Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Naruto's latest Manga

Today, we'll know more about the character Pain in Manga. Some say that Pain is a relative of Naruto Uzumaki and there has to be a Uzumaki Clan, but I am not sure I mean i cannot predict what will happen next in Naruto like Saskue pwnd Deidra, who knows what will happen next..so better wait and watch...

Monday, July 30, 2007

Naruto Movie 4

Omg I cant believe there will be a new Naruto Movie 4 soon this year, but i am sure it will take a year or two for it to be in english subtitle, i wish i knew japanese, i'll be adding more about the Naruto Uzumaki movie,,, maybe after a while...

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Naruto Uzumaki has no tactics

In the 1st season we saw he fought all out and had no tactics or strategies . In part 2 we saw in the begining that he was using some tactics vs Kakashi but after that he never had good plans. Like when they meet deidara/Sasori he was trying to attack both of them but Kakshi stopped him. was it just because Gaara was dead or is he still stupid.

I think he will eventually lose because he doesnt make plan and is too emotionally about his fights .
Sasuke has no emotions that is why he keeps beating people .

My point is that the writer should add more strategies in Naruto's fighting style so it is more belivable because he goes in and wins by chance or because of the kyuubi all the time.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

3rd Kazekage

So, in latest episode of Naruto Uzumaki, we all find out that Land of sand had super strong Kazekage, who disappeared all of sudden. After years of no results, they find out it was Sasori who killed the Kazekage and made him one of his puppets, and in upcoming battle it will be Choji/Sakura vs Sasori and his master puppet, it gotta be 1 heck of a fight i see no chance for the ladies to win here but lets see how it goes..

Friday, July 27, 2007

Team Gai in trouble

Looks like team Gai' is in big trouble, they are fighting vs their clones, and from what ive seen they are kinda getting pwnd by their own clones, now i read the manga and so i wont tell ya what will happen but lets wait and watch how they solve the puzzle...

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Again no ACTION

I cant take this anymore, Naruto Shippudden episode 21 had no fights just like all the other episodes, now I donno how long will it take before we can see some nice fights all around, bcoz its gettng kinda boring with all this chit chat all the time... siiigh come on Naruto's creator let us see some action............

Naruto's new episode link..

Naruto's new episode is out in RAW, I thought I should share the link to sub version as many might not know about it or never find it till the sub version is out, so here is the link---http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Shippuden+21/video/x2mig5_naruto-shippuden-21-raw_fun

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Naruto Temper

I cant wait for Naruto's new episode to start in about few hours, I have been waiting long time for a good episode in season 2, this one sure looks like a killer one......now it will probably hire in few hours in Japan and then i gotta check out youtube or somewhere else to check out the subtitle version. Naruto Uzumaki is going to fight Deidra which seems to be one of the best stuffs in ages.......

Naruto's New Episode

I cant wait till Naruto's new episode hire, it looks like Naruto will take on Deidra and Sasori vs Choji/Sakura. Oh and not to forget Gai's team is having fun time also, they gonna fight vs their own clones, it looks like the Akatsu Boss is super strong with all these jitsu's in his pocket.. Well lets see what happens and how it goes....

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Naruto Sites Blocked

Recently, I have been hearing that some schools and colleges have been blocking Naruto sites for some weird reasons, if that is the case for you guys here is a good Proxy Site that you can use for free... and visit these Naruto sites....

Naruto vs Neji

So, I started watching Naruto sho win english just recently and now I am at episode where Naruto is going to fight Neji, it looks like Neji will get a good start but then Naruto will probably call Fox Tail power or something and pwn Neji. Although it looks like to be a promising fight and I hope Naruto wont do his Clone Shadow technique.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Naruto in Adobe After Effects

Lately I came across Adobe After Effects and I thought it would be a cool idea to do some video editing with Adobe After Effects for Naruto AMV, and I think that would really rock, so keep visint my blog and hopefully sometime soon I will add some cool Naruto AMV videos, with some nice add-ons.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Naruto's Self-Worth by Adam

There’s a particular scene from Naruto that still clings to my brain…

Naruto is taking the exam that will determine whether or not he is to advance to the level of Chuunin (an intermediate ninja rank). Standing at the front of the classroom is the exam’s proctor. Up until this point, each student had been taking a paper test with nine questions of such profound difficulty that cheating was the only way of getting anything right. And that was the point—the test’s purpose was to gauge “information gathering” skills. Unfortunately, Naruto didn’t realize this, and just stared nervously at a blank sheet of paper the entire time.

So the proctor stops the test and tells the class that the 10th question is optional, to a point. Those who do not take the 10th question will fail along with the rest of their team. Those who do take the 10th question—but get it incorrect—will lose the privilege of taking the Chuunin exam forever. The classroom is stunned. A few people quit the exam then and there, effectively sacrificing present uncertainty for the comfortable hug of the future.

Naruto, sweating profoundly, is faced with a stunning quandary. He was completely baffled by the first nine questions, so there was little probability that he would get the tenth correct. And if he failed the tenth question, he would be stuck a junior-level ninja forever. However, if he quit, he would have to suffer his teammates failing alongside him. More importantly though, he would be admitting to the world—and to himself—that he was not good enough to be a Chuunin.

Naruto, visibly perturbed, slowly inches his hand toward the ceiling to volunteer his defeat. Suddenly, he smashes his hand on his desk and yells at the exam’s proctor. He asserts that even if he has to formally stay at a low-rank forever, he will still become great ninja one day. Powerful words.

So what’s the significance of Naruto’s impressive will?

I think often in present day society, people attach too much significance to superficial things such as titles and awards. It’s in our nature. This sets up the difference between the formal (titular) and the informal. Naruto had such a deep and personal sense of informal worth that he was completely unafraid of losing any formal distinctions he might gain. He would be a great ninja, regardless of what anyone else told him.

To anchor things more in the real world (as opposed to the anime world), there are countless examples of great people who were never formally appreciated during their lifetime. And so too vice-versa. Awards and titles, while fun and interesting, should never be taken as a replacement for actual achievement. Indeed, I think people who lean too heavily on such things are hiding something (small dogs do bark the loudest). To state a personal example, I have a lot of advanced belts in martial arts. However, I try not to let that get to my head in dangerous situations—I’m really not that good and would probably get seriously hurt!

So what’s the take-home point?

When you’re stuck in a position where you miss that award or don’t attain that title or fall short of that grade, just remember Naruto. If you’re really good, you won’t need those superficial seals of approval in the long-run anyway.

Anime Articles - theOtaku.com

Naruto Fever by Steptoussai

(Author Note: I recommend reading this is you're a Naruto fan. If you absolutely DESPISE the show...than what's the point in reading this, neh?)

1997 was one big year for one average manga-ka. Who would've know that a series with such a cliche plot could become *this* huge?

"Naruto" was first seen in "Akamaru Jump" in 1997 and was created by Kishimoto Masashi. Kishimoto was born in 1947 in Okayama Prefecture. His idols were none other than Toriyama Akira, the creator of the "Dragon Ball" series, and Ootomo Katsuhiro, the creator of "Akira". His career got a kick start when his first manga, "Karakuri" (which was about a WWII forces squad), won the Hop Step award and a chance to have one of his manga series published. "Naruto" debuted in 1999 in Shounen Jump and after six years, it is still running. The anime didn't debut in Japan until October 2002, and, like the manga, is still running.

"Naruto" is considered to be the most popular, if not, *one* of the most popular anime series around the globe. The suprising thing about its popularity in America is that the actual anime hasn't even go on air yet(but it will...soon...*cringe*). Of course, with its' popularity comes wacky products and events dedicated to the series:

*Products: How about a pair of Konoha boxers or, for us ladies, a Konoha thong? There is everything from the ever-popular Leaf Headbands, plushies, sports bags, watches, and ever food! All of these products can be found at japanimation.com.

*Movies: As many of you know, the first ever Naruto movie ("It's the Yukihime's Ninja Arts Book!") came out on August 21, 2004 and was a smashing success with around 13,000,000 people across Japan seeing it. The second one came out on August 6th of this year.

*Events: One of the biggest events in Japan is Naruto Paradise. The name says it all. In California, us Americans were supposed to have Naruto Con, but that was, unfortunately, cancelled due to lack of pre-registration.

So there you have it. Naruto fever is burning up the entire planet and it doesn't look like it's gonna stop any time soon.

Anime Articles - theOtaku.com

Naruto And The Fourth Hokage by Meji

Well after this little gem, http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/26177979/, surfaced the other day, I've been prompted to write an unbiased article on the various theories surrounding Naruto and Yondaime. By the way, if you don't know what Yondaime means there will probably be spoilers in here.

For some time now there has been an underlying mystery when it comes to Naruto's past and heritage. Who took care of him as a baby; when did he start living on his own; who are his parents or does he even have them? Now, all that we have been told of his early childhood was that as a newborn the Kyuubi was sealed into his stomach by the valiant Yondaime Hokage.

So obviously all speculations have lead to the Yondaime, with him being the only identifiable person in Naruto's early childhood. As the series progressed, Naruto was referred to as the Yondaime's "legacy*," and many people comment on his likeness to the late Hokage, even the Kyuubi. Then he learns how to summon the exact same animal as him, and the Rasengan, a difficult technique developed by the Yondaime in three years. And let us not forget they have uncannily similar appearances and expressions (blonde hair, blue eyes, squinty-eye smile).

*Legacy is certainly a debatable word meaning anything from son to something left behind as a reminder.

Well let's begin with the most popular theory, "Naruto is the Yondaime's son." In many ways this is the perfect theory. It brings a certain richness to the events that transpired the night Kyuubi was sealed. The Yondaime had to make a choice between his duty and his own family. The suffering of those closest to him or the suffering of an entire village. This would explain the similar characteristics and blood types (both are B), the term "legacy" when used to refer to Naruto, why Jiraiya apologized to the Yondaime as he threw Naruto off a cliff, and how Naruto was able to learn Rasengan so quickly.

However, it throws a lot of common sense out the window. First off, there needs to be a mother. Now many just write her off as "dying in childbirth," or just kill her in some other way. Others say Tsunade or the Anbu that wanted to avenge Hayate, named Uzuki Yuugao, is his mother and that they are just not owning up to it. Second, "Why was he treated so badly if his father was a Hokage?" In the story Konohamaru, the Sandaime's grandson, was highly revered.

