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Tad bit later than usual this week, but here we are. This week on Naruto, we have Obito having a grand time rubbing in the deaths of Naruto’s comrades, and things really aren’t looking particularly well. Interestingly enough though, as Madara points out himself, Obito seems to be quite interested in Naruto’s responses to say the least. There was also that whole “join me” bit too, and it’s actually a tad intriguing because what it seems to all come down to is that Obito doesn’t seem to be completely dedicated to his own cause either. There just seems to be this part that no matter how he refuses to show it directly, is clearly unnerved by Naruto not only being so similar to his former self, but possessing even more resolve and comrades than he ever did. And it makes you wonder… will this be the weakness that leads to his downfall?
But yeah, that’s enough about Obito for now, because if there’s one thing everyone will remember from this chapter, it’s Hinata’s significant role in it. Using Naruto’s own words on him, she pretty much single-handedly saves the Ninja Alliance here by giving Naruto that much needed motivational boost after Neji’s death last chapter. And well, it’s been a development long time coming not only in terms of her personality, but also involving their interactions with one another. Undoubtedly, this is the moment where many Naruto x Hinata fans’ll point to as the time where she proves with out a doubt she’s a better pairing than Naruto x Sakura… but alas… one does wonder what the chances are something actually develops here. Still, at least she finally gets her moment though… and what a moment it is. Holding hands with the guy you love and standing with him on the front lines leading thousands of thousands of others… phew* It’s a moment to savor definitely, but also makes me wonder if this doesn’t paint a giant bullseye on Hinata as a result. Though, Naruto’ll most likely do all he can to ensure she and everyone else survives past this point, so perhaps that’s not as likely a scenario than it looks.
Either way, this chapter turned out a lot better than I expected actually. The Hinata moments had more emotional impact than I anticipated it would and that stand at the end of the chapter (extra image included below) admittedly gave me a bit of the chills. Sadly though, another week awaits for the next chapter however. Shucks.
This chapter did not deliver the epicness I was hoping for T_T
Now to wait 2/3weeks for the next chapter…
Watch your words for you are the first comment.
As they say, “Brace yourselves. Hinata x Naruto fans will rage at you.”
Well those NaruHina fans can go twoddle themselves.
I was expecting something big to happen this chapter, it was nothing more than another “OMG WE HAVE RESOLVE” chapter.
Maybe what he’s trying to say is that this chapter is great but it could be so much more. And honesty, Neji’s death could have been handle better. That is what I think.
TQ
Agreed KF. I think Hinata should have been more distraught.
Edited for spoilers.
But you also have to consider the fact that everyone in Naruto is a ninja, which while it may not feel like it, all of them are assassins. So yeah, they are use to death and such while Tsunemori isn’t.
I will have to agree. Unlike Sasuke, who as we know can be a lady killer, Naruto and Hinata is truly worth the praise. It’s almost like seeing the 4th Hokage and his wife again. Ahh Obito, the ghosts will come to haunt you.
I am more curious what is the big plan of the Nara clan’s head. Does it involve Naruto grabbing Hinata’s hand like that? Either way, I will enjoy seeing what the Kyuubi will do for Hinata now that he is giving her a LARGE amount of Charkra.
still a better story than twillight =p
*twilight
darn typo =X
almost any anime or manga is better than twilight specially its horrible “what you just saw did not happen” ending. but honestly speaking it is better to remember the word twilight as the opening of densha otoko. kind of the same when someone says Avatar. I think of Kora and Ang since I have not seen the hollywood movie. Copyright sucks.
Please don’t mention that name here again, this is a “no nonsense vampire movie zone” so let’s not bring that crazy rubbish chick flick thing here. Leave it at the theatre for girls where it belongs
Pretty Good chapter! I’m just happy to see Hinata getting the spotlight instead of
Saku-whine…
does this mean kishidono is making the hinata-naruto pair canon now?
NaruHina forever! :3
Kyuubi tells Naruto to stop whining and don’t let people who died for you die in vain and mentions Naruto’s parents – yet he was the one who killed Naruto’s parents.
Hurr.
I think what we’re meant to take from Kurama’s words (if there is indeed anything) is that yes, while his parents did die, they did so by placing their hopes and faith – as well as those of each and every inhabitant of Konoha – on a boy not even a day old. It was a sacrifice that he didn’t want for Naruto to forget and well, mission accomplished. There is no greater example of the faith that is with him than that which was placed in him by his parents.
Irony is also part of a good story.
Kyuubi was being controlled so technically he did not kill them
False. Obito’s control over Kyuubi was stopped by Minato before he and his wife were killed by it. Kyuubi saw that Minato was going to seal it in Naruto so he lunged at Naruto to kill him but Minato and Kushina used their bodies to block the way.
I give up, now I am certain that I want Naruto and Hinata to be together I always thought that Sakura should come to her senses and realise that Naruto is more of a Man and more honourable than Sasuke, but just like almost all the females(except for Hinata)that always want to be Sasuke’s wife that ends up getting backstabbed, stabbed and heartbroken for their foolish infatuations and fantasies, she(Sakura) can have Sasuke or compete with the rest of the Sasuke loving freaks. While Naruto should stop being oblivious as well and accept Hinata afterall she would make an excellent Wife for him.
Well, we can’t forget that Sakura has accepted the reality that Sasuke isn’t the person she thought he was and realizing that Naruto ISN’T. She even TRIED to take it upon herself to kill Sasuke so that she could spare Naruto the pain of doing so himself and tried to get him to renounce his promise to her with her half-hearted confession to also get him to not burden himself with the pain of it anymore.
A lot of people seem to be trying to see Sakura as the same Sakura from Part 1 when, when you look at the story so far through Part 2, she’s really the one member of Team 7 that’s changed the MOST out of the three. Naruto and Sasuke are really the ones who are the same from Part 1, but only even MORE extreme in their beliefs, hardly questioning them at all.
