Naruto Chapter 367

[conquistaDan]

here are some spoilers

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enjoy

[kAi]

I don't like the last page there.

[darkshadow]

pein vs jiraiya? EPIC

[itadakimasu]

i will dedicate the next 15 weeks of my naruto manga reading soley to a fight between jiraiya and pein... well other stuff will happen too. i just dont want them to end anything that big quickly.

[GurrenLagann]

*unlurkmode off*

Raw http://rapidshare.com/files/51010476/Naruto_367.rar

*lurk mode on* i think its in Chinese btw

[Assertn]

From rough translations....it sounds like Jiraiya and Tsunade are talking about Naruto's parents o_o

[Genma]

Don't tell me the rumors were true! Nooooo~!

[Krazeephlip]

Hey everyone, this is my first post, so please be kind :P
A fight between Pein and Jiraiya would be super cool! That is something that Naruto has been missing of late... massive huge ninjitsu battles. The fight between the 3rd and Oochimaru was probably still the best, cause they pulled unique, unseen, jitsus out all over the place.
Now, its all about naruto using one move... over and over again... kinda gets repetitive.
Just a thought.

[Psyke]

Translations from yours truly, so hopefully I got it correct. :p

Itachi: Have you grown taller?
Sasuke: You've not changed a bit. Even those cold eyes of yours.
Itachi: You're not charging straight at me like you did before.
Sasuke: Ha..

Sasuke: You don't know me at all.

Sasuke: You have no clue how much deep my hatred is. And how strong I'm become because of it. You don't understand me.

Jiraiya: You're a worse drinker than me. Wanna take a rest some where?

Tsunade: There are a lot of highly skilled members in Akatsuki. You want to confront them without finding out more about them?
Jiraiya: Well, it's about time.
Tsunade: Come back alive, ok?

Jiraiya: ............
Tsunade: If you die.... I....
Jiraiya: You'll weep for me? How touching. But you won't be as sad as when Dan passed away! Haha!
Tsunade: Baka!
Jiraiya: Well, you ought to bet that I'll die, since you always lose in gambling. But if I do return...
Tsunade: What...?

Jiraiya: Just kidding! Hah.... Thanks.
Tsunade: ?
Jiraiya: Heart broken men become stronger. You're not a real man if you can't face rejection.
Tsunade: Is it a man's duty to be strong?
Jiraiya: I guess.... Happiness isn't something a man should chase after.
Tsunade: ...............

Tsunade: Stop acting cool. How can you even be heart broken if you don't go after a girl.
Jiraiya: Haha... that's true.
Tsuade: If anything happens, contact me using your toads. I'll be right there.
Jiraiya: There's no need to. The village needs you now.
Tsunade: There are lots of Hokage reserves.
Jiraiya: It's unstable to change leadership unless necessary. And you're the best person for the job right now.

Tsunade: There's Kakashi. And also Naruto in the future.
Jirashi: You even gave your necklace to Naruto. However, he's not up to mark yet.
Tsunade: Didn't you put in a lot of effort in him? He even learnt the Rasengan from you.
Jiraiya: Reminds me of the time I taught Minato.
Tsunade: Namikaze Minato? They are indeed similar.
Jiraiya: No. Minato is a rare talent that appears every 10 years. Although gentle, he's very determined to succeed, and became the 4th Hokage within the blink of an eye. I'm not a parent, so I can't really understand.... but if he was my child I would be proud of him.
Tsunade: Hah... Naruto is somewhat different, come to think of it now. It might be because of his mother.....
Jiraiya: Yeah. His mother used to be a Kunoichi from the Country of (sorry can't translate this yet. Will update later).

Tsunade: Personality and ninjutsu..... He's exactly the same as Uzumaki Kushina.
Jiraiya: That's the name. She spoke in a vulgar manner, like a man.
Tsunade: She grew up to be a real beauty. Naruto looks a lot like his father too.
Jiraiya: That's why I see a glimpse of that fellow in Naruto. For me, it's like watching my grandson. (I have no idea what this implies.... so go figure)

Jiraiya: I've got to go.
Tsunade: .....
Jiraiya: Last advice before I leave. Beware of "Root".
Tsunade: I know.
Jiraiya: Well, cya.

Itachi: You've become stronger. Come to the secret base of the Uchiha. We'll settle it there.

Jiraiya: Infiltration successful. Simpler than I thought.

Female akatsuki member: What's wrong?
Pein: Someone's in my rain. Judging from the chakra, he's pretty strong.

What will Pein do with the intruder?
Next week: The Legendary Sannin!

[iMUSTbeTHEdevil]

@ Psyke: You are my hero.

And probably the best manga I have seen in a long time. Loved Sasuke expanding the Chidori to cut Itachi a bunch of times from within. Loved the story on Naruto's Parents and the dialogue between Jiraya and Tsundae just screams history of a love/ hate relationship with more the hate hiding the love. And the whole..."Tsuade: If anything happens, contact me using your toads. I'll be right there." was awesome! Although he will probably send a toad as he is dying to she can come and see him die!

Damn good chapter!

[LobsterMagnet]

Holy shit!!! If psyche's translation rings true then it looks like Kishi has just laid a bombshell of a story in terms of development. I can't believe FINALLY we have some sort of clue as to who naruto's lineage consists.


And holy shit we actually know the name of the 4th one of the greatest mysteries of Naruto has finally been revealed!!!!

Man who would have expected Kishi to give us so much content. Got to say out of the holy shounen trinity of bleach, naruto, and one piece, as of right now the naruto manga is right on top in terms of content and story progression.

[Hikyuu]

Scans out by mangashare/bludshock w/e .. too lazy to link :D

[Yukimura]

Naruto 367 - [MS] (http://www.mangashare.com/releases/Naruto_367%5BMS%5D.zip)

So yes the rumors are true, Naruto is the bastard son of Namikaze Minato (AKA Yondaime (Fourth) Hokage) and Uzumaki Kushina, a girl from another country which either changed it's name or got destroyed (and may even be the same country Pein hails came from).

And apparently Pein can sense disturbances in the rain...a pretty nifty skill, I wonder if he has more weather based abilities.

The Sasuke/Itachi thing seems kind of random, there was no real transition between Sasuke walking off with his pals and Sasuke being alone in a cave with Itachi.

[Hikyuu]

Yondaime? >.>
My guess about that rain is that it is like a safe guard he set up.. Which is why it is raining constantly in buckets.. KINDA LIKE HOW DARE DEVIL CAN SEE :o

[Assertn]

Not that random...in the previous chapter sasuke was outside, found a cave, told his friends to stay and wait for him, then found itachi inside the cave.

Also, it hasn't been stated that yondaime is Naruto's father. Only that he resembles him, but looks more like his mother.

[Carnage]

Im pretty sure we can assume from this chapter that the 4th is his father, since they are comparing who Naruto is more alike, and the two people they are comparing are the 4th and that lady from the other village. And if the Rain village is the same village as the lady with the red hair (his mom)....and Pein's hair is red from what we can tell from that colored chapter cover......Oh dear god...Pein is Naruto's Uncle! :p

[Hikyuu]

Eww.. Wait his hair is Red? Oh... there goes that cool factor for him..

[Someonemanr]

Wooh, doozie of a chapter.

I couldn't quite tell if they were saying that the 4th was Naruto's father or not, it was kind of ambiguously implied, but not quite stated directly enough.

However Carnage's train of thought might not be that far off. The timing of revealing some of Naruto's family history can't be completely coincidental, especially since the series seems poised to finally reveal what happened with Itachi back in the day too. Seems like having both of their family histories will provide the flashbacks during the action sequences for the upcoming battles.

