Naruto Chapter 372: The Weeping Country

Summary: We learn that Jiraiya had raised and trained three orphans from Rain Village: Konan, Yahiko, Nagato. Jiraiya heard rumors that all three had since died, but with Konan revealing herself, he surmises that the others are alive as well, and that Pain is one of the other two. (Read 372 here)

SnowyOwl Says: (what is this? A timely post???)

Well, the theory that Pain and Konan being Yondy's teammates lasted all of one chapter. So many crazy reveals lately, I should just stop speculating (humph!). But the Akatsuki duo were Jiraiya's students. Probably his firsts! You can tell that he was younger when he was taking care of the Rain kids than when he was a jounin sensei from the length of the tattoo under his eyes.

Aw, Jiraiya's such a softie! I'm beginning to agree with him that he's not cut out to be Hokage; he feels just a little too much and his approach is to save one person at a time. We saw that with his lifelong pursuit of Orochimaru and now he's trying to assuage his guilt for having a part in the war by taking care of three kids. He'd never be able to get past the one-on-one relationships to look at the big picture and act on it like a Hokage would need to. He loves hard, so he falls hard too.

Those kids were so precious, which makes how they turned out all the more tragic (you were the kindest of the kids). Konan seemed much livelier as a child, I wonder if Pain brainwashed her - she seems a little stoned and without self-will now. And Yahiko was intense! I really like that kid; he's hurting really bad and he's got conviction that reminds me a lot of young!Naruto...only a bit warped because he wants peace by making everyone understand suffering first-hand. (Way to make us think he's Pain, Kishimoto!) He looks suspiciously like Juugo - I think Kishi is running out of character designs.

Finally, Nagato. It's always the quiet ones. He's snapped, the poor boy. And I bet he hides under his bangs because he's got some sort of a bloodline limit or something because Jiraiya got freaked out by it. What is it? What is it!?! I knew that kid was a bad egg when I read his name and immediately thought of Legato (said slow and with a low voice) from Trigun. Oh! I hope he didn't use Yahiko as his first body!

Random Comments:

-Check out that gi-normous fish! Dude.


-And Whaa? Where did that hostage come from? Wasn't he trapped in the frog?
-Jiraiya drenched Konan with oil after commenting on her womanliness. Perv. (heh)
-And his hair shot out like a third arm! I'm okay with him coming out of a frog, but even in the Naruto-verse, the hair-thing still seems so weird.

Naruto Chapter 371: Old Friends

Summary: Naruto's clone is dispelled by Sasuke and Team Konoha gives chase with Naruto in the lead. Meanwhile, Jiraiya is discovered and Pain orders Konan to kill Jiraiya. Both Pain and Konan knew Jiraiya from the past. (Read 371 here)

SnowyOwl Says:

So Mad Tobito sees Sasuke's potential as a hawk? So he goes from a snake to a sharp-eyed, aerial predator? Mmmm, is that what his abominable flesh-wings alluded to? Interesting that Itachi is associated with the crow. Two birds. I'd like to see where this analogy goes. (I'm tellin' ya, the Uchiha brothers are going to work, if not together, at least towards the same ends (see previous post))

Deidara!Pain. So cool. So nice of Kishimoto to identify Pain with piercings so we know who he is when he's using different bodies. Which brings me to...

OMG Pain and Konan know Jiraiya! Pain called him sensei. They...could be his old students!

Jiraiya doesn't know Pain by the name 'Pain.' (I thought I'd get that Pain guy) and most likely Pain is not walking around in his original body. So, if the kid with the dark hair pulled up is Konan, then it's possible that the third kid is Pain. Oh, they had a falling out! They could have been Yondy's teammates. Now they're after his kid and out to kill Jiraiya. This is so tragic!


Or...in some dramatic twist, they're actually after the Kyuubi to finish whatever Minato started! They're actually good! Yeah...not so much.

Jiraiya, again, so bad at stealth. You got found out in two seconds. Really now...

