Naruto A commented re-reading of the manga
- Thread starter Estrecca
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Chapter 30 - Your Future Is...
Cover
Zabuza, Haku and the pet rabbit walking down a path, flanked by power lines not built up to code.
Chapter summary
Zabuza tries to put on a tough face and says that he is sick of Kakashi's bullshit.
In turn, Kakashi points that Zabuza is quite defeated and that his death is a sure thing at this point. Some info about Zabuza's background is provided (failed attempts to assassinate the Mizukage and become leader of the Hidden Mist with a coup) and Kakashi muses that he probably attached himself to Gato to get money and to hide from the hunter nins.
Then, Kakashi breaks out the Raikiri, for the first time.
Zabuza starts sweating bullets when he sees that Kakashi has concentrated so much chakra around his hand, that it is visible to the naked eye. In turn, Kakashi starts lecturing Zabuza.
Killing Tazuna in order to kill the courage and hopes of a nation? Not cool, man. Ruining the lifes of many for one's own goals is not something a shinobi should do.
Alas, Zabuza gives no shits. He has made his bed, he'll sleep in it. And he regrets nothing. In spite of this, Kakashi offers him a last chance to surrender, because otherwise he is dead meat.
In the other side of the bridge, Haku is asking Naruto to please hurry up and kill him soon, if he doesn't mind too much. Since he actually minds a lot, he starts asking Haku whether he cannot find some other reason for being alive.
Haku replies that seeing that he has noticed similarities between both of them, since their encounter in the forest, Naruto should be able to understand and that he is sorry that he'll force him to stain his hands with blood. This seems to be correct, because after Haku confirms for the last time that his death is the only way, the poor kid swallows the lump in his throat and tries to put a serious face.
Naruto turns back to look at the fallen Sasuke and comments that he also had a dream. Then, after stating that in a different world, they might have been friends, he starts running towards a serene Haku.
Back with Sakura and Tazuna, they note that the mist is lifting. They can now kind of glimpse two figures in the mist staring at each other. All of a sudden, one of these figures starts moving and Sakura shouts it to the winds.
The shout reaches Haku just as he was about to be stabbed to death and sweeps away his placidness, so he grabs Naruto's arm, excuses himself (he cannot die just yet, sorry about that!) and starts making one handed signs. He vanishes.
As Kakashi starts running towards Zabuza, an ice mirror forms next to them and a bunch of things happen very quickly.
A bunch of ice needles pierce Kakashi's contract.
The nindogs vanish in a puff of smoke.
And Kakashi finds himself with his hand buried wrist-deep in Haku's chest.
Sakura and Tazuna are rather horrified, Haku is dying, Kakashi is flabbergasted and, after a few moments of shocked silence, Zabuza mocks Kakashi.
"My future is death? Heh. Wrong again, Kakashi."
Timeline information
Nothing relevant, except for some very vague allusions to the moment in which Zabuza and his followers start working for Gatou.
Observations
-Yes, chakra sufficiently concentrated to be visible used to be a cause of grave concern for fairly powerful characters.
-I am not 100% sure, but I think that Haku attacking the nindog summon contract to get rid of the summoned creatures is something unique in the whole manga. It is a sound tactical move.
-In all seriousness, Haku is absurdly fast.
Commentary: And Naruto is handed a "get out of murder" free card, while Haku gets his wish of being useful to Zabuza one last time. Makes me wonder how things would have changed if that blow had landed... We probably wouldn't have Ninja Jesus, I guess.
Cover
Zabuza, Haku and the pet rabbit walking down a path, flanked by power lines not built up to code.
Chapter summary
Zabuza tries to put on a tough face and says that he is sick of Kakashi's bullshit.
In turn, Kakashi points that Zabuza is quite defeated and that his death is a sure thing at this point. Some info about Zabuza's background is provided (failed attempts to assassinate the Mizukage and become leader of the Hidden Mist with a coup) and Kakashi muses that he probably attached himself to Gato to get money and to hide from the hunter nins.
Then, Kakashi breaks out the Raikiri, for the first time.
Zabuza starts sweating bullets when he sees that Kakashi has concentrated so much chakra around his hand, that it is visible to the naked eye. In turn, Kakashi starts lecturing Zabuza.
Killing Tazuna in order to kill the courage and hopes of a nation? Not cool, man. Ruining the lifes of many for one's own goals is not something a shinobi should do.
Alas, Zabuza gives no shits. He has made his bed, he'll sleep in it. And he regrets nothing. In spite of this, Kakashi offers him a last chance to surrender, because otherwise he is dead meat.
In the other side of the bridge, Haku is asking Naruto to please hurry up and kill him soon, if he doesn't mind too much. Since he actually minds a lot, he starts asking Haku whether he cannot find some other reason for being alive.
Haku replies that seeing that he has noticed similarities between both of them, since their encounter in the forest, Naruto should be able to understand and that he is sorry that he'll force him to stain his hands with blood. This seems to be correct, because after Haku confirms for the last time that his death is the only way, the poor kid swallows the lump in his throat and tries to put a serious face.
Naruto turns back to look at the fallen Sasuke and comments that he also had a dream. Then, after stating that in a different world, they might have been friends, he starts running towards a serene Haku.
Back with Sakura and Tazuna, they note that the mist is lifting. They can now kind of glimpse two figures in the mist staring at each other. All of a sudden, one of these figures starts moving and Sakura shouts it to the winds.
The shout reaches Haku just as he was about to be stabbed to death and sweeps away his placidness, so he grabs Naruto's arm, excuses himself (he cannot die just yet, sorry about that!) and starts making one handed signs. He vanishes.
As Kakashi starts running towards Zabuza, an ice mirror forms next to them and a bunch of things happen very quickly.
