Naruto Anime/Manga (Manga Spoilers Not Tagged) [WSJ]

[X-SOLDIER]

Okay... Kisimoto continues to out-do himself. It's so nice to finally see the Shiki Fujin jutsu again. I've only wanted to know how that sealing technique was come up with for the entire run of the manga. Looks like we might be able to see that now. Incidentally, if the Uzumaki have a mask that makes you become the Shingami, what other masks might they have around? And Tobirama has been brought back with Edo Tensei which is a jutsu he created. I really want to see his reaction to this as well as his explanation for why he created Edo Tensei in the first place. And I wonder if Minato knows what the part of himself he left behind in Naruto's head has been up to. Also, where's Kushina? She was inside the Shingami's stomach as well...

This makes me think that the Uzumaki Clan might have sealed chakra of different entities into objects to allow them to be summoned through a ritual (we know spirit-like creatures exist, like the ones Tayuya used). Now that we know more about their chakra type and what it does, being able to do something like this makes sense.

It will be interesting to see if Minato is aware at all about how he interacted with his son through the chakra he left him - especially because that seems to be something exceptional about him - as Kurama mentioned previously.

What I'm most curious about is Kurama's Yang (or was it Yin?) chakra. Minato told Naruto he sealed half of Kurama's chakra in Naruto and the other half inside the Shingami's stomach. Only now the stomach has been cut open (via sepuku which has some interesting implications) so the other half of Kurama's chakra is... somewhere else? The thought of Kurama have double the amount of chakra he has currently has is mind-boggling. I don't think Orochimaru knows about this either.

Kurama's Yin Chakra was the half that was sealed, and if Naruto could sense Ginkaku releasing into a Biju Mode L2, while in a completely isolated room, I'd be utterly STUNNED if he and/or Kurama didn't notice that being released. Additionally - Orochimaru's arms' chakra returned directly to where it was taken from after its release, and didn't stay confined into the Third Hokage's body. Likewise, Kurama's Yin chakra should return directly to its source now (which will be absolutely insane since it'll basically double Naruto's already ridiculous chakra reserve, although I'm thinking that this part of Kurama's chakra may behave a little differently, and or possibly make Naruto have some interesting times controlling those powers for a little bit).

I'm also... relieved? that Orochimaru is the one who resurrected the Hokage as opposed to Madara or Tobi. What I think is really interesting is that the primary reason he's resurrected them is for information (at least, that's what he's said). As for where he resurrected them... I find it really interesting that the Uchiha district has been left alone since the massacre. And now that Sasuke has Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, I'm sure Sasuke is going to see what's on that stone tablet.

You & me both. I full expect him to utilize them as assets, but they're in comparatively good hands. I'm also just glad that this released their spirits from that seal. It'll be interesting to actually SEE what's visible on those tablets, rather than just hear about it in vague context.

God damn it why did they have to bring Minato back into the game? Just when I thought he can finally rest forever with Kushina, they pull him back in....

I'm surprised Konoha remains untouched despite the destruction going on with Madara and Obito out there! hahaha!

Well, I don't really think that I'd consider being trapped in a Demon's stomach to be "resting" Also, the war was intentionally moved away from the villages, so that they would avoid civilian casualties, so it's not TOO surprising.

http://www.mangareader.net/93-123-5/naruto/chapter-118.html

Well pointed out, though I had to check that chapter/page on another site to see it. Does that site actually work for anyone? All their uploads only display broken images on any computer/phone I've used.



SO!! I have new questions and things to ponder:

Does Orochimaru now have Mokuton Ninjutsu capabilities, since he's body-swapped into a Zetsu? We know that he does obtain the abilities that his host bodies possess after all. If that's the case, AND he got his Ninjutsu back, he's in pretty good shape. The only downside is that those bodies aren't necessarily very resilient if Yamato's not charging them. It'll be interesting to see if he has to deal with some of the limitations and advantages of a new body like that.

At what point will Karin find them again? As an Uzumaki, it's HIGHLY likely that she'll become a significant asset to them, especially if there are other masks or other artifacts that they're interested in using. With everything that we've been learning about them lately, there's no way she won't be making a return.