What are you saying Man, how has Sakura changed. She tried to take it upon herself to kill Sasuke? Yea and how did that work out. She almost got killed not once but twice because of her girlish obsession crush, that girl has not changed a bit and she didn’t try to kill Sasuke for Naruto’s sake she did it for her infatuated love for him, what a lousy resolve and she didn’t have to come up with that fake love confession to get Naruto to forget his promise she should have known that Naruto is a guy that keeps his word. Knowing Sasuke isn’t perfect doesn’t mean she knows him at all, she is not like Naruto or Sasuke in fact she is the only member of team 7 that hasn’t lost a family so she has no idea what it was like for Naruto or Sasuke growing up. I don’t particularly agree with the path that Sasuke has chosen but at least I understand why He chose it, He felt that His brother who was used to murder His Family and clan didn’t deserve to die and be smeared at all and Naruto finally gets that too, being one who understands real pain Naruto is willing to save Sasuke from his path even if He has to die with him. Now that is a true definition Love not some girlish crush.
1.) I never said that Sakura’s changes suddenly allow her understand either Naruto or Sasuke. Just that she DID change quite a lot compared to how she was in Part 1 compared to Naruto and Sasuke. She even acknowledged that there’s a lot to both of them that she doesn’t know, much less could understand.
Sakura KNEW that Naruto was that type person, to not break his promises, and it’s because she KNEW that side of him that she tried to get him to stop trying to keep his promise to her, because she saw just how much pain it put him through both physically AND emotionally and, having matured compared to her Part 1 self (who would never have done such a thing), it HURT HER to see him in pain like that.
2.) Umm…how did her crush almost get her killed in Part 2? She tried to kill Sasuke, but found that, like Naruto, she couldn’t bring herself to just END her emotions like that. Unlike how Sasuke did, she can’t just choose to sever her past bonds and kill him as if he never existed to them before, even when she tried to convince herself she needed to.
3.) Please explain how Sakura DIDN’T change at all? When did she last go hitting Naruto for saying something about Sasuke? When did she get all big-headed, declaring her open love for Sasuke and that they were meant to be together? When did she clash with Ino in a big catfight over who Sasuke liked more for whatever reason? When did she last care more about her looks and fantasy life than anything else?
4.) The thing is, even after learning the WHOLE truth, as in even Itachi talking to Danzo before, Sasuke STILL tries to believe that he has some sort of “vengeance” to carry out for his now-completely misguided hatred. Itachi himself told him about how it was HIS choice to accept things and that it WASN’T any sort of coercion, blackmail, or anything of the sort. He simply made a choice of Konoha over the Clan because he was that kind of person, but Sasuke just keeps stubbornly refusing to believe such a thing, just NEEDING to find any excuse to continue down his path of “vengeance” while trying to come up with any sort of “justification” for it.
His Clan name was hardly smeared at all after the massacre. It was all kept under wraps and the Uchiha name was continued to be praised, just as Itachi wanted it to be. It was SASUKE HIMSELF who did that through his own actions of desertion, betrayal, attacks, etc, thus wasting all the effort and sacrifice Itachi made. As Danzo stated, he’s just “throwing his anger around”. If anything, he hardly cares about the Clan anymore. As usual, it’s all about his own ego while using the massacre as a disguise for it.
While Naruto may understand pain, it’s hardly anything like Sasuke’s. As Sasuke himself said, correctly, before, Naruto himself doesn’t know what it’s like to lose his whole family either (no more than Sakura). Sure he may be learning ABOUT his parents and MAY have had a SMALL bit of experience from Jiraiya’s death, but it can hardly be compared to what Sasuke went through. It’s just Naruto being his foolishly naive, and even selfish, self, trying to act like some martyring hero from the heavens, yet seems to completely ignore the feelings of others when it comes to such decisions.
Like Sasuke, Naruto just continues to stubbornly refuse to accept anything but his own views. None of that has changed since Part 1. However, at least Sakura was willing to let go of doing everything in her power to save Sasuke and finally accept that he won’t be coming back on his own, and even if he did come back somehow, that things won’t just go back to how they were before.
To say Sakura “hasn’t changed at all” is simply plain ignorance, choosing to not notice anything about the character simply because you didn’t like her before.
And none of the things Hinata has done, besides her confession, really sets her THAT much higher than others. I mean, Naruto getting pissed over her “death” at Nagato’s hands? Given the type of person Naruto is, he would’ve done that for ANYONE who ended up like that, not just Hinata. The same can be said here. You could easily replace Hinata with Sakura as the motivational speaker and the result would’ve been the same thing.
@HalfDemonInuyasha.
Okay, okay I see your points at least some of them. I’m glad that you and I can have a respectfull debate about our wonderfull characters even if there are some things we can’t agree on.
I never said that I didn’t like Sakura, what I don’t like is her unrequited love for the one guy that continues to disappoint her and break her heart.Even when she was almost killed twice her love for him is still the same. Anyway MK( kishi ) is to blame for making such a character trait( by his own admitting, he cannot create a strong female character ).
I don’t know what you were trying to say in point 3. But Sakura still punches Naruto, still has her girl rivalry fight with Ino, although I’ll admit that it is not all about Sasuke and She is still very much in love with Sasuke even Kakashi mentioned to her that she should “come to terms with her feelings” that she cannot kill Sasuke.
Sakura tends to take family for granted as implied in part 1, when she told Sasuke that even though she had family and friends, and that without him around, it would be the same as lonliness and even offered to go with him. That’s the reason why Sasuke doesn’t return her feelings( although not implied but can be reasoned ) how can someone who still has her family and friends easily write off her family and friends in the name of love and she’s telling this to someone who came home to find his entire family and clan murdered. However,I am not saying that Sakura will agree to join Sasuke in his Konoha destroying quest but even Sasuke still sees her as Karin another Sasuke loving freak.
There’s something you mentioned in point 4. about Naruto’s pain being unlike anything like Sasuke’s pain, that I would have to disagree. First of all I firmly believe that their pains should not be compared or even to be debated about which one’s pain is greater or less. The fact is both of their parents were murdered and Naruto didn’t get His chance to form a bond with His Father or Mother much like Sasuke did and Naruto growing up alone without love is very painfull as a matter of fact if a Child is not loved in his early days He/She tends to harbour a great deal of resentment against life, humanity and the world just like how it was described with Gaara, and other Jinchuurikis.
