Recent Naruto Manga (Chapters 400+)

[Mave]

I've finally had the chance to read up on some of the more recent chapters of Naruto. I'm actually reading the chapters backwards, which is not the best way to catch up but ah well...

Pardon the outdated comments:

I'm officially grieving over Asuma, who was always one of my fav. jounins. While his farewell was done well, I'm terribly cross over the fact that it was this idiot loudmouth Hidan who did him in. GAH.

However, this was redeemed by how Shikamaru took out Hidan. Shikamaru pis consistent as a genius strategist and I'm very happy with how he has grown. I almost feel he has grown more than characters such as Naruto or Sakura.

Why is it that I could never be impressed by Naruto's jutsus? Although I didn't really like Kakuzu (creepy with all those hearts) but he was admittedly one of the cooler villians in the Akatsuki. And he gets taken out by Naruto?

After reading 347, the comment on that icky Orochimaru/Sasuke cover pales in comparison to that horrible yuri&yaoi combination jutsu that dirty little Kono boy cooked up and those nude scenes of Shirei...eh that new fang boy character. Sakura has lost 1000 cool points with me for being a closet yaoi fan and for not doing anything incredibly impressive after that last battle with Sasori or whateveryoucallpuppetboy.

And seriously, what was up with that random statement by Kakashi during Naruto's training? "I think I could fall in love with you..." Or did I just read some very bad translation/pranked by an April's fool joke?

Also, am I the only one who's pleased that Orochimaru was "defeated" by Sasuke? When younger Sasuke went to Orochimaru, I was mentally screaming, "Arrrghhh what are you doing? Don't!!!" but I was also secretly hoping that Sasuke would pull something like this off. It's not in Sasuke's character (whatever character's left of him) to allow anyone to overpower him if he could help it. If Orochimaru isn't completely defeated, Sasuke is at least dominant right now 'coz he's acting like a real ice cube. I'm not annoyed with Sasuke and I'm quite pleased with the focus on him right now. Apparently, I'm quite a Sasuke fan......

I'm quite interested to know what powers Karin has. I suppose her attempt to snuggle up to Sasuke is a result of being cooped up in some isolated area with a bunch of smelly male prisoners and other weird guy characters.






Asuma.


Dangit.


*sniff*

[uc pseudonym]

However, this was redeemed by how Shikamaru took out Hidan. Shikamaru pis consistent as a genius strategist and I'm very happy with how he has grown. I almost feel he has grown more than characters such as Naruto or Sakura.

I agree. Shikamaru is one of the stronger points of the series. Now if only the other characters would receive some fraction of that development. Hinata, for example, needs to do something other than being shy and getting beaten by Neji.

Why is it that I could never be impressed by Naruto's jutsus?

Speaking of that jutsu, and the discovered side effects... how many of you have the strong premonition this will come up again? It would be slightly disappointing if the last battle of the series forces him to use it at full power, thus making a great sacrifice for his friends, who we will be reminded of in a lengthy flashback of faces because we haven't seen them in a while.

And seriously, what was up with that random statement by Kakashi during Naruto's training? "I think I could fall in love with you..."

...well, I can gaurantee you I didn't read that in my translation.

I'm quite interested to know what powers Karin has. I suppose her attempt to snuggle up to Sasuke is a result of being cooped up in some isolated area with a bunch of smelly male prisoners and other weird guy characters.

That or just because nearly all female characters like him immediately (my first assumption, anyway). Hopefully she's just being manipulative, and won't be another essentially weak and useless female character.

