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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Naruto Ninja Rankings

Here you find information on all of the different Ninja Rankings in the Naruto series. For each ninja ranking we have supplied a description of what that ranking is and an image of a character in that ranking. To prevent any confusion the term Shinobi is another Japanese term for the word Ninja.


Academy Students - This is where everyone interested in becoming a Ninja must first start out. It's almost like a pre-ninja stage. You aren't officially considered a ninja yet, but you're in the training of becoming one. This is usually the stage where you'll see all the little kids. Academy Students usually graduate around the age of 12. During the training of the academy, students don't do any missions, but learn about what becoming a ninja means and practicing basic techniques that everyone should know before becoming a real ninja.


Lower Ninja - Also known as a Genin, this is the stage an Academy Student reaches after successfully graduating the Academy. They are now considered an official ninja. When this happens the passing students from the academy are split into groups of 3 people; each group with their own Elite Ninja instructor. The instructor will supervise them on missions and help prepare them for becoming a Middle Ninja. Lower Ninja's missions usually consist of more tedious / unskillful tasks like Weeding, Finding Lost Pets and so on.


Middle Ninja - Also known as a Chuunin, once becoming this level of a Ninja, much more skill and responsibility is required. Middle Ninja's now not only protect themselves in a mission, but the team assigned to them. Middle Ninjas usually have less time to train themselves, and spend their days serving the Kages and teaching Academy Students. Becoming a Middle Ninja is an extremely hard thing to do, and if accomplished shows a great amount of skill in a ninja.


Elite Ninja - Also known a Jounin, this level of Ninja is extremely hard to achieve, and is quite an accomplishment if achieved. This is the next level above a Middle Ninja, and just like the jump from Lower Ninja to Middle Ninja, the jump from Middle Ninja to Elite Ninja is big. It hasn't yet been shown how to achieve this rank of Ninja, but judging by how powerful an Elite Ninja is, it's got to be extremely hard. Elite Ninjas take on the highest ranked missions and are sometimes required to teach Lower Ninjas (i.e. Kakashi with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura).


Anbu - Greatly skilled, Anbu Ninjas specialize in 3 categories; Assassination, Espionage, and Protection. You could almost think of this ninja level, as a sub-ranking within Special Elites. Like Hunter-Nins, the identity of these ninjas are never revealed, but we do Sasuke's older brother Itachi used to be one. Like Genins, Anbu Ninjas are split into groups of 3 and lead by a higher ranking ninja, which in this case is a Special Elite.


Special Elite - The same as an Elite Ninja, but specializes in a certain field, like medicine or chakra manipulation. In some ways this can be easier to achieve than a regular Elite Ninja, because you only need to be really good at one aspect of being a Ninja, where regular Elites need to be really good and lots of different things. Anbu captains would fall under this category since they are also very specialized.


Missing-Nin - This is the title given to any ninja, regardless of whatever rank they currently belong to, that have left and abandoned their home village. Because they have left their village, and could leak out important information to enemy villages, they are hunted down and killed. Leaving a village is acceptable, aslong as you are to stay affiliated with it.


Hunter-Nin - Also known as Body Erasers, these Ninjas and trained for the soul purpose of hunting down Missing-Nins and killing them. This is to prevent a Missing-Nin from ever leaking out important information about their home village. Hunter-Nins when trained are taught how to kill people, and learn things like where the weak points in a person's body is. All Hunter-Nins wear face masked and they're identity is not revealed.


Sage - Also known as a sennin, this rank of Ninja consists of Ninjas who are close to, or possibly stronger than that of a Kage Ninja. This type of Ninja was usually choose to live outside of their own village, but are forced to keep in touch with it, so not become a Missin-Nin and get hunted down. 3 examples of Ninjas who fall into this rank of ninja are Jiraiya, Tsunade (Who is now a Kage), and Orochimaru.


Kage - The highest level of Ninja that can achieved, Kages are extremely powerful, and know many different techniques. There can only be one Kage per village, and this Ninja is the one in charge of that village. Having strength matched by virtually no one (except perhaps a Sage), they are extremely respected by others. Each of Ninja villages calls their Kage a slightly different name. Here are the names used by the villages, along with what that name means. Ho (Fire), Kaze (Wind), Mizu (Water), Rai (Lightning), Tsuchi (Earth). Each of those names is put infront of the word Kage. For example, Ho (Fire), would be Hokage, and Kaze (Wind), would be Kazekage.

Naruto Chapter 452 – Leaf vs Cloud Ninja



Since this week’s chapter wasn’t all that long or informative and since I don’t really have that much time, I won’t go into details too much.

Naruto and Sakura are absolutely furious when they hear about Danzo’s orders. Kakashi however is not surprised, because he had been expecting such a development. He explains that the only reason why Sasuke hasn’t been killed yet was because of Tsunade’s protection. The two young ninja make a decision to go talk to Danzo and let him have a piece of their mind, but are stopped by their master. Kakashi manages to persuade them not be too rash, because the consequences might be even more severe. Because Naruto is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, Danzo wants to keep him under constant surveillance, so if Naruto were to act against him, Danzo would have the perfect alibi, as Hokage, to isolate him. Kakashi reasons that if Naruto is locked up, he won’t be able to search for Sasuke. A small light of hope on the whole Danzo-is-Hokage situation is that the jounins of the village must vote for or against his appointment. If most of them vote against him, his position will be revoked and Tsunade will continue to be Hokage.

06Meanwhile the new “beloved” Hokage has similar thoughts. Danzo seems pretty confident that he can win the election, as long as everything goes smoothly. He reappoints Sai as Naruto’s observer, thinking Naruto might do something wild or unexpected again. The blond is the villagers’ favourite now and any action against him would bring loss of authority for Konoha’s leader. Sai is curious about his master’s plan for Naruto, but is simply reassured that nothing bad will happen to him for the time being. Whatever the case, it’s certain that Danzo has some evil plan in mind. What it is, we might find out next time, when the kage meeting is supposed to start.