[HachimonTonkou]

well thats a relief. i mean, i don't think yondaime's striking resemblance to naruto was to throw us off. But now we know, the question is, what happened to naruto's mother?

Pein looks badass, and point taken he does look a lot like naruto, so the uncle theory could work. I can't wait to see the battle between those two, if there is one. I'm sure we've only seen a taste of what jiraiya can do. this will def be the ultimate battle.

[RyougaZell]

And thus we finally bury the 'Kazama Arashi' name for good.
Namikaze Minato huh? Will take a while to get used to that name.
Nice...

[darkmetal505]

Wow, Jiraya's transfer frog is so cool.

[Hikyuu]

Which chapter is the red haired pein in.. i can't find it o.o..

[Krazeephlip]

Hey who thinks that Jiyaira is going to NOT live through this battle with pein?
I only think this because Kishi's thrown some death curve balls at us in the past... so I wonder...

[Hikyuu]

there was a lot of speculation in the last chapter as to if we have seen the end of Jiraiya's days... due to the whole parallelism with other deaths we have seen.

[ody]

Always knew Pein was Naruto's uncle.

[Assertn]

I'm pretty sure Naruto's mom is from the former whirlpool village, not rain village.

[Hikyuu]

Maybe the reason they have not given The lady Akatsuki member's name is cause its Naruto's mom .. OoooO more crazy thoughts.. that have no real basis !! And if you say she doesnt have red hair.. then that is why god made hair dye..or ninja powers they do cool things too
EDIT: Oh and then when Jiraiya comes to fight Pein and sees the mom.. he will be LIKE OMG IT's YOU.. WHERE MY MONEY? is Jiraiya gonna have to choke a bitch?

[UChessmaster]

Which chapter is the red haired pein in.. i can't find it o.o..

317, his hair is more brownish imo

[Assertn]

Sasori has red hair too....

maybe...maybe he's Naruto's 2nd cousin!

[Hikyuu]

then I would have to stop loving Sasori :(

[Death BOO Z]

Namikaze Minato? Kushina Uzumaki...
well, Kishi has finally spilled the eggs, the cat's out of the bag, for I was blind but now I see, it's all coming toghther now, the pieces are connecting now, the great plan is revealed..

enough with with the mindless loop, for now.

Jirayas' frog jutsu - BEST thing in this chapter.
Sasukes' senseless fight with Itachi - STUPID.
Payne really does seem to be pretty Uber, I hope he shows some serious personnality motives to match that power. but I still think that the girl is controling him (more ahead).

the whole hertiage thing, even though much appriciated (finally, it was getting old to yell at each new charecter that it's Naruto's dad), is kinda out of the blue... can't understand what was going in Kishi's mind when he wrote this..
I wonder how many people of the village know about this thing, if Kushina was a member of the village (at least for a few years, from child to adult) then it should be a given, and people could still have evidence to match her and Nartuo (and since she was dating the 4th, match Naruto to Namikaze - if the apperaence isn't a enough giveaway).
yes. and as Hikyuu says (and as i've been suggesting for years), I really hope that the Akatsuki lady is Kushina, AKA - Naruto's mother.
maybe she believed Naruto was killed during the seal, and joined the Akatsuki get revenge on the village that got her man and her son killed, but now she's made a deal with the leader to serve him if he promises her that Naruto will be allowed to live (or at least given a fair chance to fight one akatsuki at a time).

anyways, am I the only one that feels Kishi is rushing stuff over?
Naruto's parents, Itachi and Sasuke, Sharingan master user, Roots... usually we would have waited at least a year for all that to be revealed, and now we got a month of concentrated plot... weird. do you think he aims to finish it soon, say, at 400+ chapters?

[Yukimura]

While I hold to Occams Razor, it is still sort of open-ended about Naruto being the Fourth's kid but with what Tsunade and Jiraiya said the alternative is a bit strange.

Tsunade starts out her speech with: "Namikaze Minato, The resemblance is undeniable" in response to Jiraiya mentioning teaching Naruto made him remember teaching Minato. Then Jiraiya talks about the Minato, finally reavealing that he's the Fourth, then Tsunade talks about how different they are. Presumably she means Naruto and the Fourth, but this is actually open-ended enough that there could be a mystery third person other than Naruto who is different from the Fourth. She says "he's much more similar to his mother". The he's seems to refer to Naruto, considering they've been talking about Naruto and the Fourth up to this point. However, the subject of the he's is left to be taken from the context without actually being specific. In this case the context seems to make the he's refer to Naruto, however it's never actually stated so only the speaker truly knows for sure who he's refers to. If we assume Tsunade wasn't talking about Naruto then the next most likely candidate for He' is a mystery person.

Tsunade goes onto say "his personality and ninjutsu style are exactly like Uzumaki Kushina's", using the same he as before, (Uzumaki Kushina is definitely the mother of whoever 'he' is, either a mystery person or Naruto).

Then Jiraiya goes on to describe a person who sounds much like Naruto constant jabbering etc in response to the name Uzumaki Kushina. Jiraiya's comments don't really indicate what the age difference was between himself and Kushina, but Tsunade talks about how Kushina grew up indicating that Kushina grew up either with or behind Tsunade (and thus Jiraiya). Then out of the blue she says "But Naruto does look a lot like his father" And then Jiraiya says "That's why I see HIM in Naruto"

Now the simplest untanglement of all the pronouns is that Tsunade's him's and he's refered to Naruto. If this is the case then when she compared 'him' to the Fourth she felt that 'he' (Naruto) was actually more like his mother in manner, but that he did look like his father. We know Tsunade was originally comparing 'him' (Naruto) to the Fourth and when she came back from her mother tangernt she mentioned 'his' father. Jiraiya's statement that he sees HIM in Naruto comes right after this, and before the mother tangent Jiraiya had last been talking about the Fourth.

If you absolutely refuse to believe that Naruto is the son of the fourth, there is a path that allows this. Where Tsunade starts talking about "how different they are" she could be talking about some unknown person who is: a) still alive, as she uses present tense, b) different from the Forth Hokage, and more similar to their own mother, who is Uzumaki Kushina, c) the son of someone who looks a lot like Naruto, and d) someone Jiraiya sees in Naruto.

This mystery person would probably bear some resemblance to the fourth Hokage though.

[Hikyuu]

.... Yuki ;o; Too much free time :( ::pat pat.::
@death -- I get that feeling too(with the rushing).. Though perhaps it will just be the end of all the current bad guy stuff... like they will finish with Akatsuki and itachi.. then something bad will happen with roots.. lots of people will die yada yada.. Kakashi hokage.. blah blah.. bam naruto hokage end series.
Edit: I think it would be really cool if another war broke out between all the countries.. for some reason.. maybe the ROOT would be behind it who knows..

[Eddie_Brock]

Wah a kick ass chapter, there is so much story progress it scares me. I totally understand what everybody is saying about Naruto being a lil bit rushed, but it's ok if the story won't suffer because of this.
And what Yukimura said about the possibility of somebody else being Naruto's dad makes some sense like a nice plot twist, it would rock if Payne would be Naruto's dad, ah a fools dream. :D

[chet_chetty]

I had this long post that I still may use but I started to feel like I was talking in circles with the whole pronoun thing. I think verb tense in the translation need to be extremely accurate to interpret Tsunada and Jiraiya's convo.

Anyways, what I got from it is Naruto looks like his father and acts like his mother.


edit: the prospect of Kakashi being Hokage is pretty freakin cool.

