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Somebody pinch me!!!
Well, I couldn't have asked for a nicer reception to my comeback!
In fact, I was nearly overwhelmed with everybody's complimentary posts. You guys managed to make last week feel like a warm and fuzzy homecoming for me. As always, your subsequent observations were also a pleasure to read and to discuss, and certainly gave me plenty of food for thought. Your continued support definitely goes a long way! Thanks guys.
Alas, though I tried my best, time constraints dictated that I wasn't able to release a review any quicker than I did last week. I suppose you'll have to start expecting my reviews around Saturday mornings from now on. ^^;
Major thanks to glasskatana and Astray for steering me back on the right direction concerning Deva Pain's abilities, too. Readers last week will remember that I had started to think of it as magnetism instead of gravity manipulation - but thanks to you guys, I realize now I was wrong. Thanks also for being understanding that I'm still human and certainly not impervious to having the occasional mistaken impression!
Onto the credits. Thanks to all of the RAW scanners once again, especially Ju-Ni's Vicissitude for the HQ RAW. I'd also like to show my appreciation to Hisshou for typing up a very nice translation, Fnuckale for doing my fantastic header again, and mee-to-ichi for the Edited Manga images.
Finally, don't forget! Your own comments are ALWAYS appreciated. Hope you enjoy - there's a lot to get to in this chapter, so we'd better be off!
* * * Gold Knight's Ten Comments on Naruto Chapter 440: A Conversation with the Fourth! * * *
Faster than a speeding kunai. More powerful than a Kyuubi. It's Yondyman's cape!
Faster than a speeding kunai. More powerful than a Kyuubi. It's Yondyman's cape!
0. The Fourth's Cloak. What's this? Yes, how about that - a cover. You know what that means?
That means I'll be making my first comment on it this week. It's a long-held tradition of my reviews to make a few observations about each chapter cover, ya know!
Okay, so there's actually not much to say this time. The cover's even a bit bland, especially since we're all pretty much used to seeing the back of Yondaime's jacket. Usually as a trick of light whenever we're seeing Naruto do something cool, as if Minato's ghost was right there cheering him on.
Still, there's a sense of symbolic importance about the image somehow. Let's look at it a bit closely. The cloak's hanging between a couple of trussels, which actually, I think, gives it a sense of royalty. Pretty appropriate, since of *course* there would be plenty of prestige associated with it - Minato was at one time the greatest legend of Konohagakure, after all!
I mean, imagine walking into the Smithsonian Institution and seeing Abraham Lincoln's top hat on display, for instance. Even if you might not be an American, you still know the beaten-up, aging hat was once worn by a truly legendary figure, somebody who had managed to touch and change history for the better. Suddenly the hat becomes almost a priceless treasure because of that knowledge. Now imagine seeing Yondaime's coat somewhere, and I'm sure Konohagakure villagers would have the same sense of awe about it.
Which leads me to wonder, had it been somewhere on display after Minato's death? At the Hokage's office, perhaps? Considering that all of the village have been destroyed, Yondaime's cloak might be sticking out of a pile of rubble somewhere right now... and it would be nice to see Naruto receive it and keep it. Anyway! I guess I've mused enough on the subject. Next comment, please!
RRARGH! Where's the guy who knocked me to the moon!?
1. Count 'em and Rejoice. So yeah, don't worry, we'll be getting to the good stuff pretty soon. First, though, this had to be said.
Last week, there was quite some misunderstanding over one of the speed Edited Mangas that had showed the kanji for nine, 九, 'kyuu,' as seemingly solidified on Yamato's hand, implying that all the Kyuubi's tails had formed.
In the RAW, however, the kanji was only starting to form, and was still pale and faded. At that same moment, a seemingly mesmerized Naruto had been about to break the seal that held the Kyuubi captive within his soul, but of course we all know what happened to stop him from doing just that! (Yamato probably passed out from sheer relief afterwards. Too bad we didn't get to see that happening, I'm sure it would have been amusing! Naruto may want to be prepared for Yamato's 'spooky face' next they meet...!)
Anyway, this chapter should put that misperception to rest. Go ahead, count all the tails in the image. Only EIGHT tails formed and became visible. Consequently, the Kyuubi hadn't broken loose fully yet. And while it's still questionable as to whether the emergence of the ninth tail would have meant Naruto's doom or not, I think it was a very, very good thing for Konoha that the Kyuubi was ultimately held in check!