Don’t misunderstand me my point is not that Naruto’s pain is greater than Sasuke’s or that Sasuke’s is greater than Naruto’s all I’m saying is that they both have suffered a great deal of loss which affected the course of their lives or do you think Sasuke would have fared any better if He had lost His parents the way Naruto did. Telling Naruto that He doesn’t know what it’s like to lose a family should be insulting, it’s not like Naruto’s parents abandoned him.
I may agree with you that Naruto and Sasuke still act according to their views as they did when they were kids but I disagree that Naruto is being selfish and not caring about the views of others. Naruto will do anything for his Friends since He never knew His Family that has been His entire life since Friendship is the closest thing to Family and Naruto didn’t make himself the Heavenly Saviour of the world,He tends to put Himself in other people’s shoes and feel their pain, now I don’t see anything wrong with that. Sasuke on the other hand is the one who is doing selfish things for his quest for vengeance like abandoning His team when He crashed the five kage summit and stabbed Karin to kill danzo and tried to kill Sakura twice. Naruto trying to save him from this path is just doing this because He knows that this would have been the path He could easily chosen had Iruka not shown Him the way.
It was nice having a friendly debate I hope we get to do it again. In the main time Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
@HalfDemonInuyasha
While i totally agree with you on everything you said regarding Sakura’s growth i have to disagree with you that replacing Hinata with Sakura wouldn’t change anything, that’s just not true .. one of the main reasons this scene is so strong is the fact that Hinata managed to say what she said while looking strong and so composed despite seeing Neji dying in front of her seconds ago (and it’s a big loss for her for obvious reasons) and herslef being on the front-lines of a brutal and hopeless battle like this, for her to be able to control her emotions and hide her grief and pull Naruto out of his own sadness and grief is just outstanding and shows how much she grew as into a strong and composed character .. she came a very long way since her shy timid start in P1 (IMO she grew a lot more than Sakura did).
To say that you can just replace Hinata with Sakura as emotional support in this scene is just wrong and disregards a lot of things that make the scene impacting and powerful.
1.) That’s where I disagree. While she definitely still CARES for him and perhaps even still does “loves” him to a degree (otherwise, she would’ve been able to easily just go through with killing him herself and not hesitate like she did), it’s hardly any sort of trivial fanatical love like from Part 1. I tend to see it more as more and more non-romantic “love” while the romantic side has been awakened more and more towards Naruto as Part 2 went on.
2.) That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s saying she “loves” him in that sense though. As I mentioned, by this point, it seems a lot more like him trying to tell her not to try to simply severe her past bonds with Sasuke, which is what killing him without hesitation would’ve done, much like how Sasuke tried to do before.
3.) The key words here being “in Part One”. It goes to show that she’s not such a fantasy-driven fangirl who will simply say or do everything just to be with her crush (like when she said she was willing to betray Konoha and follow him if it meant being with him), thus she has developed into a much different character overall in Part Two.
4.) I never said it was “greater” or “lesser” than Sasuke’s. I simply said it was nothing like his, as in not the same, so trying to say he can “understand” and can “shoulder the pain with him” is really no different than others who try to say they “understand” when something bad happens to someone when it’s never happened to them; it’s selfish and pretty stupid.
And that’s what Sasuke meant; Naruto never knew his parents or family so he could never truly understand what it means to lose it all like he went through in actually witnessing his parents’ deaths, just like how Sasuke could never understand the pain Naruto went through as he was never a Jinchuriki for anything and had to go through what Naruto or Gaara went through. They may have the similar, very general similarity in losing their parents, but the situations and times in which they happened can change how things go.
Naruto can only say that he knows what it’s like to have no parents. That’s as far as he can go. To say he “understands” Sasuke’s pain in actually building a loving bond with those parents, then having those parents murdered, those bonds severed, in front of his eyes and the killer getting away is the insult. It’s another case of Naruto’s self-righteous hero play.
5.) He’s ignoring their feelings because he goes and does something like declare that he’s going to die along with Sasuke or goes and constantly risks his life without ever considering just how his death would affect those very friends. While some things may be noble, it’s still selfish. It doesn’t help that some of his actions, like his abandoning of training several times, have also ended up putting the world at risk, thus possibly making everything everyone sacrificed for him in vain.
And I don’t think Sasuke is any better. Take away the “good” and “bad” black and white views and both he and Naruto are pretty much the same in selfishness. Both saying they do it for loved ones, but also at risk of those very loved ones at times.
And you too! =)
@HunterWulf
I guess I’m not as huge on the scene because of Hinata’s “death” at Nagato’s hands with her confession. Couple that with, as with a lot of the other characters as mentioned before, the lack of screen/page time for her development makes a sudden center-stage moment of strength a lot less impacting to me.
what hardcore fans you are, look at how long your comments are 😀
Darth Obito: *gloats* Good! I can feel your hatred. Now, fulfill your destiny and become part of the Juubi at my side!
Naruto Skywalker: *feels Hinata’s hand* Never. I’ll never join you. You have failed, Obito. I am a shinobi, like my friends and parents before me.
Darth Obito: So be it… shinobi! *charges a bijuu-dama*
I find your lack of originality disturbing….
Obito: Naruto, I am your long lost halfbrother that your mother had when she was a teenager.
Naruto: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Obito: I am your father’s, brother’s, cousin’s former roommate!
Naruto: What does that mean to me?
Obito: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Wouldn’t it have been easier to say, “I’m your farther’s, cousin’s roommate or your uncle’s(or whatever’s)roommate”?