[DB_Hunter]

Always felt Kakashi would make Hokage one day. I mean if the bloody Genin/Chunnin can be seen as potential Hokage's, Kakashi is a shoe in.

Wasn't he originally pencillied in to be the next Hokage after Sarutobi, about the time of the first Zabuza arc?

[kAi]

Holy shit, what a chapter.

I think it's safe to assume that Yondaime is Naruto's dad, although, I needed to read that twice to get anywhere with it.

Jiraiya's frog jutsu is awesome, great way to get inside undetected. I think the battle we are about to witness is going to be epic (as DS put it), should be a pretty crazy, jutsu fest.

[Assertn]

I mentioned before that this chapter doesn't confirm the 4th is Naruto's dad, but Yuki's post further supports my statement.

The fact that Tsunade and Jiraiya shrugged off Naruto's resemblance to the 4th, only to ultimately conclude that he resembles him sounds like a huge indicator that him is NOT the 4th.

[Death BOO Z]

Yuki, that's a blunt rape of the text... but it's valied. and I do hope it's true... I wanna see how kishi diggs up another uber strong charecter who is supposdly connected to so many others, yet is mysteriously unknown...


one last thing...
at page 04, we see Sasuke's light saber piercing the cave walls, what does that mean?
I can't see any way for earth to amplify the attack (if anything, it should weaken it), or any reason for the emphesis... any suggestions?

ALSO. Tsuande SUCKS as a doctor, can't stop herself from throwing up, what kind of ninja medic is she? going down from some booze... Unless Jiraya suspected she might try to stop him from going and drugged her earlier.

[benjaminz]

one last thing...
at page 04, we see Sasuke's light saber piercing the cave walls, what does that mean?
I can't see any way for earth to amplify the attack (if anything, it should weaken it), or any reason for the emphesis... any suggestions?
and what's with the emphasis on the stupid crow when itachi gets hit by the chidori? oh nevermind, i forgot chidori is supposed to make bird sounds.. remember lightning beats earth in this manga... lol..

[itadakimasu]

Not that random...in the previous chapter sasuke was outside, found a cave, told his friends to stay and wait for him, then found itachi inside the cave.

Also, it hasn't been stated that yondaime is Naruto's father. Only that he resembles him, but looks more like his mother.

it was clearly implied that the fourth is narutos father...

anyhow... i wont type 80 lines about this chapter, last i thought that naruto and itachi were fighting.. and now suddenly sasuke vs itachi.... mk. and then the unveiling of narutos parents. makes me wonder if everything is wrapping up on naruto.

[Hikyuu]

@boo -- Throwing up is a GOOD thing to do when you drink to much. IT clears your system of the alcohol to keep you from getting alcohol poisoning.. Why would she need to use medical knowhow :P
@benjaI think the crows.. were his genjutsu that he always uses... He likes to turn into crows...what can I say :p..

[dsh1202]

I really believe that Naruto is the son of the 4th, Pain probably isnt related to naruto, The un named akatsuki member, (the female) might be naruto's mom, i think this cause, why would they still keep her name a secret unless her real name was extremely important? any way its just a theory

[UChessmaster]

unkown akatsuki member has blue hair, naruto`s mom is red

[dsh1202]

i guess, but i still don't understand why they would keep her name a secret unless her name was extremely important

[Hikyuu]

cause there isnt such thing as hair dye in the naruto universe.. or some kinda magic thing that can change appearance OH WAIT.. :O..

[iMUSTbeTHEdevil]

I really believe that Naruto is the son of the 4th, Pain probably isnt related to naruto, The un named akatsuki member, (the female) might be naruto's mom, i think this cause, why would they still keep her name a secret unless her real name was extremely important? any way its just a theory

Or Naruto's Mom was killed in the great war. Not to mention they said that his mom was very outspoken, this blue hair woman doesnt say much. Would think that Naruto's mom would yell like he does!

[chidori24]

While I hold to Occams Razor, it is still sort of open-ended about Naruto being the Fourth's kid but with what Tsunade and Jiraiya said the alternative is a bit strange.

Tsunade starts out her speech with: "Namikaze Minato, The resemblance is undeniable" in response to Jiraiya mentioning teaching Naruto made him remember teaching Minato. Then Jiraiya talks about the Minato, finally reavealing that he's the Fourth, then Tsunade talks about how different they are. Presumably she means Naruto and the Fourth, but this is actually open-ended enough that there could be a mystery third person other than Naruto who is different from the Fourth. She says "he's much more similar to his mother". The he's seems to refer to Naruto, considering they've been talking about Naruto and the Fourth up to this point. However, the subject of the he's is left to be taken from the context without actually being specific. In this case the context seems to make the he's refer to Naruto, however it's never actually stated so only the speaker truly knows for sure who he's refers to. If we assume Tsunade wasn't talking about Naruto then the next most likely candidate for He' is a mystery person.

Tsunade goes onto say "his personality and ninjutsu style are exactly like Uzumaki Kushina's", using the same he as before, (Uzumaki Kushina is definitely the mother of whoever 'he' is, either a mystery person or Naruto).

Then Jiraiya goes on to describe a person who sounds much like Naruto constant jabbering etc in response to the name Uzumaki Kushina. Jiraiya's comments don't really indicate what the age difference was between himself and Kushina, but Tsunade talks about how Kushina grew up indicating that Kushina grew up either with or behind Tsunade (and thus Jiraiya). Then out of the blue she says "But Naruto does look a lot like his father" And then Jiraiya says "That's why I see HIM in Naruto"

Now the simplest untanglement of all the pronouns is that Tsunade's him's and he's refered to Naruto. If this is the case then when she compared 'him' to the Fourth she felt that 'he' (Naruto) was actually more like his mother in manner, but that he did look like his father. We know Tsunade was originally comparing 'him' (Naruto) to the Fourth and when she came back from her mother tangernt she mentioned 'his' father. Jiraiya's statement that he sees HIM in Naruto comes right after this, and before the mother tangent Jiraiya had last been talking about the Fourth.

If you absolutely refuse to believe that Naruto is the son of the fourth, there is a path that allows this. Where Tsunade starts talking about "how different they are" she could be talking about some unknown person who is: a) still alive, as she uses present tense, b) different from the Forth Hokage, and more similar to their own mother, who is Uzumaki Kushina, c) the son of someone who looks a lot like Naruto, and d) someone Jiraiya sees in Naruto.

This mystery person would probably bear some resemblance to the fourth Hokage though.

Wow, what a chapter. If Jiraiya does face off against Pain or Payne, I think Jiraiya would barely escape or even bite it. Jiraiya would not win for sure because I think Naruto is destined to give Pain his first loss. Even Tobi (or Uchiha Madara) warned him about Naruto's growth.

Nice analysis Yukimura. At first I was sure that Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking about the Fourth Hokage being Naruto's father, but then I read your post. I then re-read the chapter. At the top of page 11, Jiraiya starts talking about the Fourth then he says, "I never had kids, so I don't know what it was like ... But if he'd been my son, I'd have bragged about him all the time." Then on the bottom of page 12, Jiraiya states, "That's why I see HIM in Naruto ... I have to admit ... I've come to think of him as my own grandson..." So I'm back again in believing that Namikaze Minato (the Fourth Hokage) is Naruto's father. :D

[Raven]

God, if the 4th is actually Naruto's father, that's the most anti-climactic result ever. It's the obvious option that all the noobs claim as a new theory, dammit! Don't let it be the real answer!

It's true though, they never explicitly state in this chapter, "The 4th, Namikaze Minato, is Uzamaki Naruto's father". That's why I'm still holding onto my belief it's not true.