[Kurama]

Agreed on that one!! I jumped when I saw her wearing glasses! I thought "Well since they most likly wont have Kabuto-Kun back, might as well make another character with glasses." YAY!! XD

[MasterDias]

Also, am I the only one who's pleased that Orochimaru was "defeated" by Sasuke? When younger Sasuke went to Orochimaru, I was mentally screaming, "Arrrghhh what are you doing? Don't!!!" but I was also secretly hoping that Sasuke would pull something like this off. It's not in Sasuke's character (whatever character's left of him) to allow anyone to overpower him if he could help it. If Orochimaru isn't completely defeated, Sasuke is at least dominant right now 'coz he's acting like a real ice cube. I'm not annoyed with Sasuke and I'm quite pleased with the focus on him right now. Apparently, I'm quite a Sasuke fan......

Well, my problem is, Orochimaru was built up as being a central villain all throughout part one. For him to be defeated this easily in the space of 3 or so chapters by an arrogant teenager strikes me as being very anticlimatic and awkward planning on Kishimoto's part. This is the same Orochimaru who killed the Third Hokage and stood his ground against both of his (also extremely powerful) ex-comrades?
Although, if Orochimaru comes back later on as a notable role, I'll be more forgiving of this.

Anyway, on this latest chapter:
Well, now we know where the cursed seal came from, although I'm not sure what to think of the explanation. And we also get another glimpse of Sasuke's "strength" as he takes out some cursed seal LV. 2 guy in one hit...

[uc pseudonym]

I'd give you 8:1 that this wasn't planned from the beginning. Still, I find it an interesting explanation of the curse seals; I had always kind of wondered how exactly that works. It also opens up the possibility of what many fans have dreaded: a Curse Seal Level 3, either from the new guy or for most people as an upgraded form of his blood.

[Mave]

Well, my problem is, Orochimaru was built up as being a central villain all throughout part one. For him to be defeated this easily in the space of 3 or so chapters by an arrogant teenager strikes me as being very anticlimatic and awkward planning on Kishimoto's part. This is the same Orochimaru who killed the Third Hokage and stood his ground against both of his (also extremely powerful) ex-comrades?

Hmm, I see what you mean. I guess the "defeat" made sense to me as it seems like Sasuke attacked Orochimaru at one of his weakest moments (in a way that was low but I suppose there's not much honor among villians). As powerful as Orochimaru has demonstrated himself to be (as you mentioned), Kishimoto seemed to have made it plain clear that Orochimaru could also be just as weak/defenceless at certain moments. I don't know if Sasuke would be able to defeat him/defeat him that easily if Orochimaru was at his optimum level aka during his combat vs Hokage/Ex-Comrades. We would have expected at least 3 chapters dedicated to this fight then, no?

Although, if Orochimaru comes back later on as a notable role, I'll be more forgiving of this.

I'm counting on that to happen. I can see him totally messing things up for Sasuke during a vital moment. Seriously, Orochimaru should have anticipated Sasuke's betrayal and planned around this move. If not, then.....well, I will think even less of Orochimaru than I do now and I'll be joining you in the Disappointed Fan Bench.

Still, I'm pleased to see more Sasuke. I was getting a little tired of the Sasuke-related speculations and suspence prior to his appearance. Naruto was doomed to be Sasuke-centric right from the beginning so the least we could plea for is the story to go a little faster. Heh.

No comment on sealed curse. Haven't read that part yet.

[Eaglestrike]

I don't think I've posted in this thread before, but oh well.

I'm actually rather pleased with this turn of events. The latest chapter confirms what I had hoped, Sasuke is still a good guy. Naruto is the "purist" and Sasuke is the "realist". Really everything has led to how things are now. Sasuke has no real beaf with Naruto or Konoha, that wasn't the problem or why he left. He just saw that he went from #1 to #2 while Mr. dead last went to #1. He honestly believed that he'd get better training outside of Konoha, so he went and got it. I also think Sasuke planned from the start to defeat Orochimaru, that's what I thought when I saw the episode of him walking away from his battle with Naruto. They are rivals, they're not enemies, even if it looks different sometimes. I don't think many feelings have changed since the Naruto vs Sasuke fight, Sasuke just doesn't want to be distracted by Naruto and it's not like he was originally a friendly person anyway.