So what lesson should we all learn from this? Always be a bit cautious when reading a Edited Manga that came out immediately after the chapter's release. It's always more possible that they will have missed something like this. It's not a bad idea to double-check everything with the RAW at times, in fact - even if you can't read Japanese, you can at least see the original art the way it was meant to be seen.
You don't think I don't know who's been vandalizing my face on Hokage Mountain, hmmm?
2. The Truth Revealed! First, what a brilliant way for Kishimoto to re-introduce us to Minato! If you'll remember from the Kakashi Gaiden (and if you haven't read it, go read it right now!), Yondaime had previously been shown as somebody with an extremely calm demeanor.
That hasn't changed. In this scene, the Kyuubi had not been pleased at all at seeing its most hated enemy appearing right in front of him - no, not at all! If the Fox could have, he would have reached through the bars of his cage right then to do something truly nasty to Yondaime. "THE FOURTH! FACE ME! I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!" Something like that, I guess.
But what did Minato do when the Kyuubi howled out a challenge to him? Did he shake with fear? Did he show any perspiration at all? Did his face blanch? Nope! He replied with a smile and a quick rejoinder that pointed out that he obviously had better things to do just then. "Now, why would I go face someone who's going to tear me to shreds."
Now, wasn't that just cool? Hisshouburaiken did a great job of translating this line.
I think this would have to be my favorite scene in the chapter. Sure, it wasn't an overly eye-popping scene or anything. Still, just the way Minato casually shrugged away the Kyuubi's threats with an almost amused response gave us an incredible glimpse into his character, giving us the impression that Yondaime was never one to be easily fazed by anything! A very useful quality to have in a Hokage, no doubt.
Oh, yes, and Sakura's your sister, too!
And now, Naruto knows, at long last.
Yes - Naruto now learns what the rest of us already knew or at least suspected long ago. He wasn't just an abandoned orphan child with a demon stuck inside him. No, he was the long-concealed son of the Fourth Hokage, the greatest hero the village had ever known. He finally knows who his family is, a mystery that no doubt had bothered him all these years.
No wonder Naruto was gladdened at that revelation... but I had to confess being surprised somewhat here at his reaction! Sure, his eyes looked uncomprehending at first, as would have been expected, but realization seemed to dawn on him pretty quickly. I would have thought Naruto would have been a bit stunned and disbelieving a little longer. But in fact, he seemed to easily believe that he was the son of a stranger pretty quickly.
Maybe Naruto had sensed that he was somehow related to the Fourth all along, since the latter did chose him to be the Kyuubi container. Or maybe he had just dared to hope at one time, the lonely orphan inside him wanting to believe it all along.
In any case, Naruto did seem pretty quick to believe Minato here. Maybe it's just one of these magical moments where the father and child somehow recognize each other as family?
It's also a bit funny that Minato wasn't even hesitant at all to tell Naruto that he was his father. It's like he had absolutely nothing to hide. He didn't even seem at all concerned about what Naruto would have thought about the Fourth Hokage being his father. Probably because he did do a whole bunch of great things for Konohagakure during his life, and he died without any regrets, I suppose.
Of course, we'd see that Naruto still had some issues with him...
Yes, Naruto, we're still in your head. Yes, I know it's empty.
3. Visiting Limbo... or the Afterdeath? In order to get away from the ruckus the Kyuubi was making, Minato decided to transport Naruto and himself to a separate "region" - apparently still in Naruto's head, but I wonder...
A white place that seems tranquil and peaceful? What was the last time we've seen something like that?
Actually, the scene is a bit reminiscent of what Gaara experienced when he died at the hands of the Akatsuki. Of course, there's a bit of a difference, though. For Gaara, his body seemed to be shimmering there. Either that, or there was apparently a source of light from somewhere that had been shining on him. That was enough to give one the impression that Gaara was starting to become a bit ephemeral himself, as if his physical being was slipping away into nothingness.
For Minato and Naruto here, though, they're surrounded with a radiating black, almost smoky, aura, that almost seems to say that they're *still* connected to reality but that they were both momentarily displaced to a spiritual plane.
I might be making too much out of it, but it did make me realize something. Remember Kakashi's own hallucinations when he "died?"
That place wasn't white like what Gaara saw at his own "death." It was almost pitch black, and gave a sense of nocturnal experience as Kakashi sat down with his father at the campfire. It may mean nothing, but since that scene was so different from Gaara's own experience, I wonder what Kakashi was experiencing wasn't more of a comatose dream in that case? Ah well, moving on. Oh, wait. One more thing.