A bunch of ice needles pierce Kakashi's contract.
The nindogs vanish in a puff of smoke.
And Kakashi finds himself with his hand buried wrist-deep in Haku's chest.
Sakura and Tazuna are rather horrified, Haku is dying, Kakashi is flabbergasted and, after a few moments of shocked silence, Zabuza mocks Kakashi.
"My future is death? Heh. Wrong again, Kakashi."
Timeline information
Nothing relevant, except for some very vague allusions to the moment in which Zabuza and his followers start working for Gatou.
Observations
-Yes, chakra sufficiently concentrated to be visible used to be a cause of grave concern for fairly powerful characters.
-I am not 100% sure, but I think that Haku attacking the nindog summon contract to get rid of the summoned creatures is something unique in the whole manga. It is a sound tactical move.
-In all seriousness, Haku is absurdly fast.
Commentary: And Naruto is handed a "get out of murder" free card, while Haku gets his wish of being useful to Zabuza one last time. Makes me wonder how things would have changed if that blow had landed... We probably wouldn't have Ninja Jesus, I guess.
I wonder if this is a retcon. Like originally the idea was that a summoner would have to use a physical contract every time, and destroying that contract becomes the simplest way to deal with a summon. But then Kishi took any easier path where you just have to sign it once and then you can summon whenever with a bit of blood.
My theory is that there are two main methods of summoning - permanent contracts you sign once and can summon forever, and disposable one-time-use contracts you sign and use on the spot. Using a disposable contract scroll is less convenient than signing a permanent contract and provides a weak point the enemy can attack to cancel the summon, but the disposable contract can be pre-loaded with chakra so the summoner doesn't have to expend any more of their current chakra reserves in battle. Kakashi had really low chakra capacity early in the manga and he was already tired out from his fight with Zabuza, he probably didn't have enough chakra left to summon all of his ninja dogs at once with the summoning jutsu. So instead he used a disposable summoning contract scroll he'd pre-loaded with his chakra days or weeks earlier to perform the summoning.
Kakashi did use a jutsu that involved summoning. I think that's it, mostly, as in the scroll had a modified summoning jutsu.
We know they do exist: both the self-replicating winged dog and the Mountain Toad are such jutsu.
Also, pre-loaded chakra. We know this possible because Suigetsu summoning Manda.
It's was probably both: pre-loaded modified summoning jutsu that permits Kakashi to summon a number of his dogs directly underground with only a little amount of chakra
We know they do exist: both the self-replicating winged dog and the Mountain Toad are such jutsu.
Also, pre-loaded chakra. We know this possible because Suigetsu summoning Manda.
It's was probably both: pre-loaded modified summoning jutsu that permits Kakashi to summon a number of his dogs directly underground with only a little amount of chakra
There was also that time Kisame booby trapped his scroll with water prison and shark summons and enough chakra to cast them when Gai opened them. And the Chuunin exam scrolls that could cast sleep genjutsu and summoned exam proctors when opened.
So yeah we know it's possible to seal chakra and jutsu in scrolls. I agree that Kakashi's scroll most likely had a modified multiple dog summon jutsu and enough chakra to cast it sealed inside it and he just needed to add his blood to activate it.
[Edit] Oh yeah and Suigetsu probably summoned Manda the same way, Sasuke most likely sealed a snake summoning jutsu and enough chakra to summon a boss snake inside the scroll and gave it to Suigetsu as an emergency escape plan in case things went south when fighting Itachi, but he ended up needing to use it earlier to survive his battle against Deidara.
So yeah we know it's possible to seal chakra and jutsu in scrolls. I agree that Kakashi's scroll most likely had a modified multiple dog summon jutsu and enough chakra to cast it sealed inside it and he just needed to add his blood to activate it.
[Edit] Oh yeah and Suigetsu probably summoned Manda the same way, Sasuke most likely sealed a snake summoning jutsu and enough chakra to summon a boss snake inside the scroll and gave it to Suigetsu as an emergency escape plan in case things went south when fighting Itachi, but he ended up needing to use it earlier to survive his battle against Deidara.
Chapter 31 - To Each His Own Struggle.
Cover
We see Naruto in a forest, looking at a rusted sign. Behind him, there is a puddle stabbed with a kunai and a leaf pierced with a senbon. Very poetic.
Chapter summary
We get a nice view of the roofs of the main village in Wave. Inari is knocking at the door of an old guy called Giichi asking him to come with him to the bridge, because this time it is a sure thing that they can beat Gato's goons if they all go together.
However, the old man refuses and doesn't even open the door, because if they go the only sure thing is that people will die and they don't have any stomach for that kind of loss anymore. Inari leaves, after proclaiming that he will go alone if he has to, while Giichi's wife barbs him, to convince her husband to follow Inari.
Back at Tazuna's house, Tsunami doesn't want Inari to go to the bridge alone, but the kid shrugs and replies that no one would go with him. He has armored himself with kitchenware and obtained a crude crossbow somewhere, but as he leaves he finds himself face to face with a bunch of people wearing pointy hats that stand offscreen for the time being.
At the bridge, Naruto wonders where Haku has gone. The mist is clearing and he goes towards the figures he starts seeing in the distance, arriving just in time to see the frozen tableau of Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku.
Zabuza praises Haku for a job well done, while Kakashi realizes that he is being held by the literal death grip of a boy who is already dead.
Then, Zabuza starts a swing, apparently aiming to cut both Kakashi and Haku with the same attack, while shouting that he managed to find a surprisingly useful tool, capable of giving him a final chance. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi manages to dodge, in spite of carrying away Haku's corpse.