As things are currently setup, we'll see two ninja teams head towards Akatsuki, it should be a grand battle. Also, the two Sasuke has currently picked up weren't with Orochimaru by choice, they were essentially prisoners of his. That's why they're not as vicious. Also remember that most other ninja villages aren't quite as pure and good-hearted as Konoha anyway, a line in the latest manga chapter said it well "You're such a leaf ninja." so I'm sure Sasuke's team won't be moral replications of Naruto, but I don't think they're on the same level of Orochimaru and Akatsuki (ok, maybe Juugo is but...yeah, we'll see).

Random prediction: Team Kakashi and Team Sasuke attack Akatsuki at the same time. Sai and the 3 in Sasuke's team either flee, get hurt badly or are killed, leaving the original team Kakashi together to finish off Akatsuki.

Oh and about this:

he said something about he tries to include new ideas as he thinks of them

I think that means he tries to incorporate extra ideas while he thinks of them and start planning them in, not that he thinks up stuff to write every week for the upcoming week.

[Yeito]

Ahaha, wow I disappeared for a couple... months. Oh well. I wasn't missed.

Yeah, this is the only thread I kept up with before disappearing anyway. I don't have time to go back and read a bit to try to merge with the conversation, but I'll try to envolve myself in it after the next chapter. That be ok?

Huzzah~ I haven't had anyone to talk about it with in a while. x_x; Eeeh.

[uc pseudonym]

That sounds fine with me. It isn't so much that you weren't missed as that people in this thread tend to fade in and out all the time anyway. Hopefully the upcoming chapter (perhaps already available, I haven't had time to check) will engender new discussion in which you can take part.

[Yeito]

Just read chapter 351 (i think?)

I, personally, find it annoying how hardly anything ever happens in these updates anymore. But... that's not the point.

I don't have much to say, or many comments on this chapter, since not much happened. I do wonder what was up with the whole random snake thing. And Sasuke's, "How about I kill you both?" statement. What happened to, "Don't kill anyone."

Maybe this is a sign that Oro's not dead, and is actually kind of... submerged under Sasuke's presence? Who knows. I'm too ... unimpressed to really bother to think about it much. The girl (didn't bother to remember her name...) Is kinda... bipolar. I don't like her. But... oh well.

Thoughts?

[MasterDias]

I was actually never under the impression that Orochimaru was completely dead. Sasuke's comments to Kabuto implied to me that his soul was just "imprisoned."

But, regardless, I'm pretty indifferent on this new character. Other than that, I don't have much to say. Like you said, not much really happened.

[Eaglestrike]

Sasuke was threatening them, I doubt he actually would kill them, he wants them on his team.

Someone else mentioned this on another forum I visit, but the new girl seems to have some ability to measure chakra levels and mood, which comes from her comments in this latest chapter about Sasuke's chakra changing and his murderous intent. Though intent seems to be something higher level ninjas can notice (Kakashi and Gaara during the Chuunin exam) or maybe only certain high level ninjas.

I do believe it's worth noting the "Do not kill anyone." line from Sasuke, and how much of a "Konoha" thing it is. Death is very commonplace in the other ninja villages it seems(especially Mist village if you read back), but Konoha wants to avoid it at all costs at all times. So Sasuke saying to not kill anyone is rather out of place in this ninja world, especially for someone like Sasuke.

[uc pseudonym]

I'd say Orochimaru is definitely alive. Part of me still hopes he will return to play a significant role. But as for Sasuke's technique, I think that's merely one of the things he learned from Orochimaru. You wouldn't think he could train under him that long with getting something resembling his jutsu.

Does anyone else feel as though Sasuke got a power boost beyond all reason? We can't properly gauge his power (we'll have to see how he fares against an Akatsuki, because Orochimaru may have been in too weak of a condition to count) but I'm getting that impression and it annoys me vaguely.