Does Kurama's Yin chakra have different capabilities, and is it freed or can it still be "kidnapped" before it returns to Kurama? Most all of Naruto's powers are derived HEAVILY from the nature of Kurama's chakra being Yang (the Mokuton creations, like Zetsu react to them for this reason).


Either way, some damn good developments happening right now.


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[Kai Schulen]

Late reaction, but:

Kabutochimaru revived all the former kages and jinchuurikis -- Does this mean that we'll be getting a zombie Yondaime and Kushina?

oh god please let this happen

YES. I FUCKING CALLED IT BACK ON PAGE 11. ZOMBIE MINATO. YONDY GOT EDO TENSEI'DVUQEHURJHFJKSDFJKS

brb, GOTTA FANGIRL IT ALL OUT



whew. Okay, I'm wondering if Orochimaru's planning on entering the war with the ET'd Hokages, or if they'll come back at a later point.
Also, very sadistic of me to suggest this, but now that we've got ET!Minato, I can hold out hopes for ET!Kushina -- If Orochi/Obito/Mads really wants to give Naruto a player punch, ET!Kushina would do the trick nicely. xD

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://www.mangapanda.com/naruto/619/3


SO much love of what's happening right now.


Watching the Kage all interact is really amusing, especially the two siblings and their differing ideologies. I love the first's reaction to seeing the Fourth, and immediately assuming that this happened after Sarutobi sealed them, and then finding out that his spoiled little granddaughter was the 5th. I also loved how you see Sasuke's face when the Third confirms the truth, like there's a small piece of him that still wanted to believe it was a lie.

Really, Sasuke couldn't be solidifying his motivation in any more fantastic of a way.


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[Kai Schulen]

Okay, so good to see that Orochimaru isn't out to attack Konoha for now. Shodaime is surprisingly adorakable~ Never thought he'd be the funny man or that Nidaime would be the straight man. But his surprise at there being a 4th and a 5th Hokage is pretty telling about how long he thought Konoha would last, hmm.

(Oh man, I just remembered that Tsunade's out there ripped in half. D: )

Also, Nidaime's revelation about Uchihas going crazy on love reminds me of this comic: http://sinemoras09.livejournal.com/559616.html#cutid1

(Still holding out hope for ET!Kushina. <_<)

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://m.mangastream.com/mobile/read/android/39428885/1


Mangastream does a really good job with their explanations this week. It paints the Second's actions being for the sake of the village and being reactionary to Madara's betrayal. It also paints a more clear picture of Itachi and Madara as members of the Uchiha clan who felt this overwhelming love and conflict over the things that they had to lose to protect it. It really puts their whole clan into a more clear perspective, and has me really curious about how Sasuke's gonna come out the other side of this. It's also really interesting because his connection with Itachi and Naruto is what's driven him to be as strong as he is, even in rejecting those bonds.

Also- using this as background for the fact that the Shinobi Alliance is fighting two Uchiha is just brilliant storytelling.



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[Super Mario]

Holy Crap I love the first!! XDD

 

[X-SOLDIER]

So, time to get properly ranty, since I've been posting from my phone between classes until now. Let's start by touching on the personalities of the Hokage:


&#8226; Hashirama: He's really optimistic, and a little bit overly excitable. He's always trying to be fair to everyone - evident in his founding of Konoha and how badly he spoils his little granddaughter. It's pretty clear that his overall attitude towards unity is really the origin of the "Will of Fire" that's still alive in Konoha. It's also clear that he's the Hokage due to his exceptional jutsu capabilities and overall charisma, moreso than his leadership capabilities. He's the perfect person for Sasuke to confront with his "what is the village and what is the role of a shinobi" question.

&#8226; Tobirama: The second is a hardened, "ends justify the means" and "the village matters above all else" leader. He doesn't take any talkback from his brother, and he's suspicious of the Uchiha after Madara's betrayal, and he's clearly biased towards them because of it (and it's hard to blame him). He still talks VERY heavily when mentioning Madara, and saying that Sasuke doesn't have any idea what he's like. It's also really interesting that despite this bias, he understands the core drive of the Uchiha clan more thoroughly than anyone. The Second's motivations in setting up the Uchiha as the leaders of the Military Police Corp to try to assist them, but also putting them in a role to be easily dealt with. He's also willing to flatly acknowledge that the Uchiha massacre was a net good, because it prevented greater bloodshed when he first learns of it. Before now, I had wondered why the Second would have created a ninjutsu like Edo Tensei, and now I have absolutely no questions about his motives for doing so.

