Naruto, Tome 61

Naruto [ナルト] #61

by Masashi Kishimoto

Même les cinq Kage réunis ne parviennent pas à faire plier Madara tant la puissance qu'il déploie est phénoménale... Tsunade prend alors la résolution d'enfreindre les préceptes du Ninjutsu Médical !
De leur côté, Itachi et Sasuke affrontent Kabuto afin d'interrompre Edotensei !
Les deux frères s'engagent côte à côte dans une lutte dont l'issue pourrait constituer un véritable tournant dans la guerre !

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Comics Manga, Graphic Novels, Shonen

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2012

About the author

Masashi Kishimoto (岸本斉史 Kishimoto Masashi) is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series O-Parts Hunter (666 Satan) and Blazer Drive. Two of his former assistants, Osamu Kajisa (Tattoo Hearts) and Yuuichi Itakura (Hand's), have also gone on to moderate success following their work on Naruto.

Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO－ナルト－), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.

Reviews

[Karl Marberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great character arc for Kabuto

[Christian Savin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Itachi and Sasuke team up against Kabuto, and the result is one of the driest volume in the entire series. Itachi sucks as a good guy and his redemption arc makes no sense whatsoever for so many reasons. Izanami, another Uchiha asspull, makes no sense as well. Why even bother with helping Kabuto to accept his own self? Just make him end the damn Edo Tensei already, he's a twisted mass murderer and he doesn't deserve redemption, he deserves to be taken down for good.

This volume is also bad because of its main message. It proves that this series was never about hard work being more important than talent. It was always about glorifying talent, and apparently stealing it if one lacked it. In other words, Naruto is all about who got the most powerful eyes, or who is lucky enough to hit the jackpot with their genetic heritage and have a tailed beast sealed inside them. After all, we have Tsunade right here who's essentially mocked by Madara (an expert in genetic thievery, second only to Kabuto) for not being Hashirama's clone.

The Gokage teamwork against Madara, and Tsunade's well deserved screen time are the only things that added some flavor to what's essentially one of the worst volumes in this series.

[Kirra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw, Sasuke and Itachi *cries*

[Ola G · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10 stars

Mmm. On one hand, seeing the undying (literally!) love of Itachi for his younger, extremely spoilt and totally undeserving brother melts my heart. Itachi rocks, and while the lesson in forgiveness is very convoluted and probably passes so far above over Sasuke's head he's not even noticed it, AND its end result is beneficial to a guy who doesn't really seem to deserve it (sorry, Kabuto, you've become the parody of your former self and even your finally fleshed out backstory doesn't help much at this point!), I still like a good redemption arc.

What I don't like is the stupid multiplication of new, unheard-of jutsus. I am sick of reading about yet another one, even more powerful than the previous, and accessible only to guys who have compatible genes. What is it, a tractate on Ubermensch? I like Naruto because it shows that talent is not everything: that it's hard work and dedication, and strong will and believing the best of others and oneself, that saves the day in the end. So stop with those dumb eyes already, Kishimoto!

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot's of backstory in this one. I wish it had come earlier, like when I was still trying to care about any of these characters. It is some confused backstory. And I'm left with guessing what truth is. Still, better than endless combat. Like in some endless Groundhog Day loop. There may be some irony here. 3.5 of 5

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

We are just now getting a Kabuto origin story. Yes, 61 volumes in, nearing the end of the series, we finally get his origin. And guess what? It's a story about what you inherit from the past! Way back before Pain invaded Konoha, we had this presentation of how Naruto and Sasuke dealt with grief. Sasuke, upon 'killing' Itachi and learning Itachi's true story, becomes full of guilt and vengeance so he decides to destroy Konoha and go completely against Itachi's intentions. Naruto, on the other hand, grieves Jiraiya and spends his time reading and perfecting jutsu. Sasuke strays further from his idol, while Naruto learns from him and promises to keep his spirit going. Now Kabuto... decides to copy whatever it is his idol Orochimaru did and keep going. Sasuke has already killed and forgotten Orochimaru but no Kabuto walks around playing like a WatchMojo "top 10 Orochimaru plots that went nowhere" compilation. How was Kabuto so vital to Konoha but completely unknown by the Chunin Exams? Meh, who knows or cares.

