This chapter was a little anticlimactic with Kakashi avoiding Zabuza’s attack, but it was pretty clear in my mind that it was the nostalgia effect Kishimoto was going for. Their fight was concluded quickly shortly after, and surprisingly, in exactly the same way that Kakashi had originally planned. For those who believed there was some universal law of anime that says a plan won’t work when it’s described in detail, this outcome clearly goes against that presumption. From the shadowing binding to the cloth wrapping, things not only went accordingly, but also revealed one of likely several sealing techniques that can counter the overpowered Edo Tensei.

The flashbacks were a nice touch, though they didn’t have nearly as much of an emotional impact as I thought they would. The way those scenes were interleaved into this chapter does make me feel it’ll have more of an impact in the anime adaptation, provided that they aren’t dragged out too long and have the proper music playing in the background. What was more surprising was seeing Kakashi get riled up by the technique that pits ninjas against both their deceased loved ones and respected enemies. It was very unlike him to lose his cool, so it’ll be interesting to see if he has any choice words for Kabuto later on should they meet. It looks like Naruto’s emotional side has finally rubbed off on him.

Other than that, it doesn’t look like the battle with the other Swordsmen are going to be depicted in too much detail now that Zabuza’s Hidden Mist technique has been dispersed. I can’t say I’d be disappointed if that were the case, since there’s so much else going on, such as the resurrected second Tsuchikage crossing paths with the current Kazekage. From my perspective, that willl be in an interesting match-up simply because Gaara’s the supreme commander of the ninja alliance’s forces, and how well his division holds up against the wave of Zetsu clones will have a big say on the status of the overall war. That’s even before taking into consideration that it’ll be a Kage-level fight, which should have the whole crowd oohing and aahing. Mmm, Kage-level fight.

23 Comments

  1. It’s crazy to think just how long ago the Zabuza arc was. That was when I was really into Naruto and didn’t think it would go beyond 100 chapters. Kind of interesting when the past is brought into current arcs and to see how much the characters have changed.

    Nikki
    1. Me too. I’m afraid they are gonna fall into the same trap Bleach did with the Espada vs. Captains arc. The fights are gonna go on forever and we will be ground down to the point of boredom where we can’t wait for the arc to end (like what happened in Bleach when folks were begging to kill off Aizen and move on to a new story).

      Karmafan
      1. But keep in mind, that was when all the fights were happening in the same place and the main villain was standing right there. This however, is an actual worldwide conflict going on, and while the mini-bosses are just that, a precursor to the fight to come, they’re either past Kages, Jinchurikis, or old characters with tons of history behind them, unlike the random elite mooks which made up the last batch of Fraccion in Bleach.

        They’re even fighting on actual terrain! Not in the air, walking and fighting on nothing!

        Da5id
      2. Another thing too is that Naruto’s fights can really go any which way due to how much (sorta) strategy and technique they’re trying to go for. There’s at least an attempt at saying “this guy won because he did such and such trick, which fooled the other guy or took advantage of this weak point in his powers.”

        With a few sterling exceptions, Bleach fights consist of two opponents mashing their respective win buttons until somebody tuckers out.

        Anonymooo
  2. anyone here forgotten one coffin which has a secret ninja that even had Madara (tobi) stop in his tracks! has anyone forgotten about the salamander dude? A chance meeting between 5th hokage and Dan?

    plus im willing to bet the 9 tails will be sucked out of naruto but naruto will survive the ordeal and finish off whoever is last standing against him… sasuke might live… and i expect more deaths on the shinobi alliance side.. even major character deaths!

    jonnap
    1. I really doubt that Salamander Hanzo has the power to scare Madara. Pain was able to take him out effortlessly, and even back then Hanzo was more of a schemer than a powerhouse.

      MasterDragonKnight
    1. this is probably what caused kakashi to get so riled up. shinobi dedicate their lives to their villages/clans and basically become tools of war and in the same respect peace. as we’ve seen in countless battles so far many of those fighters sacrifice their lives for their missions or own personal beliefs (chiyo,haku,pervy sage,etc.)

      to destroy their emotions and use them as lifeless dolls kinda spits on the whole honor code.

      lactose
  3. You know, I always felt that Zabuza and Haku were the first two REALLY well thought villains. They weren’t villains really… seeing them pass away was actually pretty damn sad. I can’t really think of many villains that I felt sorry for.

    After them, most villains seemed sub-par. Still, it was nice to see them get their finish.

    Still wish Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura could see them… if only to bring out that nostalgia from them….

    Zero
  4. Naruto will probably master the Bijuu Rasengan and then turn it into:

    Senpou: Chou Biju Oodama RasenShuriken.
    (Sage Arts: Super Giant Tailed Beast Rasen Shuriken)
    =P

    Hm.

    Speaking of that…I have a feeling that the whole Nine Tails sucking the Naruto chakra will be negated/blocked by Naruto giving up Sage Chakra instead.

  5. Kakashi: Yes! Now with this sword in my hand I am the newest member of Legendary Swordsman!!!!!

    Suigetsu:(Hears Kakashi’s voice from a far.) NOOOOOOOOOO! I have failed you brother! ;_;

    Otaku_Brawler
  6. Considering that this should be Gaara’s first fight since losing Shukaku, it should be very interesting to see how (if?) his combat abilities are affected.

    Also wondering if we’ll be treated to a scene of Kakashi going on his rampage with the Kubikiribōchō.

    Shiden
    1. Square.

      But seriously, Naruto is like one of the most popular mangas out there right now. Its not like it stands to lose anything from people reading it online, so its not worth it waiting a year and a half for this to appear in Shonen Jump.

      Da5id

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