Naruto Chapter 370: A Premonition

Summary: Jiraiya takes out the key to Naruto's seal, which had been stored in his body for safe keeping. He tells the summoning frog connected to the key to go to Naruto should anything happen to him and he reveals that Minato had split the Kyuubi's chakra in two and had only sealed the 'Yang' half in Naruto. Jiraiya also voices his suspicion that the Kyuubi attack on Konoha 16 years ago may have been a direct summon and that the founder of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara, had the ability to control the Kyuubi. (read 370 here)

SnowyOwl Says:

Homework Time! Checkout this LiveJournal post. It gives a pretty good breakdown of the Uchiha facts to date (and some theories to boot) so I don't have to.

Okay?

So with the reveal of Madara having had power to summon the Kyuubi and that Tobi is somehow connected to Madara or the idea of someone siccing the Kyuubi on Konoha 16 years ago, here's what I thought:

The lives of our major characters are much much more complex and closely tied than previously thought.

My conviction that Itachi has a much more complex motivation and greater future role than we were led to believe only grew stronger. Previously, Naruto's relationship with the Uchiha brothers seemed like a separate issue from Naruto's fate as the Kyuubi vessel. It's not uncommon to see the complaint that the series should be renamed 'Sasuke' or 'Uchiha.' Why was Sasuke and Itachi's past and present relationship given so much time and presented in a way that doesn't relate back to Naruto, the title character? Lately, I've been thinking that it's been one huge set up, and that ultimately, Itachi and Sasuke will play a huge role in Naruto's fate.

The direction we've been led to believe these past few years has been some combination of Sasuke with/without Naruto fight and kill/spare Itachi. However, with Itachi's cryptic reaction to news regarding his brother, his lackluster effort in actually capturing Naruto yet going out of his way to "talk" to him, his heretofore indifference to his brother and now sudden call to confront him...leads me to think that when Itachi said 'Let's end this," he was not referring to their one-sided feud at all. I think he's going to finally reveal to Sasuke his true intention and ask his little brother, who has/may have surpassed him, to help him accomplish his goals. Let's end this misunderstanding. Let's end Madara's reign of hate, let's end Tobi's maniacal scheme, let's throw a wrench in whoever-the-villian-is' plan by ridding/manipulating/saving the Kyuubi via his vessel. Let's end this.

Maybe.

(Come on, like either of the Uchiha brothers are going to die when the story is really starting to pick up?)

The fact that Jiraiya acknowledged the hole in his Madara theory (that Madara was alive several generations ago) is also telling. It is not likely that Tobi is Madara. However, this doesn't eliminate the possibility that Tobi is some incarnation of Madara, or someone who inherited Madara's abilities. This could be through blood, or like Yamato, through experimentation. I still feel the evidence supporting the Tobito theory is significant though and the fact that there is a history of soul-switching in the Naruto-verse (Orochimaru building off of existing research), it very well may turn out that Tobi is Obito possessed by Madara. I guess we can call him Mad Tobito.

Moving along. When the toad suggested the Minato was motivated to seal yang!Kyuubi in Naruto out of parental love, Jiraiya (a total softie) rejected it and said 'no, Minato had a GOOD reason.' So if not love, what about Naruto made him a strategic vessel? What could Yondy know about this child that gave his vision of the future the best chance to come true? According to Jiraiya, Minato seemed te base his actions on more practical, concrete facts and reason and not something vague like 'he's my son so I know he'll grow up to harness Kyuubi's power and use it for the good of the village.' What is it, Yondy!?!

Oh, and this chapter finally answered my question about the soul-sealing jutsu. I wondered why if the jutsu locked the sealed and the sealer in everlasting battle inside a shinigami, why was it necessary to seal Kyuubi in Naruto? Who is battling Yondy in the shinigami's belly? I guess the Yin half is...