Of course Itachi and Sasuke are in this volume a lot. And they fight, or team up, or fight, or who knows for a reason never stated. They just are. And you know a fight is good when you have to explain it in flow charts and infographics because the actual fighting wasn't coherent enough.

This volume should have been about Anko, also a survivor of Orochimaru, but no she's a woman so she's nothing but a victim to be reintroduced after hundreds of chapters just to be captured immediately and never do anything again. It's Sasuke and Itachi trying to have bro moments while Kabuto stands around screaming about how he wants to be an Uchiha so so so so so badly.

[Aja: The Narcoleptic Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really awesome moment to see Sasuke team up with Itachi after spending the majority of his life hating his older brother. The actual fight is pretty awesome too.

[Alexana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband is back from the dead. 5 stars

[Eärendilen · Rating 5 out of 5]

the uchiha secret techniques are just..🦦🤌🏻💫

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do not understand people who don't love Itachi

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itachi and Sasuke team up to take down Kabuto and put an end to the Edotensei Jutsu. Also we get some heavy backstory into Kabuto's life.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly something anyone could've seen coming but it's a cute team-up and a far-too-late-to-pardon Kabuto origin story.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when the story gets complex and deep, and Kabuto definitely fits the bill. I love Kabuto, especially when he's gone so overboard. He's so damn impressive at this point. Itachi never fails to impress, either, but it's Kabuto that really steals the show here. Can he break the cycle?

[Hafeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 61: Chapter 576-587
Arc 16: Fourth Shinobi World War - Climax

- The battle between the Five Kages and Madara is started. Tsunade used her Byakugou. The five of them managed to destroy Madara's Susano'o.
- Tsunade managed to destroy Madara's body. But it is a wood clone. Tsunade being stabbed by Madara's Susano'o's sword.
- Tsunade's Byakugou give her instant healing. Madara used his multiple wood clone. Now, each one of the kages are fighting 5 Madara's clones.
- Sasuke asked Itachi the truth he wants. But, Itachi neglected it as he has more important thing to do; to stop Edo Tensei.
- Sasuke and Itachi vs Kabuto. Kabuto have the same ability such as Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo. He also have mastered Snake Sage from Ryuichi-dou which is even Orochimaru cannot mastered.
- Kabuto's past is revealed. He have no name, no parent and being adopted by a nun that named herself Mother. He got his name from Mother and she also gave him the glasses he wore now. Kabuto learned medical ninjutsu there.
- Mother is ex-spy with codename Nonou given by Danzou. She is affiliated with Konoha for a secret mission.
- Danzou take Kabuto with him to use him as a spy. After 5 years, Kabuto come across with Mother, but she didn't remember him and died.
- Orochimaru knows and remembers Kabuto. Orochimaru tells Kabuto the truth about his Mother. Orochimaru offers Kabuto to follow him to know about his true self.
- Kabuto have the ability of all Sound Four including Kimimaro and Orochimaru to fight Sasuke and Itachi.
- Itachi prepared a Genjutsu that used to be a pair with Izanagi; Izanami. Kabuto caught in Izanami where he trapped in an endless loop.
- Izanami is the jutsu that decides fate. It's counterpart, Izanagi is the jutsu that change fate.

[Kulwinder Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝙏𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩. 𝙉𝙤. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚-𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛."

Well, it's not fair to give bad guys like Kabuto such an emotional backstories. It was tragic, but I still hate him for his past crimes. Uchiha brothers dreamy tag team was kinda badass and well synchronised to take down Kabuto.

[Les Lectures de Loow (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je crois que l'auteur aime le duo Itachi/Sasuke, car ils se retrouvent une nouvelle fois. Et pour combattre Kabuto, un adversaire assez coriace. Même si je trouve qu'on en fait trop sur Itachi et Sasuke (pardon), ça a été un plaisir de les voir coopérer.