To be honest, I like the new character more than the other two allies Sasuke has picked up. He seems more interesting to me than them (especially the girl, who seems to fall into the "Oh Sasuke!" archetype).

[Yeito]

To be honest, I like the new character more than the other two allies Sasuke has picked up.

I definitely agree. I think his character seems to span a bit deeper than the other two. Perhaps Sasuke has a way to give him the peace he needs from his overpowering 'murderous' needs. Or... whatever they called it.

Does anyone else feel as though Sasuke got a power boost beyond all reason?

I also agree with this. As a (somewhat) Sasuke fan-girl, It's kind of annoying. Especially because they implied so much about how he was soooo much more powerful that Naruto (still) or whatever. Maybe not, maybe Naruto was too in shock from finding him.

And technically... if that is such a case... Naruto and some of his colleagues have defeated more than one Akatsuki. So, if Sasuke is soooo much more powerful he should be able to defeat a couple with ease, correct? And we still haven't figured out exactly why he's collecting these three people have we? Or did I just miss that?

*sighs* I dunno. Maybe Kishimoto doesnt have this as well planned out as he think he does?

Sasuke was threatening them, I doubt he actually would kill them, he wants them on his team.

Yeah, I got that. I also got the whole 'leaf ninjas are weird cause they dont like death' thing. My point was, why even bother saying something like that if youre gonna take the 'no death' stand. It must have been just me so whatever. =_=

*wants something productive to happen in said storyline*

[Eaglestrike]

The only reason Sasuke appeared far more powerful than Naruto is because Naruto was tired. His chakra was depleted from his Kyuubi episode against Orochimaru, who they then chased after to find Sasuke. Naruto was drained and at a weak point. Also, we've always known that Sasuke was great at giving off an aura of being strong, while Naruto was just always able to come through in the end.

Akatsuki works in pairs, Sasuke should know it's safest to travel in a group, and he also knows that Naruto + Co. will have at least 3 people (though with Sai showing up, 4) and want to face off with him. He wants to be sure he's able to succeed in his goals.

Yeah, I got that. I also got the whole 'leaf ninjas are weird cause they dont like death' thing. My point was, why even bother saying something like that if youre gonna take the 'no death' stand. It must have been just me so whatever. =_=

Well, a threat with a showing of power can still scare some people off. As well, only 1 of the 2 people fighting knows of the "Do not kill" rule. By showing them he's serious and strong they're more likely to back off.

I'd say Orochimaru is definitely alive. Part of me still hopes he will return to play a significant role. But as for Sasuke's technique, I think that's merely one of the things he learned from Orochimaru. You wouldn't think he could train under him that long with getting something resembling his jutsu.

I'm waiting for Naruto and Sakura to show more usage of their mentors skills. Naruto got Rasengan from Jiraiya, and each of team 7 has now allied themselves with the summoning creature of their mentor. Snake users have always been the ones to use their summons the most, but I'm waiting to see Naruto use the frog stomach jutsu and stuff like what Jiraiya used when Akatsuki first attacked Naruto. Also we haven't seen much from slugs aside from the queen, so I'm interested in what else they can do.

I also am not sure if Orochimaru is dead. He might be able to cripple Sasuke in key fights, sort of like how Naruto needs to fend off Kyuubi taking control, Sasuke might have to fend off Orochimaru.

[Gritz]

I have a logical theroy as to why Sasuke is so strong. Orochimaru's plan was to make Sasuke as strong as possible and then take over his body. Well, you could say that the Sound Four were Orochimaru's elite. And they were taken out by Genin. But Sasuke was Oro's special one. He's the one Oro put the most time into. And if Oro wanted to use his body transfer jutsu in 3 years, then He must have been training him day and night. That is my theroy.

[MasterDias]

To be honest, I like the new character more than the other two allies Sasuke has picked up. He seems more interesting to me than them (especially the girl, who seems to fall into the "Oh Sasuke!" archetype).

