Chapter 693: Once Again
Sorry guys, I don't have time to put pictures into this, but I've tried to make up for it with a longer-than-usual discussion.
The chapter begins with Naruto trying to convince Sasuke to let the bijuu go. Having befriended them, Naruto's certain that they'll no longer attack humans. Sasuke tells Naruto that he doesn't understand what's truly at stake here. Sasuke intends to remove the bijuu from the world completely, and in order to do that, he'll need to eradicate all of their chakra--including that which currently resides in Naruto.
Needless to say, Naruto isn't too keen on this plan, and Sasuke suggests that they go somewhere else to fight it out. Kakashi tries to intervene, but the war and the use of Obito's Sharingan power has taken a heavy toll, and he's unable to.
Sakura pleads with Sasuke not to let things turn out this way, and instead to reunite with the rest of Team 7. Sasuke uses a genjutsu to make it look as though he's killing her, but in reality he's just knocked her unconscious. Kakashi admonishes Sasuke for ignoring Sakura's feelings for him, but Sasuke brushes him off. Naruto reassures Kakashi that he intends to keep the promise he made to Sakura three years ago--he'll definitely bring Sasuke back.
After Naruto and Sasuke leave, Hagoromo confides in Kakashi that he regrets having given all of his power to only one of his sons. He hopes that by dividing it evenly between the two transmigrants, he can bring about a better outcome this time.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke have reached the Valley of the End. Naruto stands atop Hashirama's statue, and Sasuke is on top of Madara's. Naruto shares with Sasuke something that Itachi told him: a Hokage doesn't earn their position by strength alone, but by the respect and trust of their people. Sasuke retorts that he already knew that, even without Itachi having to tell him, and that he intends to show Naruto what he thinks a Hokage should be.
...Where to start? I think the first thing I want to talk about is the interaction between Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. Sasuke says that he's not interested in Sakura at all, and indeed lets her think for a moment that he's killed her. But he also says the same words ("You're annoying") that he said when she offered to leave Konoha with him, and remembers thanking her when he knocked her out on that occasion. I always thought that Sasuke kept Sakura from leaving with him on that occasion because he didn't want her to follow him on the dark path he was intending to walk, and I can't help wondering whether his intentions are similar here.
Also, Kakashi's scolding of Sasuke over ignoring Sakura's feelings for him makes me wonder if he regrets not pursuing a relationship with Rin.
Hagoromo seems to have figured out (if somewhat belatedly) that completely slighting one of his two sons wasn't the smartest idea in the world. To his credit, Hagoromo is trying to rectify his mistake by dividing his power equally between Ashura's transmigrant and Indra's.
Finally, we have Naruto and Sasuke's very different takes on how best to reform the shinobi world and on what it means to be a Hokage. I think both of them have valid points here: Naruto (and by extension, Itachi) are right that being a leader is about more than just being able to beat up everyone else. A leader needs to have the trust of the people he/she leads in order to effect true change. But Sasuke is also right that the ninja system as it currently stands is completely broken. (Exhibit A: Haku and Zabuza. Exhibit B: the jinchuuriki, particularly Gaara. Exhibit C: Itachi. Exhibit D:...You get the idea.)
One major thing that I think Sasuke's overlooking is the role of the bijuu. It's true that much of the conflict in the Narutoverse has revolved around the bijuu, and that the bijuu tend to go on rampages when they're free. However, Sasuke doesn't seem to recognize that Naruto has largely solved this problem already: with the bijuu being able to communicate through Naruto, any one of them could alert the others if it came under attack. So anyone who tries to capture one of the bijuu will have the other eight plus Naruto curbstomping them in short order. This not only provides a weighty deterrent against the villages trying to use the bijuu as weapons against each other, but dramatically decreases the likelihood that the bijuu will attack the villages themselves--a big part of the reason they've been so hateful toward humans in the past is because of the way humans have treated them.
So how should this conflict resolve? The original writing on Hagoromo's tablet suggests an answer: true peace will come when opposing forces work together. If Naruto and Sasuke can each recognize the validity of the other's concerns and address those in whatever plan for reform they come up with, then and only then will such a plan be able to succeed. The question is whether they'll be able to figure this out without having to blast each other in the face with jutsu first.
