy 40. The Dojo (Team Signal) charges it faster.
• The more teammates you've recruited, the stronger it is. If someone's missing it's weaker. Anyone absent from that chapter's story doesn't count. After Asuma falls, for example, Ino and Choji are enough for Shikamaru's full combo.
• When they arrive, your teammates say a line to you; it also happens with the Konoha reinforcements.
• Gaara, Jiraiya and Itachi are not part of a team and have no call.

Team missions

At the Hokage's Office every team has a mission of its own. Anyone can play it, but with a ninja from that team the sensei gives the briefing and the pay is one and a half times. Like the other missions, they also count toward unlocking saga chapters.

With a Team 8 ninja even the Thick Fog blocks much less of your view. Nose, bugs and Byakugan see through it.

Rival team

Once you've recruited everyone, the Bell Test keeps going for fun. One time in three, another team's genin show up together, each with a bell. Each bell is worth 40 ryo. Grab them all in 70 seconds for 200 more ryo and the Bell Thief achievement. If they get away you lose nothing.

Changing team

When you've completed the whole saga, the saga screen shows Change team: you go back to the Academy and choose another team to live the story again with another sensei. All the ninja you had stay with you. On the page Ninja you'll find where to look for those you're missing.