Obito : Naruto you and I are the same, we both had the same dreams of becoming Hokage and we both have lost our friends and families, don’t you know what this means Naruto. Naruto : What are you talking about.( He looks up at Obito ) Obito : You know what I’m talking about. You can tell can’t you, this feeling that you have right now I can feel it and you can feel what I am feeling right now. Naruto : No. Obito : Yes, don’t deny it Naruto. You know what it means don’t you Naruto : Shut up it’s not true ( puts his hands on his head and becomes hysterical ) Obito : ( points at Naruto ) You know deep within your heart that it’s the truth. Until now you hide behind your friends to and surround yourself with lies to hide from the truth and now I will shatter those web of lies and make you see the truth. I have lived your past and you will live my future and then you will see the connection between us. I am a part of you and you a part of me. Naruto : No, no no, no,no,no Obito: I am you. Naruto : NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Hinata : ( Grabs Naruto and Hugs Him and whispers to Him) Don’t be afraid Naruto, you won’t become Him, remember you’re the same kid that never goes back on his word, the same kid that everyone looks down on but now looks up to, the same kid that always keeps on going foward no matter how hard it is. You are you and you will always be Naruto. Naruto: Hinata , thank you. Obito 🙁 whispers to himself ) I guess I’ll have to kill Her, so that He will finally change into me, just like when Rin was killed. That’s it She has to die then.( charges at both of them ) Naruto : ( to Himsel )He’s coming to get Her.( to Obito ) I won’t let you take Her away from me ( enters Kyuubi Mode ).
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
Guys, I’ve just realised something. I think MK(ie Kishi) would do something that will drive all the Naruto/Hinata fans insane. What if MK pairs up Sasuke with Hinata so that He can pair up Naruto with Sakura. After all they say opposites attract, remember Sasuke has never returned any feelings towards his crazy freakish girlfriend wannabees, so He is more likely to fall for a girl(ie if He suddenly falls for a girl) that will not be obsessed about Him, since Hinata is the only girl that is not crazy about Him, Sasuke will most likely fall in love with Her and He will give Naruto and Sakura His blessings so that He can woo Hinata for Himself.Now I would say that’s a dramatic love story, don’t you guys think so.
LOL saying shit like this is gonna get you dislike repped into the stone age.
@KarmaFan
I nearly psst my pants after reading your comment!
While I could see Sasuke falling for Hinata, I just can’t see her feeling anything for Sasuke beyond at most sympathy; he’s far too much like the rest of her clan. If anyone saves Sasuke by love it’ll be Sakura; she’s the only female who still has feelings for him. I really doubt Kishimoto would pull something like this out near the end of the series with absolutely no prior development. Everything so far is pointing towards SasuSaku and NaruHina.
There’s a limit to how much though. If they’re pretty much polar opposites in virtually EVERYTHING about them…eh…
Have they even had a single line of diologue between each other? Aside from the chuunin exam(and the academy of course), I don’t remember them even being in the same room as each other
Naruto x Sakura is over dude just get over it. Naruto x Hinata is where it’s at. I’ve been pushing Naruto x Hinata since the early days of the show but now it looks like it’s finally paying off.
I sure hope that hinata finally gets naruto to accept her love and actually kissed the damned brat instead of just cheering him up and all after this.
Another enjoyable chapter this week, so much win! It looks like Shikaku’s plan is about to be enacted. The part where B made the Jyubi swallow its beast ball, then stuck his head in its mouth and shot some more in was pretty darn epic. Now I’m wondering what Naruto’s role in the plan will be, and if he’ll be able to do it one handed…
Speaking of, my inner NaruHina fanboy is still squealing with delight. Watching her use the Talk no Jutsu on Naruto was touching, especially when you realize that she was much closer to Neji than Naruto was. Kuruama’s verbal slapdown was also pretty awesome. Between the two of them, emo Naruto seems to be sealed! I also liked how she reminded him that she shared his nindo, and wouldn’t go back on her words (hint hint…).
I’ve been thinking, thematically Obito is supposed to be a reflection of Naruto gone wrong. One of the differences in their storylines is that Naruto had Hinata supporting him from the beginning. If you recall back to the Obito flashback chapter, Obito lost against Gai in the Chunin exams, whereas Naruto beat Neji thanks (at least in part) to Hinata’s support. Again, during the bridge incident Obito sacrificed himself for Rin and Kakashi and was captured by Madara, as opposed to Pain’s invasion where Hinata prevented Naruto from getting taken away. And now, after the death of a friend, she prevented him from going all emo like Obito did. It’s not a perfect analogy but I think Hinata’s being used as a spoiler to break the team 7 love triangle and prevent Naruto from following Obito’s path. She’s something Obito didn’t have, someone who loves, believes in, and will stand by him and thus prevent him from giving in to despair. I’m obviously biased here but I can’t see Naruto ending up with anyone else after the war ends (unless she dies). I just can’t see Naruto or Kishimoto throwing away their development with a “thanks, but I’m still crazy about Sakura-chan even though I think she still loves Sasuke,” and as long as Hinata survives… well we all know what her nindo is.
“I’ve been thinking, thematically Obito is supposed to be a reflection of Naruto gone wrong.”
Sadly, this reminds me another reason I don’t really like Obito as a villain (besides the reveal itself and all); being a recycled enemy type. It feels like a bunch of “major” opponent/enemy Naruto has faced, with few exceptions (like most Akatsuki members, and excluding anime originals, though Sora fits the bill), was some sort of foil of “Naruto gone wrong”, you know?
Haku – Someone who was alone, scorned for something out of his control. No one to care for or love him besides his mother, who was killed for the same reason. Ended up with Zabuza and nothing more than tool, much like how Naruto would’ve been if someone like Danzo had his way had it not been for ones like Hiruzen to keep him safe.
Gaara – Fellow Jinchuriki who also had no one to truly love him (as Yashimaru faked it), unlike Naruto, who at least had ones like Hiruzen, Iruka, and others around him. Ended up going down the path of bloodshed and “proving existence”. Basically becoming what Naruto could’ve become.
Neji – Someone who simply gave up and accepted things, not seeing a point in trying to change anything because it was so difficult.
Nagato – ’nuff said. Even an Uzumaki on top of everything.
And now we got Obito.
Of course, we also have Sasuke foils too (but are actually quite similar rather than opposite) like Mizuki (maybe not at the time, but yeah), Orochimaru, also Nagato (a bit), and Madara.
That’s true, Kishimoto does use this trope a LOT. I’d say that Obito is different from all those past examples in that he started out almost identical to Naruto, and then grew into his evil self. The implication with Obito is not that Naruto could have turned out like him, but that Naruto could become like him in the future (hence the “join me” part). But yeah, this trope is way overused.
I swear, if naruto doesnt come to his senses and realize that hinata is the one that deserves him by the end I will rage. I will rage so hard that i’ll break thru the the very fabric of reality into the naruto-verse and kick his #%& myself! Who’s with me?!