Naruto is enraged, but Kakashi tells him to stay away, even as he leaves Haku on the ground and closes his eyes. Zabuza is Kakashi's fight and he will put an end to it.
Sakura is glad to see Naruto alive and well, but shits a brick when she gets a pained grimace when she asks about Sasuke.
Zabuza charges, yelling that this is not the time for distractions. Kakashi kicks him in the stomach.
Sakura starts shaking and Tazuna offers to go with her to check on Sasuke. That way, she won't disobey orders. After some slight hesitation, she accepts and takes his hand. Moments later, they find the pincushion formerly known as Sasuke.
After checking that he is cold and that no, this is no illusion, Tazuna suggests that she cry. In his experience, that's the best way to deal with such things. Sakura starts rambling about her perfect scores and how she remembers perfectly over a hundred ninja rules, including number twenty five.
A shinobi must never show tears.
Then, she starts crying.
Meanwhile, Zabuza keeps trying to attack and keeps eating knuckles for his trouble and wondering why he cannot keep up. A last swing ends with Kakashi moving behind his back without Zabuza seeing his move.
At this point, Zabuza simply cannot beat Kakashi in the condition he is in.
Chapter ends with a newcomer (Gato!) showing up and asking what's going on.
Timeline information
Nothing relevant, still the same bloody morning of the last few chapters.
Observations
-Modern stuff counter: The roofs in Wave are totally made from corrugated plastic, even if we have no clue where it comes from or who makes it. There is also an electric lamp at Tazuna's house (it looked like it in previous chapters, but you can actually see it in this one).
-It is rather interesting to see how dismissively Kakashi fights against Zabuza's last flailing attempts to win their fight. Here, Kishimoto manages to capture emotional states very well in the movements of his characters.
Commentary: Sakura is hit with the cluestick and starts to realize that her chosen lifestyle sucks considerably worse than she had anticipated. 'tis a lesson that will take a while to stick (oddly enough, Naruto learns it faster), but a valuable one.
Cover
We see Naruto in a forest, looking at a rusted sign. Behind him, there is a puddle stabbed with a kunai and a leaf pierced with a senbon. Very poetic.
Chapter summary
We get a nice view of the roofs of the main village in Wave. Inari is knocking at the door of an old guy called Giichi asking him to come with him to the bridge, because this time it is a sure thing that they can beat Gato's goons if they all go together.
However, the old man refuses and doesn't even open the door, because if they go the only sure thing is that people will die and they don't have any stomach for that kind of loss anymore. Inari leaves, after proclaiming that he will go alone if he has to, while Giichi's wife barbs him, to convince her husband to follow Inari.
Back at Tazuna's house, Tsunami doesn't want Inari to go to the bridge alone, but the kid shrugs and replies that no one would go with him. He has armored himself with kitchenware and obtained a crude crossbow somewhere, but as he leaves he finds himself face to face with a bunch of people wearing pointy hats that stand offscreen for the time being.
At the bridge, Naruto wonders where Haku has gone. The mist is clearing and he goes towards the figures he starts seeing in the distance, arriving just in time to see the frozen tableau of Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku.
Zabuza praises Haku for a job well done, while Kakashi realizes that he is being held by the literal death grip of a boy who is already dead.
Then, Zabuza starts a swing, apparently aiming to cut both Kakashi and Haku with the same attack, while shouting that he managed to find a surprisingly useful tool, capable of giving him a final chance. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi manages to dodge, in spite of carrying away Haku's corpse.
Naruto is enraged, but Kakashi tells him to stay away, even as he leaves Haku on the ground and closes his eyes. Zabuza is Kakashi's fight and he will put an end to it.
Sakura is glad to see Naruto alive and well, but shits a brick when she gets a pained grimace when she asks about Sasuke.
Zabuza charges, yelling that this is not the time for distractions. Kakashi kicks him in the stomach.
Sakura starts shaking and Tazuna offers to go with her to check on Sasuke. That way, she won't disobey orders. After some slight hesitation, she accepts and takes his hand. Moments later, they find the pincushion formerly known as Sasuke.
After checking that he is cold and that no, this is no illusion, Tazuna suggests that she cry. In his experience, that's the best way to deal with such things. Sakura starts rambling about her perfect scores and how she remembers perfectly over a hundred ninja rules, including number twenty five.
A shinobi must never show tears.
Then, she starts crying.
Meanwhile, Zabuza keeps trying to attack and keeps eating knuckles for his trouble and wondering why he cannot keep up. A last swing ends with Kakashi moving behind his back without Zabuza seeing his move.
At this point, Zabuza simply cannot beat Kakashi in the condition he is in.
Chapter ends with a newcomer (Gato!) showing up and asking what's going on.
Timeline information
Nothing relevant, still the same bloody morning of the last few chapters.
Observations
-Modern stuff counter: The roofs in Wave are totally made from corrugated plastic, even if we have no clue where it comes from or who makes it. There is also an electric lamp at Tazuna's house (it looked like it in previous chapters, but you can actually see it in this one).
-It is rather interesting to see how dismissively Kakashi fights against Zabuza's last flailing attempts to win their fight. Here, Kishimoto manages to capture emotional states very well in the movements of his characters.
Commentary: Sakura is hit with the cluestick and starts to realize that her chosen lifestyle sucks considerably worse than she had anticipated. 'tis a lesson that will take a while to stick (oddly enough, Naruto learns it faster), but a valuable one.
Point.
In any case, the comments about scrolls containing jutsu-modified summons and the reminder about Kisame's boobytrapped scroll, really help explain this whole sequence.
Suigetsu is pretty much doing the same thing as Kakashi. The summoning is already ready in the scroll, he has Sasuke's blood in a bottle and presumably he only has to provide enough chakra to trigger it.