Soon after Naruto, Sakura and Sai meet up at the river. When asked to share some more information on Danzo, the ROOT member refuses, though unwillingly. Danzo has been known to use the severe training methods of the Mist village, now it’s revealed that he also uses secret seals to prevent his troops from spilling any information that might compromise him.
08The tattoo on Sai’s tongue is a seal that instantly renders his body useless if he speaks anything concerning Danzo. Of course Sakura thinks that such methods are appalling and inhumane. Sai explains that though it may seem as brutal Danzo’s organisation and approach are actually very important to Konoha, as they protect it from many dangers.
The discussion then changes to Sasuke’s predicament. Sai is surprised to learn that Danzo gave an order to hunt the Uchiha down. Their conversation is rudely interrupted by the Cloud ninja who suddenly appear beside them. 10

Komui points a sword at Sakura’s neck, demanding to hear information about Sasuke. Of course Naruto can’t tolerate someone pointing a weapon against his teammate and immediately attacks. With an amazing speed he takes Sai’s short sword out of its sheath and pushes away Karui’s sword. He goes for her face, but is stopped by Omoi, who blocks Naruto’s elbow with his sword’s hilt.
The two Cloud ninja display amazing teamwork, using each other as extensions and for support. While in the air, Karui makes a back flip to get on Naruto’s other side, but is warned by Omoi not to cut him, because Konoha’s ninja are supposed to be allies to the Cloud village.
13However, as soon as Omoi stopped Naruto’s attack, he later started performing his trademark technique – Kagebunshin. Before Karui could get a hit, a clone of Naruto appears, blocking the girl’s sword with his bare hands. Both foreigners are impressed by Naruto’s incredible agility and taijutsu and are caught off guard by Sakura and Sai. The two Konoha ninja are too slow and are completely unable to catch up with their opponents’ speed. Sai aims a kick for Omoi and Sakura tries to punch Karui, but Omoi is one step ahead of them. he combines dodging and attacking to both evade Sai’s kick and send Sakura flying. Naruto immediately rushes to Sakura’s aide, catching her before she hits the rock wall behind her. Karui knocks Naruto’s clone out and both Cloud ninja jump onto the river’s surface to get away from their adversaries.

Naruto is quite pissed at them for attacking them all of a sudden for nothing. Sakura is confused as to what business Cloud ninja have in the fire country, while Sai just remains as silent as ever. Omoi explains, or rather shouts, that they’re looking for Sasuke, who attacked their village not so long ago. The statement that Sasuke abducted a respected Cloud ninja stuns the members o Team 7. But an ever further shock awaits them, when Karui announces that Sasuke has joined Akatsuki. While Omoi is busy speaking of revenge and whatnot, Naruto can’t help but take doubt in Sasuke’s behavior. His best friend’s action have been getting more and more violent lately, and now, after killing his brother, the young Uchiha suddenly decided to join an evil organisation like Akatsuki. The same organisation that wants to capture Naruto and take over the world.

Naruto Chapter 451 – Let’s Kill Sasuke


Now isn’t this nice? Two characters, who we haven’t seen in over 420 chapters suddenly reappear, asking: “Hey, where’s Sasuke?” And the logical answer is: “He’s on the hunting list!” Sounds a bit messed up, but that’s Kishimoto for ya. It seems he’s into reintroducing characters and problems that haven’t been mentioned for hundreds of chapters; just like Eiichiro Oda.

The good villagers of Konoha have already started cleaning up the remains of the old buildings and creating new ones. Wood and other materials are salvaged from the old houses, thus reducing the needs of cutting down the Fire country’s forests. Some of the citizens are worried and frustrated about their current situation and the fact that the results of all of their predecessors’ work has been obliterated. A good reminder, however is truth that a country is made of its people and that as long as the people are still there, everything else is just details.02-03Yamato shows off his impressive skills by creating an entire neighbourhood in seconds. The first Hokage probably used the same technique to start off Konoha. The ANBU agent is quickly exhausted, the crowds cheering him on. Let’s just hope he rebuilds the ramen shop soon, ’cause poor Naruto is probably starving.

At the other side of town we see Naruto and Sakura, who are both pretty down because of Tusnade’s condition. Naruto probably wants to ask Tsunade about his parents, Jiraiya or maybe even Pein, while Sakura is simply worried about her master’s health and the results of the recent events. They’re both in for a surprise, due to the sudden appearance of Inari and Tazuna. For those of you who don’t remember, these two were main characters in the manga’s very first ark. Back then the newly founded Team 7 helped them get rid of the mafia boss Gato, which led to a prosperous age for the Wave country. Now the two have come repay their debt to the Konoha ninja by lending a hand in the reparation process. Normally I wouldn’t pay this much attention to minor characters like Tazuna and Inari, was it not for the following two reasons:
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The first, and quite ridiculous one, is the newly formed theory that Tazuna is none other than… Uchiha Madara! Yes, you saw correctly and no, you don’t have an eye problem. This scandalous theory comes along with the Tobi is Obito and/or Danzo theory. It suggests that Madara, like Pein, can take over multiple bodies with his Sharingan. Another “possibility” is that its Zetsu, who gains the power to morph into anyone he eats. There have also been a lot of speculations that they’re both the same person, or that Danzo is actually Madara’s supposedly dead brother. But if you ask me, I think it’s just Santa fooling you all!! Think about it – Santa can travel the entire world in just one night, so that must mean he’s using Madara’s teleportation jutsu. He’s also evil to the bones, so there’s just no doubt about it.

Now enough with the ridiculousness and back to the important stuff. This method is practically another way for Kishimoto to emphasize on the story’s dramatic plot by returning to the beginning. It’s as if the story begins all over again – the characters are back where they were, only now they’re finally stronger and their goals no longer seem unreachable. In the beginning the characters’ main goals were, respectively, to become Hokage, to get revenge, to win the heart of the beloved, to fix the team bonding. Now the situation hasn’t changed much, with the only exception being that Sasuke isn’t even in the team (we can’t say he was really that much into team stuff before).
Sasuke separation form the group was a heavy blow to Team 7, but many of the reasons lie within the group. When Tazuna asks whether it was because of a love triangle, Naruto quickly disperses such thoughts, though this was also a problem within the team, if not a very important one. Wat Tazuna had to say to Sasuke will remain a mystery, but it was probably some advice concerning Sasuke’s worldly views.
After Tazuna and Inari leave Naruto has a flashback of his fateful battle with Sasuke. He remembers his best friend’s words regarding his personal pain. Naruto realises that the reason why he couldn’t bring Sasuke back was because he couldn’t understand his feeling. He thought that since he had no parents or siblings, his emptiness was the same as the Uchiha’s, who had felt the warmth and love of a real family, but tragically lost it. They say: “It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all”, but in reality both options are horrifying, it’s no wonder loneliness is the worst death aspect as Kubo Tite shows us in his mangas.
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Once again everything spins around the same point – understanding. As Jiraiya stated many times in his philosophical teachings, understanding each other is the key to ending the world’s pain. Sasuke, like Pain, felt and still feels misunderstood. Pain and hatred are an emptiness inside one’s soul, a void that slowly evolves sucking in everything around them and creating more emptiness. Even Naruto was tempted by the Kyuubi when he was about to lose his batle with Pein. And had it not been for the reassurement that was given to him by his father, he too would’ve lost his soul to the darkness.