I am…but he will and does!!!
Naruto x Hinata… end this war and make babies already !!
You have my vote!
And my Axe……er, vote! We need some blonde-hair, Byakugan-eyed, babies.
And they will name their firstborn Neji…!
then again, do hyugas let their clan member marry outsider?
I don´t think they will refuse the new Hokage to enter the family by marriage.
I won’t say this has been a long time coming because Hinata influencing Naruto was seen last against his fight with Pain. (Does that count?) Granted she did end up dying there, I think the splendid thing about this chapter is that it was believable and not a moment that appeared too corny or out of place given the current situation. That Naruto would take her hand near the end and realize that it’s just as Neji said – they’re connected, all of them – was a great ending only topped by the love Hinata has, shown through her thoughts at the moment she felt the warmth of his hand.
Pretty brilliant chapter I think. 🙂
i’ve been infatuated with Hinata since she first debuted, and now the saddest part is that Hinata was like this Onee-sama that I totally admired and adored, but now I end up being older than her even after the time skip. This internal dilemma, totally felt like Naruto didn’t deserve Hinata for a good portion of the story until the last two years of development though.
Go Hina! Love Hina! (wait, isn’t there a show by that name?)
Oh god, I was freaking scared to turn the pages right after Hinata’s motivational boost.
If this was written by a Kill-em-all (Tomino,Urobuchi etc), she wouldve gotten a colony sized deathflag and killed right after the speech!
Spare her Kishimoto! Spare her!
as long as she doesn’t say she’ll protect him…or he’ll protect her (specifically not in the general “none of my comrades are gonna die” way).
wait a minute…too many people protecting things! flags everywhere! flags of death O_O must…not…despaaairr!
I’ve given up on Naruto getting any better a long time ago, but if Naruto and Hinata don’t hook up in the end, that’ll be the last straw. If it doesn’t happen, I will fly over to Japan and personally punch Kishimoto in the fucking mouth.
Please; anywhere but the mouth: its dangerous to risk infection, even for a grudge.
not the mouth… Kishi’s hand is better… *evil laugh*
anyway… so much win in this chapter 😀 *NaruhinaOrDie*
I’m a huge narusaku fan so this chapter made me cringe in fear of the Canon naruhuna. But hey, that doesn’t mean I dislike hinata. I’m happy for her. And if she ends up with naruto i’ll be OK with it. Although I still actually dislike NH
More than epic; this chapter revealed that Naruto and Hinata are that deal and always have been. Naruto has been waiting for her shyness to disappear/ become overshadowed by her undying love for him. If anyone who don’t know Hinata b-day is Dec27th and MK made sure to put release this chapter then, rather than the day before.
Also MK has stated that “He has children and a wife now” and so it’s harder to focus whole heartidly on the anime like he use to when he was single and less responsible for a entire family. He wants to end this soon, but doesn’t want to leave his “die hard” naruto fans in limbo with some of the biggest things that we crave for…. Will it be Naruto and Hinata:) or him and that pink haired dog:( What will Sasuke do for all his Konoha friends??? He is still on their side…Truthfully look at his actions and how MK overplays the past to make us see/realize things that we may have not realized…All the battles he fought and who he killed were all corrupt… Obito and Madara…how will it end? The sage of the six paths???who will become him for a while??? Sasuke and Naruto are just like his older and younger sons…how will that tie in. And the biggest is “Hokage Naruto”??? which one will they name him as the 6th or the 7th… Or will he be a Kage over the entire Ninja world??? We already know what Tsunade said to the other Kages and it was naming Naruto as the next…
This was very cool and unexpected development for the NaruXHina storyline hehe; using neji’s death to show how important hinata is to naruto was harsh but if this is the motivation naruto needs to overcome the potential to follow down the path to darth-obito, as well as FINALLY realizing hinata’s awesomeness then so be it.
Ive never really liked sakura after that incident where she made naruto promise to save sasuke during the whole kidnapping arc. Hinata always supported and cared from him (thanks kishi flashbacks for showing just how long) and this chapter has been one the biggest plot developments to her (previsouly) shy character persona equivalent only to her sacrificing herself to pain for naruto’s sake. Kishimoto better not brush it off this time dammit.
I also am tingling with my inner fanboy and liked every good naruXhina post 🙂
*Gets ready to be flamed/thumbs-downed”*
While I did like the whole inflated Jubi bit, I still find the whole Naru/Hina fanservice timing WAY off, much like her confession during Nagato’s attack.
That’s not to say that I don’t like Naru/Hina (I do read plenty of fanfic ships). I find it cute and nice in fanfics when it’s done right, but when it comes to the canon story at the moment, there’s just no “realistic” way it could work.
If it does happen soon, it’ll be a step short of Yamato / “Matt”/Sora in Digimon 02; making no sense at all because of the total lack of any sort of actual development leading up to it. A few words of encouragement to eachother and a sudden “love” confession does not equal “development”. You need a lot more actual interaction between the pair. (And no “off-screen/page” excuses.) Saying you “love” someone without truly knowing them…well…I’ll be hated more for this, but it’s really not much different from Sakura’s “love” for Sasuke. The difference being is that while Sakura was loud about it in Part 1, Hinata was quiet about her’s on Naruto. Like Sakura with Sasuke, she only knows the things she sees on the outside from watching Naruto from a distance or in battles she witnessed, just like Sakura only “loved” Sasuke for how “cool” he was and his looks and grades as Rookie of the Year, and other things, but she couldn’t understand how he truly feels about more personal things without such interacting development. Basing “love” on things you only see on the surface will pretty often lead to an easily-failed relationship.
I agree that the pace of their development seems off; they really should have had some interaction after Pain which would then lead into this. It does feel like Kishimoto is rushing their relationship. Gotta disagree with you about her confession though; she thought she was going to die and wanted to do so without any regrets. There’s nothing like the prospect of death to encourage romantic aggression. Kinda sorta disagree with your opinion on the long term viability of a relationship; Hinata’s been watching Naruto for years and understands who he is and why she loves him. You’re right though in that Naruto doesn’t and shouldn’t love Hinata yet without some more development. After this arc I think they’ve got a solid foundation for a lasting relationship that’s been building up since the Chunin Exam arc way back when; they have similar backgrounds, have saved/encouraged each other, lost people together, and fought together. Pretty much every interaction they’ve had to this point has shown them getting along.
