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The string of intriguing chapters continues this week as we get yet more revelations that could radically change how Naruto ends.
First and foremost of them, is the reveal that the entire purpose of Sasuke’s inquisition is a prelude to his final decision — which is to either continue with his plan to destroy Konoha or not. He doesn’t quite explicitly state that his alternative would actually be to help Konoha, but as Orochimaru states, he’d allow the revived Hokage to join Naruto and Co. in their fight once Sasuke’s question is answered — effectively meaning that Sasuke would be directly assisting in helping Konoha instead. Of course, the whole end game scenario of Sasuke potentially assisting at the end was already anticipated a while back and wasn’t quite unexpected, but it is quite surprising the indirect method he may get involved, as well as how closely Orochimaru and Sasuke are working together on this. I never thought I’d see the day this exchange could’ve happened between the people involved or the day it would happen without anyone blowing their top. Granted, the Second Hokage almost did, but for the most part it’s an amazingly professional conversation…
…though I suppose the way the First Hokage acts… never mind. In any case, despite the fact that the question isn’t exactly answered in this chapter, it’s just ridiculously enjoyable seeing the continued contrast between each generation’s Hokage, as well as their continued shattering of pretty much all expectations we had initially on how their personalities were. I mean wow, I never figured Senju — the so called God of Shinobi— would just so freely say that Itachi was clearly a better ninja than he was… or the fact that the second Hokage would differ so much personality wise from his brother… etc. Phew. It’s just nice to watch, and something I wouldn’t mind seeing for a bit longer.
In any case, another interesting reveal came with respect to Orochimaru’s ability to properly control the Hokage and seal their movements. After seeing the Edo Tensei being broken or countered in a fair amount of ways the past few arcs and the fact that all the Hokage know the technique, many people were probably undoubtedly wondering as to the possibility of the Hokage breaking Orochimaru’s control over them. As we find out, Orochimaru’s body and his large content of Senju DNA lets him control most of them, but it’s not enough to counter the person from whom the DNA comes from itself — as Senju himself is revealed to have been free from Orochimaru’s control for quite some time now. Despite his outward cheerful and slightly nutty demeanor, he’s really hiding a lot under that, and it makes it even more interesting considering how he decides to take the time to actually answer Sasuke’s question properly, rather than just leaving immediately or maybe crushing Sasuke and Co. personally… though I suppose the latter would not be a guarantee if it was just him at the moment.
Looking forward, it seems like Senju himself is quite confidant that his response will likely be a good enough one to persuade Sasuke to abandon his plans to destroy Konoha, and one can only drool at the prospect of all the revived Hokage in their immortal Edo Tensei bodies fighting Madara in his… as well as the Fourth Hokage fighting along side Naruto. Gosh darn, no matter how some of the developments might not be universally liked, one really has to say that Kishimoto’s potentially setting up a pretty darn spectacular ending — one that results in the defeat of Madara and Obito, lets everyone get closure, and also sets up the potential for a fight between Naruto and Sasuke to settle things once and for all — a fight that may yet turn out not to be fatal at all, but rather a wager where if Naruto wins, Sasuke will have to return to Konoha.
and thus we learn between the two brothers who wears the pants…Hashirama: “Tobirama go make me a sandwich!”
Actually, the Second Hokage is pretty badass, he can use high level jutsus without the need for handseals, it’s just that Hashirama’s chakra is overwhelming, and he didn’t want to start a pointless fight. Besides, it is quite interesting to see the interactions between the two brothers. Tobirama is a practical man, he sees problems and tries to solve them rather quickly by himself, while Hashirama has a more intellectual approach, trying to talk Sasuke trough the issues regarding Konoha’s history.
hashirama is actually the emotional one
seriously, even though Edo Tensei is forbidden, I gotta say, seeing them act like this makes me wish they used it just to throw a giant party like they do in one piece
No matter how foolish and goofy he acts, the Hashirama is still the First Hokage and still the only person who Madara feared.
the person who madara loved*
why is the people of the internet shipping madara x hashirama?
because they were caught in the act!
Show Spoiler ▼
Does this mean in the future, there will be a tearful reunion between Naruto and his undead!Father? Also, it’s still kinda hard to picture what kind of resolution that Sasuke would have in the end, which would culminate in him inevitably returning to Konoha. It’s like, is he going to pull a King Richard III (which I’m currently reading for school) and suddenly find remorse for past actions? His actions and purposes seem, at this point, more burnt out and with lackluster resignation.