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Overcoming his own confusing emotions and defeating Pein helped Naruto to mature into a person who is truly capable of not just understanding people, but perhaps even more. Naruto’s new goal is to restore Sasuke to the person he used to be, so that “Team 7 can laugh together again.”

Meanwhile the three ninjas from the Thunder village arrive amongst the ruins of Konoha, carrying a message for the Hokage. Unfortunately, Tsunade is still in a coma and can’t perform her duties. Samui demands that she meats the person who’s supposed to be in charge in case such a situation occurs. Shizune is baffled, because Konoha probably has no such person and humbly requests that she take the letter. The two kunoichi’s conversation is rudely interrupted, howerer, as Danzo rushes into the medical tent, claiming that he is the new Hokage. Apparantely, after new Hokage has been chosen, the old one is forcefully retired. As soon as he enters, Danzo demands to see the letter meant for Tsunade. What’s written in it, we can’t exactly see, but judging from the situations it’s a request from the Raikage to discipline Sasuke. Danzo makes a harsh decision and word about it quickly spreads around the village. Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura are personally informed by Kiba – the counsil’s decision is to dismiss Tsunade from her position, but even more shockingly – an order has been issued to bring back Sasuke’s head on a silver platter.

Finally, at Konoha’s telephone station or rather birdkeep, the request for a meeting of the five kages arrives. What will be decided there reamins to be seen. We know that the Raikage is very excentric and crazy, Madara and Danzo can’t be trusted, the Stone village’s leader is unknown, but is famed for his brutality and bloodthirst, which only leaves Gaara as someone who can stand up for Naruto and Sasuke.


The hand signs for lightning blade :)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Naruto Chapter 450 – Danzo The Sixth Hokage!?


nother week, another chapter… First off, let’s start with the results from last week’s poll on the question: “Is Naruto stronger than Sasuke?” It wasn’t a surprise that Naruto won the vote by a landslide, which just raises a new question: is Sasuke strong enough to take on Danzo? Considering the fact that the young Uchiha almost got killed by Killerbee, while the ROOT leader was just appointed as the new Hokage makes me think there’s just no way for Sasuke to complete an assassination attempt like that.

But enough about the emo kids, it’s time to concentrate on the main character! Naruto arrives back in Konoha after the grandiose spectacle that was his battle with Pein. The hero is exhausted and can barely move. Luckily his sensei shows up just in time to help him on the way home. It’s good to see that Kakashi’s made a nice recovery in such a short time. My expectations were that he’d need to rest for a few weeks, like after his clash with Deidara.
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As Naruto enters the city limits, he is welcomed by the cheering of a gigantic crowd – the citizens of Konoha, who have gathered to thank their savior. In the three years since Naruto became a ninja he has managed to earn the respect he vowed to obtain.

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Even though things looked pretty grim for Naruto at the beginning of the series, through great determination, hard work and “the guts to never give up”, the number one knuckle-headed ninja finally gets a taste of what it’s like to live his dream. I’d say this chapter could under different circumstances be the very last in the series. It seems like just a matter of time until Naruto defeats the bad guys, gets Sasuke back and becomes the Hokage.
The villagers are all very grateful for everything that Naruto’s done for them. They express their happiness in tears, screams and cheers, asking various questions, never for a moment giving Naruto a chance to catch his breath. Perhaps their feelings are best epitomised by Sakura, who first punches Naruto for being so irresponsible towards his own well-being, then hugs him and thanks him for all his efforts.

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But while everyone is celebrating, other events are slowly set in motion. We first see Akatsuki’s reaction to Pein’s death. As most of you predicted in last week’s poll, it seems Madara has no intention in dealing with the deflected Konan. It is disturbing to see the demon statue – Gedou Mazou still intact. Hopes were that it would disappear with Nagato’s death, but for one reason or another, it’s still standing, the bijuu inside it ready to be used by Madara. The Uchiha’s words: “We’ll need a new pawn to synchronise with Gedou ” makes me think that the statue requires a living human being that has to be constantly linked to it, in order to keep in the same dimension.

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In the outskirts of Konoha we see some development on the Thunder ninjas’ mission. They’ve located Konoha, or at least the remains of it and are about to go scouting for information on the recent events. Their role in the manga so far has been nothing but comic relief, let’s hope they at least have some interesting techniques that could help restore the village to its previous state.

The final and most important events in the chapter revolve around the Hokage. We see Tsunade, who has reverted to her elderly-looking state, because her chakra has been completely drained. She’s fallen in a comatose state, from which she might not wake up anytime soon.