Now Naruto, a Hokage's son, should have been treated like a prince, no? The response to that is usually "The Yondaime made many enemies and Naruto would've been hunted down as revenge." It should be mentioned the Kyuubi probably made a lot more enemies in his lifetime and yet Naruto is still alive. Why not add a good 500+ enemies to the mix? Finally, it is cliche. If we've already figured out the biggest plot twist in the series this early on, Kishimoto has failed as a writer. Again it can be noted many suspected surgery involved with Kakashi's Sharingan.

The next theory is "Jiraiya/unrevealed characters as Naruto's father." Jiraiya's personality and hairstyle are certainly reminiscent of a certain jinchuuriki. Also with Tsunade as the match-up it seems picture perfect. But the age is way off. Tsunade would've been 38-39 when she had Naruto which is quite late. Also why wouldn't they take care of Naruto? (There are way too many theories that combat this so I'm moving on). Next is the unrevealed character. That's pretty much it. Just wait-and-see. Finally, there is the Yondaime-related unrevealed character. Usually something like Naruto's father was the Yondaime's brother and he left the village, became an S-Rank criminal, summoned the Kyuubi, and the Yondaime used his own nephew in the sealing.

>>Related theories include "Jiraiya and Tsunade are Naruto's grandparents" which is again combated by age, and "Orochimaru summoned the Kyuubi out of spite" which only has the possibility/impossibility of summoning the Kyuubi going against it.

Now we move on to the "Reincarnation" theory. The theory entails Yondaime being reverted back into a baby when he sealed the Kyuubi into himself(not a newborn baby). It eliminates the heritage trouble and explains appearance, "legacy," and so on. This is largely based on the Sandaime-Orochimaru fight in which the Sandaime briefly explains the nature of Shiki Fuujin no Jutsu. He says "With this Jutsu, the one whose soul is sealed will suffer for all eternity in the belly of death, never gaining release. The one who is sealed and the one who performed the seal. Their souls will mingle, hating each other and battling the other for all eternity." Note the "Their souls will mingle..." This is exactly what is happening to Naruto, his essence is mixing with that of the Kyuubi's. So in theory, Naruto should be the sealer as the Kyuubi is the sealed which in turn leads to Naruto being Yondaime. Also, if the Sandaime sealed Orochimaru's arms into himself, why didn't the Yondaime seal the Kyuubi into himself?

The combatant of this is obviously impossibility. Is it truly possible to revert back to a baby? Many say in a story with huge summoned snakes, slugs, and toads, why not? Another question which arises is what happened with the Shinigami (death god)? Did he take the Yondaime's soul or what?

Now we come across a very controversial but plausible theory, "Naruto is the seal." It basically states Naruto is the embodiment of the sealing of the Kyuubi. He is the Yonaime's essence and the Kyuubi's essence held together by a seal. A person that was "made" and not born. While many are against it since it questions the humanity of the main character, it explains why Naruto has very little trouble with the Kyuubi while Gaara is constantly tortured by Shukaku. Not to mention rids us of the troublesome parentage theories. However, this can again be argued against with impossibility.

There are a myriad of theories out there, but this gives a good summary of the basics. It's all based on and combated with impossibility. Naruto is a fictional story: anything can happen. For now keep your minds open as you, I, and all other Naruto fans anxiously wait for Kishimoto to reveal the full story to us. Until another time, dear readers. Farewell.

Anime Articles - theOtaku.com

Naruto, Kyuubi And Yondaime by Raizu

Blond hair, blue eyes, stubborn attitude, a summoning of the toads, mastery of the Rasengan and a shared blood type of B put Naruto and Yondaime too close to each other similarity wise to completely deny the theory of them being, at the very least, genetically related. I just finished reading an article about all the theories surrounding Uzumaki Naruto and Yondaime Hokage. And I must say, I really REALLY think that you people are just thinking way too hard. Too complexly. Please don’t take offense because I don’t mean anything personal to anyone who believes certain theories. I just mean that as a whole, the theories surrounding the boys are lacking the basics. Here comes the answers to your questions, my friends. From the biggest Yondaime fan of all. Please take them into consideration.

“Is Naruto the Yondaime’s son?” Ah yes, the biggest question of all. Formerly second only to how the hell Kakashi got a sharingan.

Well that certainly seems to be a yes. Well if he is, you ask, why isn’t he treated like a prince? Easy. Same reason we’ve been told from the start. THERE’S A DEMON IN THERE! Does being the son of somebody really important make you any less likely to be possessed? No, no it doesn’t. Gaara’s status of being the Kazekage’s son certainly didn’t make Shukaku want to sink into a hole and die, now did it? No. >_> Whether the villagers know he’s Yondaime’s son or not DOESN’T MATTER. To them, they are thinking something along the lines of “There’s something big and fuzzy and ugly and hella b**chy inside the brat's tummy. If it comes out, lordy lordy the bloodshed! Egads!” Would I want to go near somebody who I though would rip me up if I so much as blinked at him funny? No! Oh gods no! I don’t care who he is or who his family is, I’d leave him the heck alone! If I ignore him, he’ll ignore me. Right?

This should have been obvious guys... There’s a universal little rule that most of us follow when it comes to things we’re really uneasy about. It’s called “being better safe than sorry.” That’s all! That’s all the villagers are doing. If a person has business with Naruto, they take care of it then go back to pretending he doesn’t exist. Simple. THAT is why Naruto isn’t treated like the hero Yondaime thought he should be. Because the villagers know for certain that there’s a demon in there, they have no way of knowing how much control its container has over it. The man who put it in there is not around to TELL them how much control the container has, and they’d rather simply stay away from the kid instead of tempting fate by poking at him to see if his eyes will turn red. Hokage’s son or not. There’s a lot of danger present. To them, approaching the boy is not worth the risk. Life sucks, yeah? Tough. Get over it. That’s the way things work.

“But the villagers are wrong? Aren’t they?”

Not necessarily. That’s a question that merits a “Yes” and a “No.” Now, before you bite my head off for saying that, let me explain. It is VERY common knowledge that when Naruto is highly emotional or feels his life is in dire danger, the kyuubi pushes chakra into his system for him to use. The first time it’s pretty much safe to say Naruto went nuts. And it is often hard to tell at first if Naruto is actually possessed or not. It becomes clear when he starts talking to his enemy that he’s still in control of himself, kinda. Even normal people will SEEM possessed if they get angry enough. Naruto just happens to have something fuzzy and red inside him that makes him look the part with much more conviction. Naruto doesn’t NEED Kyuubi to make him go apes**t. He’s perfectly capable of doing that on his own. However, Naruto IS just as possessable as the next Jinchuuriki.

Let’s take Gaara into the picture for a moment. He wasn’t COMPLETELY nuts before. Close. But not completely. People seem to overlook the fact that Gaara wasn’t aware of his demon either until Yashamaru explained it to him. He thought his sand was his mother's ‘loving’ spirit protecting him. I mean, c’mon. If Gaara was completely possessed at the time, why would he bring medicine to the little girl he had hurt? Shukaku certainly didn’t tell him to do it. Gaara still had some hope in him. Until his uncle attacked. At that point, Gaara whole-heartedly gave up on everything in favor of the realization that he was alone. And then his demon DID possess him.

This COULD happen to Naruto too. Well if that’s the case, why isn’t he possessed like Gaara then? Two major differences, I will tell you. First, Gaara gave up, and his demon took it as his opportunity to take control. Naruto never gives up. Kyuubi gets all the action he can while Naruto is pissed off, then goes back to sleep. Second, the type of seal that was used. Naruto can’t be possessed because Yondaime double sealed the fuzzy f***er! The Shiki Fūjin, or Dead Demon Seal to stick it in his body, and the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, or Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, which was used in conjunction with the first seal to “protect” Naruto as Jiraiya said, from a Kyuubi chakra overdose or from being possessed completely when the chakra is in use.

“So then, if Yondaime cared SO much about Naruto as to want to protect him, why seal the demon in the poor boy at all?”

Another good question. And most people won’t like the answer. Because it is unfair, and to a degree, even cruel. But that’s the life of a shinobi I’m afraid. Firstly, if Naruto IS his son, why would he go out of his way to find another eligible kid when he has his own to use? Perhaps this is part of why Tsunade called being Hokage sh***y. You have to give everything to protect your village, and unfortunately if it’s more than your own life you need to give, you have to sacrifice those most precious to you as well. It sucks. It REALLY sucks. But that’s life. That’s the shinobi. If he wasn’t whole-heartedly willing to do anything for his village, he wouldn’t have taken the job. Secondly, if I were making a sacrifice, I’d make the most of it. Ready for the answer we’ve all been led towards from the start? For why Yondaime didn’t simply seal it inside of himself like Sarutobi did to Orochimaru’s arms?

Yondaime sealed it in Naruto to give his village a powerful tool.

No one wants to think that’s the case. That’s why no one ever brings it up. But unfortunately, again, this is how shinobi life works. Shinobi are tools of war. It ROYALLY sucks. But that’s the case. Life wouldn’t be life if it didn’t have flaws, and I’m afraid this is one unfortunate part of life that has been thrown into the mix. Chiyo-baa said herself that the shinobi countries competed for the Bijuu’s *tailed demons* power. If everyone else has a demon ready to seal into a child, Konoha is in serious trouble of invasion if they don’t have that kind of power on their side as well.

So, Yondaime killed two birds with one stone, in a sense. He protected his village, and left them with his legacy. Legacy can mean many things, but we don’t need to limit Naruto to being only one of them. Yondaime has left his village with a tool to protect the village. The very demon which tried to destroy them is now being forced to protect them through the use of a boy. Naruto is stuck between a rock and a hard place no?

“So where’s his mother?”

More good questions. One that I, for once, don’t have an answer to. Keep your theories on her if you have them. I really can’t argue with any of them unless you are one of those people who think Naruto was “made” rather than born.

“So if he IS Yondaime’s son, why doesn’t anyone know?”

Who says they don’t know? Maybe they do, but only because Naruto looks so similar to the man that they just put two and two together and figured it out. There’s just one tiny problem though. One… little thing… that everyone keeps overlooking. THE VILLAGE WAS UNDER ATTACK!!! Where the hell would Yondaime find the time to tell anyone that he has a whelp?! He has a village to protect and his people are dying faster than lightbulbs in a texas prison! He has to get a move on! Lest more people die! The only people who should know for sure that Naruto is his child is the midwife and anyone else who happened to be in the delivery room. And anyone who looks at Naruto’s birth certificate. Provided they had time to write even that, which it’s possible that they didn’t. Sandaime would have to write one up after everything is done and over with.

