Naruto Manga 333: Affinity!!

SnowyOwl Says:

Whew. Three posts and an update on 329 in one day....

Holy Frickin' Ba-jole! What an awesome chapter! It's awesomeness is too much to put into words. But as this is a blog...a few notables:

1. Shika curses - Not in fear, panic, or other emotional state. Oh yeah, he's jaded and forced to grow so fast. Have you noticed his dark eyes lately?

2. Hidan cares - Turning Malfoy and not-Kisame against each other. Did you see the how panicked Malfoy was and how happy he was that his partner ducked? I guess they do care. Even though they're evil, messed-up baddies, sometimes the Akatsuki make me go awwww. I love this pair's antagonistic but symbiotic relationship.

3. Chouji Spiky Meat Tanked - Huh. He pulled a Jiraiya. Ok, I guess I can forgive him for the new coif. Still can't stand the hair in Ino's face though, unless there's a jutsu that requires her to be half blind.

4. Shika didn't plan everything - At first I thought that Shika planned Chouji to attack so Kakuzu would reveal more of his jutsu and Kakashi could see it and attack. But after a second look I saw Shika's shocked face when Kakashi Raikiri'ed the guy. Shocked. Shocked! Looks like Shika didn't plan on that at all. Go Kakashi. Way to make a statement.

5. Kakashi the shinobi - "And now you're going to die." Very reminicent of Kakashi vs. Zabuza. And a very pointed reminder that Kakashi is a trained, effiecient killer.

And now for the awkwardly placed, but significant discussion between Yamato and Naruto:

"So I've got the right affinity for Sasuke..." I can hear all the fan-girls misinterpreting this and squealing now. But it's what Naruto says next that I can't get over: "The only thing that can save a fire from dying and give it even more power...is wind."

Wow. Literal and metaphorical at the same time. Naru's come a long way. Poetic and poignant. I feel this insight is important in two ways:

1) Naruto doesn't think of his mission as beating Sasuke, but saving him. His big and outwardly egotistical personality belies how thoughtful he actually is and both I as a reader and the characters in the story are often surprised.

2) Seems like Naruto respects Sasuke's mission and despite Sasuke's rejection of him and Konoha, this line foreshadows Naruto helping Sasuke becoming strong enough to beat Itachi. Sasuke will need to realize that together they are stronger; he'll need to accept help and thus accept Naruto in order to fulfill his ambition and to move forward. And that's the depth of Naru's goal: despite being betrayed, he's still reaching out and wanting to see his friend happy; he's not just merely fulfilling his promise to Sakura.

Great action and emotionally meaty stuff in this chapter. I don't know where it will lead...but there's some really great fan fiction fodder here.

Did anyone else notice that Yamato pulled out a pre-inked brush?

Witherwing writes:

Wow, Snowyowl certainly had a long post. Mine, sorry to say will not be as deep or long. ^_^

The fight: Oh man, it took me a second reading to figure out what was going on. How does Shika control both at once and not just move them the same way at the same time? Do you realize that he has to move really fast while he is controling Malfoy?

Ino: The hair is in the way. She looks like she's related to Deidara. Hm...

Chouji: Spikey meat tank? Really.

Awkwardly placed scene: Check out the gi-normous hole that they are standing in. I also liked how Yamato was like 'one more thing, you still can only half beat Sasuke if you're lucky.' But Naru is growing up. So cool. He better go and fight Sasuke and win! I liked the theory that they must work togetha to beat Itachi. But then if he defeats Sasuke first, Sasuke will get all depressed and mopey again about losing to Naruto and then turn to the dark side, again. It's a vicious cycle.

Kakashi: I like his serious face.

Please let Kazuku be dead or dying. At least one. Do they know what to do with the man who can't die? He looked so surprised. Do you think it's from feelings about his partner or the fact that he'll have to fight alone now?

Yamato's pen: Maybe he keeps the ink in his pocket for convenience. You know how that is.

SnowyOwl Says (Updated 12.14.2006):

I would just like to point out that WitherWing made three media pop-culture references in one paragraph. That's talent. For those interested, the references, in order, are as follows: Jackie Chan Adventures, The Incredibles, and The Lord of the Rings (special features). You know you're hard-core when you can reference something from the special features...