The chapter begins with Naruto trying to convince Sasuke to let the bijuu go. Having befriended them, Naruto's certain that they'll no longer attack humans. Sasuke tells Naruto that he doesn't understand what's truly at stake here. Sasuke intends to remove the bijuu from the world completely, and in order to do that, he'll need to eradicate all of their chakra--including that which currently resides in Naruto.
Needless to say, Naruto isn't too keen on this plan, and Sasuke suggests that they go somewhere else to fight it out. Kakashi tries to intervene, but the war and the use of Obito's Sharingan power has taken a heavy toll, and he's unable to.
Sakura pleads with Sasuke not to let things turn out this way, and instead to reunite with the rest of Team 7. Sasuke uses a genjutsu to make it look as though he's killing her, but in reality he's just knocked her unconscious. Kakashi admonishes Sasuke for ignoring Sakura's feelings for him, but Sasuke brushes him off. Naruto reassures Kakashi that he intends to keep the promise he made to Sakura three years ago--he'll definitely bring Sasuke back.
After Naruto and Sasuke leave, Hagoromo confides in Kakashi that he regrets having given all of his power to only one of his sons. He hopes that by dividing it evenly between the two transmigrants, he can bring about a better outcome this time.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke have reached the Valley of the End. Naruto stands atop Hashirama's statue, and Sasuke is on top of Madara's. Naruto shares with Sasuke something that Itachi told him: a Hokage doesn't earn their position by strength alone, but by the respect and trust of their people. Sasuke retorts that he already knew that, even without Itachi having to tell him, and that he intends to show Naruto what he thinks a Hokage should be.
...Where to start? I think the first thing I want to talk about is the interaction between Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. Sasuke says that he's not interested in Sakura at all, and indeed lets her think for a moment that he's killed her. But he also says the same words ("You're annoying") that he said when she offered to leave Konoha with him, and remembers thanking her when he knocked her out on that occasion. I always thought that Sasuke kept Sakura from leaving with him on that occasion because he didn't want her to follow him on the dark path he was intending to walk, and I can't help wondering whether his intentions are similar here.
Also, Kakashi's scolding of Sasuke over ignoring Sakura's feelings for him makes me wonder if he regrets not pursuing a relationship with Rin.
Hagoromo seems to have figured out (if somewhat belatedly) that completely slighting one of his two sons wasn't the smartest idea in the world. To his credit, Hagoromo is trying to rectify his mistake by dividing his power equally between Ashura's transmigrant and Indra's.
Finally, we have Naruto and Sasuke's very different takes on how best to reform the shinobi world and on what it means to be a Hokage. I think both of them have valid points here: Naruto (and by extension, Itachi) are right that being a leader is about more than just being able to beat up everyone else. A leader needs to have the trust of the people he/she leads in order to effect true change. But Sasuke is also right that the ninja system as it currently stands is completely broken. (Exhibit A: Haku and Zabuza. Exhibit B: the jinchuuriki, particularly Gaara. Exhibit C: Itachi. Exhibit D:...You get the idea.)
One major thing that I think Sasuke's overlooking is the role of the bijuu. It's true that much of the conflict in the Narutoverse has revolved around the bijuu, and that the bijuu tend to go on rampages when they're free. However, Sasuke doesn't seem to recognize that Naruto has largely solved this problem already: with the bijuu being able to communicate through Naruto, any one of them could alert the others if it came under attack. So anyone who tries to capture one of the bijuu will have the other eight plus Naruto curbstomping them in short order. This not only provides a weighty deterrent against the villages trying to use the bijuu as weapons against each other, but dramatically decreases the likelihood that the bijuu will attack the villages themselves--a big part of the reason they've been so hateful toward humans in the past is because of the way humans have treated them.
So how should this conflict resolve? The original writing on Hagoromo's tablet suggests an answer: true peace will come when opposing forces work together. If Naruto and Sasuke can each recognize the validity of the other's concerns and address those in whatever plan for reform they come up with, then and only then will such a plan be able to succeed. The question is whether they'll be able to figure this out without having to blast each other in the face with jutsu first.