Well, personality-wise, yeah probably as long as he's not too schizophrenic or whatever. Skill-wise, I'd have to see more of him and hope that his "abilities" aren't just boosted stats. The Sound Five had their own unique powers before they unveiled the curse seal.
I also hope that Suigetsu isn't just Zabuza-lite, and the girl has another power in addition to the ability to sense chakra. Orochimaru apparantly had her as a guard after all...

I do believe it's worth noting the "Do not kill anyone." line from Sasuke, and how much of a "Konoha" thing it is. Death is very commonplace in the other ninja villages it seems(especially Mist village if you read back), but Konoha wants to avoid it at all costs at all times. So Sasuke saying to not kill anyone is rather out of place in this ninja world, especially for someone like Sasuke.

But, to be fair, how much of said villages have we actually seen? Gaara is self-explanatory and his two siblings can also be explained by being both near Gaara and the children of an apparantly not-so-pleasant man. Of the Mist, we have a couple of criminals and a bunch of old rumours. We have seen virtually nothing of the Cloud and Rock and it's obvious that Orochimaru as a villain would hire ruthless people...
And I wouldn't say Konoha tries to avoid killing "at all costs." Otherwise, they wouldn't have Anbu. It's just that, as our protagonists, we are always given a very favorable view of Konoha.

The only reason Sasuke appeared far more powerful than Naruto is because Naruto was tired. His chakra was depleted from his Kyuubi episode against Orochimaru, who they then chased after to find Sasuke. Naruto was drained and at a weak point. Also, we've always known that Sasuke was great at giving off an aura of being strong, while Naruto was just always able to come through in the end.

You have a point about Naruto, however even if one argues that Naruto wasn't at full strength, and that Yamato was holding back, it still seemed as if Sasuke was hyped up as being really strong. He was going to take on four people at once after all, at least one of which he knew had been really strong before.

[Eaglestrike]

But, to be fair, how much of said villages have we actually seen? Gaara is self-explanatory and his two siblings can also be explained by being both near Gaara and the children of an apparantly not-so-pleasant man. Of the Mist, we have a couple of criminals and a bunch of old rumours. We have seen virtually nothing of the Cloud and Rock and it's obvious that Orochimaru as a villain would hire ruthless people...
And I wouldn't say Konoha tries to avoid killing "at all costs." Otherwise, they wouldn't have Anbu. It's just that, as our protagonists, we are always given a very favorable view of Konoha.

Well, the old practice of the Mist Village was to have them fight a 1 v 1 deathmatch before they could become a full ninja. That was the actual law of the village and how it worked. Zabuza was an exception in that he killed EVERYONE in his class that year, instead of just his 1 necessary for graduation. To us, the readers, it was shocking first that such a barbaric practice was in place, but the only shocking thing to ninjas is that Zabuza went so far with it.

Also, the Sand is "turning good" now, Chiyo lets us know how much hatred has been between the ninja villages and the Sand agreed to help Orochimaru, a rebel S-class ninja in the bingo book, *destroy* Konoha. That shows how willing they are to kill others. I'll agree we certainly haven't seen much from the other two villages, though.

You have a point about Naruto, however even if one argues that Naruto wasn't at full strength, and that Yamato was holding back, it still seemed as if Sasuke was hyped up as being really strong. He was going to take on four people at once after all, at least one of which he knew had been really strong before.

Sasuke also knows 2 of the people there, and knows they would do at least one, if not both, of two things: 1) Keep the other 2 from fighting 2) Not fight. Sasuke has confidence and for the most part always has, but even in the anime Naruto didn't seem very surprised at Sasuke, just Sakura, and she's not up to the Naruto/Sasuke levels. Of course, she too was tired, since NarutoKyuubi was burning her up a bit earlier. Yamato was probably doing what he could to hold Kyuubi at bay, when Naruto's chakra is at its lowest is when he instinctly channels Kyuubi, so Yamato was probably working hard on that. Sasuke I'm sure could gauge their depleted energy and thought of taking advantage of that, he also looked for the Kyuubi right away inside of Naruto, Sasuke was eyeing them all, literally, the whole time.

