Naruto Chapter 365: Chasing Itachi

**--Updated 8-26-07--**

Summary: Team Hebi senses they are being tracked and decides to avoid confrontation to concentrate on finding Itachi. Karin and Juugo confuses Team Konoha by using birds to split up Sasuke's scent. In response, Naruto scatters his clones to look for Sasuke, only to have one of them encounter Itachi instead.

SnowyOwl Says:

Erm...Karin's starting to creep me out. Did anyone else feel 'raper' vibes? Maybe she bought perfume, but my first thought was that it was a sedative to take out Sasuke, or the other boys.

Rapage aside, I'm really enjoying Hebi's team dynamic. When it comes to their mission, they discuss, collaborate, and think in terms of each other's skills to form plans. I'm still surprised that Sasuke is so team oriented ("we move as Hebi") but maybe I shouldn't be, since he was the one who helped Team 7 pass the bell test. Team 7 just didn't do it for him.

- How did Hebi conclude that Leaf-nin were after them? (???) As far as Hebi knows, they are doing the pursuing; the confrontation with Deidara was the first indication that they were being pursued (and as far as Sasuke knows, it's because Dei had a personal vendetta against him, and not because the Akatsuki in general is interested in him)
- Major points for Sasuke and Kishimoto for the new shirt! Regretfully, I have to take those points back for failure to change his ridiculous pants and rope-belt. And for magical healing powers. Come on! Humph.
-I still don't get Juugo's bird powers. Is it innate? I don't think Juugo was ever trained as a ninja. Seems like he was just some dude who had crazy uncontrollable powers and then he got locked up.
-And worse. Map. Ever. They should use Google Maps.

[Not Hebi but still Uchiha]

Itachi is getting interesting. Thus far, he's just some non-emotive guy that half-heartedly collects jinchuuriki and looks at people and either scares them or pisses them off. Now we have enigmatic storm symbolism, odd reactions to news about Sasuke, and now a confrontation with Naruto.

Oh. You know that it wasn't a coincidence. And odds are, Itachi is interacting with a clone and knows it. If so, the purpose would be to divulge information, not to capture Naruto. What will you reveal Itachi-san?!? (Or it's a trap. Where's Kisame?)

I think what we know about Itachi is not entirely reliable, since the only information we have is through heresay and a 7-year-old's memories. I mean, has any adult said anything more than 'Itachi wiped out his clan?' Were there witnesses? Was their only source Sasuke? Yes, Itachi answered 'to measure my capacity' to Sasuke's 'why brother?' but can we trust Itachi to speak the truth? The only crimes we know for certain is that he Sharingan'd Sasuke and Kakashi; everything else is conjecture.

I'm not trying to redeem Itachi if he is a sociopath, but now with the complication of Tobi-the-Sharingan user, and suspicious I-know-more-than-I-let-on behavior, I think there is a really exciting possibility for a twist. Itachi seems really intelligent, which is why neither capacity-measuring nor world-domination seem to be his true motivation. Or maybe I just really, really want to believe Itachi is smarter and more complex (anything but world domination! That's so lame!)
To conclude: "There's no time to think!" That's so Naruto ^_^

Witherwing writes:

Again just a few quick notes since I seem to be once again a few weeks behind.

If you look on page 3 they really are traveling in a really big pack. I mean, in that one shot you can see 7 ninjas and 7 nin-dogs. I wonder why Karin was only able to sense one dog. What about Kakashi's dogs? Shouldn't they have more experience or somthing?

Gotta love Kiba: Shut up and let me concentrate!
Like yelling at Naruto isn't distracting.

Karin = creepy

Sasuke - Now that he have his fancy healing powers, that kinda puts Sasuke on the same level as Naruto. For the final fight, they'll be forever locked in combat.
There are two ways to interpret Sasuke's reaction to the leaf following them. He either doesn't want the leaf to get involved in his fight and in running away is protecting them or he doesn't think that they are worth his time and in running away is saving himself a lot of trouble. I think it's the latter since this is poopy-Sasuke we're dealing with here.

What's with the bird with the letter tied to it's leg perched above Naruto?