I can agree on the romantic aggression bit, but that still doesn’t really make it “okay” for the relationship to just happen (outside of the fans) without anything truly leading up to it.
The thing is, Hinata only “knows” what many people already know; that he doesn’t give up, that he fights for what he believe in, and other things like that. In fact, they’re things that he has constantly, openly talked/yelled about since Part 1, so I’d be surprised if there’s that many people in Konoha who DON’T know much about it. It doesn’t bring her or anyone else closer to actually understanding him personally though. Not without the mentioned interaction and development between them.
That’s where we differ, I’d say that there’s been enough build up so far to lead into a future relationship. While most of it was way back in the Chunin exams, Naruto’s relationship with Hinata has received more attention than his relationship with any of the Konoha 12 not on team 7. As for Hinata’s feelings toward Naruto, she’s best positioned to really understand him as they were both isolated and considered failures during their childhood. She’s also the only one his age to see his less confident side, shown before his fight with Neji. While her feelings do have a shade of hero worship, her interactions with Naruto have consistently shown that she can understand both him and her feelings toward him.
While I’m no expert, don’t most real world relationships begin before the pair falls in love, and then develop or end? Realistically I’d say that all the elements are there for them to start something once the war ends, assuming they both survive. Naruto knows Hinata has feelings for him, appreciates her as a friend and person, and now seems to be at least acknowledging her. As for how well it would work out long term, you can’t look at fictional relationships too hard through the lens of reality; things have a way of working out better than they do in real life. Compared to some of the other cannon pairings in the show (Minato and Kuishna, Asuna and Kurenai, Dan and Tsunade, even Obito’s attraction to Rin) Naruto and Hinata’s relationship is far more detailed and realistic. You can’t expect a fully fleshed out and realistic romance from a Shounen manga. You’re right in that their relationship is neither inevitable or confirmed (and we all know how Kishimoto loves his plot twists), but unless he kills one of them or ends the series without any pairings I just can’t see the plot developing in any other way regardless of how realistic it is.
For development, I can easily suspend my belief when it comes to the action, fighting, etc. But if you try to fit in some sort of drama, relationship action, etc, if you REALLY want it to work, you do need to put in good detail and development, even in Shonen manga. Otherwise, all it does is end with a “WTF?” from the readers and only the big fans of the pairing would really love it while the rest will be scratching their heads and wonder how it happened.
For someone like me, there just hasn’t been nearly enough actual development for any sort of believable relationship between Naruto and Hinata. Now if Kishi shows A LOT more of them together after this that fills up that huge void, I’ll be able to buy into it bit by bit. At the moment though, I still find Naru/Saku a lot more likely and believable while Naru/Hina is still fanfic shipping material (only with another point to start it off from now, lol).
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out. I think it’ll end up as a NaruHina mainly because that seems to be the only logical reason why Kishimoto’s giving these parts to her instead of someone else like Sakura. I could be biased by my preferences, but I don’t see the point of pushing them together while keeping Naruto and Sakura apart by his response to her confession and showing that she still has feelings for Sasuke in Ch 540. Unless Hinata gets her sacrificial death it feels like her character development would be wasted and meaningless if she doesn’t end up with Naruto. Anyway, we seem to have reached an impasse; I’m glad we were able to have a cordial and logical discussion as I’ve enjoyed it a lot!
Well, as I said, I won’t mind if Naru/Hina does happen (and I don’t hate the pairing either) just so long as we get more and more believable development between the two after this and not simply “making” it happen because of so few moments.
There’s just been a lot more moments between Naruto and Sakura, both good and bad, that makes it feel more believable to me at the moment, especially since some of those moments were also a lot more personal. Yeah, it’s obvious that Sakura was/is hardly “perfect” for Naruto for that long, but that also is what makes the development more realistic. Not many building relationships are so “perfect” in a sense.
Bet you forgot about that part of chapter 573 where Hinata promises that next time, she will be the one walking next to Naruto, holding his hand.
Anyway, what you said only counts for Naruto, and aside from taking her hand, there hasn’t been a clue in this chapter that he is all of a sudden head-over-heels in love with her. This is the start, man. Well actually, the confession was probably the start, but stuff kept piling up, so they never got the chance to talk that one out.
He has been protecting Hinata a whole lot lately, and side characters made sly comments about it, but I think this is the starting point where we will actually see Naruto’s point of view regarding her. Don’t be impatient.
I’m not being impatient.
If anything, I’m pointing out how OTHERS, many of the huge Naru/Hina fans out there, are taking what VERY FEW moments shown of them together, leading to this moment, as “ZOMG, IT’S OFFICIALLY NARU/HINA!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” (I know that’s not how all fans are, but I hope you get my point).
Many of the comments here seem to point out to the belief (or at least REALLY wish) that this moment makes it final; that it’s “definitely” going to be a Naru/Hina pairing in the end, but many just don’t consider the reasons for why it might NOT work because it would completely go against their dreams and hopes for the pairing and, like people who simply don’t like when people criticize an episode of an anime they like, just don’t like seeing people “badmouthing” their favorite pairing.
random thought… Rasengan is basically swirling chakra, when the hyuuga’s jutsu is also swirling dome chakra… anyone up for really big ass Resengan’s?
This was the chapter I’ve been waiting for. I haven’t been this pumped at the end of a chapter since Naruto removed the seal and let Kurama out fully. I can not wait for next weeks chapter.
Also Hinaruto FTW
Damn, I cried again.
It was strange because I was very touched by her actions, but, all the while I was screaming to her: Stop tripping so many deathflags!
Hopefully Naruto will be able to shield her. I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive Kishimoto if he doesn’t 🙁
Yeah. And just kill Skura off already. Such an eyesore.
If Hinata were to die in the next chapters (not happening though), I’d quit reading.
me too… then I’ll put Kishi’s name on my blacklist mangaka
*NaruhinaOrDie*
please don’t play die anywhere near hinata O_O i was totally expecting her to get impaled this chapter and it’s still probable she’ll get impaled in the next few chapters.