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At the same time, the Daymio has gathered all the village elders for an urgent meeting – his five consultants, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu (the third Hokage’s teammates), Danzo – the leader of ANBU-ROOT, the unnamed ANBU agent, who’s in charge of the Hokage’s security and Shikaku Nara – Konoha’s head jounin are summoned to discuss the future of Konoha. Their first worries regard Akatsuki and the rebuilding of the village. A budget must be decided, workers form all parts of the country must be hired, in order to reconstruct the strongest shinobi village to its former glory.
While discussions regarding what must be done on the matters of the other ninja countries take place, Danzo takes to opportunity to address another important issue – the Hokage’s position. With Tsunade unable to perform her duties, a new candidate must be elected, one who has the ability, the intelligence and the reputation required to take up such an important task. The Daymio, who seems a bit naive, wants to wait for Tsunade’s recovery, but is persuaded differently. he notes that his original choice would be the best – Jiraiya, but seeing as the legendary ninja is now deceased, such a thing is impossible. Just as Danzo is about to speak, he is cut off by Shikaku, who, being a smart man, gets an idea of what the elder is up to. The jounin nominates Kakashi as a candidate for the spot, which is welcomed with much excitement on the Daynio’s part, as he is swayed by the idea that the son of the White Fang and student of the fourth Hokage and also a man who has proven himself a great asset to the Fire country is available for the position.
Many of you might wonder why Naruto wasn’t chosen immediately because of his victory over Pein. While it’s true that the blond is probably Konoha’s strongest ninja right now, he’s still too young and inexperienced in the “Kage business”. His nomination would’ve probably been turned down instantly.
5However, things take a turn for the worse. Kaksahi not appointed as the sixth Hokage, his place is surprisingly taken by Danzo. The man who is the cause for so much suffering in the shinobi world finally attains the power he’s been seeking his entire life – to be the leader of the strongest ninja village. By persuading the council that Sarutobi’s teachings were too meek and sympathetic, he proposes a new regime – one of harsh laws that will discourage attitude such as Orochimaru’s and will bring a new meaning of peace to the world. Shikaku’s protests remain unheard, the Daymio’s mind is made up. A new age of darkness is about to begin under the tyranny of Danzo.

Saturday, May 30, 2009



Aaand.. Pein’s dead! Alas, he died, as expected, but not without showing us his most powerful technique – Gidou Rin’ne Tensei (Heresy: Samsara Nature) to revive the people he killed in Konoha. But, everything in its order, so let’s start with the beginning.

Nagato is touched by Naruto’s determination to stand up against all the suffering in the world and decides that he, too will, for the last time, believe in Jiraiya’s philosophy. He warns Naruto that the path ahead of him is a dangerous one, filled with pain, sacrifice and war. In his last moments Nagato wonders whether his meeting with Jiraiya and Naruto was just coincidence or the work of a greater force.
Pein’s decision comes at the cost of his own life, because his ultimate jutsu sucks up all of his chakra. I suspect it can only be used to revive people, who were killed by Pein himself and whose souls still haven’t passed on into the afterlife completely (like we saw what happened to Kakashi). Meaning that there probably is a time period in which the jutsu can be used. Or perhaps the bodies of the dead must still be in tact, so that the soul can return to its original body. A body like Jiraiya’s which has already decomposed probably can’t be ressurected.

Even though Konan tries to stop nagao from using Gidou, his mind is made up. That just leaves one option for Konan – to explain Pein’s abilities. His six bodies represent the six realms in the Buddhist cosmology and his real body – the seventh path that links them all together – the controller of the re-birthing process. Nagato’s jutsu is quite interesting – he uses the demon statue that we saw fixing up his other six bodies, to release the souls of the people who were killed.

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And so everyone is revived, everyone is shocked and everyone lived happily ever after. Or at least for now. Katsuya is going to explain everything to the villagers, which will surely be the cause for celebration. There will probably be those like Danzo, who won’t be very happy with the outcome of the battle, though.

In this chapter we see the conclusions to of the side-stories developed through the past 100 chapters. Pein’s death leaves Akatsuki another two members short, as Konan also decides to leave the organisation, in order to pursue her friends’ dreams. As a parting gift she gives Naruto a bouquet of paper flowers as a symbol of friendship in hopes that they might work together someday. She also takes Nagato’s and Yahiko’s corpses to give them a prepare funeral in their home country.
From a conversation between the injured Gamabunta and the Great Toad we understand that the child in the prophecy, which was foretold to Jiraiya, was not just one, but two of his students – both Nagato and Naruto are the ones who will bring a new order to the world.
We also find out that the most popular hero in the series Kakashi is going to be alright. He is ressurected along with the other citizen of Konoha, but just before that he has an interesting encounter. He meets his father – Hatake Sakumo in limbo – a place where a soul ends up beforeit can pass over to the other world. Sakumo has spent the last twenty years or so by himslef in this place, because he still had some unfinished business in the human world. That was to recieve his son’s fogiveness, so that he could transcend into heaven. There he can finally meet up with Kakshi’s mother, who has also passed away a long time ago.

Things right now don’t look too bad for Naruto and Konoha, but we still have no idea what’s going to come ahead.

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Well, this chapter was pretty much the end of this ark, but Kishimoto decided to give us a taste of what’s coming next. And that’s Sasuke! The smexy emo-kid is returning after an absence of over half an year. Last time we saw him, some ninjas from the Thunder Village were about to attack his base. Could Sasuke’s plans for invading Konoha be delayed?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Minato Namikaze: Gorge of Solerus



As Team Minato travels through the forest to the Gorge of Solerus, a group of Earth Ninja also heads toward the Gorge to the exchange point.

Minato: We are almost there you guys, so put your game face on, from here on out the operation will begin.

Kakashi: How long do we have until the exchange occurs?

Minato: According to the Hokages source the exchange will happen in about two hours.

Rin: We have to move fast but stay on the defense as well.

Obito: Yeah, I’m ready to prove myself.

Minato: Stay on defense huh? Well I guess you’re right because it seems we have a guest.

An Earth ninja suddenly throws a kunai that’s headed straight for Obito, Kakashi acts quickly and pushes Obito out the way, the Earth ninja dashes forward at high speed but Rin throws her iron wires and pin him to the wall but it’s just an earth clone and he appears behind Rin to attack, but Kakashi also appears and punches him in the face sending him flying. The Earth ninja recovers and his fists suddenly turns to rock and he once again attacks the trio off guard kicking Kakashi into the wall, he then tries to finish him off with his stone fists but Minato impales him through the chest with his three pronged kunai!

Kakashi: Minato-Sensei?

Minato: You okay?

Kakashi: Yeah!

Minato: Nice job Kakashi, Rin, you two did great nice teamwork, but what happen Obito?, you froze up!

Obito: I had something in my eye.

Kakashi: Yeah, right, just admit it you were scared.

Obito: Shut up, he just caught me off guard, if I wasn’t, that guy would’ve been toast!

Minato: Then that should show you all that we have to stay on guard at all times. I’m guessing since he came alone no one else knows we are here, but we have to assume that we have been spotted.