[MasterDias]

Well, the old practice of the Mist Village was to have them fight a 1 v 1 deathmatch before they could become a full ninja. That was the actual law of the village and how it worked. Zabuza was an exception in that he killed EVERYONE in his class that year, instead of just his 1 necessary for graduation. To us, the readers, it was shocking first that such a barbaric practice was in place, but the only shocking thing to ninjas is that Zabuza went so far with it.

Also, the Sand is "turning good" now, Chiyo lets us know how much hatred has been between the ninja villages and the Sand agreed to help Orochimaru, a rebel S-class ninja in the bingo book, *destroy* Konoha. That shows how willing they are to kill others. I'll agree we certainly haven't seen much from the other two villages, though.

Yes, I remember what Zabuza and Kakashi said as well as you do, and I'll agree that the Mist is still probably one of the harshest(even if that particular barbarity is outdated by several decades) hidden villages. But we still haven't seen anything of it really, or the Cloud, or the Rock...

As for the Sand, I've always gotton the impression that Gaara's father was a very ambitious man, who was willing to ally with a criminal if it meant more power for his village. Now that the village is under Gaara, it should be much more benign. Keep in mind that Konoha killed a lot of people during that The Great Shinobi War or whatever as well, and I somewhat doubt all of it was in defense...

Sasuke also knows 2 of the people there, and knows they would do at least one, if not both, of two things: 1) Keep the other 2 from fighting 2) Not fight. Sasuke has confidence and for the most part always has, but even in the anime Naruto didn't seem very surprised at Sasuke, just Sakura, and she's not up to the Naruto/Sasuke levels. Of course, she too was tired, since NarutoKyuubi was burning her up a bit earlier. Yamato was probably doing what he could to hold Kyuubi at bay, when Naruto's chakra is at its lowest is when he instinctly channels Kyuubi, so Yamato was probably working hard on that. Sasuke I'm sure could gauge their depleted energy and thought of taking advantage of that, he also looked for the Kyuubi right away inside of Naruto, Sasuke was eyeing them all, literally, the whole time.

Doesn't change the fact that Sasuke has still come off quite arrogant in much of his dialogue. Even recently, he was baiting Orochimaru with some of his words. I don't doubt that he would likely have taken all four on, even if they were at full strength...although I'll agree that, given certain recent attitudes of his, he may have been partially trying to bluff Naruto and Sakura so they wouldn't come after him any longer.

[Mave]

I've only see older Sasuke face off with opponents whom we expect to be weaker (e.g. those monsters in Orochimaru's hideout) and Naruto & gang at drained chakra levels.

Naruto and Sakura really have a lot going against them vs Sasuke from a psychology sense. They still carry the hope that Sasuke is still "good" and will one day come back to them willingly especially after killing his brother. But I'm wondering whether he will and I additionally wonder what Naruto and Sakura would do if Sasuke killed Kakashi in front of them.

So, dare I agree that one's fighting strength has much to do with the level of one's murderous intent, which could be related to one's relationship witht the target? I would imagine that it is easier for Shikamaru to go all the way against Hidan than for Naruto to go against an ex-comrade Sasuke.

Regarding how humane Leaf Village is, looking back at some older chapters, we've seen the Leaf jounin kill without a second thought (especially during the Orochimaru vs the Third battle). Asuma didn't think twice about slashing those sound ninjas to defend Shikamaru and the jounin fights ended up being quite bloody but in general, it's look like more of a reaction to an attack or potential danger as opposed to "Wahaha let's attack this village and kill all their women and children so that we can expand our kingdom." The Leaf Village may have Anbu but I can't recall how brutal they are in their assassinations. Perhaps there is a slight difference between a quick clean kill as opposed to a tear-off-one-finger-at-a-time & slash-your-guts-out method.