&#8226; Sarutobi: Sarutobi seeing Sasuke shocked him, but he's not one to hold any more secrets, and his guilt and pride are thoroughly mixed. It's clear that he is extremely proud of Itachi and his motivation, but he's also saddened by the entire situation.

&#8226; Minato: He still addresses Orochimaru like a friend/equal, and he's easily the most out of place here. I'm curious to see what he's got up his sleeve, since he seems to have built up a complex network of failsafes, much like Itachi did. I'm wondering what Sasuke will learn from him, and how that conversation will work out between them, especially because I'm not sure if Sasuke's been made aware of Naruto's Heritage.


Moving on to the idea that the Uchiha gain their ability from the release of the pain that they experience from losing things that they love was really interesting. I'm wondering if it's why when Obito unlocked his Sharingan, he had one tomoe, but when Sasuke awakened his, he had two, because of the tragedy that he experienced as a kid, and the one that he was currently undergoing. (It also makes the idea that it's an ability that may have shared a common ancestor with the Byakugan seem a little more feasible than it has in a while, though I wonder if that's still something that's going to be mentioned at some point).

Really, it's surprising how well this ties in the motivations of Madara, Obito, Shisui, Itachi, & Sasuke. They've all lost something that they've cared for, and that pain eclipses everything else for them. It's exacerbated by the fact that those events makes them more unstable emotionally, and exponentially more powerful on top of that. That helps to accentuate the idea that they're victims of their own passions.

&#8226; Madara had his brother Izuna sacrifice his vision for Madara's power to protect their clan. He's blinded to the idea of real peace, because it's like his brother's sacrifice is being wasted, and he can't cope with that.

&#8226; Obito only wanted to return to Rin, and entrusted Kakashi to protect her, and lost hope of ever having the future with Kakashi and Rin that he wanted all at once when Kakashi killed her, and was driven deeper by Madara's already VERY fallen ideals.

&#8226; Shisui achieved power great enough that his only way to keep his abilities from being used to spark a war was through his own death, and giving them to Itachi.

&#8226; Itachi cared for the village more than his entire clan, except his brother. He wanted to fix everything and rid the Uchiha of their curse, and did everything for him, in which he fueled his own strength by the pain of what he was having to do in order to achieve that goal.

&#8226; Sasuke hated Itachi for causing the loss of his clan and their parents. Then he's compounded that loss when he found that he actually killed the brother he loved and who loved him, and the village was responsible for destroying his clan and his brother.


The idea that Itachi freed him up enough to fully question his own motivations at the VERY heart and soul of Konoha's founding fathers is really nothing short of astounding. I really couldn't be any more pleased with how this is addressing deeply important part of Sasuke's character, and also providing more detail for the two central enemies of the war. There are so many thematic, character, and emotional threads all being interwoven here, it's a bit difficult to fit everything into words.


Lastly, a few small points - I like the justification of what Orochimaru had been doing over the last 3 years without access to any of his Ninjutsu. Additionally, it's nice to have Suigetsu as the "normal person" lens that the readers can identify with, being surprised that these ancient figures aren't just what their legendary tales say about them. Finally - it looks like Jugo just totally absorbed the Zetsu he was pinning down, which is a little terrifying.



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[Roger]

that Sasuke doesn't have any idea what he's like.

He was referring too Orochimaru when he said "Little one".

 

[Super Mario]

I like how they made the First a total goofball. It shows that even the goofiest men can be The World's Strongest Man and a wonderful foreshadowing that he is Naruto's ultimate successor: A total goofball, a wise and kind leader and The World's Strongest Man. I hope Naruto topples Madara eventually! : )

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Episode 299 was pretty good. What it lacked in some of the animation moments, it made up for with all the theme music for Nagato, Itachi, and the Konoha folks. (It's also getting me ridiculously stoked for Ultimate Ninja Storm 3). I did forget how sad Nagato's farewell was, and how motivating and encouraging Itachi's speech to Naruto was.