...I was drunk that night and forgot the condoms in the car.
Since this was only a quick observation, I didn't think it deserved to be one of the "Ten Comments." Still, there was nowhere else to mention this...
I noticed that people in the discussion threads were confused by who the Fourth was referring to when he said "Hiruzen-sama." That's the surname of the Third Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi. Asuma Sarutobi's father. The old dude with the big hat and the crystal orb, if that rings any bells. Remember now?
That information was revealed recently in the third Databook, but this was the first time we saw his real name in the actual series itself. (I think... seems like it had been mentioned once before somewhere, though.) Anyway, there shouldn't be any more confusion now, we can move on! ^^
I'm PISSED!!! I'm HAPPY!!! I'm PISSED!!! I'...m... brain... shutting down... nnngh.
4. Feelin' Conflicted...! Heh. I think poor Minato may have been expecting a hug... and so were some female readers. Sorry, girls. No bishie love this chapter, I guess!
Naruto's conflicted feelings were pretty damn understandable here, though. Some people had even predicted this would happen last week in the discussion threads, too... and they were right on!
Being branded as the Kyuubi-child all his life sure didn't do wonders for Naruto's social life. Not only that, though, but all his childhood, and even into his teens, the Kyuubi had caused untold problems for him - it had even nearly killed both Jiraiya and Sakura. Yet, it was an awesome power that seemed all too tempting to fall on in times of crisis, especially whenever Naruto was angry.
Of course he was going to lash out at the one who had bestowed that "curse" on him.
But knowing Yondaime was his father now... Naruto probably held back just a little bit more because of that. Obviously, he couldn't even look at Minato anymore while hitting him. He punched with his teary eyes firmly closed, as if he couldn't bear to look at what he was doing just then to his father!
Okay! Let's play some cards, then!
5. Father and Son. Once again, we see just how strong-spirited, intuitive, and charismatic Naruto could actually be in this very poignant moment with his father.
Quickly realizing that his accusations was actually hitting Minato close to home and probably sensing from his father's awkward apologies that he really meant no ill... Naruto quickly reversed his position.
Trying to shove all his grief and anger aside for the moment but not completely doing so, Naruto attempted to put on a stronger front for the sake of his father's dignity. His face reflected his effort to do; even as the streaks of tears and the hurt were still visible on his face, he at least had forced himself to stop crying. His stubborn spirit was coming back in full.
Minato's face seemed be full of fatherly pride and also put on a pained expression after Naruto simply stated that since the Fourth was his father, he himself should be able to deal with the Kyuubi. I think Minato was actually a bit embarrassed at his own prestige that had preceded Naruto. If so, that says a lot about his humility, too.
I think Minato wasn't too surprised, though, at his son's reaction here - I guess when you think about it, Naruto has turned out exactly like Minato would have imagined him to be - somebody who "never gave up," just like the protagonist in Jiraiya's book that gave Naruto his name. He was now seeing that sort of willpower at work here, of course.
Either way, both these facial expressions were what I would have expected to see on both Naruto's and Minato's faces at that moment. Kudos to Kishimoto!
This unexpected conversation with his father may help him in the long run, too. He may be less bitter about the Kyuubi now that he's actually had an opportunity to talk to his father and see for himself that it was done out of love and concern for the village, and as not some weird form of child abuse, ya know? At least he wouldn't always have that doubt about his family anymore, whether they cared about him or not. Maybe it wouldn't make the situation any easier, but at least his heart is probably feeling a bit lighter now...!
Daddy's keeping an eye on you, kid!
6. Big
Mainly, I've noticed that people seem to be confused over why Yondy had to ask about Naruto's age, whereas he's apparently seen or heard what happened with Konohagakure, Pain, and Jiraiya? Some people think that Minato was only asking a question about Naruto's age in order to try to change the subject a bit while already knowing the answer, and maybe he was, but I don't quite think that's it.
Basically I think somehow Minato is able to have "glimpses" of what's happening in the world through Naruto whenever he's in a state of emotional distress. I think the same applies to the Kyuubi as well, who also seems to intrude on Naruto's thoughts most when he's in that sort of vulnerable state as well. Both the discovery of Jiraiya's death and the destruction of Konohagakure would certainly qualify in that respect.
At the same time, though, Minato can't see everything. Most of what Naruto actually sees or experiences won't be very easy for his father to see nor understand from where-ever he "resides" within Naruto's body.