Meaning what, ladies and gentleman? Indeed, there is no legal proof that Naruto is the Hokage’s son. He probably has a fake name, because there was no time to write up his real one. Not to protect him from people who admire the Hokage, or from those who hate the Hokage, but because there was simply no time to write up the proof. Word of mouth perhaps? Maybe. It’s possible the midwife would have remembered the boy's name being shouted at her as the Hokage raced out the door. But somehow I find it unlikely. Yondaime was probably in a biiiig hurry to start saving lives. He wouldn’t have had time to go out and say “Look guys here’s what I’m gunna do. See the squirmy stranger here? I’m gunna seal the demon into him and he’s gunna be a hero so treat him right, his name is_____.” No no no! Stop talking about it and go do it Yondy! Gawd! He doesn’t have time to give a speech, he doesn’t have time to write a goodbye letter to his son *and wife as the case may have been* and he DEFINITELY did NOT have time to write up a list of secret family jutsu's for the boy, as so many fanfic writers like to make him do. Nope. The boy would just have to adapt and learn to live without. Because THAT’S LIFE sometimes. Boohoo!

“Alright fine... but say people DID know about Naruto’s parents. Why wouldn’t they tell him? Why doesn’t Naruto know too? He has a right to know his heritage!”

True, but he also has a right to NOT know if that’s what he wanted. It strikes me with awe that someone like me, who like Naruto is the loser of her class, could be the first person who’s ever realized this. Has it ever hit any of you that the reason why certain people know Naruto’s heritage and Naruto doesn’t is because he simply doesn’t want to know?! It’s so simple! The realization came to mind and I’d wanted to hit my head on a rock for not thinking of it sooner! Naruto doesn’t want to know about his parents! He doesn’t HAVE to care, so he doesn’t! He’s got other things he needs to be worrying about.

The common theory is that everyone is keeping secrets from Naruto. Understand, Sandaime made the law to stop people from talking about kyuubi to protect Naruto when he realized that they didn’t love him the way Yondaime thought they should. No one has ever said anything about there being a law forbidding Naruto to know his heritage. Who says the information hasn’t been OFFERED to Naruto before? And he hasn’t simply said “No thank you, I have no interest in who my family is.”? Certainly the boy would long to be held by a parent, to know what it’s like to have a family, but the people aren’t here for him and it’s always been that way. Why should he care about who they were?

There are a lot of orphans out there who have no interest in knowing their true heritage. They prefer to live with the life that has been given to them in the form of a new family or bachelor life. They just want to be who they’ve always known themselves to be under the name they’ve been given, whether it’s their real name or not. People live hard and complicated lives. That goes double for orphans. Why complicate it further by sulking over what COULD HAVE BEEN?

Naruto is well known to not care about things that don’t involve the ‘here and now’. He has dreams to achieve, a Hokage to become. People from whom he needs to earn respect. How is knowing his heritage going to help him? It won’t. Especially since any villager who DOES know about his heritage obviously doesn’t give a damn anyways. Naruto has only himself to help him, with a few friends and guardians to back him up when there’s trouble. He doesn’t have time to wonder about what could have been if he’d had parents, henceforth, he doesn’t care. And anyone who’s asked him why has probably gotten a response of “As much as I’d like to know, all I lost were a couple of idiots who would abandon their own child. I don’t want to know that what I lost were a couple of loving parents, either. That’d just make me too sad. And I don’t have time to worry about it.”

Perhaps someday, when Naruto is grown up, Hokage and respected, he will find the time or interest in discovering his heritage. Until then, we the viewers will just have to wait and watch. And keep coming up with crazy theories! Cuz it’s fun to imagine all the possibilities =P And this concludes my article. I bid you all adieu!

Anime Articles - theOtaku.com

Naruto's Mother by FightingDreamer

There have recently been many articles surronding Naruto's mysterious origins, as well as the uncanny similarities between him and Yondaime. While they cover many theories, from the popular "Yondaime's Naruto's dad!", to many having to do with the seal, to some saying he was created rather than born, none really answer this question: Where the heck was Naruto's mom during all this?! Is she dead? And if not, why isn't she looking after her kid? Hopefully, I can help shed some light on the subject. To save the time of analyzing the other parent possibilities, I'm just going to assume that Yondaime is Naruto's father. Also because I consider it a great possibility.

My opinion, after giving it much thought, is this: Naruto's mom may be alive. This doesn't mean that I don't have reasons why she could be dead. There is the "Naruto's momma died during childbirth" possibility, but I don't believe that. It just seems too obvious. (although this could just be me overanalyzing ^_^;)

One possibility is that she didn't die of childbirth complications, but a shattered heart. Think about it: in one day, her husband dies, and her child becomes shunned by the entire village. This must also have resulted in some anger towards her, considering her child has a furry, nine-tailed demon living in his tummy. All the pain and sadness that suddenly occured in her life may have been too much for her to bare, causing her to commit suicide, or at least leave her child.

My other theory is that Naruto's mother is still alive, unknown to her child, and possibly in the village. Due to the fact that the fox demon was attacking while Naruto was born, it is possible that, like Raizu said in her article, Yondaime didn't have time to tell anybody "Don't worry! I have the fox demon sealed in MY son! He'll keep the demon under control!" They may not have even had the time to write up a birth certificate stating who his parents were! If that is the case, it would explain why nobody has ever discussed Naruto's mom: they don't know her. The only one mentioned in the series who may have known who the father was is Sandaime, which would explain why he was one of the few people who showed Naruto any kindness.

"But wait! If Sandaime knew that Naruto's father was The Fourth, why didn't he tell Naruto?"

For one, Naruto never showed any interest in his parents. Also, Naruto was an interesting case that had to be dealt with carefully. If he knew who his parents were, he would use this to his advantage. Sandaime may have planned on telling Naruto if he became Hokage, but since Orochimaru killed him, the only one to possibly know is now gone.

"Also, how could nobody know that their Hokage has a wife and/or lover, not to mention a child?"

Simple: Yondaime's wife/lover didn't live in Konoha. For the Hokage, Konoha's strongest ninja, to have a lover from a different village or country would cause major complications for the two, which is why they kept this secret. The two eventually decided to have a child, but the nine-tails struck before they could have their happy ending. So Naruto's mom came to Konoha to give birth to her child in order to help the one she loved one last time.

"Okay, but if she didn't die, where is she?"

I have my speculations. She may have moved to Konoha to watch her son in the shadows, considering people may not take to her knowing that her son holds the fox demon in his belly. It is possible that she felt herself an unfit mother, and left her child to what she thought was a better life. It is also possible that she wanted the village her lover died to protect to have another protector. Or she may have hated her child like everyone else. There's no way to really know until they tell us.

Well these are my theories to the Major Momma Mystery. If you have any ideas on the topic, leave a comment and let me know, I'd love to hear them. Until next time!

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Yakushi Kabuto: Why Not To Hate Him by TimberWolf

Before I begin,
1) I know there are a lot of Kabuto haters out there. Please don't vote "no" just because you're one of them. I want your opinion of the article, not the character the article is about. If you're just going to laugh at me for writing about Kabuto, then I suggest you go and read something else.
2) This is my opinion, and I am not forcing it on you.
3) If you don't know the story up to manga volume 8 or anime episode 37, stop reading unless you want a major plot twist revealed. There are a few other spoilers too, but that's the main one if you don't know the story.
4) Warning: long article!

As a Naruto fan with an internet connection, I've discovered quite a few things about my favorite character, Yakushi Kabuto. The number-one thing I've found is simple: Kabuto is the most outwardly hated character on Naruto. I'd like to know why. Kabuto is one of the most important and influential characters on Naruto, even if he doesn't get to be in the spotlight very often. So, why do so many people hate him? Here are some reasons why Kabuto deserves respect.

Reason #1: He's a traitor.
From the beginning, Kabuto was a spy from Sound, working for Orochimaru. He betrayed Leaf, but should we hate him for that? There are 2 very hard-to-accept principals of the Shinobi way- 1) A ninja is a tool for killing. 2) Ninja are masters of trickery and deception. Haku revealed the first principal. Kabuto exposed the second. Historically, a ninja was an assassin and a spy- covering both principals. In being a traitor, Kabuto taught Naruto one of the most important life lessons ever: be wary to trust people, no matter how kind or helpful they seem.

Reason #2: He took defensive techniques and made them offensive.
It's hard to imagine a doctor fighting using only medical knowledge. While Kabuto isn't exactly a doctor, he does know quite a bit about healing. Medicine-related techniques are normally either passive or defensive. In other stories and video games, the healers either don't fight or have a strictly defensive battle plan. Kabuto took his medical knowledge and turned it into an offensive advantage. Using defense as an offense requires a lot of skill and cunning to pull off, and he does it pretty well.

Reason #3: He has a lot of self control.
Kabuto is a powerful shinobi. He beat Tsunade and Naruto right in a row without taking a break. Kakashi admitted that Kabuto is a strong opponent. He's not powerful in the way of sheer strength, like Naruto, but in the way of skill instead. Skill requires more discipline than strength to excel at, and discipline requires self-control. Also, his position as an information-gatherer meant that he had to take and re-take Konoha's ninja tests, so his skills and ability were listed as average, even though Kabuto could have probably been the top student of his graduating class, and would have probably been a jounin by now. He had to hold back, which goes completely against the way the human mind works. It's human nature to flaunt your skills. Holding back goes against human nature, and going against human nature requires a lot of self-control.

Reason #4: He's Orochimaru's lab rat.
Okay, shove all those fantasies out of your head of Orochimaru liking Kabuto because he can fight well or knows a lot about medicine. Orochimaru couldn't give a care that Kabuto can fight and perform medical jutsus. Remember, Orochimaru was kicked out of Konoha because he was doing experiments on other shinobi in order to learn forbidden jutsus. Kabuto has the ability to recover from just about any injury, no matter how serious. He's an ideal guinea pig for Orochimaru's experiments. Most, if not all, forbidden jutsus are life threatening to learn, so being the lab rat for them would not be a pleasant experience at all. Actually, it would probably be considered abuse. Kabuto puts up with being a lab rat, which is more than I can say for most people. Another thing: by using him as a spy, Orochimaru basically robbed Kabuto of a normal life.