This being an escape route prepared for the throwdown with Itachi really does make an awful lot of sense.
In any case, the comments about scrolls containing jutsu-modified summons and the reminder about Kisame's boobytrapped scroll, really help explain this whole sequence.
Suigetsu is pretty much doing the same thing as Kakashi. The summoning is already ready in the scroll, he has Sasuke's blood in a bottle and presumably he only has to provide enough chakra to trigger it.
This being an escape route prepared for the throwdown with Itachi really does make an awful lot of sense.
Estrecca said:
Point.
In any case, the comments about scrolls containing jutsu-modified summons and the reminder about Kisame's boobytrapped scroll, really help explain this whole sequence.
Suigetsu is pretty much doing the same thing as Kakashi. The summoning is already ready in the scroll, he has Sasuke's blood in a bottle and presumably he only has to provide enough chakra to trigger it.
This being an escape route prepared for the throwdown with Itachi really does make an awful lot of sense.
In any case, the comments about scrolls containing jutsu-modified summons and the reminder about Kisame's boobytrapped scroll, really help explain this whole sequence.
Suigetsu is pretty much doing the same thing as Kakashi. The summoning is already ready in the scroll, he has Sasuke's blood in a bottle and presumably he only has to provide enough chakra to trigger it.
This being an escape route prepared for the throwdown with Itachi really does make an awful lot of sense.
I notice Suigetsu also has a bunch of other scrolls strapped to his belt. I wonder what they do and whether Sasuke created them as well?
I find the concept of being able to call forth another person's summons using their blood to be quite interesting. I wonder if you can also do it without their cooperation? For example, if you stole some blood from Fukasaku and crafted a reverse-summoning scroll could you use them to basically kidnap Naruto? Or would Fukasaku have to create the scroll himself for that to work?
Chapter 32 - The Tools Called Shinobi.
Chapter summary
Kakashi pulls out two kunai and attacks Zabuza, who tries to defend himself with his sword. In reward he gets... a horrific wound to his right arm.
And with this, Zabuza is down to exactly zero functional arms. He cannot hold his sword, he cannot make hand seals, he essentially cannot do a thing now.
Enter GATO stage right, along with his ARMY OF MERCENARIES.
The tycoon finds Zabuza's perfomance rather disappointing, to be honest.
When Zabuza asks what he is doing there, Gato replies that he is altering the deal. Or, rather, the so called deal wasn't worth the toilet paper it was written on.
He has done all this before.
Since hidden village ninjas are expensive and he doesn't trust them to further his interests, he hires missing nin and, when they are conveniently exhausted from removing whatever obstacle that required removing, he has his mercenaries zerg-rush the exhausted missing nins to death.
Dead men tell no tales and this way he doesn't have to pay any money. Great plan, ain't it?
Gatou feared that Zabuza's presence this time around could complicate matters, but no need to worry now. He has been shown to be a cute, toothless baby devil, rather than the dreaded Demon of the Hidden Mist. The goons seem to find this hilarious, for some reason.
While they laugh, Zabuza excuses himself to Kakashi and says that now he has no reason to gun for Tazuna, he doesn't have to fight Kakashi anymore. The other man understand what's going on and accepts.
More or less ignoring the ninjas, Gato moves next to Haku's corpse and starts kicking it, in revenge for one time Haku caught his arm hard enough to break bones. Naruto is furious and tries to charge, but Kakashi stops him, because they are facing some serious numbers. So instead of fighting, Naruto starts berating Zabuza for tolerating this desecration of his friend's body.
Zabuza starts faking being a badass jerk. He used Haku like Gato used him. Some dead flesh doesn't matter now that Haku is dead and he only ever wanted him for his bloodline. He most definitely regrets nothing.
While Gato wonders who the annoying kid is and, in spite of Kakashi's efforts to placate him, Naruto can smell the bullshit and he starts shouting again. Haku really loved Zabuza, more than his own life. And if Zabuza feels nothing in the face of such love, does that mean that Naruto will become an emotionless monster himself if he manages to grow as strong as Zabuza? Hell, Haku pretty much threw away the idea of having any goals in life other than helping his one special person in the world reach his own.
That's just sad, man.
Indeed, it is so sad that Zabuza's facade crumbles.
He starts saying about how Haku was so very kind that it pained him to fight Team Seven. Too kind for this world. Zabuza decides that shinobi cannot really become the emotionless automatons they aim to be. There is still enough humanity in their hearts that he is glad to have fought and lost against the Konoha team.
He then asks Naruto to lend him a kunai, which Zabuza catches with his mouth.
Gato runs back to his mercenary forces and tells them to kill everyone, as Zabuza starts moving himself.
The idiots mock him. What can one badly wounded ninja do against their numbers? Well, for starters, he can manifest a chakra aura in the form of a demon that results in lots of stained pants.
He then kills a bunch of them and breaks through their ranks, while generally ignoring the many instruments of pointy death they stab him with.
He eventually gets to Gato, who appears to be essentially paralyzed in fright, and keeps ignoring the mercenaries as they stab him some more.
Gato unpolitely asks whether he plans to die some time soon and go join his friend in the afterlife. Alas, Zabuza is not going to the same destination as Haku. Instead, he and Gato are going to hell. Down there, they can check together whether he is really a baby devil or if he can become an actual demon.
Then, he cuts Gato's head.
As the idiot dies, Zabuza still stands, in spite of having upwards of a dozen things (between spears, swords and scythes) piercing his body. Naruto is awed, Kakashi is surprised and the mercenaries are so scared, that his final glare makes them all recoil in fear.
Then, Zabuza dies thinking of Haku. So ends the chapter.
Timeline information
Nothing relevant.