Ce tome nous offre aussi le passé de Kabuto. Même si c'est intéressant, je le déteste toujours autant. Peu m'importe qu'il y ait eu Oroshimaru derrière son comportement. Ça reste un enfoiré.

Et j'ai aussi trouvé qu'on avait une explication plutôt longue à propos d'une nouvelle technique de Sharingan. C'est bien de savoir comment ça fonctionne et quel but. Mais des fois, je m'y perds complètement.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dropping Kabuto backstory 61 volumes in is wild. And the backstory involves a nun? Even wilder. Honestly revealing that nuns exist in the Naruto world is incredibly wild. Where have they all been up until now? Kishimoto should have thrown in some Catholic style churches in the background every once in a while throughout the series, just to keep us on our toes.

The Izanami/Izanagi jutsu explanation went over my head, I didn't try to understand it. Best I can figure is that it's like Gold Experience Requiem from Jojo's but if you grow as a person you can turn it off. Which is nice.

[Hamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two uchihas on one side ! Epic battle. !

[Barry]

A great BoOK The UCHIHA BROTHERS REUNITE

[Aaryn Flott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Itachi, I’ll forever love you 😭

[Insomnolent Reader °ㅠ_ㅠ° · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm done with Sasuke's hatred. Itachi should have been an only child. 🤣

[vanessa♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i see itachi I give it 5 stars as it should he's the loml

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasuke and Itachi teaming up is a highlight of this arc. It`s very emotional and quite well done.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fully prepared to be crying over the brothers but instead they got me crying over Kabuto

[Téyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

La vie de ma mère voir Tsunade activer son Byakugô c’est un de mes moments préférés de tout Naruto MDRR genre purée elle est incroyable

[Somya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best volumes in this series. Itachi has sacrificed everything for Konoha and even after his death he continues saving the Shinobi world. A heart to heart conversation between the once estranged brothers. It was a pretty emotional read.
Also, Kabuto is disgusting.

[n · Rating 1 out of 5]

(1.5 stars)

This is a long review that goes over literally, everything in this volume.


I started to read this on the first day of September but I took such a long pause on this because I start to hate it 44 pages in. The first 44 pages and the last chapter are the only reasons why this is getting any stars at all.

The first part of the first 44 pages includes, Sasuke seeing Itachi, and chasing him. Eventually ending with them both infiltrating Kabuto’s hideout. The other is when Tsunade tells Madara about The Will of Fire and how she founded medical ninjutsu law. She then talks about how medic ninjas are bound to those laws.
“Rule 1: A medic ninja will not stop trying to heal a member till that ninja’s dying breath.
Rule 2: A medic ninja shall never go to the front line.
Rule 3: A medic ninja should always be the last of their platoon to die.” Tsunade says, “This is what I teach my students. But there’s actually one more rule.
Rule 4: A medic ninja who masters the Ninja Art of Mitotic Regeneration, 100 Healings, may break the first 3 laws.” (It’s also known as Creation Rebirth - Strength of a Hundred.) One of the most exciting jutsu of all time, I think. Although, it REALLY bothers me that she calls them laws but when going over them each individually, she calls them rules.

Then pages 44-207 are agonizing because Kabuto is one of the most aggravating characters I’ve ever known. He absolutely drives me crazy. Everything he says makes me so enraged. So, even seeing him, I just can’t stand. The whole story he’s been this shady, slimy(no pun intended), egotistical, arrogant, narcissistic, disdainful, repulsive, insolent, nasty sense of superiority, piece of shit, garbage, snake-monster of a “human being.” He slinks around in the shadows, literally and figuratively, he actually turns himself completely into a snake. He takes powers from someone else and claims them as his own. Literally remakes himself into that person, Orochimaru. Kabuto goes around complaining all the time and constantly excuses his misdeeds and shall I say, sins. He helped this whole war along and is the one who brought everyone back from the dead to use as a puppet army. Which are currently killing tens of thousands.