It's pretty obvious that Pein is some relative, though.

[masamuneehs]

I'm pretty sure Naruto's mom is from the former whirlpool village, not rain village.

However, that's not to say that the former Whirpool Village might not have turned into the Rain Village. It's located in between the four major countries and has always been a battleground, so it's still possible that it changed hands some time in the past. Jiraiya also mentioned in the last chapter that the leader of Akatsuki is rumored to be in charge of one of the sides in the Rain's civil war.

There's no definitive proof here either way, and I have no clue what hair color the Akatsuki chick has (nor would I put much stock in it), but I still think it's possible that the Whirpool Village might have become the Rain Village, and in that case it's not out of the question that this Akatsuki woman might somehow be Naruto's mother.

If she is, then I'm betting the bank this restricts Jiraiya somehow during their fight and results in his death.


God, if the 4th is actually Naruto's father, that's the most anti-climactic result ever. It's the obvious option that all the noobs claim as a new theory, dammit!

Again, nothing explicitly proven here yet, at least not with this translation... but it does seem that the conversation between Tsunade and Jiraya is supposed to make you think that Uzumaki Kushina and the 4th Hokage are his parents. That's what I'd put all my chips on now. And, if they're not talking about those two as being Naruto's parents, then you really have to wonder what kind of crazy shit Kishimoto will throw at you to eventually explain who they were talking about...

The fact that Jiraiya's final word of advice to Tsunade was about watching out for Root strikes me as being way too randomly inserted to not be relevant to the future of Konoha. I'd almost forgotten all about them...

Finally, I do think that Itachi's meeting with Sasuke served two very good purposes. First, he saw Sasuke's new Chidori 'Sword' technique (reminds me so much of Creed's Imagine Blade...). And he challenged him to come after him alone. The rest of Sasuke's Hebi crew are not invited. And if Sasuke is foolish enough to actually go alone, it makes me think that Itachi will survive. That or Itachi has something to show him that he wouldn't want anyone else to see...

lots of plot this chapter, i enjoyed it.

[Foomanchew24]

My predictions for the rest of Naruto Manga are as follows:

Saskue kills Itachi and feels empty inside after doing such and now thirst for Naruto's blood after all.

Jiraya kills pain in an epic battle and before dieing reveals he is Naruto's half brother. This leads to a life long drowning in booze and being worthless for Jiraya oh and lots of nasty hookers too.

When Saskue and Naruto reunite they feel an even stronger hatred for the world and everything in it because thier real brothers have both died and they have no real family left and they were shitty friends to begin with. Somehow Sakura's forehead gets between a super punch of Naruto's and Saskue and explodes like a Mellon from a Gallagher show. They both have a good laugh over this and become freinds again.

Oro/whats his name with glasses sneaks into the leaf village with the help of roots to kill Tsunade (suffocates her with her two funbags on her chest) in a coup and accomplishes what Oro himself could not do and lives the rest of his life seducing young boys with Jesus Juice like Micheal Jackson. Eventually turns leaf village into Neverland Ranch.

Kakashi anticlimactically pokes Tobi aka Obito in the eye and he dies instantly, Kakashi curses under his breath realizing he lost his last good chance at having two matching eyes.

[Shin-Rob]

Random theory: On page 12 Jiraya says " I remember with that red hair, the constant jabbering and her tomboyish demeanor, she was just like one of the boys!"

So I'm thinking that maybe Pain is actually Naruto's mother.

[Splash!]

You know what, I was thinking of the very same thing. Do we actually know for certain that Pain is a male? He/She could very well be Naruto's Mother. Now that would be an awesome twist. I don't think a gender specific pronoun has yet been used when referring to the leader (could be wrong on this one).

But yeah, you bring a really good point. And this also ties in with the fact that Pain looks a lot like Naruto.
However, if Pain is Naruto's mom, I don't see how "she grew up to be much more beautiful" applies. Thats one creepy looking woman.

[Assertn]

You know what, I was thinking of the very same thing. Do we actually know for certain that Pain is a male? He/She could very well be Naruto's Mother. Now that would be an awesome twist. I don't think a gender specific pronoun has yet been used when referring to the leader (could be wrong on this one).

But yeah, you bring a really good point. And this also ties in with the fact that Pain looks a lot like Naruto.
However, if Pain is Naruto's mom, I don't see how "she grew up to be much more beautiful" applies. Thats one creepy looking woman.
Also, Naruto would probably have the freaky eyes.

[Idealistic]

Random theory: On page 12 Jiraya says " I remember with that red hair, the constant jabbering and her tomboyish demeanor, she was just like one of the boys!"

So I'm thinking that maybe Pain is actually Naruto's mother.

Considering Haku was a boy, I wouldn't be surprised if Pein was a girl.....

But man.. How can they say Naruto's ninjutsu-style is similar to his mother. Him learning Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was an accident, it wasn't because he developed the style. And what ninjutsus does Naruto have? Only Rasengan and Kage Bunshin?



After rereading the chapter again, it seems like they were saying Kushina was the 4th's mother. So it makes me think maybe the 4th was Naruto's older brother. And after Tsunade saying Naruto looks a lot like his father, Pein might be his father.

[Koyuki]

I doubt that, Yondaime is 20+ years older than Naruto.

Kishi has really taken Naruto to another level with the last 20 chapters. It's my favorite manga.

I think Naruto's mother have some connection with the Akatsuki. She could maybe be the bluehaired girl. I hope she's not Pein.

Feburary: I think Pein can sense disturbance in the rain because it's his jutsu.
Like a rain-no-jutsu. And I think that Jiraya's jutsu is somewhat like Sasuke's jutsu with Manda. Time travel.

[February]

gooooooooood chapter
I really believe that 4th is Naruto's father, especially after Jiraiya talked about how 4th would have been like his son and how he thinks of Naruto as a grandson. But another user wrote up an explanation so it saves me time :P

The Sasuke vs Itachi fight seems so close....I cant wait...that chidori that split into many directions inside Itachi was really really cool.

And omg..Pein can even feel if someone disturbs the rain? Thats a godly jutsu....but what if Jiraiya didnt come out of the frog and just went to the Pein's hideout in that form? Would he have still sensed it? Because it seemed like Pein only sensed the chakra when Jiraiya came out of the frog. And Pein probably put some kind of filter when it comes to detection because there could be bugs/small animals that disturb the rain constantly.

[ody]

I doubt that, Yondaime is 20+ years older than Naruto.

Kishi has really taken Naruto to another level with the last 20 chapters. It's my favorite manga.

I think Naruto's mother have some connection with the Akatsuki. She could maybe be the bluehaired girl. I hope she's not Pein.

Feburary: I think Pein can sense disturbance in the rain because it's his jutsu.
Like a rain-no-jutsu. And I think that Jiraya's jutsu is somewhat like Sasuke's jutsu with Manda. Time travel.

Was the Yondaime's age ever revealed? I don't think it was. I like Idealistic's theory that Yondaime was Naruto's older brother and Pein is the father.

Jiraiya mentioned that Yondaime became Hokage "in a blink of an eye" which implies that he was very young when he inherited the title.

[Koyuki]

Yondaime trained Kakashi. Kakashi was about 15 years when he was trained give and take.
Yondaime was probably around 25 when he trained Kakashi. Kakashi is now around 25.
That would make Yondaime around 35 years. Naruto is 15.

[TheBladeChild]

EDIT: Oh and then when Jiraiya comes to fight Pein and sees the mom.. he will be LIKE OMG IT's YOU.. WHERE MY MONEY? is Jiraiya gonna have to choke a bitch?