I could say more, but this post is getting really long. Here's a little something to thank you all for coming back despite my delay in posting. Naruto the Abridged, episode 15 and 16! If you haven't seen the rest of the series, do yourself a favor and start at episode 1. Oh, and 16 references this. The fandom referencing the fandom (and I recognized it). Wow. On to the next chapter!

Naruto Chapter 369: About Pain

**Update 9-17-07**

Summary: Jiraiya learns that Pain is regarded as a mysterious deity who single-handedly defeated Amagakure's leader and won the civil war. Meanwhile, Pain prepares to hunt the intruder and switches with one of the multiple 'copies' of himself.

SnowyOwl Says:

All I'z gots to say is, Jiraiya's in for a lot of Pain (bad pun completely intended. Sorry.)

That, and I was tickled by the young!Sannin flashback. How interesting that the title 'Sannin' was forced upon them rather than something that grew and adapted organically. I always thought it was a name Konohaians used to honor them, but I think that having the enemy acknowledge them speaks even more to their strength...although, it's slightly condescending too, since they took a new name in exchange for their lives. The power to name is the power to control, is it not? The characters are becoming ever the more complex.


I'm with Jiraiya: what is Pain? The organic, natural associations with him is giving way to the more cold and scientific. A mad scientist that experimented on himself? The product of a mad scientist? Will each of the clones have a specific ability and he'll have to switch himself out for different circumstances (unlikely, that would be highly inefficient) or will Jiraiya and co. have to beat Pain multiple times?

And is Naruto still standing in the clearing dumbfounded over that awkward confrontation with Itachi?

Witherwing writes:

Man these chapter titles are too ambiguous. heheh

I loved the sannin flashback as well. Something about the three of them fighting together really makes me happy. And it makes Orochimaru look so normal. I'd think that the enemy nameing them would be more of a way to mock them then to recognize them.

Jiraiya certainly stinks at intimidating people.
I'm going to turn you into a frog.
Did you hear me???
FROG
...
I go back to tickling you.

So we know that Pain controls the weather and has never lost a fight. But yet, he listens to Tobi. Why is that? And he's hero worshipped in this country. Could pose as a problem. Are we sure that those are clones? I just thought that all the Akatsuki slept in the same room...which would be a little weird. But Tobi's one of them. And one's fatter then the others. And there are six of them left but that wouldn't explain the quotation marks on 'Akatsuki.'

Naruto Chapter 368: Reconnaissance

**Update 9-17-07**

Summary: Jiraiya captures and prepares to interrogate two men about Pein. Meanwhile, Pein sends Konan, his Akatsuki partner, to locate the intruder (Jiraiya).

SnowyOwl Says:

Waaah! Toad House! So cool! ::geeking out:: I always thought that Jiraiya was the most awesome (skilled, well-adjusted...) of the sannin, but this clinches it. I'd like to see the other two do that with their summons.

Minus points for the worst disguise ever. And why do they always have to reveal themselves before interrogating the captives? Stay in disguise and the captives can't positively identify you later! Crazy ninjas ::shakes head::

Jiraiya threatened to tickle them into submission. I love Jiraiya. Please don't die because of the Akatsuki. You need closure with Orochi/Sasuchi/Kabuchi. ::sad face::

Anyone else notice it's Suigetsu who calls out concerned for Sasuke? ::secretly fangirling:: It's nice that Kishimoto is showing good team cohesion (in a funny, disfunctional/functional kinda way) and not just Karin being obsessive all the time.

Only the Japanese would come up with origamifying yourself as a super-power. And make it look so lovely. Deathly beauty. Beware of paper cuts!

Witherwing writes:

Jiraiya - Tickleing to death seems very Monty Python-esque. I love how the two ninjas were like 'there aren't any pubs down here on the bottom level'. 'Hey look a pub on the bottom level, let's go in.' Nope, not suspicious at all.

Konan turns herself into paper. I guess that's why she has to wait until Pein stops the rain otherwise she's usless. On a side note I hope that that's a lip ring and not a wart.