The Masked Things

G'day, night, whatever! I'm back with a post about Naruto manga chapter 334.

*~*Chapter 334 Spoilers*~*

This week's chapter was brilliantly freaky! Finally, we have some idea about Kakuzu's abilities. Suddenly, his powers seem far more abominable than Hidan's.

When those scary, black ghost things appeared, the first thoughts in my mind were; "WTF?!", "Are they puppets?" and "WTF?!"

I must admit, I was intrigued, but hardly impressed. That was until I got a good look at those creepy-as-hell masked creatures. They're so cool and terrifying! Shikamaru and Chouji's reaction of disgust and trepidation to them was really quite understandable.

I still have no idea how that whole thing works, with the masked thingies flying out Kakuzu's back and attacking everyone.

And why the HELL did Hidan look so sad and contemplative when one of them died away? Unless I read his expression very wrong, that's a total mystery to me... Maybe it's because he was seeing a small part of Kakuzu dying... Awww!!

So it appears that the tables have turned once again, Kakuzu and Hidan are getting serious and are responding with typical Akatsuki ferocity.

Suddenly I'm no longer worried for Hidan and Kakuzu, but for Team Shikamaru.

Only Ino seems to be safe at the moment, hiding behind her tree. I guess her attack style, to hide and strike at the opportune moment, demands that she remain out of sight. Wouldn't it be great if she did something really unexpectedly awesome though?

Of course, odds are she'll do absolutely nothing. If she does do something, it'll probably be healing someone's cut knee or something boring like that...

Shikamaru's not through yet, however. He's a tactical genius, after all. He'll be analysing every movement Hidan and Kakuzu make and searching for points of attack that may be effective. Nothing will escape his notice!

As for Kakashi, he seems to be stripping down, doesn't he? First the jacket, then the gloves. Let's not forget the beginnings of that tear in his mask. Will we get to see his face, maybe? Wow, I'd have such mixed feelings about that.

I noticed that Kakashi looks younger without his jacket. I like it! Heh heh!

Predictions for future chapters? Well, it looks like the stage has been set for a huge elemental battle. It's going to be good, that's all I know for sure.

*~*End of Spoilers*~*

I'm going Christmas shopping this weekend. You should too! Get it all over with and wrapped up.

I'm hoping for some Naruto manga from my uncle. He bought me manga last year and this year I've asked for some more. Heh heh!

Countdown

Welcome to the Nest, random person!

Writing and posting these updates takes me a long time, especially now that I need to upload everything separately to avoid my browser crashing. So please excuse me if I ever post a day late.

*~*Chapter 333 Spoilers*~*

After I sat and thought about it for a minute, I realized that this chapter, despite being a lead-up chapter (leading up to a big event, i.e. Naruto’s fight) has certainly done it’s job and added yet more depth to the story.

I found the Akatsuki vs Team Shikamaru fight interesting and rather enlightening. Though I am pretty glad that Kishimoto isn’t dragging it out to unnecessary lengths. After all, I really want to see Team 7 in action, already! When Team 7 are on the move, we’ll finally be getting somewhere. Granted that these recent chapters have been leading up to something significant and have bought Naruto time to create his new jutsu.

Once again, I adored the KakuHida interaction. I loved the face Hidan made on the 6th page. Dear Hidan seems more like Naruto with every chapter, ne?

Speaking of Naruto, I can’t tell you how happy I am that his training period is just about over. Not a moment too soon, in my opinion. I’m hoping that Kishimoto gives Naruto a real battle this time and not just a tossed kunai and a Kyuubi transformation. Naruto hasn’t had a real fight in the whole of Part II! There was the Oodama Rasengan at the Itachi clone, the spat with Deidara, the mini-clash with Sai, Kyuubi pounding the shit out of Orochimaru, and then the little confrontation with Sasuke.