Observations
-Gato's doubts about the loyalty of Hidden Village ninja is interesting. Paranoid idiot or legit concerns regarding their trustworthiness in legally shady matters?
-The mercenary gang is kind of odd. We have swords, a bunch of bizarre polearms (including scythes), one guy wielding what look like half of one of those giant shurikens, what seems to be a pipe, one guy with four swords strapped behind his back and another in his hand, no armor anywhere and some seem to be making some kind of effort to look "cool". In short, this is the sorriest bunch of tossers you'll ever see in this manga.
-I find it kind of odd that Gato apparently finds it cheaper to keep around this bunch of like a hundred dudes than paying missing nin, which are noted to be actually cheaper than their official village counterparts.
-Talk-No-Jutsu claims its first victim!
Commentary: Awesome death sequence is awesome. There's not much more to be said here.
Chapter summary
Kakashi pulls out two kunai and attacks Zabuza, who tries to defend himself with his sword. In reward he gets... a horrific wound to his right arm.
And with this, Zabuza is down to exactly zero functional arms. He cannot hold his sword, he cannot make hand seals, he essentially cannot do a thing now.
Enter GATO stage right, along with his ARMY OF MERCENARIES.
The tycoon finds Zabuza's perfomance rather disappointing, to be honest.
When Zabuza asks what he is doing there, Gato replies that he is altering the deal. Or, rather, the so called deal wasn't worth the toilet paper it was written on.
He has done all this before.
Since hidden village ninjas are expensive and he doesn't trust them to further his interests, he hires missing nin and, when they are conveniently exhausted from removing whatever obstacle that required removing, he has his mercenaries zerg-rush the exhausted missing nins to death.
Dead men tell no tales and this way he doesn't have to pay any money. Great plan, ain't it?
Gatou feared that Zabuza's presence this time around could complicate matters, but no need to worry now. He has been shown to be a cute, toothless baby devil, rather than the dreaded Demon of the Hidden Mist. The goons seem to find this hilarious, for some reason.
While they laugh, Zabuza excuses himself to Kakashi and says that now he has no reason to gun for Tazuna, he doesn't have to fight Kakashi anymore. The other man understand what's going on and accepts.
More or less ignoring the ninjas, Gato moves next to Haku's corpse and starts kicking it, in revenge for one time Haku caught his arm hard enough to break bones. Naruto is furious and tries to charge, but Kakashi stops him, because they are facing some serious numbers. So instead of fighting, Naruto starts berating Zabuza for tolerating this desecration of his friend's body.
Zabuza starts faking being a badass jerk. He used Haku like Gato used him. Some dead flesh doesn't matter now that Haku is dead and he only ever wanted him for his bloodline. He most definitely regrets nothing.
While Gato wonders who the annoying kid is and, in spite of Kakashi's efforts to placate him, Naruto can smell the bullshit and he starts shouting again. Haku really loved Zabuza, more than his own life. And if Zabuza feels nothing in the face of such love, does that mean that Naruto will become an emotionless monster himself if he manages to grow as strong as Zabuza? Hell, Haku pretty much threw away the idea of having any goals in life other than helping his one special person in the world reach his own.
That's just sad, man.
Indeed, it is so sad that Zabuza's facade crumbles.
He starts saying about how Haku was so very kind that it pained him to fight Team Seven. Too kind for this world. Zabuza decides that shinobi cannot really become the emotionless automatons they aim to be. There is still enough humanity in their hearts that he is glad to have fought and lost against the Konoha team.
He then asks Naruto to lend him a kunai, which Zabuza catches with his mouth.
Gato runs back to his mercenary forces and tells them to kill everyone, as Zabuza starts moving himself.
The idiots mock him. What can one badly wounded ninja do against their numbers? Well, for starters, he can manifest a chakra aura in the form of a demon that results in lots of stained pants.
He then kills a bunch of them and breaks through their ranks, while generally ignoring the many instruments of pointy death they stab him with.
He eventually gets to Gato, who appears to be essentially paralyzed in fright, and keeps ignoring the mercenaries as they stab him some more.
Gato unpolitely asks whether he plans to die some time soon and go join his friend in the afterlife. Alas, Zabuza is not going to the same destination as Haku. Instead, he and Gato are going to hell. Down there, they can check together whether he is really a baby devil or if he can become an actual demon.
Then, he cuts Gato's head.
As the idiot dies, Zabuza still stands, in spite of having upwards of a dozen things (between spears, swords and scythes) piercing his body. Naruto is awed, Kakashi is surprised and the mercenaries are so scared, that his final glare makes them all recoil in fear.
Then, Zabuza dies thinking of Haku. So ends the chapter.
Timeline information
Nothing relevant.
Observations
-Gato's doubts about the loyalty of Hidden Village ninja is interesting. Paranoid idiot or legit concerns regarding their trustworthiness in legally shady matters?
-The mercenary gang is kind of odd. We have swords, a bunch of bizarre polearms (including scythes), one guy wielding what look like half of one of those giant shurikens, what seems to be a pipe, one guy with four swords strapped behind his back and another in his hand, no armor anywhere and some seem to be making some kind of effort to look "cool". In short, this is the sorriest bunch of tossers you'll ever see in this manga.
-I find it kind of odd that Gato apparently finds it cheaper to keep around this bunch of like a hundred dudes than paying missing nin, which are noted to be actually cheaper than their official village counterparts.
-Talk-No-Jutsu claims its first victim!
Commentary: Awesome death sequence is awesome. There's not much more to be said here.
Conflict of interest. Village ninja are likely regularly hired by their host nations and individual cities to work as police, border patrol, and bounty hunters. It's a bit understandable that a crime boss would be hesitant to hire mercenaries from an organization that also provides law enforcement services to local and national governments.