*place
Practice makes perfect.
She’s already died once. Coming back a second time should be piss-easy.
She already survived her death flag back during the Pain fight, can’t have 2 death flag moments so close together.
Talk and Plot no Jutsu in the works. And damn Kishi to hell if he kills off hinata cause really this entire chapter seemed like one giant death flag for hinata.
Show Spoiler ▼
Can Love bloom on the Battlefield?
Hell Yeah it can!!!
Naruto X Hinata FTW. Nuff said
About Sakura and Sasuke
I think she should just wake up from being obsessed with Sasuke and set her Priorities straight. Sasuke cared for her as a comrade, but definitly not romantically. Love sometimes can make people blind. Sakura you need to get a grip, seriously.
She did, she even attempted to kill him to spare Naruto the burden of doing so and make-up for all the pain she made him go through when she made him promise her that he will retrieve Sasuke no matter what .. i don’t see anything indicating that Sakura still has a crush on Sasuke of any sorts (so unless he redeems himself i don’t see her going back to him in any way).
There was that one scene during the night of the war (Ch 540) where that one dude tried to give her a love letter and she said that her heart belonged to someone else, and then thought of Sasuke.
@Hochmeister
You must be quite a hardcore Naruto fan to remember that scene, i checked it out and yeah, she does think of Sasuke when she spoke to that guy with the love letter, but to be fair look at how she reacted and the look on her face and compare with what she did in P1 when she thought of Sasuke or saw him, i think she knows it’s a hopeless cause (evident from her sad pain ridden expression), she simply can’t fully give up on him (i mean she did try that when she attempted to kill him shortly before the war broke out but she failed).
What i’m trying to say is that her feelings for him are now much more complex than that teenager crush that she had on him before in P1.
It was in the anime not so long ago, which is why I remember it. Yes her feelings for Sasuke are more complex now, but they’re still there and it’s made clear that she doesn’t love Naruto romantically.
@HunterWulf
I actually forgot about Sakura’s attempt to kill Sasuke with her own hands. Stupid me.
But that does not make it easier, to understand what Sakura actually feels about Sasuke right now. First thing there is the scene with the Random Secret Admirer Ninja and then there is the scene, with Sakura’s Killing Attempt. I simply can’t understand Sakura at this Moment, maybe Kishimoto will clearify that, when Sasuke shows up again.
But still, i like Sakura “now” as a Character. She is absolutley not a worse Heroine, as others make her out to be. If we would talk about Part1 Sakura, i probably would agree with the bad Heroine talk, but Time Skip Sakura deserves the Spot as a good heroine in my opinion, because she is different than other Heroines. An actual attempt to kill off the supposed second Main Character? Sakura, you earned a lot of Respect from me, Girl.
BTW if there is something wrong with my English, please forgive me since it’s not my first language. I used to be very good at English but it got rusty the last Years.
I liked Hinata’a haircut when she was younger. And for god’s sake, dat giant boobs, they ruin everyting.
Hinata was attracted for Naruto self-confidence,guts and stuff.
Now Hinata is the one showing up these traits.
And lets be fair , there is nothing more atractive than confidence.
Go Hinata!
WRONG!
nothing is more attractive than someone attracted to me.
This is Hinata birthday’s after all 27 December so what else the best present for her except progress of her relationship with Naruto.
Finally, Kishi! I’ve been waiting for this.
So did Hinata win?
😀
Sasuke will be jealous!
excellent chapter…i can wait to see the “Rasen-Hinata-Shuriken”
* hinata becoming a human sized rasen-shuriken…but in the shape of a heart *
anyhow, now that she is synced with the 9-tails chakara…as long as naruto is alive, so will she.
also…why was sakura just chilling in the background not healing anyone ?
I thought for a second that they all gonna hold hands and form a circle
I was thinking that majority of male fans rejoyed in this chapter while the female fans was kinda ‘meh’ bout this. just my hypothesis
Last week a bunch of people said that “Hina was so useless that she cannot even die for Naruto.”
Now, I think they are eating their words, lol.
The last panel shows Naruto’s energy flaring up and going around her as well and her hair starting to rise up. I wonder if they are going to do some sort of a joint attack together?
i’m sorry all you naruxhina fans. we all know the TRUE Ending will be naruxsask. he got the first kissu, so that’s that.
So much win,,,this episode is especially a haven for a Hinata x Naruto shipper like me….am i the only one thinking Hinata looked cute with her one eye closed in the final panel?
they look so good together…(i’m sorry to make my favoritism so blatant but i’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time…)
and yeah, it was clear that Obito was jealous…probably because he could relate to him so much that he was upset that Naruto had what he didn’t have…Madara has sensed this, i can see him double-crossing Obito to take control of The Juubi, and subsequently killing him….(after Tobi showed some moments of compassion and started to forget about the plan because of what happened to Naruto), i know it’s a cliched development, but that’s the only direction i can see the story going…
Oh come on, Neji took the death flag for Hinata already. What a bro~!
Really enjoyed this chapter, at the end of the day, I think that things between Naruto and Hinata are much more simpler than they are with Sakura. With Sakura, you have Sasuke in the middle muddling up everyone’s feelings so that nobody knows quite what they feel. Sakura knows Naruto loves her, but does she still love Sasuke? I simply think that we won’t have an answer to this whole debate until Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle, the outcome of which will determine who ends up with who. If Sasuke sees light (doubtful) then I reckon he and Sakura will finally end up together and Naruto will go with Hinata. This is the outcome I’m hoping for anyway, but then again, the romance has always taken a back seat with Naruto. Whatever happens, happens.
I don’t read Naruto but… reading these comments are extremely entertaining.
If you don’t read the series you are really missing out.
Here’s something I want to say. In a way, even if Neji’s death was to help Hinata move on, I was thinking about how it could have been handled so much better, as well as the whole involvement with Naruto and Hinata, even with Sakura possibly too.
After all, look at Gears of War 3 for you gamers! Show Spoiler ▼
was one of the most beautifully done things I saw from that, and it was such an emotional moment too since you didn’t see it coming, and it wasn’t gonna be so clearcut in the end.