Also: Is anything ever going to be revealed about Karin? She’s from the Uzumaki clan, or what remains of it. If Kishimoto’s willing to reveal family secrets, might as well show what the remnants of that clan can do to this plot.
I still want to see naruto vs sasuke fight to the death so he better stay in the dark side
The two will fight at full power, but not to kill each other, but to settle an old score.
Naruto has had two reunions with his father, a potential reunion is not that big a deal anymore.
Two reunions? What are you talking about?
If Karin turns out to be related to Nagato and Naruto in some way I will go nuts with excitement hahaha.
More Hashirama vs. Madara please!
Sasuke needs to calm down with his Mangekyou. He cant threaten the Kages in the slightest.
Think so too, although it could be reacting to some inner emotions…
Let’s tell to the “half-free” 4 Hokage with 2 of the most ridiculously powerful shinobi among them(including the one who created the technique used to revive them and the other who went toe to toe with Madara himself) that you will destroy their village.Seriously, i don’t know if i should call Sasuke very confident in his abilities or just plain stupid.Even with Orochimaru telling me that he has them totally under his control,i would have been careful with what was coming out of my mouth.
I go more for “stupid”.
I mean, he STILL thinks HE was the one who “killed Itachi” when Itachi just croaked from whatever illness he got, yet Hashirama just so easily said Itachi was a better shinobi than him, and Hiruzen saying how Itachi had “a mind like a Kage” when he was SEVEN (same age as when he awoke the Sharingan and “mastering” it the very next year).
Because it’s obvious that, had he lived and kept doing stuff, he’d be WAY uber-broken and easily overshadow everyone else just naturally (like he did against Kabuto with Sasuke there). Basically, he’s the Hiko Seijūrō XIII of Naruto, “too powerful” to be used all THAT much, lol.
I wish the 1st hokage had a better badass personality.
the 1st’s badass like Goku. Easy going but super serious if provoked.
On that note, the second reminds me of Vegeta… xD
I loved that the First is very similar to Naruto.
Did that fucking mokujin just perform a bijuudama rasengan O.O
Yes he did a nice representation of how alike Naruto and the First hokage are. =)
I think he caught it like a baseball…
I see Naruto (Goku) beating Sasuke (Vegeta) in a final showdown, not as enemies, but as best friends once again.
No matter what Sasuke has done in the past, his brother Itachi’s effort in serving the village would have been more than enough to exonerate all of Sasuke’s wrong doings.
Not much in this chapter, except some setup. I’m glad that Tobirama tried to break free (dat face!), but apparently Senju DNA also boosts Edo Tensai. Is there anything that stuff doesn’t do?! Orochimaru and Sasuke are acting rather… odd. Sasuke appears to have found his marbles, and Orochimaru… let’s just say I’ll be very upset if he pulls a heel face turn and was good all along. It would be rather funny if Sasuke is talk no Jutsu’d by Hashirama instead of Naruto, but I’m still hoping for their showdown. I’d love it if the Hokages joined the battlefield, I got the impression that Madara was holding back, and that after 618 he would cut loose and start decimating the alliance.
Naruto and Sasuke will fight, but unlike Madara vs. Hashirama, it’s not going to be a fight of hatred, but genuine friendship. This is how Naruto and Sasuke will change the Ninja world!
For once, these two opposing clan members will not kill each other.
Senju DNA is like Naruto-verse eqiuvalent of gamma rays from Sci-fy, which seem to boost and create all kind of mutations.
I don’t quite get why Orochimaru is actually helping Sasuke all of a sudden. There has to be something to it.
Maybe something like: He made a deal with Sasuke to take his body after Madara has been defeated. Or he himself wants to know the truth. He’s a damn snake after all.
I don’t believe that his “loyalty” lies with Sasuke. He doesn’t mean it.
I feel like Sasuke is being used so Orochimaru can learn something from the former Hokage or rather let the Hokage fight willingly against Madara so Orochimaru ends up being the strongest ninja at the end of the war.
I mean he could easyly deafeat everybody with the 3 Hokage in his hands (not counting Hashirama since he seems to be free). And notice how he didn’t reveal his motives to why he wanted to destroy Konoha when Sasuke asks him in the flashbacks.