And now we're on to 3 episodes with my favorite Edo Kage - the Second Mizukage!!

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[Obsidian Fire]

Finally! We learn how the sharingan works. I've been wanting to know this ever since I realized that the sharingan just can't be a doujutsu since most of the stuff it does has to do with processing what the eyes see, not how they see it and then there's Mankeyou which doesn't have anything really to do with the eyes. What I am curious to know is how the SSP student went from wanting to

Thoughts about everyone:

Hashirama: I really want to see him and Naruto get together and everyone else's reaction to be "Oh crap, the two strongest ninja in the world are both goofballs". They'd get along really well together. I find it really funny that he's the one Tsunade learned gambling from. Wonder what else he gambled with. And yeah, his reaction to seeing that Konoha has a 4th/5th Hokage is really telling. I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out that the other villages have that many kage as well.

Tobirama: Okay, this guy reminds me of Danzou, only he actually knows (generally) when not to be extreme. I get the feeling he's going to be Sasuke's least favorite Hokage. And where did he learn all that stuff about how the sharingan works? That's not something I'd imagine the Uchiha would want him knowing. Maybe that's why he came up with Edo Tensai... I loved his "oh, shit" reaction to finding out Sasuke has Mangekyou

Sarutobi: I like the look of shock on his face when he sees Sasuke and Orochimaru working together. What I really want to see though, is his reaction if/when he sees Naruto.

Minato: I can't wait to see what he has to say about all this. I bet that most of this is news to him as well. And it will be fun to see him drop the Naruto-is-my-kid bomb on Sasuke. Wonder if he'll have anything to say about the Kakashi-killing-Rin incident

Orochimaru: The most interesting thing to see with him is the contrast he provides for Kabuto and even Madara and Tobi to some extent. While he definitly is a manipulator and and enemy of Konoha, he hasn't let that control him the way it controls the three main villains. He also has his priorities straight and is a lot more realistic with his goals. Him calling Tobirama out on creating Edo Tensai was really funny.

What I really want to see is the four Kage meet up with Naruto in Kyuubi mode and think he's been possessed by Kurama only for Kurama and Naruto to lecture them on the true nature of the Bijuu. They all really dropped the ball on that one.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

SLA's translation of this week's chapter was really solid. Minor oddities consisted of Minato saying, "Mister Orochimaru" which while technically correct, doesn't sound correct contextually because he's speaking to him like a comrade, and not as someone who's superior to him. He also calls the first Hokage "Lord First" which, again while technically correct, should have a lot of better ways to translate it.

Also- The Second using the word, "stripling" for calling Orochimaru a youngster. I've never heard the word used before, and it seems a VERY odd choice given that there're plenty of better ones available. I would say that some of the Kage's dialogue, especially the last panel, and almost everything else that the Second says is much better translated here than in the fan scanslations.


If ya dig the manga, and wanna support it, I'd say at this point, SJA is a good way ta do that. You'll still read the fan scanslations, since they're always out before the actual release date, but reading all three of them is of significant benefit, because it helps to cover the translation hits and misses of each group.



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[X-SOLDIER]

http://www.mangapanda.com/naruto/620/3


HO.

LEE.

SHIT.


(I've been saying that basically every week, but it keeps being 100% warranted)


We get some AMAZINGLY terrifying moments this chapter. Watching the Second totally lose his cool, and then seeing Hashirama just stop him in his tracks with a LOOK as the wood curled up on the floor from his just raising his chakra was SOOOOOO terrifying. Juxtaposing that against the back & forth between the two of them last week makes it WAY more heavy. His overwhelming power mixed with his jovial personality makes the comparison of him & Naruto even more amazing. I honestly can't wait until a glance from Naruto or Sasuke can carry as much weight as that moment did, because DAMN, they've still got a ways to go.