Reason #5: He's an important symbolic character.
Think about it for a second. Each character on Naruto symbolizes a different part of the human psyche. Kabuto's symbolism is difficult to decode, but it's important. He symbolizes not only the more obvious darker things- betrayal and manipulation, but also some unexpected things- determination, mystery, and quick thinking. It's fairly obvious why he symbolizes betrayal, but the other four are a little harder to pick out. As a spy, he had to manipulate a lot of things, particularly people's minds. Determination is a little shaky, but when he fought Tsunade, he didn't back away when it looked for sure like he was going to lose. He stuck with it, and won. Kabuto can symbolize mystery because he's a traitor and a spy. A spy's job is to be mysterious, ne? No character on Naruto can symbolize quick thinking better than Kabuto. He's been backed into a corner quite a few times now, but has somehow always managed to find a way out. I could take an entire second article describing all of Kabuto's symbolism, so let's just leave it at this.

All in all, Kabuto is a vital character to the series. If Masashi Kishimoto had never put him into the series, as so many people wish, not only would we lose one of Naruto's best plot twists, but there'd also be a hole in the story. Or, someone else would have filled his position, and everyone would be hating a different character that they all love right now. One last thing: When you think about history, and what a Japanese ninja really was, Kabuto is the character on Naruto who is most true to the way of the ninja.
I hope I was able to change your views about Yakushi Kabuto, at least a little bit.

Domou Arigatou Gozaimasu. (Thank you very much.)

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Naruto: The Power Of A Loser’s Influence P.2 by BKstyles

I’ve gotten quite a few comments and requests to add onto my first article a certain character, though I feel I’ve touched upon the major characters who have been influenced most by Naruto in my first article. After further deliberation however it turns out she indeed should have been included. So this article's purpose is to explain Naruto’s influence on her in an extensive manner.

So without further ado, I will touch upon now the well-liked Hinata:


Subject #7: Hyuga Hinata

Hinata is the shy and soft-spoken member of the famed Hyuga clan in Konoha. She is related to Neji through the same clan, through separated by a border between the head family (which Hinata is part of) and the branch family (which Neji is a part of). She also not so secretly holds a giant crush on Naruto, as shown throughout her consistent shyness around him, and her willingness to let him cheat off of her paper so he wouldn’t get eliminated from the written portion of the chunin exam.

While it seems as if there is no reason for anyone to dislike Hinata at first, we are ignorant to the pain of one Hyuga Neji until the story is revealed during the chunin exams. We find out that because of the dreaded history behind the protective methods of the Byakugan, Neji’s ultimate destiny as a branch family member was to protect the head family. During the conflicted time of disdain between villages, Neji lost his father, and suspecting little to no remorse, action, or even sympathy from the head family for what had taken place Neji began to show hatred not only for the head family, but his own intended ill-fated destiny.

This anger and hatred, is taken out on Hinata who despite being innocent is a member of the Hyuga head family. Hinata knows well the feelings Neji has for her, and takes every opportunity to avoid him at all costs. The last thing she wants is to create any problems, it isn’t in her nature. But as fate would have it, during the tournament Hinata is forced to go face to face with Neji.

Hinata is told by Inuzuka Kiba her ally and fellow squad member, upon his defeat at the hands of Naruto to immediately forfeit her match if she was paired up with Gaara or Neji. Everything seemed like it would have been for the best had she just simply followed Kiba’s advice. Hinata would have probably been more than willing at many points of the match, especially when Neji began to psychologically break her mentality down through harsh words of truth about her personality. He claims that Hinata is not cut out to be a shinobi, she lacks will and determination. He says that the only reason she even wanted to take part in the chunin exams was because squads of three were needed and as a favor to Kiba and Shino she took part without her heart in it for herself.

Hinata’s trembling fuels Neji’s disdain and she begins to doubt herself. Truth could be found in everything he was saying about her, who was she to argue with the young genius of the Hyuga clan? Hinata wanted only to help her teammates and not let anyone down, but the desire to continue on dwindled into nothing as Neji has successfully crushed any morale she had left. Neji’s words however had affected more than just one person. Naruto, unable to contain his feelings for what he was forced to listen to, burst out against Neji for what he had done to Hinata.

Regardless of whether or not Naruto felt the same way for Hinata as she does for him, he cared for her enough to feel pain in his own heart at seeing Hinata’s state after being broken down. Naruto cheers for Hinata to beat Neji down and prove him wrong. He claims that Hinata had made it this far because of how capable she was, not because it was an accident. Naruto inspires feelings of newly found determination within Hinata by explaining her self-worth as an honest and compassionate person in comparison to the arrogance and cold nature of Neji. With Naruto’s opinion about her meaning so much already previous to the tournament, to hear him cheering her on and believing that she out of all people may be capable of proving to everyone that she too has her own shinobi way, even if it meant facing Neji face to face was what she needed to hear to regain her confidence again.

Hinata knew that her chances of defeating Neji were slim; it wasn’t her desire to go into battle with him and beat him down or even defeat him. But after hearing how much Naruto believed in her, when nobody else showed such confidence in her abilities including herself, she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least try to show everyone that she belonged with them, that she deserved to be considered a ninja. Hinata fought her heart out against Neji, the battle was fast paced and exhilarating as expected from two members of the Hyuga clan.

The climax of the fight saw Neji defeating Hinata by sealing the chakra point in the heart off, causing her major injury. Hinata lying up in a hospital bed with a severe injury may not seem like the best outcome of the entire ordeal. But the more important result from the fight was now because of Naruto’s admiration and support for Hinata, she has now gained the respect and admiration of the rest of her friends and superiors for not backing down and showing her resolve is just as solid as anyone else’s.

Hinata had always wanted to change herself to become a better, stronger, and braver person. Naruto’s words were merely the jump-start to motivate Hinata to fulfill even further her own shinobi way. Naruto’s tactics, defending his own way by never going back on his word and by trying his hardest even though the odds were always against him had always had a positive effect on Hinata’s way of thinking, but being directly recognized as a great ninja by Naruto was a new kind of influence for Hinata. Right before Naruto and Neji’s final tournament fight, after Hinata gets out of the hospital, they speak before the battle and Hinata is seen training herself. This further shows her determination to become tough and strong like Naruto. With her crush in her mind at all times, her ultimate goal has become to be like him, which means never backing down and always getting back up, no matter the hardship.

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Naruto: The Power Of A Loser’s Influence by BKstyles

Indeed the first thoughts in everyone’s head as to why Naruto is entitled what it is, is because it follows in most detail the story of a boy who is ultimately chasing his goals and what he deems as his destiny, ascend the ninja ranks and become Hokage. With many themes revolving around the main character Uzumaki Naruto, it is easy to lose the meaning of the name in the multiple extended stories involving many other characters such as the highly popular Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, amongst many others. Many characters receive a massive amount of focus, some even close to the level of Naruto himself. But when presenting this new view on why the name circulates another meaning that ties most of the major stories within the main one together, it’s easy to see why Uzumaki Naruto has his hand in a little bit of everything regarding the progression of his own anime.

Naruto has often been labeled by both his peers and his superiors as a dropout and a loser for as long as he can remember. His less than stellar performance academically as well as his childish and immature behavior can arguably been seen as results of the hardships he faced in childhood bearing the burden of being the container for the Kyuubi and how he was treated by others because of it. He was ostracized, and he fought silently through the shadows of doubt to eventually succeed in acquiring acknowledgement by those he now considers friends as well as graduating the ninja academy.

However, this did not end the admonishment or the looking down upon. It rather opened a gate of new reasons that people seemed to have to make fun of Naruto and come to expect nothing but failure from him despite his victory over loneliness. Not once however did Naruto give up, and throughout his story he opened the eyes of many people who were doubtful and discourteous toward him through his actions, or more accurately his “way of the ninja”. This is Naruto’s influence, the ability to relate and help others to realize their own path through adversity with the help of someone who has battled through and won his struggle with adversity, regardless of whether or not it is the same for those who have received his facilitation.

It is a reoccurring theme throughout the series that so many people have had their life or views on life changed in someway by Naruto, this seems to connect people to each other by a common point and really bring depth to why the anime is titled what it is. Naruto has established connections with quite a few other main characters through similarity, encouragement, spirit, and even jealousy and anger (though in this article I will only discuss whom i see as the six characters effected the strongest by Naruto’s influence). Regardless of what the source is however, it would result undeniably in a significant change of attitude and an increase in respect toward the once deemed “useless dropout”. These instances should serve as considerable reminders of the inaccuracies of being overly judgmental and the faults in assuming ones social status and demeanor without taking the true nature of their personality and resolve in their entirety into thought. In short and simple terms (and clichéd terms as well), to assume prematurely indeed make an “ass” out of “you” and “me”.


Subject #1: Hatake Kakashi

Since the formation of team 7, Kakashi has been enabled to experience first hand Naruto’s mannerisms and character as his sensei. Being in a position not only of personal judgment but professional judgment as well, Kakashi often found it difficult to have faith in the growth of Naruto into ninjahood despite part of his job being to help in the enabling of such capabilities. Naruto during these days found himself in constant competition with his teammate Sasuke, as well as vying for the affections of his female teammate Sakura. His behavior during the actions of both would often show his lack of focus on other tasks and situations that required full attention, to this Kakashi would often scold Naruto and lecture him until he got his point across.

However as the training went on, despite the initial hopelessness found in Naruto, Kakashi began to make note of slight yet significant progress from the littlest of tasks such as making it to the top of the tree during their concentrated chakra training to more advanced feats such as the kage bunshin/demon wind shuriken double team tactic Naruto thought of to free Kakashi from Zabuza’s water prison. Kakashi recognizes and even exclaims that Naruto has shown the most amount of growth out of the three of them. Genuinely impressed by his initial thoughts being proved wrong by Naruto himself, Kakashi remains yet doubtful in whether or not Naruto is destined for the greatness that the young genin believes he is. But in the act of taking the first steps toward proving just how capable of a ninja he can be, Naruto succeeds here during the wave country arc.

Moving on to the chuunin tests, Kakashi is further impressed by Naruto’s victory over Kiba in the tournament part of the exam. Throughout the match he portrayed what probably is his most definitive features in his stamina and unyielding determination. Constantly getting pounded on by Kiba he would always stand back up and take more punishment until the right opportunity came along. In between he threw in some rather clever strategies such as using a henge no jutsu to assume the appearance of Kiba to confuse his eyes as to which clone of himself was Akamaru and which was Naruto. However, knowing that Kiba’s nose couldn’t be fooled upon being punched due to his scent being different than Akamaru’s, he once again used the transformation technique this time to change into Akamaru in dog form to confuse Kiba once again. Kakashi voiced his praise and opinion on the technique and watched on until the end of the match.