The thing I got was that it seems like Orochimaru had some goal of his own with the stuff he did before. The chapter didn’t exactly show his response to Sasuke’s inquiry to him in the flashback, but I’m thinking the fact Sasuke knows about it has something to do with it all, along with whatever the reasons Orochimaru had in the first place.
i just hope orochimaru dont turn out to be a good guy all along @_@
My two cents.Orochimaru probably won’t turn out to be a ‘good guy’, but instead ‘not that bad a guy’.Something along the lines of he did the things he did, NOT for the sake of the village but for his own reasons but since he’s no longer a threat there’s no point in starting a fight again.
wait.. isn’t orocchin’s main purpose is to achieve immortality? and the reason why he transfers into different bodies is to get the power of the vessel? (i.e, Kimimaru)
If I remember correctly, Orochimaru’s goal was to learn every jutsu in the world.
if you never noticed orochimaru is the most important character in naruto…since like chapter 1
Madara and Obito want to obliterate the Ninja world, that’s including Orochimaru. I see this as a simple act of survival. Orochimaru wants to live, not enslaved by the moon jutsu. you all can surely see that simple motivation.
That doesn’t explain why he’s listening to Sasuke and not just taking the kage to the battlegrounds.
This is Orochimaru we’re talking about, maybe he has some plan to use Sasuke against Madara and Obito or in some other way.I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s helping Sasuke with some ulterior motive.
The First Hokage lives up to his name and I don’t mean just by power level or sarcastically.
His non-aggressive and humble personality is something to value in a leader.
Finally, the story is getting interesting again!
Hopefully, over the next few chapters, this little history lesson will help answer a bunch of questions that have been around for quite a while now.
It’s also implied that Orochimaru also had an ulterior motive for attacking Konoha during the Chunin Exams (before being interrupted by Tobirama). But yeah, with how things are going, I really wouldn’t be surprised if Orochimaru suddenly turns out to be some sort of “anti-hero” type and just shatter a lot of what’s been shown of him. I mean, we can’t forget that his path down darkness and seeking immortality and reviving the dead STARTED with good intentions; the death of Nawaki and Tsunade’s grief over it (and even earlier with looking over his parents’ grave when he was younger).
Orochimaru has been acting all out of character since Kabuto’s flashbacks.
I just hope the author remember the character he himself wrote.
*Hashirama telling sasuke the flashback story*
Hashirama : After the battle between the senju & uchiha, a mysterious creature appeared.
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ : Do you want to be more powerful then u already are?
Hashirama : No, but i wish to make a town.. no, a village of powerful people.
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ : *A village of mahou shoujo, not a bad idea* I shall grant you your wish upon u making a contract with me.
Hashirama : Thats all i have to do? OK !
*Flashback over*
Hashirama : So thats the truth about the village.
Sasuke : ……Seems legit.
That might explain why no one has ever mentioned how Hashi died.
There’s a very reasonable reason why Orochimaru is so mellow right now:
He has what he always WANTED.
any chance that the 1st hokage get to save his beloved granddaughter?
It is good that Sasuke is not making his decision to destroy Konoha an absolute thing, when he tried to kill Sakura he made it seem like “I will destroy the Leaf and no one can change my decision.”
The other interesting prospect is how Orochimaru said he promises to let the 4 Hokages go to the War after they are done talking to Sasuke. It would be promising to see Madara vs Hashirama (there are major differences from the past and present such as how Madara now has the Ten Tails instead of the 9 tails, as well as having the wood ninjutsu.)
I am wondering how Naruto is doing so far, because I feel Madara is simply toying with him since the Strongest Uchiha did not even use a single dojutsu on Naruto.
I love how second Hokage was the only one who reacted as you would’ve expected when Sasuke threatened to destroy Konoha right in front of the 4 Hokages. Its like the other 3 dont even care lol.
I like the way 2nd Hokage acts this chapter. I kinda wish Orochimaru just let him go though, since Harashima is the one who has the answers anyway, why keep him around.
Probably because we’re gonna get history lessons from all 4 of them during their tenures as Kage (albeit short with Minato). Probably some of their dirty decisions that they’ve had to make and whatnot. As kind as some Kage appear to be, it’s still a shinobi village where they no doubt would’ve had to make some pretty bloody orders for the betterment of the village; assassinations, “silencing” people, kidnapping, torture, etc.
I’m starting to think we won’t actually see Naruto fighting Sasuke at all.
My guess is that on the very last page we’ll see them preparing to fight, as friends again.
Something along the lines of: “Well, all problems were solved, the only thing left to do is determine which of us is the stronger, let’s have at it!” – The End.
