Naruto 307

Page 1

Title:
ナンバー３０７：気まぐれ…！！
Number 307: At a whim...!!

Sidebar:
追い求めたその姿。変わらぬ面差し…いま近きに在りて、されど果て無き遠きにあるが如く。
The longed-after, familiar figure of a friend. Little of his face has changed... But now, as close as he may be, it is almost as though he is separated by endless distances.

Page 2

Frame 1, Text:
見上げた先に…友（サスケ）がいる！！
Looking upward... there stands Sasuke!!

Frame 2, Sasuke:
ナルトか…お前までいたのか。
And now Naruto... So you came too.

Frame 4, Sasuke:
なら、カカシもいるのか？
Does that mean Kakashi's here as well?

Page 3

Frame 1, Yamato:
カカシさんじゃなくて残念だけど、ボクが代理だ。これからカカシ班は君を木ノ葉へ連れ帰る。
Unfortunately Kakashi-san couldn't be here, but I'm here in his place. We, Team Kakashi, are going to be taking you back to Konoha.

Frame 2, Sasuke:
カカシ班か…
Team Kakashi, huh...

Sidebar Preview:
戦いの後に生まれたものとは…！？希望…！？
That which is born from the battle is...!? Hope...!?

Page 4

Frame 1, Sakura:
サイ！アナタやっぱり！
Sai! I knew it!

Frame 5, Sasuke:
そいつがオレの穴埋めか？…ナルトとオレのつながりを守りたいだの何だの言ってたが…
So he's my replacement then, is he? ... He was spouting some kind of nonsense about protecting the bonds between Naruto and me...

Frame 6, Sasuke:
またぬるい奴が入ったもんだな。
One more pansy for the group, quite the fit I'm sure.

Page 5

Frame 1, Sakura:
…え？
... Huh?

Frame 2, Sai:
…確かにボクの極秘任務の命はサスケくんの暗殺だった…
... It is true, my top-secret mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke...

Frame 3, Sai:
けど命令はもういい…今は自分の考えで動きたい。
But those orders don't matter anymore... Now I want to think and act for myself.

Frame 4, Sai:
…ナルトくんが思い出させてくれそうなんだ…ボクの昔の気持ちを…
... Because of Naruto-kun, I feel like I might be able to remember something... Remember how I used to feel.

Frame 5, Sai:
何かとても大切だった気がするものなんだ…
Something which I can't help but feeling was very important to me...

Page 6

Frame 1, Sai:
ボクは君の事を良く知らないけど…ナルトくんやサクラさんがここまで必死に君を追うのには何か訳がある…
I may not know you all that well... But there's a reason why Naruto-kun and Sakura-san chase after you with so much passion...

Frame 2, Sai:
君とのつながりを切るまいと…
In order to prevent their bonds with you from breaking...

Frame 3, Sai:
つなぎ止めておこうと必死になってる…
In order to keep them intact, they're doing everything they can...

Frame 4, Sai:
ボクにはまだハッキリとは分からない。けど、サスケくん、君には分かってるハズだ。
I still don't have a very good understanding of it myself. But you, Sasuke-kun, you should know why.

Page 7

Frame 1, Sasuke:
ああ、分かってた。だから断ち切った。
Sure, I did know. And that's why I severed them.

Frame 4, Sasuke:
オレには別のつながりがある…
I have other bonds I carry...

Page 8

Frame 1, Sasuke:
兄との憎しみっていうつながりがな…
Fraternal bonds, forged through hate...

Frame 3, Itachi (Flashback):
何故弱いか…足りないからだ…
Let me tell you why you're weak... It's because your heart is lacking...

Frame 4, Itachi (Flashback):
…憎しみが…
... lacking in hatred...

Frame 5, Sasuke:
いくつものつながりは己を惑わせ、最も強い願い大切な思いを弱くする。
Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus, weakening their strongest wish, their greatest desire.

Page 9

Frame 2, Sasuke (Flashback):
親も兄弟もいねえてめーに…オレの何が分かるってんだよ…
You never had parents, you never had a brother... So what would you know about me anyway...

Frame 3, Sasuke (Flashback):
初めから独りきりだったてめーに！！オレの何が分かるってんだ！！！アア！！？
You were alone from the very start!! So why the hell would you know what I've been through!!! Huh!!?