Later on in the tournament, after Gai saves Lee from Gaara it is hinted through the looks and perspectives while Gai is explaining his connection with Lee that Kakashi may even view Naruto as the closest person to him in terms of the kind of relationship Gai and Lee share. Though Kakashi chooses to personally train Sasuke over Naruto for the second part of the tournament, Kakashi has gained a new respect for his supposed “dropout” student and in future arcs begins to further trust in his ability and appreciate his resolve.


Subject #2: Momochi Zabuza

Though this particular section will be short, I thought it was important to include because of the incredible influence Naruto has on Zabuza. From the beginning of the bridge builder mission for team 7, Zabuza has embedded the image of an elite jonin in the heads of all 3 of the genin, which included an emotionless demon like killer. His sadistic and self-centered image is only enforced when he verbally tosses away his subordinate Haku upon sacrificing himself in Zabuza’s place when Kakashi attacks with the Raikiri. Having established some kind of understanding of Haku before and during their battle, Naruto deems his cold words unfathomable due to the close relationship Zabuza and Haku shared in the past, but more importantly the manor in which Haku felt toward Zabuza for taking him off the streets and giving him a purpose in life.

Naruto lashes out emotionally, tears in his eyes and anguish in his heart for Haku’s sake and sways Zabuza, the demon like cold-hearted killer of the mist to tears himself with a persuasive and moving speech. Zabuza, virtually defeated by Kakashi fulfills his own wishes to dispose of the person who hired him and disrespected Haku’s corpse and upon his own impending demise due to multiple wounds from Gatou’s (Zabuza’s former employer) men his last wish was to be placed beside Haku in hopes that he would meet him again in the afterlife so they can live peacefully together.

The influence Naruto has on Zabuza with his words alone is proof of his morality, his sense of compassion, and one of the largest leaps in his level of maturity in the entire series. His nature can produce thought-provoking and poignant outward expressions through words and actions, and can reach out to many people if given the right motivation and the right circumstances.


Subject #3: Gaara

One of the most obvious characters influenced heavily by Naruto is Gaara of the desert. Naruto is of no consequence to Gaara during the initial phases of the sand village’s mission to destroy Konoha, which is shrouded under the guise of the 3 sand genin taking part in the chuunin exam. In fact it is Sasuke who has more of an effect on Gaara at first, and soon after Gaara begins to forsake his mission in exchange for the increasingly overwhelming desire to kill Sasuke during their tournament match.

Soon after Gaara’s ultimate defense is pierced by the chidori, the plan takes form and Konoha is soon in a state of emergency bringing the chuunin exam to a pre-mature end. Gaara is spent from the overexertion of his chakra and injured from the chidori and is escorted away from the village by Temari and Kankuro to recover. Sasuke chases after and Kakashi orders the 4 man cell of his tracking dog Pakkun, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Naruto to chase down Sasuke and back him up. Eventually Sasuke is defeated by Gaara who is losing control of him self and begins to give into the one-tailed Shukaku beast that was sealed within him much like how Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed within him. Naruto’s initial motivation to fight Gaara comes from the need to protect Sakura who has been trapped by a large chunk of sand controlled by chakra and to avenge Sasuke’s defeat. Aware of Gaara’s power he quickly assumes a serious state of mind and begins to cycle through strategies for matching up against the significantly deformed sand user.

It isn’t until Gaara begins to reflect back on his childhood that Naruto truly begins to understand the pain and incentive that drives Gaara to commit the acts he has been committing and living the way he has been living. Gaara’s childhood includes such horrors as the same isolation from his own village that Naruto suffered through when they all found out that he was the container for the Kyuubi, contempt and fear on the part of his father so strong that he ordered the death of his son, and the carrying out of the mission not only by order but by free will of Gaara’s uncle who cherished his sister too much to open his heart and feelings to Gaara.

Naruto peered deep into Gaara’s eyes as he began to reflect on his own past and understood all too well the pain and difficulties Gaara suffered during his childhood because of how similar they were to his own. Overcome with sympathy, Naruto realizes that he was fortunate enough to eventually find people in his life that he could call friends in Iruka, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi and defeat the cold nature of loneliness and isolation, but on the flipside Gaara even at the current time was still battling through the stage that Naruto dreaded most. Gaara had every reason to have turned out the way he did in the eyes of Naruto, and he understood that Gaara was trying to justify his own existence through means of killing others and loving only himself. Because Gaara failed to find salvation, Naruto began to fight even more excitedly to show how much strength is possible to have because of love for others and the need to protect them, as opposed to Gaara’s belief that true strength comes only from self-love.

The conclusion of the intense and heartrending battle ended in Naruto once again persevering through incredible amounts of physical and mental torment. Gaara completely perplexed as to how Naruto gained so much strength since he didn’t fight for himself stayed on the ground and tried to make sense of it. Gaara went over the amazing determination and power Naruto showed constantly through their battle, and the difference between their sources of motivation and slowly came to believe that his way of thinking was flawed. Still not comprehending completely the concept of love and protecting others (even though he has heard these words plenty of times), he gave in for the future potential to find the meaning himself so he could understand fully. Since that day he would never forget the name Uzuamki Naruto, and recognized him as a possible source of light in his darkness filled life.

Naruto once again shows his compassion here to show Gaara another way of living. Constantly repeating how much he and Gaara were the same, he saw his victory as a way to once again defeat the demons of adversity that he had to endure not so long ago in his life, only this time it was in the form of sympathy for another who was facing the same kind of adversity. The success of Naruto’s influence enables Gaara to later formulate enough of an understanding of the concept of love and protection to change his ways and not only make amends with his siblings but to risk his life to aid the Konoha shinobi as well during the rescue Sasuke arc.


Subject #4: Hyuga Neji

The genius of the Hyuga clan and the person revered as the strongest genin in Konoha was Naruto’s opponent during the second part of the chuunin exam tournament. A believer in predestined fate and the inability to change ones fate, Neji looks down on Naruto as a failure and a dropout and makes it known during their tournament match. His views of this subject are most likely due to the Hyuga’s methods of protecting their bloodline limit the byukugan using the branch family (of which Neji and his father were apart of) to protect the head family (of which Hinata and Hiashi). It is with the use of a seal technique that places a brand on the branch family member’s head, which controls them by the fear of certain death that can be induced through the seal by the head family. Angered about his father’s death as well as the way fate has dealt him the card of a slave to the head family, he has trained feverishly to grow his own strength to even surpass members of the head family in an implicit desire to alter his own destiny, but still maintaining the mind-set that it may all be in futility.

He repeats that Naruto’s destiny to lose to him was decided when his name was drawn as his opponent in the tournament. Clearly the more skilled out of the two, Neji fends off all of Naruto’s attempted attacks and eventually connects with his Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou cutting off Naruto’s chakra flow and badly injuring him. Fueled by arrogance and confidence in his destiny, Neji considers the match over until Naruto begins to once again tap into the power of the kyuubi. Amazed by the amounts of chakra exerted by Naruto, the other members of the Konoha rookies look on in awe, as does Neji. A giant clash ensues between the red chakra of the kyuubi and the immense flow from Neji’s Kaiten.

Repeating that it can’t be sure if anything is impossible unless you try, Naruto vows to defeat Neji and show him that people have control over their own destiny, rather then being bound by an unchangeable fate. The clash results in a major blow for both genin, but using the kage bunshin technique Naruto deceives Neji long enough to place the final blow and win the match. Naruto looks down to defeated opponent and exclaims that Neji truly is a genius, which is why that it is a shame that he thinks the way he does about destiny. Naruto asks that Neji forsake his close-minded way of thinking and realize that from their match it is indeed possible to change one’s path to their own destiny. Soon after, the truth is revealed to Neji by his uncle, Hyuga Hiashi about his father’s death. Sitting in the medical ward his feelings of hatred begin to slowly dissipate though not completely yet and he begins to understand that the power of the seal may no longer be a threat to him (this is more like a metaphor for basking in a feeling of elation or in other words a caged bird being freed).

It isn’t until the rescue Sasuke arc that the events of the tournament strongly begin to show within Neji. Fighting Kidoumaru he verbalizes his faith in Naruto’s ability to save Sasuke and bring him back in defense of Kidoumaru’s belittling of the rescue force. Neji assures himself as well as his opponent that Naruto can save Sasuke from the darkness he is in, because he too was saved by the darkness thanks to Naruto. The darkness in Neji’s case referring to the narrow-mindedness of his views on life he once had, and thanks to Naruto he has a clear view of what people are capable of as well as his new personal goals.

Neji goes all out and brings the intense battle to an end after fighting off severe injuries with the amazing will power he received as a result of Naruto’s words. He viewed Naruto’s words praising him as a genius as representative of the overall way he has been viewed by everyone, and uses the expectations that everyone has of him as a somewhat egocentric yet at the same time honest and powerful motivator to succeed in what he does and grow even stronger. It was when he reflected on this he made sure to finish his opponent off even if it were to be at the expense of his own life, this way he could preserve his honor and allow Naruto the time he needed to help their ally.


Subject #5: Uchiha Sasuke

Since the beginning of the formation of team 7, Sasuke’s overall attitude toward Naruto has been condescending. With small moments of what seemed to be mutual respect or peace between the two, from Naruto’s point of view their relationship was more like a rivalry. Though the feeling is not shared at first because of Sasuke’s reasoning and Naruto’s reasoning for competing with one another throughout the majority of the series not being mutual. A true rivalry can only be recognized as such if both people are taking part to achieve the same goal, which is where we can understand why Sasuke looks at Naruto as insignificant in any way toward achieving his goal to kill Itachi.

Naruto however constantly sought to engage himself in competition with Sasuke to prove that he was stronger or better than him. It isn’t until Naruto begins exploiting the same amount of determination and skill that other’s influenced by him have seen throughout the chuunin exam arc that Sasuke even begins to acknowledge Naruto as a potentially worthy ninja. He often stood in awe of Naruto’s unexpected feats such as those during the forest of death when he held off Orochimaru’s snake to protect Sasuke, and more so during his fight with Gaara after the hidden sand’s secret plot had been revealed.