It's also really nice that they acknowledge that Orochimaru DOES now possess Hashirama's cells, and he's using them to strengthen Edo Tensei (and a direct acknowledgment by the First to how powerful he is now, which has gotta be a HUGE accomplishment for Orochimaru). It's also amazing that Shodaime's already broken free of it, when even Tobirama didn't manage to overcome it. To put that in perspective, Hanzo was LEGENDARILY powerful, and stopped Edo Tensei with his willpower alone, and Hashirama is powerful enough to just break out of it (meaning that the moment that he raised his chakra was SERIOUS danger for the people there).

There're are a couple other things worth mentioning: One - it's now obvious why Orochimaru wiped out their personas as quickly as possible in his attack on Konoha (and the flashback that looks to be building more depth towards those evens has me VERY excited). Two - props to Sasuke for now backing down when that level of a threat was eminent. (Seriously, Orochimaru's nervous, Suigetsu is losing his physical stability, but Sasuke just leans forward, ready for anything. He must have nerves of steel).

Then, we also have Minato sensing his son, and realizing that he's in control of Kurama's chakra (hoping that leads into a conversation about Kurama's Yin chakra), as ALL FOUR OF THEM are made aware of the current war, and the fact that Madara is back. It's brilliantly manipulative of Orochimaru, and apparently he's even gonna let them join in - and I wouldn't doubt that it's totally in his best interest to do so... Which means that I, once again, have absolutely ZERO idea how any of this is gonna play out, which makes me all the more excited.


- AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, we get flashback to Madara vs. Shodaime, for amazing epic history combined with current villain character development. Where Shodaime CATCHES A BIJUDAMA with his Mokuton Ninjutsu and then hits Madara's Susano'o with it!


I... Wow.

Just... WOW.



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[Super Mario]

I knew that goofball came with alot of package, Tobirama is too overconfident I can see and allowed his confidence to best him even in a game of wits through orochimaru, but even Harashi can be deadlier even when dead. If Naruto grows to be this man, no force in the world can stop him. o___o


If these guys do break loose or go free to fight Madara and Obito if they give sasuke the answer needed, it may not be for good show, they could curbstomp the 2 and may not make the story interesting due to overshadowing Naruto as I see Madara and Obito as Naruto's initiation/test to be The World's Strongest Man. What is the author playing at? Will they be released to do battle? Will they be freed to the afterlife? Or will they be used as final bosses? I can only see 3 outcomes to this encounter.

 

[Alex Strife]

I'm so looking forward to the next chapter. Today's was great, and even if apparently there wasn't so much action, the devil was on the details. And I love that.

Hashirama stopping his brother with just a look was badass. I didn't like Hashirama that much last week, as I thought he was looking too much of a goofball. But last week's characterisation made him look even more threatening now. This chapter has made a change in his personality by showing he's willing to play Orochimaru's game; he wants to talk to Sasuke and at least try to stop his "will of revenge".

Do we think he'll truly stop him? I seriously think he won't... but Itachi already planted the seeds of doubt in Sasuke, and Hashirama may make them start growing. Whatever happens, it'll spark a change in Sasuke that will probably be seen in the future.

Very interesting, damn it!

 

[Obsidian Fire]

The difference between Tobirama vs Hashirama is really spotlighted in this chapter. Tobirama hears that Sasuke might want revenge on Konoha and wants to kill him just because he could be a threat, Hashirama hears that and tries to get Sasuke to change his mind. It's more risky, but if Sasuke does change his mind it would be a lot better for Konoha. Really happy Naruto turned out like the first.

I'm still curious what Tobirama can do that makes him so terrifying. We know it has something to do with water, but that's about it.

I love how Orochimaru deadpans that Madara was revived and I find it very interesting that the first thing Minato does when he finds out there's a war is to find Naruto's chakara and be pleased that Naruto's working with Kurama... in thought bubbles.

Yey! Detailed flashback of the first Valley of the End fight. Madara, Kurama is going to hate that you used him like this.

Next week can't come fast enough...