Dude I loled at the last part :)

Wow what a dense chapter. Kakashi and Naruto both are Hokage reserves. Fourth's name finally revealed as well as naruto's mother. Sasuke and Itachi are about to have their fight. Im glad to see Kishi finally growing some cajones and giving us a chapter worth reading instead of the last few cock-tease chapters.

[dsh1202]

The fourth is most likely naruto's father, but they never said that naruto's mother didnt have more than one child. So maybe pain is naruto's brother or something. And if naruto's mom is the un named akatsuki member, it would make sense she would be pain's partner if pain was one of her sons. Just a theory...

[Uberbaka]

Oooh oooh, random crazy theory time.

Jiraya says something along the lines of: red hair, tomboyish demeanor, she was just like one of the boys etc. Has Peins gender ever been verified? See where I'm going with this? Silly, no? Usually anime takes genderbending the other way, males looking female, but what about the other way around?

'Cause if the fourth really is narutos dad then I officially announce that _anything_ could happen at this point.

Oh, and nice chapter.. Liked the mood, quality stuff..

[UChessmaster]

cause there isnt such thing as hair dye in the naruto universe.. or some kinda magic thing that can change appearance OH WAIT.. :O..

name one character that is known to dye his hair and a magic "thing" that can change apearance permanentely, (transforms doesnt count for obvious reasons and neither does henge cause it would be pointless)

[iMUSTbeTHEdevil]

name one character that is known to dye his hair and a magic "thing" that can change apearance permanentely, (transforms doesnt count for obvious reasons and neither does henge cause it would be pointless)

Tsundae does it. Maybe not permanently, but constantly.

[itadakimasu]

jumping in with the theories....

after reading i think it was yukimoras really long post about jiraiya and tsunada's conversation about the fourth and maybe not meaning naruto... maybe they were talking about PEIN! and that he is naruto's big brother!? either way, the 4th is narutos father.

[conquistaDan]

jumping in with the theories....

after reading i think it was yukimoras really long post about jiraiya and tsunada's conversation about the fourth and maybe not meaning naruto... maybe they were talking about PEIN! and that he is naruto's big brother!? either way, the 4th is narutos father.



Totally agree on that. It makes sense to me. Think about the Naruto seal. He wouldn't have done it if it wasn't to enhance or do something drastic in someway to "his son" if he is his dad. And throwing aside his resemblance to him. I think Kishi is using "him" from Tsunade to make us all build up, go crazy and think until we know the real answer.

[joker-kun]

I think personally this chapter tells us that The Fourth is Naruto's dad. isn't 367 chapters a long enough wait to find out his parents? Even if he isn't when the time comes no matter who it is it's going to be "obvious" or "stupid" to someone.

If he isn't his dad there's some sort of family relation between Naruto, the 4th and the chick (specially since her name is Uzumaki). Now who knows maybe the 4th is his older brother or maybe he's his uncle and with all the speculation of Pein going around he's actually his dad, the 4th being his brother.

Even if it's a tad obvious I think Pein could quite possibly be related in some way. Just like how he's chosen specifically to capture Naruto by Madara. Madara being an Uchiha means he knows about Konoha so he could easily know if Pein has some relation to Naruto. Just like when he (Madara) is talking about Naruto here:
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/364/15/

Pein's partner assumes he's doing it to scare them and talk about how Pein has never lost a battle. Maybe Madara was just doing it cause he's knows the deeper relationship between Naruto and him.

Just like doesn't anyone else think the way Pein was talking in the last page was like he was familiar with "the chakra" disturbing his rain? Look here:
http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/367/17/

I don't know if i'm reading too much into it but it kind of seems like he knows who's chakra it is and he knows they're dangerous (meaning he knows Jiraiya).

I'm still curious to see what Itachi wanted to tell Naruto too. Maybe he knows some dirty secret no one else does?? Also still want to know how Kyuubi knows who Madara is.

[Assertn]

bbaucom, Uberbaka, and some other guy.....

I like how people claim to come up with these totally crazy theories, even though these same theories have already been brought up earlier in this exact same thread.

You guys need to lurk moar

How about when Sasori was asking Itachi what the 9-tailed jinchurriki looked like and Pein made him tell him? If Naruto is his kid, he doesn't seem to even be aware of it.

[dsh1202]

i still think that the un named akatsuki member is naruto's mother, even if she has a diffrent hair color now, but hair color has been known to change in some animes. Like from a traumatic event or something, such as losing her husband, a.k.a minato

[masamuneehs]

i'm not so keen on the 'hair color changing from dramatic events' line... but I'm still not going to say her hair color totally makes her Naruto's ma or not... All these theories...

Joker pointed out something interesting, it really does seem like Pain/Pein is able to decipher more than just the number of intruders with his rain... He knows that it's a dangerous intruder... But, this could be because the rain somehow tells him about the amount of chakra the intruder has (plus that he entered in a very sneaky way, suddenly appearing past the borders, at least making him dangerously stealthy) OR he can tell that it's Jiraiya, and the second screams that Pein's had some kind of previous contact with him...

also, i just noticed... Jiraiya says, "I'm in... that was easier than anticipated..." and then the shot with him in the rain and that SFX and he goes "... or it seemed like it, at least..." So it looks to me that he realizes that he's been detected...

[dsh1202]

it does seem like pain has alot of knowledge about the leaf village

[Hikyuu]

Wait.. I've figured it out.. WHAT IF IM NARUTO's MOTHER :O~

[dsh1202]

Wait.. I've figured it out.. WHAT IF IM NARUTO's MOTHER :O~

i knew it

[kAi]

How about when Sasori was asking Itachi what the 9-tailed jinchurriki looked like and Pein made him tell him? If Naruto is his kid, he doesn't seem to even be aware of it.
Well, Itachi was the last person to have contact with him, and Pein wouldn't have had any contact with Naruto since the time of his birth.

That's if, Pein is his dad.

[poopdeville]

Wah a kick ass chapter, there is so much story progress it scares me. I totally understand what everybody is saying about Naruto being a lil bit rushed, but it's ok if the story won't suffer because of this.
And what Yukimura said about the possibility of somebody else being Naruto's dad makes some sense like a nice plot twist, it would rock if Payne would be Naruto's dad, ah a fools dream. :D

The only way Pein being Naruto's dad being could possibly be cool is if somebody other than Orochimaru figured Edo Tensei out and brought the Fourth back to life. While that has the potential to be seriously cool, it's also pretty unlikely. Pein's eyes are always weird looking, but the Fourth had regular looking eyes. But come to think of it, this Pein == dad idea has Star Wars written all over it.

[dsh1202]

lol i can just imagine the conversation

Pain: naruto, i am your father
Naruto: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[February]

why does everyone link Naruto to someone if they are even miniscually similiar?
I refuse to believe Pein has any connections with Naruto at all.

4th on the other hand, had lots of things common with Naruto. Not only do they have the same hairstyle (same color too) but they aimed to become hokages. They were from same village. They were taught by the same teacher (jiraiya) They share the same technique (rasengan) They were both kind-hearted (or so Jiraiya says). Before this chapter came out, I still didnt fully believe that the 4th was related to Naruto in any way. But now, I can see it

the only thing Naruto has in common with Pein is the hairstyle. Lets drop the crazy theory plz

[toonice714]

Ok guys wtf. Dont over analyze this chapter. If there's one thing we all know about naruto legacy is important as shit. Also you know that if there talking about his parents now there must be a reason for it. Someone is eventually going to make this clear to naruto in the next couple of chapters. They are pretty much done this mission with no development from shino, kiba, akamaru, hinata, suigetsu, juugo, or karin btw. This mission is shot so everyone should be returning home unless team hebi and team konoha meet. That most likely wont happen because the battle between jiraya and pein is more important. Lastly, sasuke and his brother are finally going to square off in a familiar place to both of them. They have a common acquaintance in the old lady and the young girl who runs their clan weapons bunker. There will some obviously be interference there followed by something important itachi has been keeping from his brother.

