Naruto Manga 407: Message Decoded!
July 7, 2008
Naruto Manga Chapter 407: To Naruto. As the decoding effort continues in the cryptography unit of the Hidden Leaf Village, Shikamaru is growing a little impatient with Naruto who has been looking at the coded message yet is saying nothing the whole time. It was then that he blurted out that it is because he is puzzled why, despite all the numbers, the message started with a katana “ta” character which everyone have mistaken for the number 9. Only Naruto managed to notice this from all those times Jiraiya made him read his handwritten drafts for the past three years. From this development, they figured that Jiraiya’s message could be in a line number, word markers, or pages of any of his written books.
With Kakashi’s suggestion, they looked in to the Come Come Tactics, the book Jiraiya was writing when he was training Naruto. From it, they manage to decode a message saying, “The real one isn’t with them.” They decided to consult it with Fukusaku-sama to see if it’ll make sense to him.
Elsewhere, the six-person Pain prepares to attack the leaf to capture the nine-tail beast.
Naruto Manga 405: Feeling The Grief
June 20, 2008
On Naruto Manga Chapter 405: Left Behind, Fukasaku-sama, without beating around the bush, broke the news to them that Jiraiya have died in battle and left a coded message etched behind his back. Naruto felt that it was wrong for Tsunade to send Jiraiya on that mission alone and walked out the room leaving Tsunade and the others wishing that Naruto is indeed the destined child.
Now Naruto walks through town reminiscing all the times he spent with Jiraiya. He spent the rest of the day inside his room and only left for the night to buy a popsicle stick which he shared with his sensei during his training. Sitting alone in the dark, he finally cried for his lost sensei.
Naruto Manga 404: Revelations
June 14, 2008
In Naruto Manga Chapter 404: Hawk and Akatsuki, Tobi unmasked himself before Kisame to reveal that he is Uchiha Madara (though his face was still not shown in the manga).
Meanwhile back at the Leaf, Naruto was summoned by the Fifth and was surprised to see Gamabunta with Gamakichi outside the Hokage’s office. Things even became more puzzling when he saw four more toads inside.
We learn now that the grampa frog who fought along side Jiraiya is a head hermit toad of Myouboku Mountain and is actually the one who taught Jiraiya the Hermit style ninjutsu. Fukasaku-sama, without beating around the bush, broke the news to them that Jiraiya have died in battle.
Naruto Manga 403: Thinking Back
June 7, 2008
Naruto Manga Chapter 403: Tears, opens up with Naruto thinking about his chance encounter with Uchiha Itachi. When Itachi asked him why is he so concerned with Sasuke who is now considered as a missing ninja, he answered that it is because he thinks of Sasuke as a brother more than Itachi ever did. But with the story Madara told, I think Itachi went through a lot of hell for his brother’s sake.
I guess the thing that really bothers Naruto is the question posed by Itachi:
“What would you do if Sasuke attacks Konoha? Would you be able to stop him even if it means killing him? Could you weigh Sasuke’s life against Konoha?”
Naruto Manga 402: The Gap Grows Wider
May 30, 2008
After Sasuke learned from Madara the apparent story behind Itachi’s life, and the conflict between the Leaf Village and that of the Uchihas, he dripped into past memories spent with his brother Itachi. He remembered when they used to play hide and seek, the times he practiced shuriken throws with him, when Itachi used to carry him behind his back, and that time when he told him that he is the ultimate obstacle the Sasuke himself must strive to overcome.
All these memories brought tears in Sasuke’s eyes. With those tears, the snake shed its last skin and rises to the sky as a new being. A hawk with an awakened Mangekyou and a single goal in mind - the complete and utter destruction of the Leaf.
Naruto Manga 397: Sasuke Activates Mangekyou!
April 12, 2008
As Tobi was halfway in removing his mask, a strange thing happened to Sasuke when he saw Tobi’s right Sharingan eye. Blood started dripping from his left eye as his tomoe seal started swirling forming a Mangekyou Sharingan that automatically called Amaterasu to engulf Tobi who can’t do anything but to fall back into the darkness.
As the surprised Sasuke managed to get a grip of himself, Tobi explains that it seems that Itachi transferred his eye techniques to his younger brother before he died. He set it up to automatically activate Amaterasu at the sight of Tobi’s Sharingan either as a last ditch effort to kill him or to simply keep him away from Sasuke.
Naruto Manga 396: Tobi Reveals Himself As Madara
April 5, 2008
Naruto Manga Chapter 396: Introduction - Wanting to personally witness the outcome of the battle between the Uchiha brothers, Tobi decides to rush out of his fight against the leaf ninjas. But before rushing out of the scene, Kakashi noticed that their opponent possesses a Sharingan eye and this left him wondering who they were up against.
Realizing the danger that awaits Sasuke, Kakashi leads the team to head out and immediately find Sasuke’s location before the Akatsuki gets there first. Using her Byakugan, Hinata spotted an area in the forest burning with a black fire. Kakashi immediately knew that it was Amaterasu and rushed out towards the place. However, Tobi beats them to the scene arriving at a speed of light.
