That was a pretty good chapter. Felt like part 1 Naruto all over again.

 

The idea that Naruto couldnt have beaten Sasuke was laughable. Now its closer but I say Naruto still kicks the shit out of him 9 times out of 10.

I cant believe that Neji, Kiba, and the others still think they could somehow help. Sasuke is as far out of their league as Naruto is. Neji is probably closer than anyone else but theres simply no comparing them to Naruto or Sasuke.

I dont have a problem with Tsunade coming back. I see her dealing with Kabuto.

In the end this was the best chapter in a looong time.

 

Ninja camera's. Ahahahaha. The schizo tech makes a return.

 

It's fairly obvious Naruto wasn't being entirely honest when he said that he couldn't beat Sasuke; there is a reason the rest of the Konoha 11 don't seem to have accepted Naruto's answer. If I had to guess, he was trying to keep anyone else from getting involved in his fight with Sasuke by exaggerating Sasuke's power level.

As for the others thinking they could help, while Sasuke is out of their league there is something to be said for strength in numbers; even Sasuke would have trouble fighting on his own against 10 above-average opponents.

I was surprised there wasn't more fallout from Sakura (as Naruto so aptly put it) going crazy for the last twenty issues or so. Kakashi tells her to apologize, Kiba yells a bit, and ... that's it.

Overall, it's a nice chapter that leaves me waiting for the next one with a sense of anticipation, which is definitely a step up from where it's been lately.

Nice to have Tsunade back; Kakashi is cool, but I really couldn't see him as the Hokage. I wonder how hard Shizune was hugging her to make the woman with super-strength say it was too hard...

 

Or he realizes something about Sasuke that hasn't been seen by anyone else yet which seems much more likely given how the author portrays Sasuke. I think you and others often downplay how powerful Sasuke is due to his personality. The is a guy to attacked the Kage summit then almost immediately ended up in another fight with Danzo in which Sasuke managed to kill him.

Let's not even get into the whole power boost gained from taking his brother's eyes. Quite honestly, I'm surprised he didn't do it sooner knowing what he knows about the nature of his eyes. If I had to guess why Naruto truly believes a fight with Sasuke would kill them both and be dangerous for Naruto's friends, I would have to say it has something to do with the 9 tales.

We've seen mentioned how dark Sasuke's power has become, and we know the control Sasuke could *potentially* have over the 9 tales. I think Naruto is afraid that fighting Sasuke could result in Sasuke causing the 9 tales to be released, but at the same time, he believes he is the only one with enough power to take out Sasuke which means he has to be there to fight. Having more people there wouldn't give him an advantage if Sasuke really could do this. Again this is only a theory, but I think there are several hints of this possibly being the case throughout the manga.

 

They need to stay out of the fight for the same reason that they needed to stay the hell out of the way when he fought Pain. If he had to protect them, they would just be in the way.

 

^ This. The last thing we need is Neji pulling a Hinata.

 

Personally, I'm kinda warming up to the idea of Karin going fangirl on Naruto now, or at least becoming a friend.

Anywho, nothing really to say, it's all been said already. Hax-power, lying through teeth, and return of the monster mammaries. IMO best chapter since Jiraiya unveiled the uber-rasengan against Pain and duked it out in Hidden Rain. This chapter was a lot less bullshit and a lot more plot advancement.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...this chapter proved that Naruto actually has a functioning brain, instead of just blind instincts. He's plotting something...

 

...which is remarkable and very good to see. Finally, some 10 years after the manga started the hero of the piece is actually beginning to show his mettle and is seeing deeper than those around him.

I don't think Naruto was lying when he said he couldn't beat Sasuke at his current level. No, to do that...he needs to get into an agreement with the Nine-Tails. Or somehow control the beast's power. When he does achieve that (and he will, I'm sure this was what Minato intended/hoped) then it will truly be a fight of equals.

Also, Naruto/Karin shipping?

 

Where's the new chapter out? The usual sites don't have it up yet.

 

This location.

 

Best line of the whole chapter was Kiba telling Naruto to shut up because he has been whining since the whole problem with Sasuke started. Good chapter, sucks for Kakashi though. Finally he's about to be Hokage only for Tsunade to wake up.

 

Imagine this conversation is going to go.

"Tsunade good news, Danzo has been killed"
"Thats the best news I've had in years"
"Bad news Sasuke killed him and Madara Uchiha is still alive and is the one whos been behind Akatski all along. Oh and he wants to capture all the tailed beasts and reunite them so he can rule the world."
"WHAT!!! I'm asleep for a couple days and the whole world goes to shit. I need a drink"

 

Anyone else cringe at Karin's "warm and bright" comment? I can already see the stories where Naruto has "dark" chakra.　助けてくれ

 

I'm taking that comment of Karin's as a virtual guarantee that she will at the very least shift her focus of creepy obsession towards Naruto.

However, I have a strange suspicion that Karin/Naruto might become a pairing.
For one, it seems that Naruto/Sakura is loosing ground, with how Naruto seems to have given up on getting Sakura to love him. Two, Naruto is shaping up to essentially be a clone of the Yondaime, and Karin has the same red hair as Kushina (according to Narutopedia). Normally I'd think that was meaningless, but this is the illogical world of Shounen, so that similarity might mean something.

That being said, this is just Wild Mass Guessing.

 

I'm telling you, guys: Naruto/Karin shipping wouldn't be half bad. They've only just met...so much potential for interaction if she doesn't end up locked in a cell for the rest of her life.

And I didn't so much cringe at the 'warm and bright' comment as I did grumble and nod my head. As far as this story goes, it's a necessary contrast between Naruto and Sasuke. A resounding 'Meh' but hey, necessary evils man.

 

That worked in Harry Potter canon, so don't see why it shouldn't work here. Naruto is even more crazy than HP after all (that's saying something, isn't it?). But I too had the feeling that Naruto/Karin might very well how it'll end up. Don't see Naruto/Hinata working and Sakura is Sasuke's bitch and those two are pretty much the only choices in Konoha (if such things are important).

I'm also hoping Kakashi will continue on to the Hokage position. Tsunade may be called back but I'm hoping she'll say she can't do it anymore. Something like, "I'm not strong enough to protect the village anymore. Next generation wins...".

 

Tomato Soup, a pretty awesome Naruto/Karin one-shot.

Ehs, Naruto/Karin is infinitely better than Naruto/Sakura. Besides, her sensor ability and healing is always useful =p

/oh yeah, all those bite marks on her... well, angst writers rejoice. Still, it could be interesting.

 

.... .

Jiriaya came back from the motherfucking dead through sheer willpower and then got ambushed 6-1 odds. Itachi wanted to die. And Pein wanted absolution and if it was through death, then he didn't care.

The only reason the others didn't die was because they fucking thought ahead and dealt with a lower level of opponent. Kisame and Itachi both did in early Part 2, as did Pein when facing Jiriaya, as did Madara if we take the implication of a lost eye to be because of the Izanagi.

 

Mmm...Naru/Karin megalomania. Nice find Clerith.

BTW, Jiraiya is the original pimp. No questions, no challengers. May he giggle perversely in hot springs heaven for all eternity.