So, finally Sasuke and Itachi fight as a team against him to stop the Edo Tensei. We get to see into Kabuto’s backstory for the first time. He’s found in the dust of the aftermath to a battle by the Sister of a religious orphanage along with a few of the orphans. Kabuto is the only one that calls her “Mother” instead of “Sister.” He had amnesia and was brought to live in the orphanage. “Mother” was a former medic ninja of The Foundation, named Nonou, also known as “The Wandering Nun.” We found out that Kabuto’s glasses are Nonou’s. Given to him when Nonou notices he can’t see the clock.

It then moves on to Kabuto and Nonou healing the wounded in The Third Great Ninja War. Kabuto heals Orochimaru and we see that Orochimaru has a new interest, and that is Kabuto. He says that he thinks Kabuto should become a Shinobi, that he thinks Kabuto will be a great one. But Kabuto says no.

We already know that Danzo and Orochimaru had similar views and objectives, and often partnered up to give eachother what they want. Danzo, who I hate more than Kabuto, ends up coming to the orphanage with Orochimaru and one other Foundation member, to recruit Nonou for a mission. Kabuto is listening in and Danzo realizes that so he starts yelling that he’s going to take one of the orphans, that is a part of her mission. Kabuto decides to show up the next day as the chosen. His orphanage family, including Nonou are upset and left wondering why he would do that.

His missions consisted of all undercover, gathering intel, objectives. Fast forward to about a decade later. Kabuto is ambushed from the top and he lands a killing strike on the ninja. Kabuto realizes it’s his Mother. She doesn’t recognize him as he tries to heal her. Saying, “Who are you?”

Kabuto runs away and is looking into a river and says “Who are you? This isn’t me. Not the, real me.” Orochimaru like the creep he is pops out of the river and says “You no longer see yourself clearly. You’ve become quite a fine Shinobi. I remember you, Kabuto. I’ve been watching you the whole time. Nonou too… Oh, I mean, Mother. Come with me then I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Why Mother went after you, and why she didn’t remember you at all. Don’t you want to know that?” Of course we already know that Kabuto goes with him, and everything erupts from there. Kabuto is told that The Foundation wanted to dispose of them both. Danzo had revealed to Nonou of the reason Kabuto wanted to go. Nonou wanted to liberate Kabuto and Danzo agreed if she would assassinate someone. She was given photos of Kabuto throughout the years from his missions. Or so she thought, it actually was all a trick so that she would assissinate Kabuto. That they would take eachother out. Apparently because they “knew too much.”

After hearing all of this Kabuto realized Orochimaru was there to “take care of any survivors.”

So basically because Orochimaru wanted Kabuto and Danzo wanted Nonou, they plotted this entire thing together. The plan to have Kabuto kill his orphanage mother so he’ll turn to life as a corrupted medical shinobi for Orochimaru’s sake, hungry for knowledge of why his mother didn’t recognize him.

The fight is good, if you can stand Kabuto, which clearly I can’t so I hated the whole thing. But the most frustrating part of the fight is that Itachi isn’t actually trying to eliminate Kabuto. He puts him in the newly introduced forbidden jutsu of the Uchiha’s, called the Izanami. This jutsu is designed specifically not to harm the one it’s been cast upon and to save their humbleness and dignity.

We get an explanation of the forbidden jutsu and that it was created because Uchihas were going around using the Izanagi for personal gain. So, the Izanami is a jutsu to counter the Izanagi. It’s forbidden because it doesn’t help in battle.

Itachi goes over how he thinks Kabuto is like how he used to be and he feels bad for him. Itachi, who’s a spy, thinks because Kabuto is a spy, he is just misguided because he thinks he knows who he is, but actually does not. Itachi says to get out of the loop, Kabuto needs to forgive his true self. Apparently, then, he’ll be a good person again. I absolutely LOVE Itachi so this really disappoints me in his character.