None of these encounters have given us a real taste of Naruto’s might, only Kyuubi’s. He must be so much stronger than he was in Part I and we’ve seen no concrete evidence of it. We’ve only really seen that Kyuubi is playing a bigger part in Naruto’s fights.
Therefore, I’m hoping for an impressive battle this time. Like the Sakura vs Sasori fight, which is, I think, the only proper ninja battle we’ve seen in Part II, so far. Yup, Kishimoto better come up with something spectacular, as I’m sure he will. But of course I’m getting ahead of things here…

So from Yamato we learned that there are weaknesses and strengths to each element, as should be obvious to anyone whose seen elements in a game or story before. We learned the weaknesses and strengths of the elements in the Narutoverse.

And contrary to the elemental structure in Pokemon, Earth is apparently vulnerable to Lighting in the Narutoverse, rather than totally immune to it. We saw this in action in the final pages of the chapter, in which Kakashi thrust his Chidori arm through Kakuzu’s chest, after the Akatsuki member had used an Earth jutsu to harden his skin.

Will Kakuzu die? I’m really not sure. I’m about 50/50 at the moment. This is because while it’s true that Kakuzu has pulled many tricks and is a very smart and skilled warrior, I don’t see how he could survive such a wound, without being Hidan. Unless, of course, that’s oil and not blood pouring from his chest and we find out his whole body is robotic and repairable.

The Kakuzu Kakashi attacked can’t be a bunshin, simply because with his Sharingan, Kakashi can identify a bunshin from a real body without having to kill it first.

Aww, if Kakuzu does die, where does that leave poor Hidan? He’s a helpless, immortal newb without his trusty pal Kakuzu! I sure hope everything turns out okay for them…

*~*End of Spoilers*~*

Don’t forget to check the Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles countdown every once in awhile. It seems so far off, but the days will fly by!

I’ll be back with another update packed with 334 spoilers next week. Have a great week, everyone! Don’t forget to start your advent calendars tomorrow, after all, it’s the 1st of December! The countdown to Christmas has begun too! Heh heh!

End of Filler

Hey there! Sorry for the extreme lateness of this update. I was occupied with other matters but now I've finally finished composing this.

*~*Chapter 332 Spoilers*~*

A fine chapter for all Akatsuki fans.

I was right about the Nibi being sealed, though I must admit, I was a little surprised to see it happen so soon.

Akatsuki have only to aquire three more Biju. Naruto's leisure time appears to be drawing to a close. When all the Biju but Kyuubi have been sealed, Naruto will be the target of every Akatsuki member.

I was a little surprised that Deidara warned Hidan and Kakuzu of Naruto. He was obviously impressed by the show Kyuubi Naruto put on after beating Deidara's clay bunshin to a pulp.

The fact that Deidara considers Naruto a threat makes me kind of proud of my dear Naruto. Yup, despite my love of all Akatsuki, I love Naruto more. Naruto has always been and will always be my favourite character.

The best thing about this chapter has got to be the Hidan-Kakuzu interaction. And of course the fact that Hidan calls Deidara "Deidara-chan". God, that is so cute!

Best page? Undoubtedly the funniest in a long time:

It is official, my favourite pairing is KakuHida. Really though, it's so funny how they bicker like a married couple, but when the fight starts they genuinely seem to worry for each other, for whatever reason.

Kakuzu is like the big, strong and wise one, and Hidan the talkative, hot-tempered, inexperienced newbie. Sorry, but I just find their relationship utterly delicious.

Did you see Itachi's shadowed face? What the significance of that, I wonder? I think he'll be silently pissed off if Hidan and Kakuzu manage to succeed where he failed. Heh heh! I still believe that if anyone in Akatsuki is going to capture Naruto (which I think they will for a time) it will be Itachi.

Shikamaru is obvious serious about this. I wonder what his plan is. Incapacitate the foes, then beat them to bloody death?

Good Lord, I don't want my dear Hidan and Kakuzu to die yet. There's still so much I wanted to see them do... And I didn't mean that in the "we haven't even seen them dive in the sack together yet!" kind of way. I meant it in the "we haven't seen nearly enough of these brilliant new characters!" way.

Hopefully Hidan and Kakuzu will walk away from this largely unscathed.