And we’ll be left to imagine and debate which one won, without actually seein it…
Hopefully I’m wrong because I SO want to see Naruto beat Sasuke’s ass…
Have some faith man, there is going to be a serious fight, I mean do you think that after all the character development of these two guys that we won’t get to see an epic fight. After all that has happened all these years, for instance when Sasuke treated his comrades( Sasuke Retrieval Squad ) that came to rescue him from the sound five ( orochimaru’s lackeys )as fools for almost died trying to save him, or how He attacked another village causing Naruto and Konoha more problems,or how He tried to kill Sakura twice and scorn at his former teams and even sacrificing his current team for his revenge. After of this that happened no one can say that there isn’t going to be a fight not even MK(the author) and Naruto needs to teach that stuck up punk a serious lesson.
Has anyone noticed that Hashirama Senju’s personality is somehow quite like Naruto’s personality, like in last weeks chapter when He was cheerfull about how there was a Fourth and how Tsunade is now the Fifth and He sympathizes with the Uchiha Clan( just like Naruto sympathizes with Sasuke and,now with Itachi ). Like Tobi/Obito said to Naruto, that he sees the First in him, I guess it was more than just His(Hashirama) will that Naruto has but His boisterous personality too.
Tobimaru’s personality on the other hand looks more like Sasuke’s He is more of a cool and superior complex type like Sasuke and I was surprised that He unlike His brother the First would go to such extremes to keep the Uchiha out of Konoha’s governing affairs. He might have his reasons for that but still His actions caused the clan to be more rebelious and would very well be a part of why the Uchiha decided to form a coup de ‘etat.
Well, as Tobirama said, when you consider what Madara tried to pull, it’s no surprise that he would be more cautious when it comes to dealing with them (especially with the whole “more love they have, the more hatred they have” pulled out), especially considering really ANY Uchiha could potentially become as big a threat as Madara with similar power and, as revealed, there WERE those in the Clan who did still secretly follow his beliefs which really was the first step to the coup. Tobirama’s actions really just gave them the, “I told you so” to other members and built up more and more doubt among them.
More flashbacks…
Zepher… why do you keep calling Hashirama “Senju”? I know this is nitpicking but it’s kind of confusing at first because Tobirama is also Senju.
is it just me or does the 1st hokage have an attitude very similar to our titular hero? he’s so cheery and he smiles… alot like naruto…
Whew, Hashirama almost going Tetsuo ( http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2570948.jpg ) on Tobi(bad boy)rama was chilling to see, especially that glare
The fact that he also already was out of Orochimaru’s control didn’t surprise me at all – this is Hashirama after all.
One thing though – beside Hashirama, I wonder if Orochimaru is also a bit worried about Jugo? After all, in the clone body he’s inhabiting at the moment, if Jugo (Sage Transformation Form) so much as brushes against Orochi, ol’ snake-face would, literally, make like a tree and leaf out like the other Zetsus do
*grabs some popcorn* Now then, bring on the story time!
Reading the chapter…I mean, orochimaru’s goal or one of it is to obtain Sasuke’s body for the Sharingan, but I kinda think that even though it doesn’t have the Sharingan, it’s still not too bad to get a body made out of the first hokage’s cells. all things considering
Am I the only one who would think Sasuke returning to Konoha in the end would be out of place?I mean too much has happened,he’s pretty much known like a wanted criminal by the common folk while Itachi’s grand deeds are unknown and even if they weren’t I still doubt they’d atone for some1 else,brother or not.Even Naruto trying to change every1’s minds and them actually going like”Yea,sure Naruto!If you say so,we’ll all forgive him!No problem at all!” would seem pretty forced.
An actually reasonable good ending for him(assuming he gets it :P) would probably be to stick with his current team and yes,maybe with Orochimaru as well.Speaking of Orochimaru I actually hope he won’t die in the end since he’s been such an amusing & overall awesome villain so far and continues to be an intriguing character.I just can’t hate ‘dem “just as planned” villains 😀
I don’t know about you guys, but the First Hokage reminds me to much of goku more then anyone, which brings me to like him even more, especially in this particular chapter.Like LK said, easy going, but super serious when provoked.
There was one inconsistency in this Chapter that I don’t believe has been resolved. If the 1st Hokage cannot be controlled by Orochimaru now, then why was he able to be controlled the first time the technique was used on him to fight the 3rd Hokage?