Anyways I read the chapter and i read that tsunade and jiraya were talking about naruto's parents the 4th and some loud tomboyish whirlpool ninja. no disrespect guys.

[dsh1202]

the battle between pain and jiraya will probably be the most important thing happening for the next few chapters, if there even is a fight, cause we don't really know what might happen, but there is a high possibility of a fight between the two.

[toonice714]

sorry for the double post but would you want your kid to know that you are the source of all the crap he is going to receive down the line. i mean these jinchuriki arent exactly popular heroes in their villages. People love the 4th and hate the kyubi. They might have mixed feelings about the bastard versions of both of them. And if you are one of the people in side the loop of people who know who naruto's parents are, how are you going to tell him that the source of all his pain and suffering growing up is the most beloved person in the village and and awol/possibly dead mother.

end rant...

[animus]

Ok guys wtf. Dont over analyze this chapter. If there's one thing we all know about naruto legacy is important as shit. Also you know that if there talking about his parents now there must be a reason for it. Someone is eventually going to make this clear to naruto in the next couple of chapters. They are pretty much done this mission with no development from shino, kiba, akamaru, hinata, suigetsu, juugo, or karin btw. This mission is shot so everyone should be returning home unless team hebi and team konoha meet. That most likely wont happen because the battle between jiraya and pein is more important. Lastly, sasuke and his brother are finally going to square off in a familiar place to both of them. They have a common acquaintance in the old lady and the young girl who runs their clan weapons bunker. There will some obviously be interference there followed by something important itachi has been keeping from his brother.

Anyways I read the chapter and i read that tsunade and jiraya were talking about naruto's parents the 4th and some loud tomboyish whirlpool ninja. no disrespect guys.

People interpret things differently, and people like to look for a deeper understanding. Still, this is a scanlation meaning, some of the translation can be off, as translations most of the time compromise the true meaning when changing languages, sometimes for lack of a better word or just a difference between languages.

@February: I don't know if I could say miniscule similarities. People are entitled to making obersvations. Pein/Pain/Pane comes from the Rain country or whatever, and has Red Hair. The mother mentioned, the Uzumaki has red hair as well and came from the Whirlpool Village. It's not farfetched to try to connect these similiarities.

[Viscero]

Why has everyone ignored the stuff Itachi was saying to Sasuke? Itachi told Sasuke to meet him at the "Uchiha's hideout alone." Obviously Itachi wasn't intent on battling Sasuke at the moment if he didn't go to the cave personally. We have to remember that both of them are considered geniuses... it's quite possible that Itachi knows about the "real" leader behind Akatsuki. Maybe he's going to tell Sasuke more about what happened the day he wiped out their clan... and possibly give more info about Uchiha Madara. Who knows... either way Itachi is going to have trouble since Sasuke doesn't care to talk, he just wants to kill Itachi.

On the 4th being Naruto's dad... I don't see why he wouldn't be. I've believed the 4th was his dad since I started reading the manga over 3 years ago. Obviously Kishi gave us the info because it will be important in the upcoming chapters.

Pein definitely doesn't seem like he'd be Naruto's dad... who cares if he looks like him... Sai and Sasuke look alike but they're not related in any way. The only way I see Pein being related to Naruto at all is if Pein is Naruto's older brother... it could add yet another similarity between Naruto and Sasuke; they could then both hate their older brothers.

[poopdeville]

@animus: in support, Pein knows Tobi's true identity. This suggests another connection with Konoha. It's all very tenuous, and I'm excited to read more.

[February]

Fine, if everyone wants to link somebody to someone in the naruto world, its my turn:







http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/february1088/kabutoro.png



They are half-brothers and they share super l33t regenerating abilities

[Hikyuu]

Lol someone is gonna be like.> DONT COMPARE NARUTO WITH DBZ .. YOU HAVE BEEN WWARNED XD
EDIT: Oh, btw they arent related they just shop at TJ MAX

[Knives122]

Anyway..........Wow Kishi gave us both Naruto parents' names and finally said the obvious truth of the 4th...I mean Minato being his father. It's about damn time.

But of course you giving us one thing means something has to go, and that very well is probably going to be Jiraiya although what Pein said conflicts with this (I still think he's going to die). We could also see the end of Itachi as well followed by an enormous flashback and the arrival of Tobi when the fight is over.

[FullMetalAlchemist]

I think about 80% of you are over thinking all of this, narutos father is the 4th thats it, why would they talk about the 4th and his mother, but when they say "Him" they mean someone else, that makes no sense. Jiraya also talks about the 4th, and if he was a father blah blah blah.....then saying he sees naruto as a grandson, meaning the 4th like his son and the 4th's kid like his grandson. Tsunade says narutos mom became beautiful pein doesn't look like a beautiful women in anyway >.< acting tomboyish doesn't mean you look like a boy, you can dress like one and act like one but you can also be the hotest woman ever >.<.

[dsh1202]

I think about 80% of you are over thinking all of this, narutos father is the 4th thats it, why would they talk about the 4th and his mother, but when they say "Him" they mean someone else, that makes no sense. Jiraya also talks about the 4th, and if he was a father blah blah blah.....then saying he sees naruto as a grandson, meaning the 4th like his son and the 4th's kid like his grandson. Tsunade says narutos mom became beautiful pein doesn't look like a beautiful women in anyway >.< acting tomboyish doesn't mean you look like a boy, you can dress like one and act like one but you can also be the hotest woman ever >.<.

well said

[DB_Hunter]

Well, the 4th being Naruto's father would make sense... it would be more reasonable to assume that the 4th sealed Kyuubi in his own son as part of his sacrifice to the village, instead of just picking some random ghetto baby.

[Yukimura]

@FMA: It's apparently more fun to think things aren't as obvious as they seem to be. I buy the 4th + Uzumaki Kushina -> Uzumaki Naruto since I don't think Kishi would bother putting in so much veiled speech into a teenager/young adult themed manga. But the possibility still exists that it's not true so until there's absolutely no doubt I suspect plenty of people will choose not accept it in order to make the series feel more deep.

[KCMmmmm]

Does anybody else get the impression that Kishimoto realized the Kabuto-Orochimaru plot twist was incredible bad just a little too late (too late to pull it from the Shonen issue before print that is), and he is now feeding us all of his plot ideas in such a few short chapters to make us forget about that terrible blunder?

I mean, really - what with Tobi revealing his Sharingan, Jiraiya's upcoming fight with Pein, the revealing of Naruto's parents, and the confrontation between Sasuke and Itachi, who really expects Kabuto to make a re-appearance? I'm betting he will never show up again. Besides in a filler episode of the anime.

Which is a good thing really...because it was stupid. Like, a supremely bad idea. Still, it may make a good filler arc.

[Assertn]

Does anybody else get the impression that Kishimoto realized the Kabuto-Orochimaru plot twist was incredible bad just a little too late (too late to pull it from the Shonen issue before print that is), and he is now feeding us all of his plot ideas in such a few short chapters to make us forget about that terrible blunder?

I mean, really - what with Tobi revealing his Sharingan, Jiraiya's upcoming fight with Pein, the revealing of Naruto's parents, and the confrontation between Sasuke and Itachi, who really expects Kabuto to make a re-appearance? I'm betting he will never show up again. Besides in a filler episode of the anime.