I really have no predictions for the next chapter, though I must say I hope something big happens and it's not just a whole chapter about how amazing Shikamaru is.

We know Shikamaru's a genius, we know his plan is great! I love Shikamaru, but I love Akatsuki more, so please excuse me when I say: AKATSUKI FTW!

Yes, I am very much on Akatsuki's side this time. If Hidan dies it will be a terrible thing for me. Him and Kakuzu have been the only highlight of the last dozen or so chapters and I have grown to love them dearly.

That was a great trap Shikamaru set up ... Damn him! Oh my poor, sexy Hidan, please don't die! Okay, I apologize for my fangirlish cries of woe, but I am genuinely scared for Kakuzu and Hidan.

Team Shikamaru mean serious business and though my boys are powerful and skilled, they have been put at an immediate and great disadvantage.

I am almost reluctant for the next chapter, so worried am I.

Overall, I thought the chapter was entertaining enough. The theory that Kakashi is actually Naruto is almost has been weakened considerably after this chapter. Which, I must admit, is a bit of a disappointment.

Oh well, at least Naruto will be setting off from Konoha with Sai and Sakura soon. I wonder what part they will play in the upcoming battle.

*~*End of Spoilers*~*

Of course, I've heard about the announcement for the end of fillers in February 2007. All I can say is thank God I've only had to wait a year for this. Some unfortunate souls have been waiting much longer than I.

I'll be happier when I'll be getting two installments of Naruto a week, rather than just the manga chapters.

I will continue to read the manga when Part Two begins. I'm way too hooked on the manga to give up simply because the anime will be starting again.

Besides, I now prefer the manga to the anime. The anime, with the colour, fight scenes and smexy voices is just a bonus to me. The real story is contained within the pages of the manga and the characters look so much better when they're drawn by Kishimoto.

That's it for this week. I'll try my best to get my butt in gear next week and write an update for Thursday.

Ibiki's Back

Hi! Those of you who have been here before will notice I've changed the Nest's layout and colour since last Thursday. I hope you like the new look.

I apologize for the lateness of this post. Blogger had some down time last night and I was too tired to wait it out.

*~*Chapter 331 Spoilers*~*

This was a good chapter. Last chapter seemed just a little unsatisfactory to me, perhaps because not much happened. This time, however, it's clear that the big thing we've been waiting for is about to begin. Just like at the beginning of the Gaara Rescue arc, the teams are getting ready to move.

Team 10 assembled at the gate but were stopped by Tsunade, who acting like a mother tried to call them back. Shikamaru wasn't having any of it and Chouji and Ino were in silent agreement with him. Clearly, they want to complete their mission.

Just as it seemed that Team 10 would be forced to stay in Konoha, Kakashi arrived on the scene claiming that he'd be happy to act as Team 10's captain for the mission, in Asuma's stead.

Now here's where things start looking a little suspicious to me. The bandage on Kakashi's hand could mean one of two things:

• Kakashi was injured during Naruto's training
• Naruto was injured during his training and transformed into Kakashi

Either seem perfectly believable to me. Considering the fact that Naruto has almost perfected the Kaze Rasengan and no longer needs Kakashi's help, and the fact that Naruto has loads of Kage Bunshin and could easily sneak off.

It's logical that Naruto would sneak off, being his usual reckless self it would seem a little odd for him to stay behind and continue training after the death of someone close to him. Let's face it, Naruto doesn't have many people who have accepted him; Asuma was one of the first, before even Tsunade.

I don't mind either way. I just think it's a little bland if Team 10 and Kakashi do set off and 24 hours later Team 7 set off as well. If Naruto was posing as Kakashi, it'd add a new level of depth to the plot, don't you think? Heh heh!

We saw the final stage of the Sanbi sealing, the pupil appearing in one of the statue's nine eyes. Five of the eyes now have pupils, which means Akatsuki have more than half of the Biju in their possession. Only four more to go, the middle eye reserved for Kyuubi, no doubt. If Nibi is sealed, then Akatsuki will need only three more Biju, including Kyuubi. The extraction of Nibi is about to commence...