The scene changes to the Third Hokages Office where he has a meeting with Danzo!

Third: Well, this is a surprise, what can I do for you?

Danzo: I just wanted to let you know I will be forming a private Anbu of my own.

Third: Is this another one of your plays for power, to impose yourself on this nation or is it another way to get back at me for beating you out of the Hokage postition all those years ago?

Danzo: I assure you Sarutobi this is not a play for your position but it will make our nation a lot stronger, this secret military will be called “Root” which means we will be the foundation of a new era, we can accomplish a lot with this new organization no other nation would be able to touch us.

Third: Think for a second, we are in this war because others think we are too powerful, I think it’s time we help our allies understand us so we all can live in peace!

Danzo: Don’t be foolish Sarutobi, war will always exist and their is nothing we can do about it but the only way I see we can live in peace is if we crush our enemies with brute strength.

Third: That’s why you couldn’t become hokage, because of your ignorance to believe that everyone has a place in this world!

Danzo: Enough Sarutobi, I will not rest until we have absolute power and the only way is through Root!

Third: I knew you would do something like this sooner or later, either you stop this foolishness or I will end it myself!

Danzo: Are you suspicious of me, Sarutobi?

Third:…..!

Danzo:(smiling) I will leave you to your duties, Sandaime!

After Danzo leaves, one of his subordinates appears.

Root Agent: Sir we have found it!

Danzo: Nice job, as soon as we the a bijuu in our hands the entire fire country will follow me and cast that passive old man aside and I’ll become the hokage and complete power will be mine! Now move, send word to the squad to retrieve the two tailed beast no matter what!

Root Agent: Yes Danzo-sama!

The scene changes back to Team Minato they have reached the exchange point and are waiting for the weapons, suddenly a group of shinobi traveling with two carriages appears to cross the gorge!

Rin: Sensei, there they are!

Minato: Alright, you guys stay alert we will be attack….

A group of Explosive note tags suddenly explode causing a loud explosion alarming the ninja guarding the weapons.

Minato: Looks like we are going to have to move fast, you guys.

Kakashi: How did they know?

Minato: They must have planted traps all around this place just in case, but that doesn’t matter now, we have to take them down and get to those weapons! You guys go for the weapons and I’ll take them down.

Minato takes out his kunai and in a flash dashes at the Earth ninja at full speed, the ninja senses his presence and form hand signs creating a barrier. Minato throws a kunai but the kunai is burned to ashes when it touches the barrier wall, then the Earth ninjas form more hand signs and summons giant Earthworms. Minato forms hand signs activating his Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb but the worm wraps itself around the barrier protecting it! Kakashi falls out of the sky with his chakra blade in hand and stabs the worm but it knocks him out of the sky, Kakashi recovers and forms hand signs: Lightning Style: Thunder Fists, his fists are filled with lightning and he pounds the ground, lightning chakra charges and starts the shock the worm but the worm is not harmed.

Minato: It looks like that worm can absorb chakra from any attack, then i’ll try this.

Minato summons a large shuriken and throws it at the worms then uses the Shadow shuriken jutsu to create hundreds, the barrage of shurikens impales the worm, the worm then spits out a great wave of acid and then it dies. The acid wave completely washes Minato away, as one of the Earth ninjas looks on thinking Minato is dead he turns around and find all of his comrades completely wiped out except one. The ninja releases a transformation technique and Minato appears and instantly kills the last Earth ninja as he begs for his life.

Kakashi: How did you do that, I could have sworn I saw them use a barrier, how did you get inside?

Minato: Before they used their barrier I had already took out one of their comrades and transformed into him!

Obito: But you were talking to us.

Minato: I used a shadow clone because I need to make them think I was still on the outside.

Rin: I have a question, where did you hide the guy you killed to impersonate him?

Minato: I hid him in the carriage with the weapons.

Kakashi: (thinking) What speed, he’s so fast he did all that in a split second, he must be able to move at the speed of light, but that’s not possible!

Minato: Now, lets find out what’s inside these crates.

They open all the crates in the first wagon to find that its just the standard ninja tools, then they remove the sheet that is on top of the other wagon and they all are shocked at what they see. All three of the young shinobi fall to the ground in fear while Minato tries to hold himself together!

Obito: Sensei what the hell is that?

Rin: It’s a huge cat!!!

Kakashi: I’ve never seen a cat that big and that chakra, i didn’t know cats had chakra atleast not this much!

Minato: They don’t!

Kakashi: Do you know what it is Minato-Sensei!

Minato: I think that thing is a tailed beast or Bijuu!

Obito: What the hell is a Bijuu?

Minato: There is a legend that there are nine tailed beast in the world, these creatures possess massive amounts of chakra, more chakra than anything in the whole shinobi world. They have the power to destroy entire villages with a swing of their tails, though I have never seen one in person, I was told they would be much bigger that this.

Kakashi: Bigger?

Minato: Yeah much bigger!

Obito: If this thing is capable of destroying the entire Leaf village, we have to warn the Hokage!

Rin: You said that it’s suppose to be much bigger then why isn’t it?

Minato: I think it has something to do with this cage, these symbols on it are very rare, only the most powerful of shinobi can use these seals and it is encased in chakra that feels different that the cats.

Kakashi: If this thing is as strong as you say then why haven’t it broken out of this cage by now?

Minato: The cage is more powerful than you think but I’m guessing it will temporarily suppress it chakra, making it weaker, so we have to get it back to the village so we can seal it away as soon as possible.

Rin: Why can’t we do it?

Minato: You need precise chakra control and even I don’t have that.

Kakashi: Why don’t we just use this thing to destroy the Earth ninja?

Minato: I am not the one who decides that but, enough questions we have to leave now it’s too dangerous to keep this thing out in the open!

As Minato and the others get ready to take the tailed beast Root as spotted them!

Root Agent: It seems we have a problem, Konoha’s Yellowflash has the two tails, it won’t be easy taking it from him.

Root Agent2: We have to, Danzo gave us strict order to capture the bijuu without failure.

Root Agent: Then lets go!

The scene changes to a group of strong looking Earth ninja also heading toward Team Minato’s position!

Minato takes out two scrolls and crosses them then he writes some symbols on them and forms hand signs, Ninja Art: Storage Sealing! A force of chakra surround the cage and seals it inside the scrolls.