Which is a good thing really...because it was stupid. Like, a supremely bad idea. Still, it may make a good filler arc.
Nope...I would've sooner considered the roots to be a bad plot twist than Kabutoro, but clearly we'll be seeing more of roots unfold soon so......

The way Kishimoto developed Kabuto was great. For the longest time he's just been sitting in the shadows, but just like so many before him, he's been inspired to change from Naruto's example...except this time it actually backfires on Naruto.

Anyway, a Sasuke vs Kabutoro battle at this point would be almost as elite as the Sasuke vs Itachi battle coming up.

[ody]

Itachi better win.

[animus]

I hope they both end up killing eachother in an explosive double knock out.

[ody]

That would be even better. A true main character has to die off in Naruto or else the manga will become shit.

Sasuke or Itachi need to go.

[masamuneehs]

Nope...I would've sooner considered the roots to be a bad plot twist than Kabutoro, but clearly we'll be seeing more of roots unfold soon so......

The way Kishimoto developed Kabuto was great. For the longest time he's just been sitting in the shadows, but just like so many before him, he's been inspired to change from Naruto's example...except this time it actually backfires on Naruto.

The more I think, the more I agree about this. I absolutely love Kabuto's tendency to show up when there's almost zero indication that he will, just when you think the plot is going to go somewhere else, it comes back to him. I never pegged him as that much of a fanatic (his initial reaction to Sasuke's killing Orochimaru left me very unsure if he was even going to retaliate, if he might have been even happy that Oro was dead), but it's clear that he is nuts for Orochimaru to even beyond Kimimaro level.

Unfortunately, with the Hidden Village of Sound destroyed, and the main plotline there gone (Oro training Sasuke to use his body as a host), I'm at a loss to say what Kabuto will do in the future. I never really considered the 'Destruction of Konoha' angle to be that likely or threatening, as it seemed clear that the closest he'd get was when he fought the Third Hokage. Kabuto was pretty vague when he showed up to 'thank' Naruto... But I still am glad he's going to be in the story for at least a little while longer.

Root... I loved them at first simply because I love Sai. Then again, they totally appeared out of nowhere and the 'hardline militarist' can surely offer some major problems in the future (especially since Jiraiya referred to them in his potentially last words to Tsunade). But I'm not compelled by their story at all.

The more I think about Root, the more I think it should have been introduced earlier. I mean, where the fucking hell were they when the Hokage position was temporarily vacated? It just seemed like a sudden idea Kishi had, for Sai to be loyal to someone other than Tsunade and to have his own secret little mission. Maybe he'll make something good out of it, but right now I could care less about Root.

Finally, I'm thinking that if we're considering open storylines, we've got the following (in order of appearance and with how I think they'll go down):

Sasuke's grudge vs. Itachi (Itachi-Sasuke duel, maybe Hebi involved).
Orochimaru (him completely taking over Kabuto's mind and body, dying in a duel with either Naruto or Tsunade, or whoever is Hokage)
Akatsuki's targeting of the Bijuu (Naruto's got to take care of this one by himself, probably with some support from Konoha nin, at least Sakura)
Bringing Sasuke home (the very freaking end)
Root (no idea, depends)

The real question to me is in what order these storylines are going be concluded. I can't help but think that the quickest one to bring to a close is Orochimaru, as it involves killing just one single person, and because a bunch of people can do it.

I feel like Itachi could end soon. I don't think he'll actually fight Sasuke in their much anticipated meeting in Konoha, more likely just reveal more backstory. But soon after that, Sasuke and Hebi could bag him. However, at that point there'd need to be something else for Sasuke to do (possibly created by this upcoming meeting). I don't think Sasuke will overcome this anytime soon, even if he does kill Itachi. If anything, I see Itachi (or his legacy) as being the final Akatsuki to end.

Root might be nothing more than an overblown threat, but I doubt it... I see them as being a way to, at the very end, center the action around Konoha again. Hell, they might become the reason why Sasuke returns. They might even create the next vacancy in the Hokage position.

For some reason, I can't see Akatsuki as being the last storyline left, particularly given the rapid rate of death (granted, the ones that are left are no slouches) and that everyone and their mother in Konoha is coming after them.

[Carnage]

I've been waiting for so long to see what was inside that letter Sai gave to Orochimaru.... it most definitely has to do with roots.

[Uberbaka]

masamuneehs

As you said everyone and their dogs kitchen sink are going after Akatsuki so I think they'll be the first to fall, after itachi pulls out or dies. Wondering about tobis/peins importance though, thinking that will be revealed the next couple of chapters at this rate..

I doubt Kabutoro would play such a minor role, I think he's got big plans/importance for the future considering how vital either ove them have been before and I doubt they'd introduce him to just remove him. But unsure of his motives.

Personally I'm hoping for a Sasuke/Naruto showdown, but then again I'm hoping that Sasuke will win said showdown which we all know will never happen.

[joker-kun]

Root might be nothing more than an overblown threat, but I doubt it... I see them as being a way to, at the very end, center the action around Konoha again. Hell, they might become the reason why Sasuke returns. They might even create the next vacancy in the Hokage position.


Hope it isn't something lame like Itachi is part of Root and that's why he killed the clan...

[FullMetalAlchemist]

I find it strange how itachi did not fight sasuke in the cave, i believe he is gonna reveal why he really killed the clan in the next meeting. I still think madara had something to do with it, and while itachi tells sasuke everything madara/tobi appears and kills itachi, or something along those lines. Remember how madara talks about sasuke sharingan, he has itachi yet he is looking at sasuke. There might be something special about sasuke not yet revealed and the true meaning of why he was the only uchiha spared.

[Assertn]

Masa you're missing an important item in your list: Tobi / Uchiha Madara.

I see Roots, Kabutoro and Tobi / Uchiha Madara as the 3 main adversaries after the Akatsuki demise.

I like where you're going with "Tsunade or Naruto, whoever is Hokage" vs Kabutoro.
It would be neat of him to become the residual arch nemesis of Naruto that pops up various times throughout the rest of the story and even beyond Naruto becoming Hokage.

[DB_Hunter]

Yea but surely when Naruto becomes Hokage the storyline ends (after all related fighting such as revenge is done and dusted), so I don't think any enemy will survive beyond that point.

Plus, we have Kakashi who could become Hokage before Naruto. The only way I don't see that happening is a) Naruto grows a damn brain and becomes a proper ninja or b) Kakashi doesn't give a shit and thus Naruto becomes Hokage anyway.

[dsh1202]

there will probably be an epilogue that explains what happens to all the characters, and i heard that the next series will be in a different village, with some cameos from some characters. Thats what i heard...

[Hikyuu]

Kabutoro.

I think I prefer calling it Kabumaru

[Assertn]

I think I prefer calling it Kabumaru
Well that's unfortunate for you then

[Yukimura]

If Kakashi is a front runner for Hokage after Tsunade that would imply he's one of the best warriors Konoha has to offer right now. I don't doubt his intelligence or leadership ability but his battle record is a bit spotty seeing as how we've never seen him walk away from a named opponent he defeated on his own two legs as far as I can remember.
My question is, where are all the Jounin level ninja's from the 4th's generation? Shouldn't there be people around the age of the fourth that were jounin when Kakashi was growing up? Older than him but younger than the Sannin, I know they've lost a lot of people with the wars and the Kyuubi attack, but having Kakashi be stronger than every surviving ninja of the Fourths generation (they should be all be in their mid to late 30's by now) seems a bit of a stretch to me. What could have happened to them all? Or did they al just suck except for Kakashi, the Fourth, the Sannin, and Kakashi's dad.