However, Sasuke’s real growing interest in Naruto stemmed from the return of his brother, Itachi to Konoha. Part of an organization called Akatsuki, Itachi and his companion Kisame made it their business to abduct Naruto to take possession of the nine-tails. Upon being pushed aside and verbally disparaged by his brother during a brief clash during Naruto and Jiraiya’s mission to seek out Tsunade, Sasuke becomes badly wounded and mentally inept at the thought of how weak he was compared to his brother even despite all of his training. Realizing he needed more power, for the first time Sasuke was truly bothered by Naruto when he reflected on how much he (Naruto) grew in power and understood that Itachi was interested only in the kyuubi and thought nothing of his little brother’s attempt to fulfill his mission for revenge. Sasuke calls Naruto out and for the first time fights him with the goal of besting him in mind. Needing confirmation himself, he doesn’t hold back and even risks killing Naruto before Kakashi interferes.

Sasuke began to see Naruto as a giant thorn in his side and his goals as his problems only seemed to amplify because of him. He was enraged by feelings of jealousy and inferiority, when he would normally think nothing of Naruto’s presence and continue to believe in his own abilities. While the effect that Naruto’s progression and growth had on Sasuke instilled only negative feelings and emotions, without a doubt Sasuke acknowledged Naruto as a force worthy of praise. This, was also bluntly stated during their big fight at the climax of the rescue Sasuke arc. They both stated and recognized each other as true equals, as a sign of respect was shown toward Naruto by Sasuke when he adorned his head with the symbol of the konoha. Sasuke had gained respect, hatred, and detachment from Naruto, the very same person he deemed as no consequence to his being and his goal at the beginning.


Subject #6: Haruno Sakura

Needless to say, one of the themes between the 3 members of team 7 is a classic case of “Boy likes girl, girl likes other boy, first boy hates other boy”. Naruto has always pursued the attention and affection of Sakura in futility, because Sakura is constantly trying to pursue the attention and affection of Sasuke also in futility. Because of her blinding and unhealthy infatuation with Sasuke, she often disregarded Naruto and almost always took Sasuke’s side against him, without ever thinking about what’s wrong but rather that Naruto is always wrong (which I suppose a good portion of the time, is the case…but I digress).

Even though his affections and actions for Sakura throughout the series yield no mutual return, he continues to do what he can to please Sakura and to protect her. His feelings for her drive him the way Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke drive her, however it is Sakura who eventually realizes the childishness of her way of thinking and begins to appreciate the kind of friend she has in Naruto, who will still continue to think of the best for her, despite knowing and understanding that she would never feel for him the way he does for her.

In Sakura’s case, the point of realization of what a strong effect Naruto’s behavior and achievements have on her piles onto her all at once, almost instantly. Overwhelmed completely upon her awareness of how much put together and stable Naruto was in his goals and reasoning, she was crushed under the truth of being a burden for so long due to her lack of talent or mature fortitude. She repeats to herself in her head how much Naruto has always understood her eventhough she thought otherwise initially upon Naruto’s promise to bring Sasuke back during the rescue Sasuke arc. She sees his willpower to keep his word and knows well that amongst his reasons for participating in the mission, wanting to heal Sakura’s broken heart through the only means he knew would, was one of them.

Not only was she overcome with emotion, but by determination to stop being the one to always watch from behind. She no longer wanted to be perceived as a burden and took it upon herself to commit to becoming Tsunade’s apprentice. She worked hard and feverishly to one day be in a position to be able to help Naruto the way he has always helped her and a way to be strong enough to try and bring Sasuke back herself. It is in this time that Sakura truly blossoms into the phases of maturity, and begins to collect herself and stabilize her own resolve and her own way of the ninja.


These influence Naruto has had on others goes both ways and also serves as sources that allowed for Naruto to grow and mature so much himself. Entwining with the lives of others to the extent that he has allow for the name of Naruto to echo it’s meaning and significance throughout the series whether it be for his own sake or for the sake of others.

Anime Articles - theOtaku.com

Akatsuki: Who Are They? by Kunoichi Warrior

Who are the Akatsuki? What do they want? These are questions that can be answered with a little research, so I did some and this is what I found.

Akatsuki, meaning dawn or daybreak, is a criminal organization made of nine S-rank ninja. The Akatsuki extract demons from the people that hold them. They are separated into two-man teams, each going after a demon. (Example: Gaara and Naruto.) They were first introduced in Chapter: 139, episode: 80, when Itachi and Kisame were after Naruto.

The Members wear black cloaks with red clouds, paint their nails and wear rings that they use to extract the demons. In addition, the village headband has a line right through it to symbolize a broken connection between the person and the village. Below is some information of some members that I know.

Akatsuki Leader:
You don't exactly see his face, but it is rumored that he is the Fourth Hokage because of his outline.

Itachi Uchiha:
Captain of Akatsuki. He killed his clan, leaving his little brother Sasuke alive. He possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan and is paired with Kisame.

Kisame Hoshigaki:
One of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist Village. He looks half-shark and is paired with Itachi Uchiha.

Deidara:
A skillful fighter of the Hidden Rock Village, he has mouths in the palms of his hands. He and Sasori were chosen to extract the demon from Gaara. After Sasori's death, he was paired with a new Akatsuki member, Tobi.

Sasori:
A puppet master from the Hidden Sand Village. His grandmother was the one that placed the demon inside of Gaara. After Gaara's death, his grandmother gave up her life to resurrect Gaara. Sasori was killed by Sakura.

Zetsu:
Not much is known about Zetsu, except that he is from the Hidden Grass Village and that he can blend into Grass, and trees. The right side of his body is black, while the other side is white.

Hidan:
He is the slowest attacker in Akatsuki, but he and his partner, Kakuzu, easily defeat the two tailed demon cat. He seems to belong to the Hidden Rain Village and to a certain religion in which killing is encouraged.

Kakuzu:
A fighter from the Hidden WaterFall Village. He is the tallest member and is in love with money and will do anything to get it. He is pissed off with Hidan, and unfortunately, paired with him.

Tobi:
He has a very formal and correct manner of speech and wanted to fill in Sasori's position in Akatsuki after he had died. To his luck he was eventually let in Akatsuki as Deidara tells him how a member of Akatsuki is supposed to act.

Fans of Naruto believe that Obito Uchiha, despite being deceased, is Tobi. This is because of the similarity of name between Tobi and Obito. It is also believed Obito and Tobi are the same person because the apparent mechanization of parts of Tobi's body correspond to the injuries Obito suffered when last seen. In particular, Tobi wears a mask that directs attention to his one working eye. Obito had, in his dying moments, let his other eye be surgically extracted and implanted into his friend Kakashi.

It's unknown if and how Obito would have become Tobi, but at the time of Obito's apparent death, Akatsuki had at least two members who were highly skilled at the preservation of a body's abilities after death; Orochimaru and Sasori. Fans speculate that if he is in fact Tobi, he could be the third Mangekyō Sharingan user that Itachi had mentioned.

Unnamed Akatsuki Member:
Nothing is known about this member, except that she is most probably female because of the flower in her blue hair.

Former Members:

Orochimaru:
He fled Akatsuki in fear of Itachi's power. The ring could still be seen on Orochimaru's original body.

Subordinates:

Kabuto:
He worked as Sasori's spy, but was also secretly working for Orochimaru. Deidara tells Sasori that one of his spies is a traitor. It appears Kabuto is the traitor.


For more information, go to:
http://www.saiyanisland.com/naruto/?naruto=info/Akatsuki.