I wonder if the Yugito, the Nibi Jinchuuriki, can be saved. At the moment, this whole scenario certainly reminds me of the Gaara Rescue arc. Everyone rushing off to find Akatsuki. Problem is, this time they're nowhere near the location where the extraction is taking place. So the best they can do for Yugito is to hinder Hidan and Kakuzu. Now if Cloud Village were to contact Konoha... Well, I guess we'll wait and see. At this point, suffice it to say that I believe Nibi will be sealed and Yugito will die. Though I may change my opinion on that later.

Biggest laugh of the chapter? Ibiki, of course! Striding into the Bounty Station like he owns the place and demanding of fugly-filler-looking guy the whereabouts of Kakuzu. "I'll MAKE you tell me!" God, that is so funny. I'm glad that bounty bastard is finally going to get what's coming to him. The only guy to show at his funeral will be Kakuzu in thanks for all the money he's given him over the years.

Team 10 and Kakashi have left Konoha and are forming their strategy. Sakura has been asked to inform Yamato that if Naruto's training isn't complete in 24 hours Team 7 cannot participate in the mission. Shizune has been asked to arrange for another team who can contact Team 10 to be made ready in case Team 7 cannot act as back up; Team 8 or Team Gai, perhaps?

It's difficult to predict what will happen from here. I just anticipate something amazing.

*~*End of Spoilers*~*

Now, I happen to like every conceivable pairing in the Naruto series. I mean that quite literally. ItaChou? Love it! Therefore, I have no biased opinions about pairings, whether I think they have canon potential or not.

However, I do have my preferences. And from the day dot I've loved NaruSaku. In fact, once I had caught up with the story and started exploring the fandom, I was surprised how few fans NaruSaku had. I've never felt I've been able to describe the deep feelings I sense between the two of them sufficiently.

Luckily, I no longer need to bother. As Mizura (or heronite) has composed a beautiful NaruSaku Manifesto for all to read! Now, I'm not going to lie to you, it's a long read. Ever heard the NaruHina phrase "a patient love"? Well, after reading this manifesto you'll see how much more of a patient love NaruSaku is. Seriously, it needs to be that long to fully describe the relationship and the development between them.

I read the whole manifesto over two days and I wasn't disappointed. It's a wonderful read, with just the right amount of pictures to bring relief from the text. So when you have some time, I urge you to read this manifesto, even if you hate Sakura and dislike NaruSaku. Trust me, read it and it will dispel any prejudices you have.

I also discovered an interesting site that I can't believe I haven't seen before; RawManga. It has every raw chapter of Naruto cleaned and up for download. Now I can't speak, let alone read Japanese, but having the Japanese there is good for things in the English fandom. Such as coloured pages, icons, etc. Having the Japanese there makes it look a little more interesting, ne?

As always, I'll be back again with a new update next Thursday/Friday, when the next manga chapter is released. Have a nice week, all!

Funeral

Hello and welcome to the Nest!

A new manga chapter has finally been released. I was starting to get a little pissed off at Kishimoto, I must say. I love his story so much that I can't stand to go more than a week without a new installment.

*~*Chapter 330 Spoilers*~*

The villagers learned of Asuma's fate. Kurenai was understandably heart-broken. It turns out that Asuma told Shikamaru to tell her something. What that is, only Kishi knows...

It has been confirmed that Asuma is Konohamaru's uncle. Geez, all this time and we never saw a second's worth of interaction between the two of them. Once again Konohamaru cried at the funeral. Poor little guy, his family has really been falling apart of late, ne? First his grandpa and now his uncle, one killed by Orochimaru and the other by Akatsuki.

How old does Naruto look in this? He's like an adult!

Shikamaru, who appears to be making a habit of smoking, took up Asuma's blades and learned how to use them with an element of chakra. He, Ino and Chouji now appear to be ready to set off on a new mission. Probably one of revenge against Hidan and Kakuzu.