I'm labelling Chapter 351 as the "Sasuku-successfully-persuades-his-comrades-to-take-him-seriously-without-killing-them" chapter. XD

I now take back some of my harsh comments on Naruto and Sakura after reading back some of the older chapters. I keep forgetting that so much happened to both of them and Sasuke when they were close teammates. I'm more sympathetic now.

[Eaglestrike]

Well, I don't think Naruto will have such a problem psychologically against Sasuke except for in just the minor skirmishes. With the final battle pre-time skip we know that Naruto can and will go all out against Sasuke, but I guess it can be argued Naruto wasn't trying to kill him, while Sasuke was, which ended up in Sasuke winning. I don't know if you can say Naruto, Kyuubi charged, could have controlled Rasengan enough to purposefully try to not kill him, pre-time skip.

Just like in many video games and such, death/killing in war is completely different morally than in non-war situations. The attack on Konoha was an act of war, so killing is fine, at least of the soldiers of each time. That's fairly standard for the code of conduct in video games and even real life.

Doesn't change the fact that Sasuke has still come off quite arrogant in much of his dialogue.

He has always been arrogant. The question is whether he has the power to back it up completely or not. Pre-time skip it was shown to Sasuke that he's not the greatest (Haku/Gaara were Naruto wins, Sasuke lost), maybe Sasuke has reverted to thinking he is the best again.

[Yeito]

I keep wondering what exactly Sasuke plans to do after he kills Itachi. Of course... I do remember a possible storyboard I read for the plot of Naruto a long time of go. And what it had to do with Itachi's thing with Sasuke was not good. And to top it off.... It seems extremely possible that it could happen. *sigh*

Uhm. I didnt bother to read any recent posts. Cause I'm at school and I'm kinda... lazy. So if Someone has already started talking about 352 then... *shrug* Nothing happened worth mentioning anyway. I don't understand why nothing seems to happen in these chapters. Sure, they're only like 10 pages long but for crying out loud! -_- Bleach has no problem moving forward... I think its just kishimoto. Maybe he's trying to drag it out? I dunno. Oh well. .. . I 'm gonna stop with my rant now. Sorry....

>___>;

[uc pseudonym]

At this point I'm hoping for a three way fight. I don't quite dare to hope for a match more complex than a one on one, but if these are scattered between three groups I'll be happy.

Either this arc will accomplish nothing (possible but annoying) or it will advance a significant number of plot threads. I've never been certain how the Itachi part would be resolved; will it be part of the climax or something prior to the last arc? If it is the latter, I hope that Kishimoto can advance the story satisfactorily with his longest running plot thread is gone. We can expect to see how the main generation can fare against more important Akatsuki and development of the Sasuke subplot as well.

[MasterDias]

I always got the vague impression that there was something else we were never told about the Uchiha massacre. At least, even after that flashback, I never fully believed that Itachi just went nuts...

I don't understand why nothing seems to happen in these chapters. Sure, they're only like 10 pages long but for crying out loud! -_- Bleach has no problem moving forward... I think its just kishimoto. Maybe he's trying to drag it out? I dunno. Oh well. .. . I 'm gonna stop with my rant now. Sorry....

That's a central problem I've noticed with Kishimoto in Part 2 actually. Although, even certain fights near the end of Part 1 felt like he was stalling.

Bleach has better pacing, but tends to stagger a little during battles.

I keep wondering what exactly Sasuke plans to do after he kills Itachi. Of course... I do remember a possible storyboard I read for the plot of Naruto a long time of go. And what it had to do with Itachi's thing with Sasuke was not good. And to top it off.... It seems extremely possible that it could happen. *sigh*

Huh. I'm not sure I understand your statement. Could you clarify what "could happen?"

[Doubleshadow]

I'm interested in seeing how the collection of characters plays out. It seems like everyone will meet up facing Itachi at some point, but if they do so soon it will probably not be the final meeting anyway since there's the issue if the Akatsukis plan to rule the world to resolve.