[Assertn]

Kakashi's also an ideal candidate because he's part of the student/teacher line of hokages. Actually him or Rin need to become hokage in order to complete the lineage to Naruto.

[ody]

If Kakashi is a front runner for Hokage after Tsunade that would imply he's one of the best warriors Konoha has to offer right now. I don't doubt his intelligence or leadership ability but his battle record is a bit spotty seeing as how we've never seen him walk away from a named opponent he defeated on his own two legs as far as I can remember.
My question is, where are all the Jounin level ninja's from the 4th's generation? Shouldn't there be people around the age of the fourth that were jounin when Kakashi was growing up? Older than him but younger than the Sannin, I know they've lost a lot of people with the wars and the Kyuubi attack, but having Kakashi be stronger than every surviving ninja of the Fourths generation (they should be all be in their mid to late 30's by now) seems a bit of a stretch to me. What could have happened to them all? Or did they al just suck except for Kakashi, the Fourth, the Sannin, and Kakashi's dad.

Jounin-level ninjas from the Leaf village only appear when Kishi wants them to, really. Captain Yamato (sp?) appeared when it was convenient for him to lead Team Kakashi while Kakashi was recovering.

And I hope the series doesn't end when Naruto becomes hokage, that would be lame. I hope to see if he matured or not and see him in battle amongst other elite ninjas.

[Hikyuu]

Well that's unfortunate for you then
You dont form a name by merging the first parts of their names together.. you have to have like .. a front and a back.. Like KABUmaru :O or orobuto

[UChessmaster]

I didn`t knew there was a rule for merging names...

this is obviously points to jiraiya vs. pein

good thing : we get to see peins abilities

bad things: jiraiya is almost dead.. noooooooo

[Super5]

I'm betting Jiraiya is as dead as a doornail... but it will take a lot of chapters for him to fight his final battle.

Like many other people, I still think Itachi's stated reason for killing his clan was a load of crap. His real reason had to do with whatever was in the temple that he told Sasuke to look for (the Uchiha Shrine). Hopefully, Sasuke and Itachi will just meet to talk instead of fight because it's way too early for an Itachi-Sasuke showdown. Instead, I believe Kishimoto will reveal everything about the Uchiha clan.

I can sympathize with Masa, there are way too many open plot threads right now. Roots seems like an afterthought on Kishi's part - what were they doing when Konoha had no hokage and they're low on ninja's??? They could have staged a coup and taken over easily. I have no idea where the Kabuto/Oro plot could be going, but how about this: he teams up with Root to take over Konoha and install a new hokage. Tsunade and Kakashi die in the battle, and Naruto becomes the leader of Konoha-in-exile. But that's pretty far out there...

Anyway, Kishi needs to do a little clean-up IMO.

[Idealistic]

I'm betting Jiraiya is as dead as a doornail... but it will take a lot of chapters for him to fight his final battle.


That's what I was hoping for with Oro too... But noooo Kishi went another route which I didn't really like.

But I still believe Oro is alive and will come back.

[masamuneehs]

That's what I was hoping for with Oro too... But noooo Kishi went another route which I didn't really like.

But I still believe Oro is alive and will come back.

Yeah, because Kabuto went and said that he incorporated Orochimaru into his own body... And there was evidence that Kabuto is slowly losing control, that Orochimaru is taking him over bit by bit. So, yeah, you'd think that he will be back, wouldn't you?

Also, the more you guys go on and on with your crazy theories, the more I actually start buying into them! Now I'm even doubting that Itachi annihilated his clan for reasons other than expressly stated... hell, I don't know what to think about it now...

But Orobuto joining forces with Root? That one just sounds absurd. I thought the leader of Root was just a hardline, practical militarist... not someone who really wanted Konoha to go to a crazy mad scientist... Seeing as how the Sound have fallen and lost almost all their strength, siding with a madman like Oro wouldn't bring them any real kind of advantage...

What I do see Root doing is helping Oro slip in or get into a position to kill Tsunade, in the hopes that afterwards they can drive Oro out and put in their own government. But, that'd be recreating exactly the same opportunity that they missed when the 3rd died...

Now I'm just sounding like an idiot... I need to read some other manga and not think so much on these crazy theories...

[Assertn]

Anyway, Kishi needs to do a little clean-up IMO.
Yeah when was the last time Kishi closed any open plot holes anyway? oh wait...

Also....it looked like UChessmaster said "we get to see penis abilities"

[FullMetalAlchemist]

Like many other people, I still think Itachi's stated reason for killing his clan was a load of crap. His real reason had to do with whatever was in the temple that he told Sasuke to look for (the Uchiha Shrine). Hopefully, Sasuke and Itachi will just meet to talk instead of fight because it's way too early for an Itachi-Sasuke showdown. Instead, I believe Kishimoto will reveal everything about the Uchiha clan.

.

I've been really thinking about this to and kinda thought of something in that regard. Remember how the clan had something special going on a mission of some sort, and even some meetings that itachi was apart of and seemed very important to the clan which they were relying on itachi alot on, maybe that had something to do with him killing the whole clan.

funny how these last couple chapters have really opened the possibilities on the show that we didn't even think of 6 months ago :).

[chet_chetty]

I think the question is, with all these subplots still open, how many of them will Kishi turn into a swerve, and how many will play out exactly as we expected? I think, if anything, to tie up all these subplots, some of them are going to end up intertwining ie "we were in it together all along!" or any other number of ways.

[darkshadow]

If Kakashi is a front runner for Hokage after Tsunade that would imply he's one of the best warriors Konoha has to offer right now. I don't doubt his intelligence or leadership ability but his battle record is a bit spotty seeing as how we've never seen him walk away from a named opponent he defeated on his own two legs as far as I can remember.
My question is, where are all the Jounin level ninja's from the 4th's generation? Shouldn't there be people around the age of the fourth that were jounin when Kakashi was growing up? Older than him but younger than the Sannin, I know they've lost a lot of people with the wars and the Kyuubi attack, but having Kakashi be stronger than every surviving ninja of the Fourths generation (they should be all be in their mid to late 30's by now) seems a bit of a stretch to me. What could have happened to them all? Or did they al just suck except for Kakashi, the Fourth, the Sannin, and Kakashi's dad.

Well according to the databooks kakashi is the strongest jounin in the leaf.
And well kakashi not walking away from a fight, i think that is cause of his "low" stamina, meaning he won't go all out unless he needs to.
After playing around with zabuza, he gave him some backhands and made him is bitch :P.
He was also the only real defense against Itachi, if it wasn't for him, kurenai would've been so killed by that clone bomb.
I would say kakashi is better then Itachi, seeing how he was a super genuis even without sharingan, even graduating and becoming jounin etc.. earlier then itachi, Tsukiyomi just fucked him up bad, heck it might've killed any other jounin.

Then there is the whole deidara thing, well kakashi was once again the only defense they had against the bomb, and he did what he had to do to save everyone, at the expense of fucking himself up big time.
Naruto saving kakashi crew from kakuzu? I don't buy that, to me it felt like kakashi was fighting zabuza again, and we all know how he turned that around, he also still had his hax mangekyou as a trump card.

And I think the only really active and jounin from the 4th's generation is Anko, judging from her encounter with orochimaru, she is prolly fucking strong, where kakashi almost second guessed his reasoning, she was prepared to blow herself up to kill him, and judging from the games, once she does it, there is no escaping it, you just die.

/analysis :P