The Basics of Anime

The Basics of Anime-From A-ZBy [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Chatfield]Anthony Chatfield
Anime – Anime is the affectionately shortened name for animation in Japan. It’s written in Katakana, as a derivative of English and general refers to any animation conceived and drawn in Japan. There is however a certain style and method to anime that can be recognized the world over as unique to Japanese animation. The simple, exaggerated character features and surprisingly detailed settings along with the actual thematic content, usually a coming of age story of some sort. Some character’s development through a series of trials via uniquely Japanese morals of perseverance and strength.
Baka – Japanese slang for stupid. It’s affectionately used to describe every goofball, oddball, and erstwhile character in an anime. Usually applied by a female toward a male, it’s best defined as the catch all insult for a nerdy, insecure male (and sometimes female) who accordingly does something stupid. Hence, Baka.
Cosplay – The unique and overwhelming practice by anime fans the world over of dressing as their favorite anime and video game characters for the sake of meeting up with other extreme fans and comparing their realism. Because anime is drawn (mostly) to scale, and the clothing is generally brightly colored and completely impractical, characters are easily recognized on those who have a particular talent in this arena. Expos are held for cosplayers annually, as well as contests. It’s something of an underground phenomenon in the culture that’s become much less underground in recent years.
Doujinshi – The Japanese word for fan created manga based on existing characters. Pretty much the anime equivalent of the Star Wars novels. There’s a huge market for these fan created fictions in Japan, and because of the massive pool of talent they’re often of equal or greater quality than the source material. Seems like a good way to go. Keep your future employees on the outside, drawing for free.
Ecchi – A Japanese word that roughly translates to ‘pervert’. Basically it’s used to describe all those school girl animes in which the skirts stop about two inches above their panty line, and yet somehow magically stay on. It’s not quite the caliber of Hentai as it tries not to be pornographic, but the fan service and suggestive themes quotient are fairly off the map.
Fan – For American anime connoisseurs especially, the fan is one of the only ways to get access to some anime, and until recently pretty much the only way. Fan stands for Fansubbing (the fan produced subtitling of shows ripped straight from Japanese television ), Fandubbing (the slightly less done, and often much funnier dubbing of the same material by fans), Fanfiction (the written form of Doujinshi, often involving a whole lot of Ecchi), and Fan Service (in which a show will purposely do something over the top or suggestive because they know that’s what their fans are looking for). The fan is what floats the market for anime, especially in America where until very recently the market was mostly a blackmarket.
Gundam – One of the original fathers of anime. Around for 25 or more years now, Gundam has produced more than 25 series and movies since it debuted in 1979, and continues to be one of the most popular series on each every year, with an exponential growth of productions of late. The show was one of the pioneers of the giant mech anime and an underground favorite in America for years….and it makes for some pretty funny cosplayers.
Hentai – And of course, with any art form, when you have a large enough fan base, someone perverts it. Pornographic anime has something that normal pornography does not though, lots of creepy weird tentacles and occasionally a plot. Yes, in line with many of Japan’s finer arts, Hentai does try occasionally to inject a bit of intelligence into their mindless sex. And the production quality tends to be higher even than normal productions. Speaks to the nature of porn, I guess. It runs the industry.
Idol – The idol mentality runs the Japanese pop culture sphere. Their singers are everywhere, their movie stars are singers, their movie-star-singers are tv hosts. Their movie-star-singer-tv-hosts are voice actors. It’s all cyclical and it means mass exposure in a crowded country of a 140 million. And it leaks over in the shows they make, and the mass production of the shows (usually one a week every week until the show’s done…for some shows that’s years) and the production values all speak to this.
Jump – Shonen Jump is the monthly manga publication in Japan that broke some of the biggest names in anime. Dragonball, Naruto, One Piece, Kenshin and so on. The super popular children oriented anime that rules the charts comes out of this little gem repeatedly. And now it’s here in the US. Power in circulation.
Kawaii – Japanese adjective for cute. And that’s how you describe half of what they produce. Super cute, to the point of nausea at times. The ability to turn the ugliest, most disturbing things into cute and cuddly mascots is a distinctly Japanese ability. Just look at half of the Pokemon. Butt ugly, but cute nonetheless.
Love Hina – Love Hina didn’t invent it, but it did it best – the dorm fantasy anime that is. And it is its own subgenre now. A dorky young male who has no luck with the ladies finds himself thrown into a situation where he’s surrounded by women daily, who ultimately assault him and make his life a living hell, at the same time as falling in love with him. Ecchi moments abound and often our altruistic hero ends up with a bloody nose on the rocks outside of a hotspring somewhere.
Manga – Ah yes, the birthparent of the whole thing. Manga is the comic book, hand drawn formula for the whole craze. Started as an offshoot of the woodprint art forms of the 19th century and earlier, Manga took compelling stories and serialized them into fun, easy to read comic books. Not to say that the Supermans and Detective Comics of America didn’t help this fad along.
Neon Genesis Evangelion – A derivative of the giant mech anime, Evangelion broke into new legions of fans by being what some anime had dared before, but few had fully succeeded at – mature and intelligent. A common enough theme these days, Evangelion managed to take biblical, complicated social, and personal themes and craft them into an often times funny, apocalyptic epic 24 episode series and 2 films.
Otaku – in what is actually an insult in Japan, translating roughly as ‘you’…but more commonly known as 'no-life geek who spends all his time building GUNDAM models...' The definition is slightly less caustic on our side of the Pacific, generally referring to someone who merely enjoys the depths of Japanese pop culture, watches anime after school, and draws characters from their favorite shows on their notebooks. More of a clique in school than a mock-worthy subculture. But, that is quickly changing of course, as the anime arena is growing so rapidly here in the states.
Pokemon – Pokemon is the new generation of child-oriented anime born of marketing necessity, used to sell video games, video games used to sell the show. It’s been on for almost 10 years now, and still new episodes pop up. If the Japanese do anything right, it’s sell stuff, and Pokemon continues to sell, actually marketing to an entirely new generation of kids these days.
Queen Emeraldas – I’m copping out a bit here because Q as we all know is the crappiest letter in the alphabet to do an ABC list with. Queen Emeraldas is a good anime though. An OAV produced in 1998 as an offshoot of the Harlock and Galaxy Express 999 series, Queen Emeraldas continues the story of a popular character that if you haven’t seen either of the previous shows will make no sense to you.
Rurouni Kenshin – Kenshin is the epic tale of a wandering samurai in the Meiji era of Japan known as Kenshin. He finds a small martial arts school in the new capital and after saving the young heir he stays with her and undertakes various quests to help the government which he helped to form a few years earlier survive. He’s an incredibly badass swordsman and attracts a nice little entourage of characters. I don’t know if it’s the most important thing in the world in terms of anime, but it’s one of my favorite shows, so it’s on the list.
Shoujo – The term used to describe anime targeted to young girls. All the Sailormoons and Cardcaptor Sakuras out there fit here. It’s actually a nice niche to have and does extremely well here as well as Japan. It’s a testament to the popularity of a sub culture when it actually takes the time to stop drawing violent battles between half witted males to appeal to young girls as well.
Tezuka Osamu – The Walt Disney of anime, Dr. Tezuka created Astroboy, Kimba the White Lion, Metropolis and countless more anime classics that more or less established the art form. He’s the guy you want to look at whenever you ask, “who’s responsible for all this?”
Urusei Yatsura – A monstrously popular 1970s and 80s franchise spanning almost 200 episodes, 10 movies and a handful of OVAs. It’s pretty much about a group of “obnoxious aliens” (the actual translation) that invade and goof up earth. They’re all girls, and were a part of the beginnings of what made Love Hina happen, a lecherous teenage boy surrounded by strange, sexy women. Yup, they sure know how to make shows over there.
Voice acting – Come on. It is animation right? Unlike the US animation sector, Japan’s voice acting pool is vast and actually talented. US companies use the same people over and over and pay them peanuts, and they generally suck at what they do. In Japan, the respect from doing what they do is that much more pronounced…and they don’t suck.
Wings of Honneamise - Another landmark anime, this is the first film produced by super studio Gainax (the guys who did Evangelion among others). It’s essentially a science fiction, military fantasy with some twists to history and technology. One of my favorite examples of how anime bends the genres in which it operates as well. It’s out there and that’s why we love it.
X - Yup, just X. From Clamp, a group of female artists whose fan base (and quality of workmanship) is obscene, X is one of their earlier films, later made into a series. The style is best described as Shoujo without the service to only girls.
Yaoi – The slightly homosexual version of Ecchi, Yaoi is usually a homoerotic fan service of male characters in typical situations acting sexually ambiguous and often getting rather close to each other. When out put is so great, you can expect anything right, and the chic-gay of Yaoi is immensely popular in Japan.
Z, Dragon Ball – I cheated again, so what. Dragon ball Z was one of the key reasons that anime spread to the mainstream here in the states after all, with a couple hundred episodes and memorably long (and I mean looooong) fights, Dragon ball Z captured the fan base of all the young violence prone kids nationwide and kept them enthralled into their 20s (yeah, yeah…quit looking at me).
And there you have it. 26 keys to understand the anime sub culture, a veritable A-Z of what you need to know…minus Q and Z.
I'm a self avowed unemployed writer, working on semi-constant basis to try and overcome the need to go and work a real job. I've written more than 200 articles and reviews and am constantly scouring the internet for any and all excuses and methods to make myself less dependent on corporate pay days. Visit my website at [http://www.thechatfield.com]TheChatfield.com
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Naruto: Survival Training by Amyobus Key

In typical troublesome fashion, Naruto sets a trap for their very tardy Jounin teacher, but Sasuke is not convinced that such a teacher could fall for an eraser trap in the door. The door opens, the eraser falls with a klunk right onto the head of Kakashi, and the students are disappointed. Is this Ninja really a Jounin? And what does Kakashi think of these kids. In a low voice and emotionless mutter he says, "My first impressions of you. I hate you." The kids are stunned!
They assemble outside to introduce themselves. Naruto wants his teacher to start. Kakashi gives his name, says he has no intention of telling them his likes and dislikes, will not remark upon any dreams, and says he has many hobbies. Sakura complains, "So all we found out was his name."
Naruto describes himself openly. He likes cup ramen, he hates the three minutes he has to wait for the ramen to cook, his hobby is to eat and compare cup ramens, and he dreams of becoming greater than all the Hokages before.
Sakura is next. She can't get her eyes off Sasuke. She won't admit she likes him, she never states her hobby, she won't state her dreams, and when Kakashi asks her what she hates, she replies: "Naruto!" The teacher thinks that girls her age are more interested in love than ninjutsu.
Uchiha Sasuke is last to introduce himself, saying simply there are many things he hates, nothing he likes, and his ambition is the revival of his clan and to kill a certain man. While Kakashi looks despondently at these three hopeless students, Naruto angrily glares at Sasuke. "I hope he's not referring to me!"
Kakashi announces they will begin survival training the next day, warning them that out of the 27 graduates, only nine will become ninjas. The rest will be sent back to the academy. They are to meet the next morning at 5 AM sharp along with their ninja equipment and they are forbidden to eat breakfast.
The next morning, the three hungry students assemble, and wait patiently. Once again, Kakashi is late. When he shows up, he is wearing two bells. He notifies them that they must try to take a bell from him. That is their mission. Whoever fails will have no lunch. Naruto proclaims how he will succeed. Kakashi explains this boasting when he says: "In society, those who don't have many abilities tend to talk big. Just ignore the guy with the lowest score."
Naruto is incensed. He has already been called a blockhead by Sasuke. Now, to his teacher, he is just the guy with the lowest score. Back at the academy, Hokage-sama reveals an astounding truth to Iruka-sensei. The children's teacher, Kakashi, has never ever passed anyone.
Back in the training field, Kakashi gives his first advice. "A basic for a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide himself." Sakura and Sasuke run off to hide in the bushes. Naruto, however, stands boldly forth to fight Kakashi then and there. Kakashi mutters, "Aren't you a little weird compared with the rest?" Naruto snaps back, "What's weird is your hairstyle!"
Naruto attacks, losing sight of the teacher, and a voice appears from behind the confused student: "A ninja should not let the enemy get behind him! Idiot!" He then gives Naruto a firm whack from behind, and the boy goes flying into the river. But the young ninja student is not so easily defeated. He initiates a Shadow Replication Technique and sends seven Narutos leaping out from the water and bearing down upon the teacher. Kakashi correctly surmises that it was the technique he had used to defeat Mizuki, but he knows that Naruto is still Naruto and therefore significantly incompetent. While the seven Narutos attack, a mysterious extra figure leaps from behind. Naruto has created the extra replicant to attack while those in front provided a distraction. From the bushes, Sakura and Sasuke are impressed by their teammate's tactic. However, the teacher vanishes, having transformed himself into one of the replicants, and escaped.
The eager Naruto can no longer see his teacher, but spies a lonely bell lying on the grass. He jumps for it, a trap is released, and the foolish boy winds up hanging upside down by his heels from a tree. Kakashi reappears. "Don't fall for an obvious trap, idiot!" Then he gives him one of the most important teachings he can contribute.
"Ninjas must think beyond the normal." He adds to that, "Your movements are filled with unnecessary motions."
Preoccupied by Naruto, Kakashi fails to see that Sasuke has taken advantage of the distraction and has commenced a shuriken attack from the bushes, sending the hail of knives toward the teacher. The knives pierce his clothes and send Kakashi crashing to the ground. The episode ends with a horrified Naruto thinking that his teammate has overdone it.
The importance of this entire episode is to introduce the students and the audience to the skills and principles of an accomplished Jounin teacher. As the characters learn and absorb their training, the audience follows the action and evaluates the rules and principles for themselves. It is not all magic and invention, but a long and difficult path of study that all students must travel.
Free Naruto Wallpapers from http://www.narutoboy.com

