Naruto Chapter 390: The Final Jutsu

Summary: Itachi attacks Sasuke with the Amaterasu but Sasuke escapes below ground and counter-attacks with a new fire technique. Itachi dodges the attack. At a standstill and both out of chakra, Sasuke prepares his final attack. (read 390 here)

SnowyOwl Says:

Wow, Itachi looks like he's in a lot of pain and it's fascinating to look at (I reread the chapter a couple of times just to look at the panels again). I think it's because it's the first time we've EVER seen him that beat.

Very exciting chapter: excellent action, well executed.

And Sasuke totally called Itachi out on his bluff (pwnd big brother!)

But I said it once, and I'll say it again. Why do Naruto ninja insist on telling the opponent their weakness? Yeah, hi, I'm completely out of chakra. I have one more move and if it doesn't work I'm screwed. GAH! And when does trapping someone in your psyche mean absorbing all their techniques?! I swear the Uchiha are just a bunch cheaters.

Final prediction: Sasuke's final jutsu is likely not that jutsu. He used a hand seal before Orochi stopped him (ch. 309), which would imply chakra manipulation. Sasuke claims he is out of chakra, so whatever trump card he has may not require any.

Naruto Chapter 389: Sasuke's Strategy

Summary: Since Sasuke is able to escape Itachi's genjutsu, they fight with ninjutsu. Itachi's vision suffers from the side effects of using Tsukiyomi and Sasuke is able to wound Itachi with a windmill shuriken. Then, while fighting fire with fire jutsu, Itachi uses Amaterasu. (Read 389 here)

SnowyOwl Says:

Sasuke pulled out the wires. Yay! I must say, nice play by Sasuke. I am still in shock that he caused bodily harm to the heretofore untouchable Itachi. He bleeds after all. And apparently in the eyes too. Disassociating it completely from Heroes Season 2 (in which this visual was wasted), I really like this concept: Itachi is not only paying a long term consequence for using the Mangekyou, but paying every time he uses his techniques. Even he doesn't get to be powerful for free.

Naruto Chapter 388: The Gap Between Our Power

Summary: Itachi shows Sasuke an illusion of his eyes being plucked out, but after activating the cursed seal, Sasuke overcame the Itachi's Tsukiyomi eye-technique. Sasuke boasts that his hatred will make his dream of defeating Itachi a reality. Itachi responds that he will make the illusion of taking Sasuke's eyes a reality and prepares to use another eye-technique. (Read 388 here)

SnowyOwl Says:

There's something morbidly fascinating about seeing Sasuke in pain. He just does it so ... prettily. Chouji, Shika, Naru, Kiba, and the like just wouldn't have looked the same. Anyway...

Not surprised it was an illusion, though I'd be mighty disappointed if someone doesn't leave the battle damaged in some way; otherwise, it would feel as if the story hadn't moved forward.

More thought provoking for me in this chapter wasn't how Sasuke got out of the illusion and plans on defeating Itachi (though, once again zapenstap has nice theories [1, 2]) but with all this talk of illusion vs. reality, I'm having a hard time figuring out what is happening 'in the real world.'

Note:
ch. 385 - Sasuke spears Itachi on the throne => illusion plane A (IP:A).
ch. 385 - Fly-trap sees the brothers standing still => Reality
ch. 386 - Itachi makes a crazy face and reveals his motive => (IP:B)
ch. 386 - Itachi says Sasuke must have seen his true self => (IP:A or Reality)

Where A !=B but B is not necessary a sub-level of A.

Then they fight and Sasuke gets plucked. This is where it gets confusing. Either (a) they were in Reality at the beginning of the shuriken fight and Itachi uses Tsukiyomi during the fight, or (b) the whole fight including the plucking happened on the same plane, which must be an illusion, because Sasuke then breaks out of it. Either way, the plucking happens in an illusion. What then, is Zetsu reacting to on page 3 when the reader sees Sasuke clutching his bloody eye-socket?

Most likely, it is scenario (a), since there are shuriken scattered on the ground when Sasuke breaks the illusion (and is most likely back in Reality and Zetsu has lot's to say); Itachi probably Tsukiyomi'd him right as the clone dispersed (see picture) and Sasuke never really slammed into a rock. So does that mean that Zetsu was caught up in the eye-plucking Tsukiyomi (which would have some interesting implications for the jutsu)? Or was he observing something outside the reader's knowledge (perhaps he was surprised both suddenly stopped moving)? Or maybe Kishimoto made a continuity error and I'm focusing way too much on the wrong thing. Yes.

Zetsu. How convenient that white!Zetsu is so ignorant and asks all the questions the reader would have wondered about. Poor Black!Zetsu, he must get so annoyed with himself.

Nice continuity with the one-winged demon (cue crazy-killer music)* - Sasuke busted a wing fighting Deidara. However, did Itachi know? I wonder how much detail he is responsible for when creating illusions, and how much is an interaction with the victim's mind. Perhaps he just makes the rules ('relive worst nightmare') and the victim fills in the rest...

*reference to One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth's theme from Final Fantasy VII.

Naruto Chapter 387: Reality

Summary: Itachi states that Sasuke can not defeat him without the Mangekyou, but Sasuke believes he can win through his hate. The brothers fight and Sasuke is cornered and Itachi reaches for Sasuke's eye... (read 387 here)

Snowyowl Says: Go read zapenstap's thoughts on Sasuke here, because I agree 100% with her thoughts.

But to summarize: Is it beyond Kishimoto to disfigure Sasuke? Not at all, and in fact, it would make for some excellent drama; a turn of events he probably has been setting up from the start. Kishimoto has set us up to dislike Sasuke, and the moment we begin to sympathize with him by revealing his monster of a brother, Kishi will cut him down. Because now we care.

It's still too early to tell if the fight we see now is in fact 'Reality' or just another layer of illusion, and there are still many paths to go down: who was screaming? will the fight be interrupted?

I feel pretty confident, though, that neither brother will die; it's just a matter of who gets to keep whose eyes :) There is awhile yet for the story to end, and being one of the driving forces for the narrative, Kishi is likely to keep Itachi around until the end, and Sasuke around to pursue him. As he is now, Sasuke is still not ready or deserving to defeat Itachi in the narrative sense. He hasn't completed his journey, has not yet reached that mental maturity that will grant him his victory. There are still some things that he needs to discover and realize, and I bet my left eye Naruto's going to be the one to help him get there.

Sidenote: Seeing the fuuma shuriken again was a treat. I really wanted to see some wires though, I've always loved the grace and strategy behind Sasuke's use of tools. Ah well...

Oh, and the summoning seals tattooed on his wrist totally reminded me of Fullmetal Alchemist! Tenten should try that instead of carrying around those scrolls.