Minato: This will make it easier for us to take it back to the village, now let’s go!

Obito: Wait!

Obito forms hand signs, Fire Style: Dragon Flame jutsu, the jutsu destroys the other weapons and wagons.

Obito: Now our mission really is complete.

They all disperse.

Next: Battle for the Two Tails!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Part 3 The Rebirth Of Madara Uchiha



Madara gets up and starts toward the light, but once again the colors blind him so he takes his headband and uses it to blind fold himself.

As he steps out into the light, Kakuzu makes the remark “Is it that bad? I hope I didn’t go through the trouble of saving you simply to have you be a weakling” and then he thinks to himself “I could always kill him later and after he has announced his survival and then collect the bounty for doing a deed even Hashirama couldn’t.”

Madara replies “Don’t worry, even among the Uchiha, I have always been a quick learner, lets start with the Earth element since you said that was his primary element.”

earth_style_wall3 kisame_4

Kakuzu replies “We are at the bank of the waterfall Hashirama created during your fight, I didn’t have the time nor strength to go very far with all of those bijju nearby waking up at any moment but they have all cleared out long ago.”

Madara thinks to himself “I must have lost control of the Fox along with my Sharingan, he would not have left otherwise.”

A few months later, Kakuzu has successfully taught Madara how to use both the Earth and Water elements. After months of slowly introducing himself to seeing the world with normal, non-Sharingan eyes, Madara has regained his sight, but it is nothing compared to his lost Sharingan which was at the height of its power. He is about to step out into the light for the first time. At first his vision is blurry, but then he realizes that what he is looking at is real, it is a giant statue of Hashirama. He yells to Kakuzu “What the hell is this!?”

180px-First_Hokage_Statue

Kakuzu emerges from the tunnel and says “Oh that… I was bored while I was training you, so I thought I would make something to commemorate my battle with Hashirama”

Madara responds “This is unacceptable, I may not have won the battle, but Hashirama is not the winner, this place should reflect that I will fight him with all my might.” With this he forms a hand sign and in a manner of seconds, creates a perfect likeness of himself on the side opposite of Hashirama.”

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Kakuzu exclaims “Incredible. It took weeks to create that statue, and I’m a prodigy in my village” then to himself he thinks “He will definitely have a huge bounty on his head eventually.”

Madara responds “I told you I learned fast.”

With his training complete, Madara calls Kakuzu over. He says “Kakuzu, I thank you for all you have done for me, without you, I would be a dead man, but now it is time for you and I to part until I need you again. I have a plan, first we will use a combination of semi-permenant transformation jutsu and your special ninjutsu to gain huge bounties and then collect on them by “killing you”, once we have enough money, we go to step two, the infiltration of the most ruthless Hidden Village, Kirigakure. With my new skills in water and earth ninjutsu I can use this village to regain control over a few Bijju and, when the time is right, bring the Konoha to it’s knees. I will have no allegence to Kirigakure, but the illusion will be perfect, It will seem as if I love it more than I once loved my own clan, the best place to destroy the system is from the inside. You can’t some with me though, I’ll be inside, but I will need outside support and when I have to leave, I will eventually need your help. In the mean time, I want you to seek out others like us, who have been abandoned by the “village system” and show them how evil it truly is. I also want you to bring me some of the ninja with the biggest bounties, alive, they will help us acheive our goals. But I am no fool, I don’t expect you to do this for nothing. You will be greatly rewarded once I rule all of the Shinobi world, you will gain wealth and riches beyond your wildest dreams! You will gain a position of great power, and from this position, gaining hearts will be little more than child’s play and money will flow like a river.”

With this, Madara and Kakuzu go their separate ways. For now at least…

121683_kakuzu_5B3_5D uchiha-madara

How will Madara regain the use of his Sharingan? Why did he call himself Tobi? Where did his mask come from? Tune in next time to find out.

Friday, May 22, 2009




It seems not everybody in the world has heard about it yet, so the guys from Weekly Shounen Jump decided to remid us again that it’s ‘NARUTO’s 10 year anniversary. Well, at least we get to see a colored version of Naruto, ’cause it’s been a while since we last saw one.

00

Well, Naruto decided to stick to his moral views and not kill Pein, but could that choice turn out to be fatal for our hero?
This chapter wasn’t a very long one. Most of it has already been revealed, since we’ve already seen “The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja”, only the main character had a different hair style.

Pein is not amused by Naruto’s response, he still believes that Jiraiya’s words were nothing more than a romantic farce and that the peace that his master envisioned is unachievable. After baring witness to all the horrors of the world, Nagato feels that Jiraiya’s words are only a mockery.

02
Whether by intuition or by using his brains Naruto somehow figures out the way to Nagato’s buried emotions. He quotes a phrase from the booklet – a phrase, which his opponent is very familiar with. Nagato remembers in a flashback how those words came to existence.
06These were words that were born from Nagato’s most intimate feelings, proof that he was on the right track. Thanks to his friends, the young boy had come to understand what was truly important in life – morals, dreams and the straight to follow them through to the end. Pein remembers his family, his friends, the good times he shared with them, the feeling of what it means to be happy. His experience from communicating with humans is what brought him happiness and the loneliness that came after the death of his loved ones is what caused him pain. Jiraiya always said he dreamt of a world where everybody understands each other. But there was no one who could understand Nagato, who was, in the end, left alone. This clash between the harsh reality and his dream was too much for him to handle, thus he gave up on achieving peace through.. peace.
Pein’s soul was lost somewhere deep within his crippled body, until Naruto came along and re-opened his eyes. Whether it was on a whim, or because he saw his young and pure self reflected in Naruto, or simply because Naruto managed to reach his feelings, Nagato chose to once more believe. But not in Jiraiya’s dream, but in Naruto - the only person who can take the path even the mighty Pein could not endure to walk upon.



Ah, we finally see some action again, after a few chapters of conversations and flashbacks.