I mean he probably could get a contract with some Konoha ninja if he really wanted to, they are amoral soldiers of fortune after all. But if the Fire Lord ever decided that he wanted to crack down on organized crime and hired Konoha to take out Gato... well, the Fire Lord's pockets are much deeper than Gato's.
Yeah I always found that weird too. I guess ninja are just so expensive to hire that even a hundred hired goons really are that much cheaper.
Actually I'm pretty sure we can find out exactly how expensive ninja are. The fanbook explains that one Ryou is equal to ten yen and that the pay for performing a D-rank mission starts at 5,000 ryo (so that's after the village has taken it's cut). Do the conversion and hiring a genin to perform a D-rank mission costs about $490 USD plus whatever cut the village takes.
Hiring Zabuza to assassinate Tazuna would probably be considered a B-rank mission since combat with enemy ninja was likely expected. B-rank missions pay around $14,700. Exclude the village's cut since he doesn't work for one, and cut that number in half because he's a missing-nin who will work for cheaper (and that's probably an unrealistically generous discount), and Zabuza's fee might have been around $7400. If we assume all those roughly 100 goons were just desperate street thugs who were willing to off an exhausted and injured ninja for like $50 each hiring them would still have been cheaper. And that's assuming he was paying them at all - he might have just told them their payment was being allowed to loot the city.
I mean he probably could get a contract with some Konoha ninja if he really wanted to, they are amoral soldiers of fortune after all. But if the Fire Lord ever decided that he wanted to crack down on organized crime and hired Konoha to take out Gato... well, the Fire Lord's pockets are much deeper than Gato's.
Yeah I always found that weird too. I guess ninja are just so expensive to hire that even a hundred hired goons really are that much cheaper.
Actually I'm pretty sure we can find out exactly how expensive ninja are. The fanbook explains that one Ryou is equal to ten yen and that the pay for performing a D-rank mission starts at 5,000 ryo (so that's after the village has taken it's cut). Do the conversion and hiring a genin to perform a D-rank mission costs about $490 USD plus whatever cut the village takes.
Hiring Zabuza to assassinate Tazuna would probably be considered a B-rank mission since combat with enemy ninja was likely expected. B-rank missions pay around $14,700. Exclude the village's cut since he doesn't work for one, and cut that number in half because he's a missing-nin who will work for cheaper (and that's probably an unrealistically generous discount), and Zabuza's fee might have been around $7400. If we assume all those roughly 100 goons were just desperate street thugs who were willing to off an exhausted and injured ninja for like $50 each hiring them would still have been cheaper. And that's assuming he was paying them at all - he might have just told them their payment was being allowed to loot the city.
In theory you probably could. But in practice it would be problematic.
For example, how are you supposed to get Fukasaku's blood without encountring Naruto? Its not like they are going to go out on a stroll through enemy territory.
And the reverse is probably true too. With Naruto's blood you could probably summon a Toad - but good luck getting it to fight for you/sticking around long enough for you to do anything with it.
For example, how are you supposed to get Fukasaku's blood without encountring Naruto? Its not like they are going to go out on a stroll through enemy territory.
And the reverse is probably true too. With Naruto's blood you could probably summon a Toad - but good luck getting it to fight for you/sticking around long enough for you to do anything with it.
I think it's less a matter of moral and more a matter of Gatou's goal being taking economic control of a country, if a small one.
In short, ninja villages are fine with shady matters, as long as they don't result in something negative toward the village(like a reduced influence over a country)
Also, Zabuza's price would have been higher: Gatou didn't hire only him, but his whole team aka 1 Jounin+3 Chunin
In short, ninja villages are fine with shady matters, as long as they don't result in something negative toward the village(like a reduced influence over a country)
Also, Zabuza's price would have been higher: Gatou didn't hire only him, but his whole team aka 1 Jounin+3 Chunin
Chapter 33 - The Bridge of the Hero
Chapter summary
In the aftermath of Zabuza's killing of Gato, the goons are still scared and Naruto is visibly disturbed by the whole thing. However, Kakashi tells the kid to keep looking, because this is the end of a man who lived a difficult life.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's heart starts beating again. He wakes up from his state of false death to a whole lot of Sakura calling his name and crying. First thing he does upon waking up is to tell Sakura that she is heavy.
Tazuna is visibly startled, but Sakura just starts hugging Sasuke and grinning like a loon, at least until he points that he is still a living pincushion and hugs hurt. He stands up and asks about both Naruto and the masked kid. He is very surprised after getting an update about the state of things, but disappointed and when Sakura comments that it is impressive how he managed to avoid getting hit in critical areas, Sasuke thinks that he is alive because his enemy decided to spare him.
Then, Sakura shouts Naruto the good news and we have a really nice reaction shot, when Naruto turns and sees his bro waving.
Naruto keeps tearing up as he turns towards Haku's corpse and flashbacks to Zabuza's words about the kid, while Kakashi comments that it is good that Sasuke is fine, too.
Of course, the goons decide that they aren't being taken seriously and decide to interrupt the moment. They announce that since the ninjas killed their meal provider, they are now going to kill them all, pillage the city and generally rob the country blind.
Then, they charge.
Kakashi comments that that's pretty bad. When our main character asks about defeating them all with some super-jutsu, he is told that between the sharingan use, summoning and Raikiri his teacher is running on fumes. Or so he says, at any rate.
At this point, a crossbow bolt falls from the sky, lands between ninjas and mercenaries. Goon zerg rush stops when they realize that some kind of militia led by a kid seems to have materialized behind the ninjas. Oops.