The volume ends with Itachi saying it’s time to stop the Edo Tensei and we’re shown Kabuto’s orphanage brother, who is one of the few that found Kabuto with Nonou and the only one that yelled at him about leaving everyone at the orphanage behind. The brother is also a medic ninja, and he’s a part of the war Kabuto is aiding.

So the whole thing is just STUPIDDD. It’s supposed to be that, what Kabuto really wants, is actually his old self and the love of his orphanage family, and that Kabuto needs to find his real self again. Apparently everything he’s done is Orochimaru and Danzo’s fault and he needn’t be blamed like he is being.
And I say THAT’S BULLSHIT!!! So I should think that a torturous body-and-mind experimenter of all walks of life, murderer, treacherous, terrorist, and world-war-plotting, psychopath, can so easily change his ways and be forgiven and absolved of his millions of horrific and devastating acts and plots. Because APPARENTLY all that matters is that HE forgives HIMSELF!!UNREALISTIC. ABSOLUTELY UNREAL. I. Can’t. Stand. It. FUCK YOU, Kishimoto, for writing this bullshit!!!

[OSWALDO LEON · Rating 5 out of 5]

good ending

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

Once upon a time, the spirit of an evil Nine Tailed Fox wreaked havoc on Konohagakure; the Village Hidden in the Leaves, killing hundreds of honorable ninja in the skirmish and leaving many children without homes or parents. The Fourth Hokage (leader of the village) unleashes a forbidden jutsu (magic spell/ninja ability) to seal the spirit of the evil fox into the body of a newborn baby named Naruto at the cost of his own life. He did this in the hopes that the boy could one day learn to master the power of the demonic spirit and use it to protect the village and become a great hero of the people.

Unknown to the citizens of the Leaf, the Nine Tailed Fox was being controlled by an even more powerful adversary, a legendary rogue ninja that plans to wage war against the entire world from the shadows. The identity of the mysterious ninja that attacked the Leaf Village using the Nine Tails died with the Fourth Hokage, and he used what remained of his life to gift Naruto with the power of one day being able to stop this evil ninja and a clan of outlawed S-rank criminals called the Akatsuki from committing mass genocide against the many hidden villages and clans of the world.

Because of the evil spirit sealed inside him, Naruto grew up hated by the other children of the village because they believe him and the Nine Tails to be one and the same. They believe he’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, waiting for the perfect moment to kill them all just like the Nine Tails killed their parents and families. Shunned, dehumanized and treated like dirt, Naruto vows to become the greatest hokage the world has ever seen so that he can receive the love and acknowledgement he never got as a child.

On top of the Nine Tails power and the will to never quit, Naruto also possesses the uncanny ability to turn everyone he meets into a potential comrade. He brings out the best in his peers and tries his hardest to make his enemies see the errors of their ways. He disobeys the rules and ignores cultural traditions to try and make changes to the world and break the eternal cycle of war and hatred through his own methods. His determination is infectious to friend and foe alike. He earns himself the respect he deserves by overcoming one impossible obstacle at a time.

Naruto encounters many fascinating and terrifying ninja over the course of his journey to become hokage. Among them are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto’s best friend and rival who is driven by the vengeful lust to murder his elder brother after he wiped out their own clan in cold blood. Sasuke warms up to Naruto, but his hatred and trauma are dangerous forces that threaten to break his moral code as a ninja and destroy his reputation among his peers.

Kakashi Hatake is a notorious copycat ninja that survived one of the most brutal and devastating wars in history as well as the Nine Tails attack on the Leaf Village. He becomes Naruto and Sasuke’s mentor and teaches them a great number of valuable lessons about surviving in the dangerous world of rogue ninja, bloodthirsty assassins and clans ruled by corruption.

Jiraiya is a perverted yet wise sage who taught the Fourth Hokage everything he knew and he’s regarded as a god among shinobi that’s famous for his heroic actions in the second great ninja war. He takes an interest in Naruto and raises him as a father figure to carry on the legacy of the Fourth Hokage to prepare him for the many dangerous people that want to use his power for their own nefarious purposes.

