The New Ninja

:Not to be confused with the group.
The New Ninja is a Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu book released in 2016. It is the ninth installment of the Ninjago chapter book series. It takes place shortly after "Curseworld, Part II" and before The Realm of Shadows, going over the events of the ninja's fame and Nya's struggles with working with the group.
The book is also notable in that it contains the two winning entries from the Write like a Ninja contest: "Forgive Me" by abbeadventerous114, and "Wake Up" by JayZX535.
==Official description==
Nya has always been a key part of the ninja's success, whether she's organizing operations from the Destiny's Bounty or fighting bad guys in her Samurai X mech. Cole, Jay, Kai, Lloyd, and Zane depend on Nya's fierce intelligence and awesome battle skills.
Now that Nya's a full-fledged ninja -the Master of Water- she's got more to offer the team than ever before. So when a call for help comes in, she decides to give the guys a night off. After all, what could go wrong?
As it turns out, a whole lot! The new ninja might be a little too independent. Can Nya figure out how to work together and take one for the team?
==Summary==
The story begins with the ninja playing Delivery Trucks vs. Zombies: Pizza Party of Doom, with Cole, Kai, and Nya delivering pizzas on their trucks while trying to avoid the zombies, controlled by Jay and Zane. Despite her own personal victories, Kai reminds his sister that she needs to work with the rest of the team. The ninja discuss bringing the game to the Ninja for a Day Video game Tournament at the hospital, an event set up for the children there, hoping to cheer them up. However, they're interrupted when Lloyd calls them, explaining that the children have broken into the crates full of ninja action figures, needing help to settle the chaos and set up the decorations.
The ninja head on to help Lloyd, with Nya staying back to repair the TV, which glitches from a gaming bug. Staying on the Destiny's Bounty, Nya is interrupted when Ed and Edna call, revealing they need help, only for their camera to turn to static, right before a Nindroid Warrior appears. Realizing the two are in trouble, Nya heads to where the two are, deciding there's no time to contact the others.
Arriving at Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk, Nya witnesses Jay's parents aboard a pile of junk that has a conveyor belt rolling upwards, several Nindroids roaming around yelling "Terminate." Before Ed can explain the situation, Nya summons a rainstorm that makes the Nindroids short-circuit, only for the water to make the junk pile collapse, forcing Nya to rescue the two. Though impressed, Ed explains that they had merely gotten stuck on top of the junk pile, and the Nindroids, who were programmed to be friendly, though had yet to expand their vocabulary, had merely been trying to help- However, the machines failed, not necessarily being very bright.
Sheepish, Nya apologizes, asking Jay's parents not to mention the incident. The next day, the five ninja train under Lloyd, who is continuing his sensei training. However, Dareth calls, and when Nya answers, he reveals that while trying to film a documentary on the ninja, Kruncha, and Nuckal, who had been hired as part of the cast, decided to wreak havoc over not being cast as the leads of the film. Deciding the problem isn't worthy of the ninja's attention, Nya heads to the Ninjago Film Industries on the D.B. Express' flyer to handle the problem herself.
There, she discovers complete chaos, with food fights running rampant, with equipment strewn rampant and people running around. Despaired, Dareth explains how Kruncha and Nuckal started a riot and stole the film reel. To Nya's horror, she realizes the duo have already stolen her flyer, going off with it, forcing her to take chase on a film prop made functional by her Water powers. Chasing the two through the streets of Ninjago City, she succeeds in capturing them by summoning a wave when the two fly over the coast. Even as Nya gloats, Dareth arrives on a helicopter, having filmed the whole ordeal and declaring it to be a great film, to his joy and that of Kruncha and Nuckal, ecstatic over becoming stars as they had wished. Nya, on the other hand, is dismayed when she realizes the destruction she failed to stop during the chase.
Back on the Destiny's Bounty, Nya is comforted by Misako, who advises she try to work with the team, noting there is no shame in the action. Agreeing, Nya is interrupted when a monitor of Stiix reveals Fred Finely, who reports on two sightings of Ghost Warriors. Wanting to stop the ghosts as soon as possible, Nya asks an elderly couple named Mildred and Ernest to contact the ninja to meet her there; However, as she leaves, the couple head to the nearest poodle shop, having misheard her directions to find the ninja at a noodle shop.
At Stiix, Nya chases a few ghosts, following them to the top of a tower, only to be ambushed by an army of thirty ghosts. Revealing they had survived the destruction of the Cursed Realm, the ghosts swear vengeance against Nya over the death of the Preeminent, attacking her. Despite wielding their weakness, Nya finds herself overwhelmed.
At the restaurant, the ninja continue eating, oblivious of what's going on, only for television to reveal Fred Finely commentating on Nya's battle. Realizing the danger, they head towards Stiix on their Elemental Dragons, ironically leaving just as Mildred and Ernest arrive at the restaurant, looking for the poodle shop where the ninja supposedly were.
The ninja arrive, and the six of them work together, trapping the ghosts and destroying them. Even as they disintegrate, the ghosts promise to return, and the team celebrates. The next day, they attend the ninja for a Day celebration, remarking over the children's happiness. Lloyd and Nya converse together, with Lloyd offering her advice, and Nya thanking him, remarking on his wisdom, prompting Lloyd to declare that he's had the best teachers.
===Forgive Me===
Recuperating from the banishment of his father to the Cursed Realm, Lloyd walks around in the Forest of Tranquility near Garmadon's monastery. Even as a storm begins to stir, Lloyd hallucinates seeing Garmadon talking to him, and falls into a rage, angrily yelling at his father for leaving him and Misako behind, but eventually mourning over his actions the day of Garmadon's banishment, wishing he had acted kinder towards his father. The illusion of Garmadon promises that he forgives him, and that the two will meet again some time. Even as he fades, Lloyd wakes up in Garmadon's monastery, realizing it had been a dream. Misako, having overheard the commotion, comes into his bedroom to comfort him. Even as Lloyd falls asleep, he makes peace with himself and his father's banishment, certain they'll meet again sometime.
===Wake Up===
While playing video games aboard the Destiny's Bounty, the ninja are left mystified by the uncanny silence and lack of activity that's happened all day, and getting a strange feeling, head out to the deck, only to discover Nya, Master Wu, and Misako missing. While attempting to retrace their steps to find their friends, Cole calls the police, only to discover the phenomenon that the police have received no calls or activity themselves, either. Realizing the sudden disappearance of their friends and the peace simply isn't possible, the five of them suddenly wake up from their illusion aboard the deck of the Bounty, confronted by a hooded man, the Dreamweaver. Shocked, the Dreamweaver demands to know how they escaped his illusion, and the ninja remind him that ninja learn to see what others can not. Even as the Dreamweaver backs off uncertainly, the five of them attack the Dreamweaver, ready to put an end to his crimes.
==Trivia==
*Like A Team Divided, The New Ninja takes place between two seasons, shortly after the events of the previous season's final episode.
*The book's title is similar to the phrase "The new normal".
*The second fan-fiction story, Wake Up, was written by JayZX535, one of the Ninjago Wiki's users and editors.
*Forgive Me is set a week after the finale of Tournament of Elements.
*The end of Forgive Me unknowingly foreshadows Garmadon's return in "Curseworld, Part II."
*This book can be found on Apple Books.
==Gallery==
The New Ninja back cover.jpg|Back cover
Category:2016
Category:Chapter Books
Category:Books
de:Der neue Ninja