This militia not only is in the mood to put up a serious fight, but they have numbers to match the goons and -if nothing else- the crossbows at the front give them the first strike.
Tazuna is generally proud as all hell and Inari glad that he could be the hero and show up at the last second to rescue his friends.
Naruto decides to help some and makes five shadow clones. After this, Kakashi feels that enemy morale is shaking pretty bad and decides to try something that might "fool" them. Cue shadow clone army of doom, Kakashi version.
After being asked whether they want some of that, the goon reaction can be summarized as DO NOT WANT. They run the hell away, back to the boat they used to show up or just jumping off the bridge. The villagers are generally glad that nobody called their bluff.
Shortly after this, Kakashi checks out Zabuza who is still alive enough to comment that it is all over now. He makes a final request to see Haku's face and Kakashi agrees, so he carries the guy himself.
Then it starts randomly snowing, which considering the reactions seems quite unusual weather for the time of the year. Zabuza muses that Haku seems to be crying. After Kakashi leaves them together, the Demon of the Mist comments that he wishes he could go with Haku...
And when one snowflake melts next to Haku's eye, it looks as if he's crying.
Naruto tears up, commenting that Haku was born in a snowy village, while Kakashi considers that they probably will go on together.
Two weeks later, Team Seven is visiting a couple of tombs marked with two crude crosses and one severely oversized sword.
Oh. And Naruto actually tries to steal some food from a plate of offerings, only for Sakura to tell him to stop that.
Before they leave, Sakura asks Kakashi whether Zabuza and Haku were right about what it means to be a shinobi. He answers that shinobis aren't supposed to have agendas of their own, that being the tools of the state should be the priority and that, yes, this applies to the Hidden Leaf, too.
Unsurprisingly, Naruto does not like the sound of that, at all.
Sasuke then asks what Kakashi believes personally. He gets an evasive answer, about how every living ninja has to live trying to find an answer to the issue. After a few moments of silence, Naruto decides that he is going to be a ninja HIS way. Kakashi is visibly glad.
Later, they say their goodbyes.
The bridge is complete and so, even though Tazuna finds it super sad, they must go back home. Naruto promises to come back for a visit.
Inari, who is visibly shaking not to cry, comments that that better be true. Naruto says that it is OK to cry if he is sad, but Inari definitely isn't going to cry.
So Naruto turns around and starts walking away.
Of course, as soon as they cannot see each other, they both start crying.
Tazuna starts singing Naruto's praises for giving them all hope and then realizes that the bridge is nameless, so he proposes to call it the Great Naruto Bridge. He likes it! Who knows? Maybe one day the name will be famous all over the world.
Meanwhile, Team Seven is bickering. Naruto wants to go back home to tell Konohamaru and mooch ramen off Iruka. Sakura wants to go on a date with Sasuke. Sasuke is distinctly uninterested.
And so ends the Wave arc.
Timeline information
*Chapter starts during the day of the Battle of the Bridge.
*Chapter ends two weeks after the Battle of the Bridge, when Team 7 starts the travel back to Konoha.
Observations
-Of course, this will not be the last implication of the souls of the deceased interacting in some manner with the living world. Among other things, I am thinking of Asuma showing up as a ghost during the Hidan/Kakuzu arc.
-I've been wondering about the crossbows. There is at least a dozen of them and that's not a trivial amount of weaponry, which seems odd for a civilian militia from a country that has been as thoroughly crushed as Wave.
Considering that the people of Wave seem to be mostly fishermen and that the bolts fired by Inari kind of look like an harpoon, I wonder whether these are actually fishing tools used to harpoon large catches of some kind. I don't think that there is anything specific for or against the theory, but it sounds solid in my head.
-Kakashi making upwards of two dozen of shadow clones is unusual. He certainly knows the technique, but it has been argued (and I agree with the idea) that he simply used generic illusory clones and shouted a different technique name.
-Something that many fanfic writers do not seem to get and which is incredibly clear to me: Yes, Kakashi could certainly have bagged himself some money by claiming Zabuza's bounty, ransoming the sword to Hidden Mist or given Konoha greater power by collecting genetic material from Haku, which could have allowed them to duplicate his bloodline.
No, he didn't do any of these things because he is an idiot. Rather, he decided to honor a fallen enemy who managed to hit him in his emotional weak spots by treating him like a human being, rather than a thing or a tool or whatever. It is very much sentimentality over practicality, but it shows Kakashi to have something resembling a moral fiber despite his line of work.
Commentary: And so I finally reach the end of the Wave Arc. It is an excellent little tale and, yes, it can work as a standalone for those who aren't interested in the later developments of Naruto.
However, I am interested in the later developments and broader world that has only been hinted at this point, so let us all continue towards the Chuunin Exams!
Chapter summary
In the aftermath of Zabuza's killing of Gato, the goons are still scared and Naruto is visibly disturbed by the whole thing. However, Kakashi tells the kid to keep looking, because this is the end of a man who lived a difficult life.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's heart starts beating again. He wakes up from his state of false death to a whole lot of Sakura calling his name and crying. First thing he does upon waking up is to tell Sakura that she is heavy.
Tazuna is visibly startled, but Sakura just starts hugging Sasuke and grinning like a loon, at least until he points that he is still a living pincushion and hugs hurt. He stands up and asks about both Naruto and the masked kid. He is very surprised after getting an update about the state of things, but disappointed and when Sakura comments that it is impressive how he managed to avoid getting hit in critical areas, Sasuke thinks that he is alive because his enemy decided to spare him.
Then, Sakura shouts Naruto the good news and we have a really nice reaction shot, when Naruto turns and sees his bro waving.
Naruto keeps tearing up as he turns towards Haku's corpse and flashbacks to Zabuza's words about the kid, while Kakashi comments that it is good that Sasuke is fine, too.