Naruto Learns The Ninja Ways by Amyobus Key

Sasuke's weapons pierced what appeared to be their teacher, but the transformation reverted to its original, and the weapons projected harmlessly from a log. Kakashi had determined Sasuke's location, dropping his guard on purpose to create a trap. Sakura rushed from hiding, worried about Sasuke, only to be confronted by an image of the boy she loves pleading for help. Sakura screamed and fainted. From nearby, a casual teacher, muttered: "Maybe I overdid it. But she should have noticed if it was real or not. That was Ninja tactic number two."
The real Sasuke confronts his teacher, attacks with arms and feet and is able to surprise him by getting close enough to touch one of the bells which would have earned him a victory if only he had grasped it. Kakashi says in surprise, "I'll admit that you're different from those two."
But Sasuke is already resuming his attack. He creates a seal for horse and tiger, to which his teacher stares in amazement: "What? That technique is not something a Genin can do. He shouldn't have enough Chakra." Sasuke sends a stream of fire from his breath, enveloping his teacher, but when the smoke clears, Kakashi is gone. He is not behind nor anywhere above.
A voice yells, "Beneath you!" An arm comes from the earth and drags Sasuke under, leaving him with only his head sticking out. Kakashi kneels before him. "This is the third Ninja tactic know-how." Then he adds, "Looks like your talents are exceptional, but they say that stakes that point out get driven back into the ground."
A short time later, Sakura appears and sees Sasuke's head on the ground. Her eyes pop open when Sasuke calls her name, and she freaks out, thinking it is a severed head calling to her. After she awakes from the faint, she finds Sasuke kneeling beside her. She is happy that he is all right, and suggests that they try harder next time but give up for now. Sasuke glares at her. He is not a quitter. He mutters a confused story about a mysterious man that he must kill. As he speaks, the clock alarm rings twelve noon. They have run out of time. The test is over.
Back at the starting point where Naruto is tied to a post, Kakashi informs his stunned students that they need not return to the academy. They are so bad, they should quit being ninjas. He asks them a very important question which they cannot answer: "Why do you think we're training by breaking into groups?" He reveals the answer. "It is for teamwork. If all three had come together, maybe one would have acquired a bell. Sakura asks, "Why do we need to use teamwork, where there are only two bells?"
It is because the test tries to put the three against each other. It is to find students who put teamwork before their own personal interests. But they were pathetic. Sakura cared more about Sasuke than Naruto. All Naruto did was work on his own. And Sasuke believed the other two were just going to burden him. But missions are done in groups. "If you become captured. Someone will die. In every mission, you put your life on the line."
Kakashi-sensei says he will give them all one more chance later after lunch. They are to eat lunch only if they are up to the challenge. But they must not permit Naruto to eat, and he is to remain tied up. It is his punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch early. Anyone who feeds him will fail. Kakashi steps away, and Sasuke and Sakura begin to eat their lunches. Naruto, unable to move, is famished, and his stomach is growling loudly. But Sasuke notes that Kakashi is not nearby, and he says that if they are going to get the bells together, it is only going to be trouble if Naruto is hungry. He offers food to his starving teammate. Sakura agrees and she also offers her lunch to Naruto. Because his hands are tied, she must feed him.
Naruto takes the first bite, and there is a loud clap of thunder and smoke. Kakashi has returned and is very angry! "You three broke the rule! Are you prepared for the punishment? Are there any last words?" Sakura is about to faint again, Naruto is quaking in fear, and Sasuke is silent and filled with dread. Sasuke and Sakura jump to be beside Naruto, announcing that they are in this together. They are a three-man team. They are one.
"You there are one, eh?" says their teacher. His dark look washes away. Then he nods, "You pass! You three are the first. The students I had previously were blockheads who just listened to what I said. Ninjas need to think beyond the normal. In the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are called scum. But those who don't care about their friends are even worse scum."
Naruto appears to want to cry, and says, "He's kind of cool."
The training has ended. Everyone passes for the first time ever. The 7th group will begin their missions the next day.
From this episode we learn that the fundamentals of being a ninja do not merely involve a great number of tactical knows-hows and magical skills. Instead, there are significant principles that are required for the success of any group. For the first time, these bickering, selfish children, have worked in unison, and appear capable of engaging in future missions that will test their responsibility and loyalty to each other. It is not about who loves whom, and who hates whom, but of co-ordinating and being there for the assistance and support of one another. The group must be a family in the true sense.
The adventures of Naruto are a training ground, not only for the characters, but for the enraptured fans, and this episode is at the heart of why the Naruto stories stand out head and shoulders above all other Anime adventures.
Find free original desktop wallpapers for all the important characters from the Naruto series at http://www.narutoboy.com

Introduction to Naruto by Chris Scottch

I thought this would be a good introduction to Naruto for those of you that are new to Naruto and are willing to know more about the character of Naruto.

Introduction to Naruto

If you're a new to the fantasy world Naruto, here is a brief description and history of the main character. Uzumaki Naruto grew up in a village of ninjas. Our young hero has no idea that he wouldn't be welcome in the village which he grew up in. Because within him is the spirit of the demon fox who destroyed the ninja's village over a decade ago. Naruto's corrupt teacher, Mizuki tricked him into stealing a secret scroll. Naruto learn the truth about the secret scroll but he was still determined to be the greatest ninja ever. Naruto is determine to defeat his powerful enemies and the forces within him. In order to accomplish this feat he has to pass several difficult tests to enter the Ninja Academy. And deal with his rival, Konohamaru; and learn how to get along with his new classmate, Sasuke and Sakura. Several tests were setup for Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. The first test involves defeating his upper-level ninja instructor, Kakashi. Only two people can pass this test - will our young hero be one of them?
The series follows our young hero has he grows stronger, overcoming numerous obstacles and becomes the greatest Ninja.
Naruto's Personality
Naruto is an insolent, troublesome child, who likes to perform pranks. Like any mischievous child he can be boastful and have annoying behavior. However, these characteristics are understandable, because he hides a dark secret inside of him. Throughout the series he learns and overcome difficult barriers with his friends as they seek to become great and powerful Ninjas.
Naruto learns the Ways of the Ninja
Kakashi, Naruto's teacher hates Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. But still he teaches them the lessons the way of the Ninja. Kakashi has never passed anyone and Kakshi has appeared to be the worst teacher Naruto has ever had.
The Ranks of Ninja:
Genin (Junior Ninja): This is the lowest level of ninja and one that shows the most difference in power.
Chunin (Journeyman ninja): are ninja who are qualified to watch over and guide other ninja.
Jonin (High Ninja): are highly-experienced ninja with great individual skill who serve as military captains.
Tokubetsu Jonin (Special High Ninja): are ninja who, rather than all-around Jonin training, have Jonin-level ability in a single area or skill, much like warrant officers of real-world militarys.
Kage (Shadow): Generally the most powerful ninja in their respective villages.
You can learn more about Naruto's adventures by visiting my blog, http://the-worldofnaruto.blogspot.com/

The World of Naruto by Amyobus Key

The seriousness of the Naruto story is often intermixed by pure silliness, but it all serves a purpose, propelling the young superhero forward on his path of adventure and growth.
After meeting Konohamaru, the annoying and aggressive grandson of the village Hokage, Naruto shows him no mercy, smacking him down before heading out the door. The child, seeking to become the next great village master ninja, The Fifth Hokage, becomes Naruto's follower, trying at first to remain unseen, but his efforts are ridiculously inadequate. He quickly learns to respect the older and somewhat wiser Naruto, deciding that he should become a student of the new graduate.
We are then introduced to information about the ninja's energy source, a substance that Naruto incorrectly identifies as chatora, meaning brown tiger. His young student is confused, envisions a large brown cat, then corrects his master, revealing that the word is actually chakra. Naruto covers his error, by telling the kid to "Shut up. Good Ninjas call it Chatora." We then learn that Chakra is the energy that you use to execute a technique. It is the inside body and spirit energy which can accumulate through experience and training. When you mix together training and experience, a seal is formed and the technique can be executed. It was Konohamaru who quoted this to his new-found teacher, Naruto being unfamiliar with the actual definition, although of its use his skills were much advanced.
Given this knowledge, the two young students embark on a training exercise, Naruto, teaching his very young charge, the silly and sexy "temptation" technique. The older Naruto is able to transform into a very beautiful girl, while the younger boy's efforts results in a fat, ugly hag. The combination of comedy and the logic behind the ninja lifestyle, lead to Naruto conducting the boy to various locations not very suitable for a boy his age. They go to a book store that sells girlie magazines so that they can "research pheromones". After the owner kicks them out, they head off to a woman's change room where they transform into girls before entering. Once again they are kicked out, with Naruto receiving a beating in the process. Here, we are introduced to the topic that Naruto is an older boy with a developing interest in girls, which will lead to complications in upcoming episodes.
When the younger boy's guardian, an elite Ninja master, finally catches up to them, he is upset that Naruto should be teaching so much nonsense to the grandson of the Third Hokage. "Young master, you are only going to get dumber and dumber if you hang around Naruto."
A showdown then ensues, but unlike the more serious and damaging fight of the earlier episode when Naruto earned his right to graduate by defeating a dangerous rival, the fight is much more comedic. Naruto surprises everyone by executing a combination of his Shadow Replication Technique (producing a hundred copies of himself) and his Temptation Technique, changing all of his duplicates into sexy women who ultimately subdue the distracted elite teacher. Witnessing this conflict on his crystal ball, the Third Hokage can only sadly conclude: "He made another stupid technique. I'll fall for it for sure, probably."
As the two young students part company, both realize they have parallel ambitions of becoming great Ninjas and achieving wide recognition. For now, this light-hearted view of the two immature students, much like the blind leading the blind, has introduced us to a variety of Ninja principles, attitudes, techniques, and resources, the most important of all being the power that could reside within all of us. Known as "chakra" here, the substance has been referenced in many works of fantasy and science fiction, not the least of which includes Star Wars, where it is known as "The Force." Here it is much more complex, though we are reminded of the growth of the youthful hero, Luke Skywalker, whenever we encounter Uzumaki Naruto.
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