After Yahiko’s death, Nagato just spaces out, forgetting where he is and what he’s doing there. That gives the ANBU the perfect opportunity to kill, sending hundreds of kunai knives flying at him. For the first time we can see Nagato using Shinra Tensei himself, it seems that even back then he already knew most of the techniques he knows now. The young shinobi immediately goes after Hanzo, who is forcd to abandon Konan, in order to protect himself. Nagato tries to take Konan to safety, but Hanzo uses a special Doton jutsu to attach exploding tags to his legs and burn them severely. I imagine this and the heavy black rods, embedded in his back, are the reason why Nagato’s a turtle/crab wheelchair.
At this point Hanzo realises that his opponent possesses the strongest known Kekkei Genkai in the world – the Rin’negan. The Konoha and Amagakure ninja attack, which forces Nagato to use his ultimate jutsu – he summons Gedou Mazou – Outside Path (Heretical) Demon Statue.

08

This is probably a path different from the six paths of the Rin’negan. The demon statue seems to be alive, meaning it’s of the same class as Itachi’s Susano’o. It is the statue that Pein uses to seal the bijuu, only it’s a lot more lively this time. i wonder if there are more statues of this type. Itachi’s statue could seal away anything, this one can steal souls, seal souls and feed off of souls. We finally know where the black rods, that Pein uses as chakra emitters, come from. The demon releases a long black rod that penetrates Nagato’s back and grows branches outside his body.
09As a result, his life energy starts to get sucked out, his facial features change and he practically loses his mind. It’s almost as if the demon took over his brain. Even though his best friend got killed, he wasn’t visibly this angry. At the very least the pain from having a stick shoved in his spine must have driven his insanity further.
After the merging process is complete, the demon releases a spirit snake from it’s mouth. Everything that the snake touches has its soul extracted and devoured, probably turned into energy for the demon’s own use. The same snake technique was used to extract and seal seven of the bijuu so far.
Nagato’s snake goes after Hanzo, who realizes that he is no match for his opponent’s Rin’negan and uses Shunshin no jutsu to escape. BTW, don’t confuse the Shunshin technique, which is a flash step, wtih the Fourth Hokage’s teleportation ability. As all of his enemies are defeated, Nagato allows the demon to return to its dimension, but the chakra rods still remain inside him.
The scene changes back to the present time and explains his ideals to Naruto. In order for one country to have peace, another, weaker country, must act as its scapegoat. According to Pein’s views of life, as long as there are humans, ther will be pain and suffering. Or in the words of someone famous: “A human – a problem, no human – no problem.” Peace is unachievable, because humans are just too different (one man’s tragedy is another man’s comedy) and cannot work out their problems peacefully. Therefore, only pain and suffering await all who concern themselves with humanity and society. Pein believes that Jiraiya’s dreams and hopes are neither logical, nor possible, and thus are nothing more than a fantasy.
After hearing Pein’s story, Naruto is faced with a serious dilemma. He understands his adversary’s feelings, but his own hatred for Pein is unbearable. The fact that he understands Nagato’s suffering, however, means that he is one step further along the path that Jiraiya was talking about. Having his deceased master in mind Naruto produces his answer – he chooses to believe in the ability of humans to achieve peace. His final decision is to spare Pein’s life. Hopefully that doesn’t mean he won’t kick his ass.

BTW, doesn’t this look just like a Sasuke?

Chap. 445




So the flashback continues into Nagato’s childhood while growing up as an orphan in war torn Amegakure. This chapter was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed it though I thought the pace could have been picked up already. I was kinda expecting Nagato to jump forward to his second most painful experience with Yahiko’s death, but he’s taking his time setting up the story it seems.

naruto445-1Instead we get treated to the death of Nagato’s little doggy, aptly named ’Tiny.’ I read through some of the early comments and there seems to be two camps on the issue of Tiny’s death. One side sees Nagato potentially using his dog’s death as another ’pain’ to justify his hate for Konoha. The other side sees Tiny’s death as further proof of the cruelness of war as it takes away the closest thing Nagato had to a “family” soon after he loses both of his parents. As a guy who’s owned a dog before, I’m gonna have to side with the second camp. My own dog died of natural causes a few years ago, but it’s hard to see something you love in pain, even if it’s just a pet. If somebody actually killed my dog, even if by a careless accident, I would be pretty furious. Now, whether I’d be enraged enough to devote my life to wage war on the world is another question.

naruto445-2But even though Tiny’s death is sad, I don’t think Nagato will ultimately dwell too much on it. In this chapter, Nagato, Konan and Yahiko do get a glimpse of the Konoha Sanins while they are battling Hanzou. Later on when they do approach Jiraiya and the others, neither Nagato or the other orphans showed any kind of hate or animosity towards the leaf ninjas. In fact, it was Nagato who killed Hanzou later on, even to the extend of wiping out his family and friends. It seemed that Hanzou was the person Nagato had a real grudge against at that time, yet he still blamed Konoha for much of the suffering he and his country had to endure. Based on these facts I think I can see how things will play out and how it ties in with Yahiko’s death.

naruto445-3I think the ones who will be responsible for Yahiko’s death are the ninjas from Amegakure, and not Konoha or some other foreign country’s troops. This is the only reason I can see that justifies the extreme measures Nagato supposedly took to wipe out all traces of Hanzou’s legacy from Amegakure. It could be that even Hanzou himself was responsible for Yahiko’s death. Based on what we know so far about Hanzou (his paranoia about protection and secrecy), I believe his policies regarding the village might have been partly responsible for why it is always in turmoil. Perhaps after being trained by Jiraiya, Yahiko, Konan and Nagato gained enough confidence to try to start a movement to challenge their Kage’s control over their village. Being the type of person he is, Hanzou would no doubt crack down with an iron fist.

naruto445-4In many ways Yahiko is very similar to Naruto, and this is probably one of the reasons why Nagato agreed to talk to Naruto about his past. Yahiko is also an idealist, he has a clear goal in mind and will do everything in his power to reach that goal no matter how impossible it might seem. He wasn’t just all words no action either, he was tough and knew how to survive (and help his friends) even when it seemed like the world had abandoned him. If he hadn’t died, I bet he would have became a strong and noble shinobi. After their training with Jiraiya, I can see Yahiko truly taking Jiraiya’s teachings to heart and committing himself to finding a solution to world peace. Perhaps it was then that his actions got the attention of Hanzou, who saw him as an obstruction to his power and eliminated him. As a result, Nagato not only blamed Hanzou for Yahiko’s death but also Jiraiya for putting such idealistic goals into their heads in the first place.