Frame 4, Sasuke (Flashback):
つながりがあるからこそ苦しいんだ！！それを失うことがどんなもんか、お前なんかに…
It's because of my bonds I had that I've suffered!! The loss of those bonds is something you can never understand...

Frame 5, Naruto (Flashback):
ホントの親子や兄弟なんて、確かにオレにゃわかんねェ…
A true parent, or a true brother, like you say, those are things I can't understand...

Frame 6, Naruto:
…それなら…
... If that's true...

Page 10

Frame 1, Sasuke (Flashback):
何でだ…
Why...

Frame 2, Sasuke (Flashback):
何でそこまでしてオレに…
Why do you go so far just for me...

Frame 4, Naruto (Flashback):
オレにとっちゃ…やっとできたつながりなんだ。
Because to me... you represent bonds I've waited so long to make.

Frame 5, Naruto (Flashback):
…だからオレはお前を止めるんだってばよ！
... That's why I'm going to stop you from going!!

Frame 6, Naruto:
それならなんであの時…
If that's true, then why...

Frame 7, Sasuke (Flashback):
だったらそのつながりをオレは断ち切るまでだ！
In that case, I only need sever those bonds!

Page 11

Frame 1, Naruto:
オレを殺さなかった！？それで断ち切ったつもりかよ！サスケェ！！
Why didn't you kill me back then!? Is that what you call severing bonds!? Sasuke!!

Frame 3, Sakura:
ナルト…
Naruto...

Frame 4, Sasuke:
…簡単な理由だ…お前とのつながりを断ち切れなかったんじゃない…
... The reason is simple... And it isn't that I wasn't able to sever my bonds with you...

Frame 5, Itachi (Flashback):
お前もオレと同じ…
You, just like me...

Frame 6, Itachi (Flashback):
万華鏡写輪眼を開眼しうる者だ…ただしそれには条件がある…
... possess the potential to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan... But there is one condition...

Frame 7, Itachi (Flashback):
最も親しいともを…殺すことだ。
You must kill... your closest friend.

Page 12

Frame 1, Sasuke:
あいつに聞かされたやり方に従って力を手にするのがしゃくだっただけだ。
I simply didn't want to give *him* the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans.

Frame 3, Naruto:
どういうことだってばよ！？
What do you mean by that!?

Frame 4, Sasuke:
お前に説明する必要はない…
There's no need for me to tell you...

Page 13

Frame 1, Sasuke:
ただ、お前に言えることは…あの時…
Still, the one thing I can say to you... is that back then...

Frame 3, Sasuke:
お前の命はオレの気まぐれで助かっただけだということだ。
I chose to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine.

Page 14

Frame 3, Yamato:
速い…
He's fast...

Page 15

Frame 1, Sakura:
いつの間に…
When did he...

Frame 3, Sasuke:
…そういやお前には火影になるっていう夢があるんじゃなかったか…？
... Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage a dream of yours...?

Frame 4, Sasuke:
オレを追い回す暇があったら修業でもしてりゃ良かったのに…なァ…ナルト。
If you had the time to go around looking for me, you would have been better off training... Don't you think... Naruto?

Frame 5, Sakura:
…サ…サスケ君…！
... S... Sasuke-kun...!

Frame 6, Sasuke:
だから今度は…
And that's why this time...

Page 16

Frame 1, Sasuke:
オレの気まぐれでお前は命を落とすんだぜ。
... you're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine.

Page 17

Frame 3, Naruto:
仲間一人救えねェ奴が火影になんてなれるかよ。そうだろ…サスケ。
Like there's any chance someone who can't save a friend could become Hokage. Don't you think... Sasuke.

Frame 4, Sasuke:
フン…
Whatever...

Sidebar:
気まぐれで救い、気まぐれで殺す。言い放つその表情には一点の曇りも無く…時は冷たく、友（サスケ）を変えていた。
Sparing a life at a whim and taking a life at a whim. As he says so, Sasuke's expression leaves no room for doubt... Time has turned the heart of a friend ice-cold.

Chapter Preview:
容赦なくナルトを襲うサスケの刃…！！次号、「サスケの力」へ！！
With no remorse, Sasuke's blade assails Naruto...!! Next Issue, "Sasuke's Strength"!!