The Akatsuki is one such group of wicked ninja. Among them are Sasuke’s brother Itachi who murdered his clan and possesses many dangerous techniques involving illusions, psychological torture and elemental manipulation. Sasori who controls poisonous puppets with magical threads, Orochimaru who mastered the forbidden arts of reanimation and quasi-immortality, Deidara who fights from afar using detonating clay and many other deadly foes.

The entire series chronicles Naruto and his fellow ninja comrades growing through countless trials and tragedies. There are hundreds of unique jutsus, clans, and techniques which lead to some very intense, creative and strategic battles between skilled ninja with diverse abilities that don’t always match up evenly. There are clan based abilities such as the Aburame clan’s ability to control insects, the Yamanaka clan’s ability to jump into other people’s minds and control their bodies and the Inuzuka clan’s ability to bond with wolves that learn to mimic their master’s battle skills. Then there’s ocular genetic abilities such as the sharingan which allows the user to create psychological illusions, copy their enemy’s abilities and manipulate elemental energy. The byakugan allows the user to read their enemies vital points and detect their spiritual energy from faraway. The rinnegan grants control over space and gravity and so on.

On top of having countless unique abilities, nearly every character has a tragic backstory that makes them sympathetic and relatable, even the nastiest of the villains have well-explored reasons for following the paths they do and becoming the way they are. One of my favorite aspects of the series is how well it explores the physical, emotional and psychological effects war can have on society and culture as well as the survivors and future generations that are forced to live in them. How it breeds racism and cultural disputes, how it inspires hatred in orphaned children and war veterans robbed of their homes toward foreign nations, as well as how this eventually leads to further death, war, poverty and destruction. Learning to forgive the ones you hate to prevent further conflict and damaging the world for future generations even further is a major theme throughout the story.

Being a massive 700 chapter series, it’s not too surprising that there’s some plot holes and consistency issues. A rule might be stated regarding the requirements and usage of a certain jutsu or ability only for that rule to be repeatedly broken 400 chapters later. Sometimes the characters and rules contradict themselves, sometimes the chronology of certain events and historical facts don’t match up perfectly, the lore and general backstory go through several retcons that change the philosophy and power scaling of the characters and the scope of world-building; the final arc especially drags on and breaks a lot of the logic and rules that the story spent the whole series setting up, etc...

Naruto’s far from perfect, but I remember it very fondly for being one of the first series that introduced me to things like manga and Japanese entertainment in general. It was one of those childhood classics like Dragon Ball, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin. The series grew up with me and I can’t help but feel grateful to it for introducing me to hundreds of other franchises that I’m still a huge fan of to this day and I continue to find many new ones on the regular. Naruto's journey from a clownish, disrespected outcast into a talented, well-loved and admired hero is a memorable one.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this on my kindle atm because I couldn't get my hands on the 3 in 1 paperback edition :( 10/10/2023, a few days ago I managed to complete my 3 in 1 Naruto collection! Finished this on my kindle today, Naruto's birthday. A very enjoyable read as usual. SPOILER ALERT This is mainly about Sasuke and Itachi, brought back using the reanimation jutsu, trying to defeat Kabuto, who as it turns out, also has a broken past and just wants an identity. That's the beautiful thing about Naruto dude, all the characters are given backgrounds which help us empathise and understand where they're coming from, save for Danzo, he's an asshole lol

Itachi has become very philosophical since we last saw him, spewing all about how nobody is ever perfect and how two perfect opposites tend to be two different sides of the same coin. Very deep, anyway, this was fun however the distraction from the larger edo tensei issue that fair enough, Kabuto was in charge of before being immobilised by Itachi. It's strange to me how Orochimaru is no longer centre stage and Kabuto seems to have taken over with multiple entities inhabiting him. One more thing, Naruto is far from being mentioned in this volume despite being the star of the series haha SPOILER ALERT I suppose I do kind of like Itachi better and am glad he's brought back. It always fascinates me how, much like Naruto, Itachi is always able to understand what a person's gone through and knows to empathise, mainly of course, because of how much he's been through himself.