Another theory I also have that might be applicable here is simply that Minato may only have a very vague idea of just how much time has passed outside Naruto's body. I doubt there's a clock anywhere in there, after all!
In any case, Minato's knowledge - even if it's incomplete - of events transpiring during Naruto's life, I think, disproved my "clone theory" from last week. He didn't just come out of nothingness like a clone would - he was the real deal. That's how I feel now.
So yes, I think this is the real Minato now, contained within the very same seal that kept the Kyuubi captive inside Naruto. I'd guess that he has to be "sealed away" most of the time, coming out only when the eighth tail had appeared, otherwise his chakra would dissipate, I suppose.
Or is it actually all of his father in the seal?
I don't think so, actually. DarkManSharingan32 had a very nice theory last week that stated that just like the fact that one half of the Kyuubi's chakra (the 'yang') is locked within Naruto and the other (the 'yin') is trapped within the Death God's stomach, so the same applies to Minato. Thus, the 'yang' of Minato (the spirit) was what Naruto just met, while the 'yin' (the physical aspect) is essentially gone forever.
So in one sense, Minato is dead. But his spirit is still within Naruto, both literally and figuratively.
I know it sounds kinda confusing, but that's the theory I'll subscribe to right now, anyway! What do you guys think? Lemme know.
It's the Sharingan, blondie.
7. The Sith Lord Revealed...! Well, well. Ve-eerry interesting developments, here, kids!
By telling Naruto all he knew about the incident that brought the Kyuubi to Konohagakure sixteen years ago, he also basically (whether he knew it or not) revealed to his son that Tobi - who Naruto had fought several chapters ago - was in actuality the true ringleader of the Akatsuki organization.
This information may actually save Naruto's at a later time, because now he won't underestimate Tobi the next time they meet. Moreover, he now knows who to watch out for after his battle with Pain is concluded.
But there's even more. Remember when Tobi claimed the Kyuubi incident was nothing more than a natural occurrence?
That's just been revealed to be a lie, kids. Now we know Jiraiya was correct in his suspicions that Madara was behind that disaster, and now we know Madara wasn't telling Sasuke the full truth of what happened. Not that we should be surprised, but we know now... Madara is everything that we thought Itachi was, manipulative and most likely evil. I'm highly skeptical about his story regarding his brother's eyes, too.
I have the feeling Sasuke knows as well, though, that he was being deceived a bit and wasn't told everything. We'll see.
One more thing! Some people are upset at how Minato seemed to have been defeated by Madara's Sharingan in a previous battle. But think, people. Yes, of course Minato would have experience against the Sharingan - as the Uchihas were a large clan within his village.
But Madara had the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan*, which also seemed to have given him very different abilities from Itachi's. Heck, even the MS would have been bad enough. At that time, he was probably the only one who possessed even the MS. Itachi was still a child, and Sasuke wasn't even born, or had been newly born. (*Thanks to Phoenix946 for reminding me it was the EMS, not just the MS, that Madara had.)
At that point, it's highly possible Minato had never seen it before. Madara had been missing since his defeat at Hashirama (the First Hokage)'s hands. And then if you count in all the experience Madara had accumulated throughout the years since then... and Minato, despite being the Hokage, he was still basically a kid with no idea of what exactly it was that he was going up against. It's understandable that he would have lost against somebody who gave even the First Hokage fits.
Now that's a pep talk - short and sweet! ;P
8. Pep Talk! By the way, Minato's words about the "world of shinobi" was already essentially what Jiraiya and Pain had told Naruto at other points in the manga. He sort of expanded on what Pain had said, confirming that the shinobi system is a flawed one that indeed can spawn hatred. That's only natural coming from a system that, while it might be based on protection for one's loved ones, can only do so at the expense of others.
I sort of already covered that territory in my last review as well as others (probably 3-5 times now!), and so there's not much more to say about it form my point of perspective now. Kishimoto is really working that problem for all it's worth!
Though, it's a bit interesting to see how Naruto reacted all three times. To Jiraiya, for example, he expressed a bit of a bravado, a certain sense of naiveté, and a general cheery attitude in his response. At the time, it worked like a charm to help lift Jiraiya's spirits.
To Pain, though, who demanded a more immediate solution, he could only regretfully say he didn't know the answer.
And now, to Minato, he expressed anger and frustration at not knowing the answer to a question even Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage couldn't solve. Whereas to Jiraiya he had at least showed some sense of optimism concerning his ability to find the solution to the shinobi problem, now he only expressed a downright pessimistic attitude. Why? Pain had showed Naruto that the problem had been more serious than he realized, after witnessing the destruction of his village.
