Naruto Chapter 423: The Deva Path's Powers

Summary: Deva Pain's power is gravity and can pull and deflect objects from himself. Kakashi and the Akamichi's team up to attack Deva Pain, but another Pain thwarts the attack. Trapped in rubble, Kakashi is vulnerable to Pain's next attack. (Read 423 here)

Serenphoria says:

Kakashi, don't aim for his chest! Slash at his ankles and at least do some damage, because you totally missed, even if it was to set up the Akamichi!

What the heck Deus Ex Machina Pain? It was like another Haku moment, except Haku didn't come back from the dead to shield Zabuza.

Kakashi said, out loud: I can't dodge from this range. Which means he can. (Just, tilt your head over a bit). Really, nailed by a nail? That would be as anti-climactic as how Yamato from Hitman Reborn got defeated by a wall.

What can Kakashi do? Dimension warp that nail away! Better yet, Dimension warp Pain away.

Naruto Chapter 422: Kakashi v. Pain

Summary: There are many casualties as the Pains interrogate people about Naruto's location. Kakashi tries to identify Pain's powers while they fight. Chouza and Chouji joins him. (Read 422 here)

Serenphoria Says:

Late post. Quick and superficial notes:

- Splash: Gorgeous
- Konan: I love how her powers look

- New ninja?: Me likes

- Slugs: Ew

- Tsunade: setting herself up for death. Come on, slug chakra not good enough for the injured? Do you have to use yours? Didn't Yamato teach you that the medic needs to live?

- Kakashi v. Pain(s): Gah! Wah!

Naruto Chapter 421: Call Naruto Back

Summary: The attack on Konoha continues. Tsunade reasserts her decision to send for Naruto despite being advised otherwise. In secret, Danzo prevents the message from being sent to Naruto. (Read 421 here)

Serenphoria Says:

OMG froggy!

Most of the chapter was a little cheezy for me, especially the scene with Sakura. I mean, a little kid tripping? Punching out a summon while other ninja run scared? Stopping to put a band-aid on the kid? Too much.

And something is still bugging me about Tsunade. Her declaration of faith was commendable (I so called it!) and I'm happy she stood up to the elders, but she's still not acting like the leader I want her to be. In fact, she was a bit petulant: there's no reason she couldn't have stood up to the advisors without getting physical. Though her decision might have turned out the same, she's acting and reacting as a friend and sister, and not so much as a leader yet.

Real time reaction:

"Do you know what Jiraiya, and Sarutobi, and Chiyo had that you don't? Faith." Yeah, and they're all dead. (Cynical moment, sorry)

Also:

Kakashi - The new lightning hound attack looks so cool. Too bad it was totally ineffective. Kishi is juxtaposing Kakashi's fight with Shizune's attempt to explain the power, which signals that Kakashi's going to find out more soon. I hope it's not the hard way. Regardless, I'm glad we're getting to see more of Kakashi's arsenal after being teased about reputation as the nin who's copied a thousand jutsu.

Danzo - Finally!

Naruto Chapter 420: Battlefield Konoha

Summary: The denizens of Konoha are beginning to realize the village is under attack. Tsunade decides Naruto should be called back from training. (Read 420 here)

Serenphoria Says:

Yay color pages! Yay ensemble battles! Yay Kakashi!

The first third of the chapter alone exhausted my emotional range:

First: Whoa cool! Iruka in a battle situation since chapter 1!

Then: Fool! 'I won't tell you anything?' Then just sitting there in front of an Akatsuki waiting for your purposeless demise?

Simultaneously: Wah! Iruka noooo!

Then: OMG squee! Kakashi yay! You are still so bad@ss and awesome.

Immediately followed by: Oh no...the crazyfans are going to use this as evidence of KakaIru. Just...no. No offense if you're a fan, but I'm made a conscience decision to ignore all shippy discussions about this scene outside of this blog (and only if you write intelligently and cogently. Thanks.)

>if no one we care about dies when attacked by a pack of despotic demi-gods it'll feel like a cop-out and an insult to Jiraiya.<

I take it back! Kakashi don't die! Here, take Iruka. This is going to be like the Immortals fight all over again. I don't think my heart can take it.

Again, I am wondering about Tsunade's ability to lead. First, for someone who can see the attacks from her window, she didn't seem to have noticed until chuunins told her. Then, probably knowing Akatsuki is looking for Naruto, she calls him back. To battle. In the village. Being responsible for the welfare of the village, it feels a tad irresponsible.

On a completely random sidenote, I'm wondering why if looking into one's mind is represented by graphical abstractions, why the thing they are looking for is in the very literal representation of a brain.

Naruto Chapter 419: Attack

Summary: Pain infiltrates and attacks Konoha. Killerbee and the Eight-tails team up and escapes the Akatsuki. (Read 419])

Serenphoria says:

Is it bad that I'm more stoked about Killerbee feigning his own death than I am worried about Konoha's imminent destruction?

*GRINS*

[Konoha is full of Pain]

The first half of this chapter was predictable. (Except for invisible protective shield around the village and the random ESP guys who monitor it. WTH?)

I am reconsidering the theory that the real Pain is Rinneganning all the other Pains. If there was a puppetmaster, they wouldn't need to coordinate and get orders from a lesser Pain, right? Still, their names suggest they are all part of a larger, singular whole.

HumanRealm!Pain freaks me out.

[Family is a Pain]

Killerbee. Nice, Kishimoto, nice. I was completely resigned to be disappointed that it's ending for Killerbee the same way as most all the other jinchuuriki and then not only does he find a way to escape, he actually used the Akatsuki to escape his overbearing brother.

Love love love.

I am wondering about the nature of the tailed beasts though. If they are an amalgamation of potent chakra, shouldn't eight-tails be able to, you know, regenerate his limbs? It makes me wonder if Killerbee's tried to pull something like this before (like a kid who keeps trying to run away) and that's why eight-tail's missing part of his horn.

Does that also mean that the tailed beasts can be weakened/defeated by sucessively lopping off various limbs? (Tis but a flesh wound!)

Side note: I was a little taken aback that the cool cloud nin were reduced to melodramatic tears, but I think it's growing on me. How can you not love the Gai-Lee-like relationship?