Naruto x 698 Review: Naruto and Sasuke 5

The battle between Naruto and Sasuke finally came to an end this week. Was I expecting such an outcome? I kind of was. I let go of my hope of seeing Naruto kill Sasuke the moment the battle started. However, the last panel really did take me by surprise. Sakura better remember all her medial ninja skills!

I have been waiting for the final Sasuke and Naruto fight ever since I started reading the manga. I was expecting it to be epic, however, that didn’t happen. It’s not as if Kishimoto doesn’t know how to give us epic looking battles. He did an amazing job when Madara came into the battlefield. The brawl between the two young ninjas had more to do with showing flashbacks, rather than memorable fight choreography in the panels.

It was obvious from last week’s manga chapter of Naruto that Sasuke was going to lose. The new chapter showed the protagonist mustering all his strength and countering Sasuke’s attack. I liked how Sasuke acknowledged that Naruto never gave up and more or less told him to just lose so he could move on with his life. Not giving up is a major part of Naruto’s personality, even if it can get a bit annoying at times.

The two ninjas hit each other with their final attacks and dropped to the ground exhausted. That’s when Kishimoto started, or at least tried, to resolve some things. I know some fans might not accept everything that was served in this week’s chapter, but at least Sasuke sounded sincere when he was talking to Naruto. Sasuke admitted defeat, something he never did in the series, and was ready to die alongside Naruto.

In the end, both young men were jealous of each other. Naruto was jealous of Sasuke’s skills, while Sasuke was jealous of the fact that Naruto was stronger than him. This week’s chapter was all about Sasuke being honest about his feelings. He liked Naruto, and being part of Team 7, but it reminded him of the family he lost and that’s why he started to distance himself. I didn’t have my ‘shipping’ goggles on when I read the manga, but the panels where the two admitted that they could feel each other’s pain really made the ‘Naruto-Sasuke’ ship canon for me. What is their ship called anyway? Narusuke?

The point is it doesn’t matter what girls these two end up with by the end of the series because the bond they share with each other runs far deeper than any relationship they might have in their lives. I’m not saying Naruto won’t be able to fully love Hinata (yes, I believe it will happen), I’m just saying that what he and Sasuke share is really something special.

The chapter ended with Sasuke and Naruto lying next to each other, close to death. I was shocked to see both of them missing an arm. I guess that explains the bandaged arm Naruto has in the promotional material released for The Last: Naruto the Movie. It was obvious that Sakura will appear in the coming chapters to heal the boys.

Did you read this week’s manga chapter of Naruto? Are you happy with how the fight ended? Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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