I find myself liking the new character Karin. At first, I found her annoying since she reminded me of way too many girls I have known with that kind of personality in real life, but she's grown on me. Her sudden out bursts and bizzare hair style, half raggedly short and half long and nealty combed, suggests the women is not right in the head and I love characters who are slightly unhigned. She also provides a good foil for Sasuke's cool demeanor and I am sure she's going to face Sakura at some point. Karin would provide an oppurtunity for Sakura to vocalize how her thoughts on Sasuke have changed over time. If that doesn't happen I'll be disappointed.
Suigetsu- The jury's still out on him. I'll need to see how he fits into the plot. I'm wondering if his presence while cause Naruto to once again reflect on his lessons from Haku.
Juggo- Now here is an oppurtinity for character insights. It'll be interseting to see what he ultimately decides to think about Sasuke and what that leads him do.

[Yeito]

Huh. I'm not sure I understand your statement. Could you clarify what "could happen?"

A while ago... It could have possibly been a year... Anyway, on a naruto forum I frequented a member there claimed to have run across a 'storyboard' for the naruto series directly from Kishimoto. There was a big hollabaloo about whether it was real or not, and there were many facets of the story involved.

I'll put it in a spoiler tag just in case, so if you don't want to know, please do not click...

[spoiler] It basically said that Itachi had actually not massacred the Uchiha clan, it had actually been... someone else. And Sasuke had come in on him, so he decided to pretend it had been him to convince Sasuke to live and grow stronger and hunt him down. Or something. Like I said, It's been a year since I've read this. [/spoiler]

So anyway. I do distinctly remember a chapter where, during the backflash of the massacre, there was a random figure on top of a lightpole. So... who knows? I'm not saying it will, I'm just saying its possible.

[Eaglestrike]

Pure speculation, but someone mentioned on another forum I visit that Suigetsu and Sai could be brothers. This was thought about because Sai's brother likes swords and Suigetsu is collecting them. I thought Sai was a Konoha ninja (just in a rogue crew sorta) and Suigetsu was a Mist ninja though, so dunno if that's even an accurate theory.

[uc pseudonym]

Was Sai actually born in Konoha? I seem to recall something about him having other origins, but I could be wrong because I haven't bothered to remember much in regard to Sai.

Anyway, on a naruto forum I frequented a member there claimed to have run across a 'storyboard' for the naruto series directly from Kishimoto. There was a big hollabaloo about whether it was real or not, and there were many facets of the story involved.

As a theory it's not bad (Itachi being good would be a major twist, after all) but I'd severely doubt it's a real storyboard. It is too easy to fake things and I've never heard of a significant leak like this.

[Eaglestrike]

I don't know where Sai was born, I do believe it was said the guy he reports to is someone who disagrees with how the previous Hokage went about things and wanted to be the leader of Konoha, sort of like the other "political party" of the village. But I don't remember much being said about Sai's past aside from the picture book.

[Mave]

Yeah I agree that the Uchiha massacre still requires some type of explanation. Uchiha's official reason (as relayed to Sasuke) barely makes sense to me. I've always thought that Itachi was "protecting" Sasuke in his own strange way but I also still think he killed the whole village. Maybe he didn't do it single-handedly. When did Itachi join/create Akatsuki? <--- Actually, I don't know if he was the founder of this group or not. Was he?

I didn't realize that Karin's hair is half spiky, half straight until after a chapter or two. I hope Karin's abilities go further than the ability to detect someone through chakra(?), which would add more to her resume than "Spiky haired chick who really likes Sasuke and can help find ppl. Did we already mention that she likes Sasuke?".

[somewhat OT] Looking at Karin's clothing, Kishimoto is doing the see-my-belly thing again. It reminds me of those strange uncomfortable panel shots, which focused on Sai's belly (LOL). [/somewhat OT]