Things have taken an interesting twist. Just as we expect Team Ten's importance to be over, Kishimoto appears to be stating that this is only the beginning. As usual, I'm really looking forward to the next chapter.

This chapter also provided our first peek at Naruto's Kaze Rasengan. It looks pretty much how I imagined it to be: the Rasengan with tongues of wind slashing out of it erratically. The end product will undoubtedly be a whole lot more impressive.

Ah, the sweet KakaNaru scene. Quite possibly Kakashi's most outward display of love toward Naruto yet. "Next week: Kakashi's Proposal!!!"

The Page of the Week

Predictions for next week? I have no bloody clue. Hopefully something totally awesome and unexpected will happen. I'm hoping we learn what Asuma told Shikamaru.

*~*End of Spoilers*~*

Just yesterday I remembered about a brilliant website I'd visited before but lost the link to. Thankfully, I remembered some keywords and Googled them to find the site again. The site is called Dan-Da-Man Anime and it has a massive downloads section, including every episode of Naruto. There are a ton of other anime series available for download, so it's definitely worth checking out.

I'll be back next Thursday, as per usual, with an update about the next week's chapter.

London EXPO

Hi there! This post is very late because, quite frankly, without a new manga chapter to spark my enthusiasm I couldn't be bothered to write a new update.

Yes, for all of you who are ignorant, there was no manga chapter released this week. This is a fact I am peeved about but willing to allow without complaint once in awhile. Kishimoto is apparently taking a week off to gather his thoughts, hopefully he'll deliver some more brilliant chapters soon.

So... What shall I talk about this week? Well, I guess I should focus on the fandom, which to me is half the fun of being a Naruto reader.

Yes, note that I now refer to myself as a 'Naruto reader' rather than 'Naruto viewer'. This is simply because I have come to prefer the manga to the anime, which I now see as rather bright and annoying for the most part.

Of course I'll still be watching Part Two when it begins but I've fallen in love and will remain loyal to the manga rather than the anime.

Last Sunday, my best friend Sasha and I went to the London EXPO - which is basically an media exhibition for fans of comics, film, video games, animation, science fiction and fantasy.

Despite almost getting lost in London's scary tube system, we made it in time to see loads of Naruto cosplayers and a few celebrities.

I bought myself a measly little Naruto keyring; it's cute but tiny and it cost £3! I'm not kidding, the stuff there was expensive. Sasha got herself plenty of stuff, including an awesome Naruto wallscroll. Heh heh!

There were also some of the robots from Robot Wars and the actor Christopher Lee (who plays Saruman in LOTR).

There was even a stand for the upcoming English movie Hot Fuzz, which is made by the guys from Shaun of the Dead - Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Unfortunately, those two were only present for the Saturday EXPO so I missed them by a day. Damn, I would've loved to see them.

All in all, it was a great but tiring day. All that travelling and walking does get to you if you've worked through the day on nothing but a few sticks of strawberry Pocky.

Since everyone seems to be recommending animes to watch while waiting for the Naruto filler period to end, I recommend Last Exile. It's the story of two friends who fight through poverty and wartime in the Victorian-like society of the floating world of Prester. There are some amazing airship battle scenes.

The series is 26 episodes long and has brilliant characters that you really fall in love with as the series progresses. The story is great, the characters are brilliant, the animation is top-notch and the OST is too good for words. In short, Last Exile is a fab anime and you should definitely watch it when you have the time.

You can usually find the fansubbed Japanese episodes on YouTube. If not, then you can download the episodes from Anime Downloads. Personally, I've been watching the English dub on rental DVDs with my closet-anime-fandad (phrase copyright of Sasha). Heh heh!

Wow, this post has really gone off the topic of Naruto. See what a week without a canon episode or manga chapter does to me? I shirk all interest in a story until it's moving again.

Well, if you're desperate for some Naruto videos, then check out my YouTube page and visit my favourites list. I have a ton of Naruto videos in there and loads of other stuff too, some of which you're bound to find interesting.

I'll be back next week with my views on the latest manga chapter. Here's hoping it's a good'un!