It feels to me like Neji’s death was white washed so fast, as well as how detrimental in some ways this bit with Hinata cheering Naruto up was. It feels contrived at the same time, even if it’s good developement for Hinata. But now I suspect she’s gonna be next to die, considering that Naruto is facing the reality he won’t be able to save EVERYONE, but he can do his damnedest to stop Obito and Madara.
Of course, I smell a Sakura death moment at some point form reading this chapter, and will admit that, it feels weird for NaruHina to happen now when NaruSaku’s been hinted at so much. It’s why I see it being contrived. But I’ve talked a good too much. XD
Hah, suck on that NaruSaku fans! Yeah, not some epic clash, but still satisfying. Kishimoto did admit that Hinata would have been a better heroine than Sakura. He was trying to make Sakura a proper heroine, but it looks like he’s slowly but surely giving in.
What bothers me is that people can’t move past how Sakura’s character was in the first part of the series and not realize the huge changes in her character growth now. It’s like they stubbornly refuse to accept the realizations she’s come to. That’s what I appreciate about her character, Sakura isn’t perfect. She’s not a saint, but her reactions to the things that happen around her are very real. No one could kill the person they love that easily, I would be extremely surprised if she actually did go through with it. The fact that she had doubts right at the very last second is such a humane response. Seriously can you not stop for a minute and try to experience things from her shoes? The fact that she even had the resolve to try and undertake such a monumental task, that in itself is an admirable feat. Sakura is not your stereotypical ‘heroine’, her actions have flaws in them but thats what makes her so real as a person and what I appreciate Kishimoto for designing that in his character.
long live Naruto X Hina pairing ( and long live themselves )
All these comments about the death flag for Hinata. What about the death flag for Naruto that he himself brought on himself when he met Sasuke? Stating something like I think you know what will happen to us when we both fight, we will both die. -Kakashi and Sakura with shocked faces-
-NaruHina fan
Everyone is way wrong. This is actually a harem manga in disguise. Sasuke is actually a girl. That’s why Sasuke rejected Sakura in part 1. Naruto and Sasuke team up against Obito after Sasuke confesses her love to Naruto. After they beat Obito, this manga turns into a slice-of-life comedy where Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke fight over Naruto.
Lol, if Naruto marries Sakura, Sakura would be on top.
If Sasuke marries Sakura, it will be the complete opposite.
That much is obvious. So who’s the girly one here?
I wouldn’t mind seeing Sakura on top. . . .
You fools, he would not advance so much into the love part. Just gonna make you guys get all worked up and drop the epic stop bomb. So, focus on the bloody battle. We all know everyone will die in the end, and Obito will find his heart and revive everyone with some weird unknown jutsu AGAIN.
I am so ready for Naruto to end that I wouldn’t even care if he ended up with that stupid chakra stealing statue. C’MON 2013!
Not a big Hinata fan..and pretty disappointed that Sakura hasn’t had much of a role t/o this entire ninja war…heroine replacement in effect? Nevertheless this was an emotional chapter for me…still not over Neji’s death :/
You say it would paint a giant Bullseye on Hinta? I guess, but I truly think at this point Hinata and Naruto are meant to be together. I swear to god if Hinata dies… I think I’ll stop reading this series. Like really? To see her come so far from her shy introverted self to blossom into this beautiful person that is willing to risk her LIFE for the guy she loves. It’s BEAUTIFUL! When Naruto went into Sage Mode and engaged in battle with Pain and was incapacitated with his resolve being questioned and his will failing… she jumped in to fight for him when the whole village was decimated and everyone was lying flat on their backs and asses wondering what just happened. She was the one who sought Naruto out to help him and protect him and fight for him. Using her own power and body as a shield, using her LIFE as a shield she gave Naruto the spur he needed to break his shackles and do battle (albeit in an uncontrolled 4 tails state), but even so she gave him that needed boost. She RISKED HER LIFE, and this drove Naruto insane and gave him the power boost he needed that set events in motion that would help him in to finally defeat Pain.
And again, here she is risking her life for him again and being the SUPPORT THAT HE NEEDS WHEN HIS RESOLVE IS BEING QUESTIONED AND AT IT LOWEST, Hinata becomes the SUPPORT and STRENGTH that Naruto NEEDS when all hope seems lost! Although this time it’s in a subtle yet still powerful way. Hinata reminds him of the path he needs to follow, how Naruto has led by example with his life and become such a strong person even with all the hardship and strife he’s had to endure. He didn’t falter in his resolve even with all of the atrocity laid before him (Mother/Father dying, Jiraiya whom he saw as a father figure, dying – being branded as a monster and a freak because of what he was) and he still turned into this friendly, courageous person that is willing to put his life on the line to protect his friends.
Hinata first gave Naruto her body when she engaged in battle with Pain who was CLEARLY OUT OF HER LEAGUE in terms of power, in order to give Naruto that much needed support at an extremely CRITICAL POINT IN THE STORY. Here we go again with another EXTREMELY CRITICAL POINT IN THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY and who is the one standing by Naruto’s side, reassuring him so he doesn’t falter in his beliefs or question his own resolve or fall into depression and sadness and feel like the whole world is lost? HINATA!!!!! SHE IS THE ONE! SHE IS PERFECT FOR HIM! THEY WILL BE TOGETHER! SO F*CK SAKURA AND DEAL WITH IT!
Let’s make a damn comparison:
Hinata:
– Protects the guy she loves with her body… with her LIFE…
– Becomes huge source of support, encouragement and strength for Naruto when all seems lost at CRITICAL points in the story… TWICE
– Loves Naruto unconditionally, has loved him since she was 11. She has finally become able to remove herself from her introverted shell (after seeing the way Naruto lives his life and his ninja way) and articulate herself and express her feelings for him properly.
Sounds like WIFE MATERIAL to me (not to mention she’s smoking hot)
Sakura:
– Gives Naruto a fake confession to try and change his resolve
– Uses Naruto to try and get back Sasuke
– Loves Sasuke even though he’s further gone than Anakin Skywalker
– KNOWS how Naruto feels but still insists on that Uchiha D*ck
The choice is clear my friends.
Hinata has won.