So far...




I guess I was waiting for something like this to happen ever since Naruto showed up back in Konoha to face Pein – the dialogue chapter; or should I say “chapters“ because I think Nagato’s flashback will take at least another chapter or two. I guess it was inevitable, it happened after the peak of Sasuke and Itachi’s fight, so I guess it’s natural for Naruto and Pein to have one after the last of Pein bodies fell last chapter. Still, I really would have preferred if the action went on for a few more chapters.

naruto444-1I think after Naruto had his talk with his father, something happened to him – like a new power was awakened inside him. Naruto fought like a true Hokage-to-be last chapter, but I felt that he was still holding something back, perhaps because he did not want to risk going Kyuubi again if he powered up too much or maybe he did not want to damage God Realm too badly because he might need his body to track down Nagato. Whatever the case, we do get a hint of that power in this chapter in that epic glare Naruto gives Nagato on page 4.

naruto444-2The cross-shaped pupil in Naruto’s eyes is clearly a sign that his Kyuubi’s chakra was beginning to surface while he was still in Sage mode. What’s odd about this is that this shouldn’t be possible normally. Sage chakra is supposedly a carefully balanced mixture between nature’s energy and Naruto’s own chakra. If that balance is even off by a little bit, as we’ve been shown Naruto runs the risk of changing into a toad and then turning into stone. But now we have Kyuubi’s chakra suddenly coming into the mix, this could have turned out pretty bad, but somehow Naruto manages to balance all three chakra types without losing control. It’s surprising that Naruto can balance Kyuubi’s chakra with nature’s energy at all – one’s the murderous dark energy of a demon and the other is the life energy of nature – it’s like trying to mix oil and water. I doubt even experts of chakra control could pull off what Naruto has done. If Naruto can manage to tap into both Sage and Kyuubi chakra simultaneously in the future, I can seriously see him become one of the strongest shinobis ever.
naruto444-3

I think Naruto's still pissed

Naruto pretty much has Nagato’s fate in his hands right now. Even Nagato’s dirty little trick on trying to control Naruto by hitting him with one of his chakra receptors fails. It backfires because Naruto seems to use his Kyuubi chakra to overpower Nagato’s attempt at controlling him and lets him have a taste of what Kyuubi’s wrath feels like. It was pretty satisfying to see Nagato visually shaken up by Naruto’s actions. It must be pretty tough for a guy who has never lost a battle before to face an opponent who just keeps coming no matter what he throws at him. At this point, even Konan’s origami tricks can’t do anything to stop Naruto, all she can do is try to buy time (I really feel she is unnecessary in this scene, overall). I find it funny that Konan tells Naruto that killing Nagato will only satisfy his own “selfishness” while ignoring the fact that it’s exactly what Nagato has been doing all along to Konoha despite his rhetoric about peace and ending the cycle of hatred.

naruto444-4For a moment there, Naruto gives into his rage and makes a straight charge to pummel Pein, but at the last moment remembers Jiraiya’s words and manages to stop himself. I guess Naruto wasn’t kidding when he said he came here to talk, he even recedes sage mode to talk man-to-man with Nagato. Nagato agrees to tell Naruto about his past and how he became such an emo, but what I’m really curious about is what will happen after the talking. Even Nagato himself has said there’s no possibility that Naruto can forgive him for the cruelty he has transgressed upon his village and friends, so what’s to become of him?

naruto444-5

And so begins Nagato’s flashback, and apparently he has two painful experiences to share with us, so grab yourself some snacks because this might take awhile. The first occurred when Nagato was just a mini-emo, it was a time when Amegakure was embroiled in the war between its more powerful neighbouring countries. Two starving leaf ninja scavenge his home for food, not realizing Nagato and his parents were hiding in the house. They try to sneak away but accidentally knock over a vase. The leaf ninja mistakes the parents for enemy ninja and kill them, thus causing Nagato’s Rinnegan to activate through his rage. After seeing what happened, I can’t honestly say anyone was to blame for what happened. The Konoha ninja were in enemy territory and inside a dark house, what could they do but fight back when a screaming man leaps out of the shadows and attacks? As for Nagato’s parents, they probably had been in hiding for days while the fighting and killing happened in their village, there’s no way they could know or even believe that the leaf ninja would be under orders not to harm civilians. It was a case of mis-identification, such things are sad but common in war zones. But for Nagato to use this to justify annihilating an entire village is just pure insanity. I hope his story about Yahiko’s death is more convincing.

Intro

The Naruto Hurricane Chronicles anime TV series will air in Japan on February 15th of 2007. It will cover the manga material in Part II of the Naruto manga saga, starting with Naruto's return to Konoha in Chapter 245 (Volume 28). At the end of Nartuo Part I, Naruto fails to rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches. But it will take three years for Orochimaru to prepare the forbidden jutsu needed to transfer into Sasuke'a body. Naruto realizes, in his current state, he is not ready to defeat Orochimaru nor the cursed seal powered Sasuke. He leaves Konoha to train with Jiraiya.
Naruto versus Sasuke
The last Naruto episode that was based on the manga continuity was episode 135: 'The Promise I Could Not Keep'. After being defeated by Sasuke, a severely injured Naruto is carried back by Kakashi for treatment. Sitting in his hospital bed, Naruto finds it difficult to talk to Sakura because he failed to come back with Sasuke. But Naruto is a shinobi who never goes back on his word and he vows to Sakura that he will return Sasuke to Konoha for her one day.
Naruto 12 years oldNaruto 15 years old Two and a half years have passed, and a 15 years old Naruto returns to the Leaf Village. He's taller and has a new outfit, but still retains his prankster nature and hot- headedness. To the dismay of many, some of Jiraiya's pervertedness seems to have rubbed off on Naruto as well. Time has passed for many of Naruto's friends as well, they have advanced from Genin to Chunin and some even became Jonin. In fact, Naruto is the only one who is still a Genin from his graduating class way back from the Ninja Academy. But there is little time for reunions. Akatsuki is on the move and continue to pursue their goal to capture all nine tailed demons, Naruto's own Kyuubi included. Their latest target, Gaara of the Sand.

HI

I'll keep you up 2 date on the latest naruto. And maybe a few
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