 

[Kai Schulen]

Oh man, it'd be great if the ET!Hokages get to fight revived Mads. Hashi being able to free himself from Orochimaru's control is pretty boss, but then you have to remember that Orochi's got a ton of Hashi's cells in him, so~ Tobirama generating so much killing intent just by lifting a finger was pretty awesome too~

I'm gonna fantasize a touching oyako reunion between ET!Minato and Naruto now and them laying the smackdown on Obito and Mads.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://mangastream.com/read/naruto/12558312/1

Just FYI: Mangastream's scanslation is a little more crisp, but this week's just back to their usual (unfortunate) trend of translating things with more vulgar language than they ought to use, for no really discernable reason. It doesn't really manage to improve on anything over Mangapanda's so far as I can tell. I'll post back on Monday to say whether or not SJA's translation does anything better.


X

 

[Kai Schulen]

I dunno, I think that MS's translations read more smoothly than Panda's. At least they keep Bee's rhymes. (or am I mixing that up with some other group?) I'm a bit ambivalent on the cursing -- on one hand it kinda gives an added extra touch to certain characters I imagine to be a bit course with their words but on the other hand, there has been times where cursing has ruined it.

Well, whichever group comes out with their translation first keeps me happy -- which usually is MS for me.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://www.mangapanda.com/naruto/621/3

Pure. Unadulterated. Woah.

They are on a COMPLETELY different level of power.

The Valley of the End parallels are finally coming full circle.



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[Obsidian Fire]

*mind is blown*

This is going to be really interesting. So much for the Senju and Uchiha just having a simple rivalry.

"A Few Thousand Hands"? Talk about an understatement. I wonder how everyone else is going to translate that. And it has the facial markings like Tsunade's regeneration jutsu...

Covering Kurama in Susano'o... I'd love to see Sasuke doing this to Naruto/Kurama and Madara calling him out on it.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Interesting as all this is, am I the only one who just wants Kishimoto to get back to the battlefield?

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Quick note that none of the translators clearly indicated: "Senpou" is a Sage Mode-specific technique, so his facial markings are indicative of him going into Sage Mode, rather than a release technique of some sort.

I'd also like to point out that Kyubi fighting against a gigantic wooden humanoid is the exact reverse of what has been happening in the war.

Overall, I think that he's setting a specific precedent for Madara before we go back to whom, so that his developments make sense to his character's deeper underlying motivations. As much as I'd like to jump back, I think that this is exceptionally interesting and important to the story.


X

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Not to mention that the last 50+ chapter have all been part of the same non-stop battle scene or have been happening at the same time as it. As someone who goes back and reads large chunks of the manga at once to get a better perspective, we need a break from the action.

And I really want to know how this whole thing got started.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Quick update: SJA's translation was pretty damn great this week. In fact, I'd say that it was FAR better then MangaPanda or MangaStream, with the exception of this page which just read REALLY awkwardly in their translation.



End Obscure Translation Results:

&#8226; Mangastream's translation of Mokuton Houbi no Jutsu (through the translator's note) as "A kind of shield-like object in the form of a dragon's face, owned by the Bodhisattva, the "thousand armed goddess of mercy" also known as Houbi of Bouhai"

&#8226; SJA wins the "Mokuton Hotei no Jutsu" as the "Laughing Buddha Jutsu"

&#8226; SJA totally blows all the others away with "Senpo Mokuton Shinsuusenju" as "Sage Art: Wood Style, Shinsu Senju Veritable 1000-Armed Kan'on" -- This is especially important, because there are six forms of this Buddha that this is based on, (who is named Avalokite&#347;vara). Each of the bodhisattva's six qualities are said to break the hindrances of the six realms of existence: Naraka, Preta, Animal, Human, Asura, and Deva - which are the "Six paths" of the Sage in Naruto. This shows why it's important that this is also a Sage Mode technique, and explains the visual style of Hashirama's Sage Mode. Said qualities that broke the hindrances of those paths are, (Great compassion, Great loving-kindness, Lion-courage, Universal light, Leader of devas and human beings, The great omnipresent Brahman).



Last, but not least: The anime's last canon episode is on Thursday, finishing off the battle with the Mizukage, and then jumping over to filler and delaying Madara's appearance even longer. March is all filler episodes featuring the Sound 4 coming back, so hopefully they'll be interesting if nothing else.



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