Basically, it's a nice story progression, showing great character development for Naruto.
Yondaime did the best thing he could do at this point, too. He showed faith in his son. In probably one of Naruto's most darkest moments, his father encouraged him, and assured him that he believed his son had the ability to find the answer. In short, Minato did what Naruto always wanted from the people around him - he acknowledged Naruto. And Naruto didn't even have to work for it - because well, that's what parents are supposed to do anyway! For the first time in Naruto's life, he's experienced parental love...!
I think it's a great and well-written turning point for Naruto. After all, if you have the confidence of the Fourth Hokage...!
May the Force be with you, Naruto...!
9. Fade Out. Now for what amounts to a bit of a bummer.
Of course, Minato clearly said that "this would be the last time" - but what exactly was he referring to - that the seal couldn't be fixed again in such a manner... or that this would be the last time he would be able to talk to Naruto?
I'd say absolutely NO to the latter... except for one little annoying thing. Minato's last words to Naruto, "The leaf will grow again... it's up to you now, Naruto" felt annoyingly final!
So I can't be definite about Minato appearing again, but if he does, it likely won't be for... a very long time.
In fact, I would say that he wouldn't come back again until the end of the series, in dramatic fashion, at the very least. Hopefully he does return, though!
Their talk was pretty brief all things considered. Granted, the Kyuubi was about to break loose, so they couldn't spend a lot of time with idle chatter. Minato didn't even really get to tell Naruto much about himself, nor Kushina, Naruto's mother, or the circumstances surrounding the sealing of the Kyuubi (which I had totally expected to see this chapter in flashbacks. I was wrong.)
Still, I suppose Minato was able to tell Naruto everything he felt HAD to be said in order to help Naruto at the moment, and everything was pretty important to the story, and there was always that sense of urgency present and it was probably needed, so oh well.
It probably couldn't be helped, eh?
Time for Round 2!
10. Lookin' Down At You! Funnily enough, as often happens with Kishimoto's art, I didn't initially like his perspective drawing, but then it grows on me. This is another instance. At first I wasn't crazy about this panel. But then I realized - well, that's how he would look from that angle, anyway!
And well, something tells me Pain is in for it now...!
If you didn't like this chapter for its lack of action, you'll probably be happier next week.
One final thing. I AM very happy to see that it's the true Naruto again fighting Pain instead of the Kyuubified Naruto. That really helped the current story for me.
Because, you know, I wasn't at all very pleased when Naruto became Kyuubified during this battle (though I loved the design!). I had felt from the beginning when Naruto appeared that this WOULD be his moment to excel independently of the bijuu, ya know? With all his senjutsu training and stuff like that, etc... this was his time to prove to everybody that he had the stuff to be Hokage without the Kyuubi.
And yeah, he did a fantastic job in taking down five of the Pains, but then started having problems against Deva Pain ... mostly because he was caught off guard by Fukasaku's death, I guess. And then, of course, Hinata "died" (nah, she didn't, Sakura'll heal her), and Naruto went Kyuubified. At the time, I thought, "aw damn, oh well, I guess Kishimoto is still only willing to go so far with Naruto right now."
Whoops! Silly me.
I think this arc so far is proving to be one of Part 2's best storylines! I'm completely satisfied with how recent chapters have gone. I mean, who would have foreseen Minato actually talking to Naruto, anyway? Heh!
RATING: 5 of 5 - Basically the criteria this time is - and you can answer this too yourself if you want - was the interaction between these two characters, Minato and Naruto, satisfying? Was it merely fanservice? Or was it an important development in the plot? Was it fun to read? Was the dialogue believable?
As I'm sure you can divulge from my rating, I believe the chapter was wonderful in that it was important, fun, AND believable. Every reaction Naruto made, for instance, was totally in character, in my opinion. Minato proved to be a very interesting figure. Basically the chapter left me wanting more, and that's what it should do.
PREDICTIONS: Hmm. One prediction: Naruto slamming Deva Pain's face into the ground?
I also think we'll see a return to what Inoichi's team is doing, although I think it will be Gai's team (thanks to Neji's uber-powerful Byakugan) discovering the whereabouts of Nagato and Konan.
Thanks for sticking with my ramblings to the end of the post!
Where's the Kyuubi!? I don't understand!?
Somebody comment and help me understand, PLEASE!
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