Of course, the goons decide that they aren't being taken seriously and decide to interrupt the moment. They announce that since the ninjas killed their meal provider, they are now going to kill them all, pillage the city and generally rob the country blind.
Then, they charge.
Kakashi comments that that's pretty bad. When our main character asks about defeating them all with some super-jutsu, he is told that between the sharingan use, summoning and Raikiri his teacher is running on fumes. Or so he says, at any rate.
At this point, a crossbow bolt falls from the sky, lands between ninjas and mercenaries. Goon zerg rush stops when they realize that some kind of militia led by a kid seems to have materialized behind the ninjas. Oops.
This militia not only is in the mood to put up a serious fight, but they have numbers to match the goons and -if nothing else- the crossbows at the front give them the first strike.
Tazuna is generally proud as all hell and Inari glad that he could be the hero and show up at the last second to rescue his friends.
Naruto decides to help some and makes five shadow clones. After this, Kakashi feels that enemy morale is shaking pretty bad and decides to try something that might "fool" them. Cue shadow clone army of doom, Kakashi version.
After being asked whether they want some of that, the goon reaction can be summarized as DO NOT WANT. They run the hell away, back to the boat they used to show up or just jumping off the bridge. The villagers are generally glad that nobody called their bluff.
Shortly after this, Kakashi checks out Zabuza who is still alive enough to comment that it is all over now. He makes a final request to see Haku's face and Kakashi agrees, so he carries the guy himself.
Then it starts randomly snowing, which considering the reactions seems quite unusual weather for the time of the year. Zabuza muses that Haku seems to be crying. After Kakashi leaves them together, the Demon of the Mist comments that he wishes he could go with Haku...
And when one snowflake melts next to Haku's eye, it looks as if he's crying.
Naruto tears up, commenting that Haku was born in a snowy village, while Kakashi considers that they probably will go on together.
Two weeks later, Team Seven is visiting a couple of tombs marked with two crude crosses and one severely oversized sword.
Oh. And Naruto actually tries to steal some food from a plate of offerings, only for Sakura to tell him to stop that.
Before they leave, Sakura asks Kakashi whether Zabuza and Haku were right about what it means to be a shinobi. He answers that shinobis aren't supposed to have agendas of their own, that being the tools of the state should be the priority and that, yes, this applies to the Hidden Leaf, too.
Unsurprisingly, Naruto does not like the sound of that, at all.
Sasuke then asks what Kakashi believes personally. He gets an evasive answer, about how every living ninja has to live trying to find an answer to the issue. After a few moments of silence, Naruto decides that he is going to be a ninja HIS way. Kakashi is visibly glad.
Later, they say their goodbyes.
The bridge is complete and so, even though Tazuna finds it super sad, they must go back home. Naruto promises to come back for a visit.
Inari, who is visibly shaking not to cry, comments that that better be true. Naruto says that it is OK to cry if he is sad, but Inari definitely isn't going to cry.
So Naruto turns around and starts walking away.
Of course, as soon as they cannot see each other, they both start crying.
Tazuna starts singing Naruto's praises for giving them all hope and then realizes that the bridge is nameless, so he proposes to call it the Great Naruto Bridge. He likes it! Who knows? Maybe one day the name will be famous all over the world.
Meanwhile, Team Seven is bickering. Naruto wants to go back home to tell Konohamaru and mooch ramen off Iruka. Sakura wants to go on a date with Sasuke. Sasuke is distinctly uninterested.
And so ends the Wave arc.
Timeline information
*Chapter starts during the day of the Battle of the Bridge.
*Chapter ends two weeks after the Battle of the Bridge, when Team 7 starts the travel back to Konoha.
Observations
-Of course, this will not be the last implication of the souls of the deceased interacting in some manner with the living world. Among other things, I am thinking of Asuma showing up as a ghost during the Hidan/Kakuzu arc.
-I've been wondering about the crossbows. There is at least a dozen of them and that's not a trivial amount of weaponry, which seems odd for a civilian militia from a country that has been as thoroughly crushed as Wave.
Considering that the people of Wave seem to be mostly fishermen and that the bolts fired by Inari kind of look like an harpoon, I wonder whether these are actually fishing tools used to harpoon large catches of some kind. I don't think that there is anything specific for or against the theory, but it sounds solid in my head.
-Kakashi making upwards of two dozen of shadow clones is unusual. He certainly knows the technique, but it has been argued (and I agree with the idea) that he simply used generic illusory clones and shouted a different technique name.
-Something that many fanfic writers do not seem to get and which is incredibly clear to me: Yes, Kakashi could certainly have bagged himself some money by claiming Zabuza's bounty, ransoming the sword to Hidden Mist or given Konoha greater power by collecting genetic material from Haku, which could have allowed them to duplicate his bloodline.
No, he didn't do any of these things because he is an idiot. Rather, he decided to honor a fallen enemy who managed to hit him in his emotional weak spots by treating him like a human being, rather than a thing or a tool or whatever. It is very much sentimentality over practicality, but it shows Kakashi to have something resembling a moral fiber despite his line of work.
Commentary: And so I finally reach the end of the Wave Arc. It is an excellent little tale and, yes, it can work as a standalone for those who aren't interested in the later developments of Naruto.
However, I am interested in the later developments and broader world that has only been hinted at this point, so let us all continue towards the Chuunin Exams!
....Wow. That literally never even occurred to me. Kakashi may have replied evasively when Sasuke asked him whether ninja should be tools of their village, but I think his refusal to desecrate Zabuza and Haku's corpses for personal gain or the benefit of his village answers the question more clearly than anything he could have possibly said.