What They Say:
Naruto and Killer Bee engage in battle against the reanimated Itachi Uchiha and Nagato. Itachi learns from Naruto that Sasuke has chosen the path of vengeance.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the previous episode spending its time giving us a decent story regarding Gaara and his father, filling in some of the blanks along the way with their past and why they were like they were, the series does shift back to Naruto with this episode as we close in on the three hundredth episode. By getting back with Naruto, we also get back with Killer Bee and that means hearing more of his rapping, which is almost a welcome point after all the time away from them and their arc. Which should be, you know, the main arc of the series since Naruto is the title character. Of course, bringing him back at this stage means there’s a fight to happen here as Kabuto is ready for Naruto’s return.
While the show opens with a bit of minor dialogue before an exchange with Uchiha and Naruto going at it, it turns more violent when Pain’s controlled body starts going at him in a bigger way. While this provides some decent bits, we do see that Uchiha reveals that he’s pleased by what he’s done by still believing in Sasuke and wanting him to do what he can to ensure that certain truths are never found out. It’s surprising for Naruto since it wasn’t the reaction he expected or something that he thought Uchiha would say, but it does reinforce his belief that he’s on the right path when it comes to dealing with Sasuke.
The show takes a weird twist when crows start flying out of Naruto’s mouth, but it indicates some larger things going on and just how slippery control can be when it comes to dealing with certain forces that Naruto has contend with. It all comes back to Sasuke in a way with what may have to be done in the future, but seeing the crows has them believing it’s one thing when it turns out to be something else entirely. Uchiha’s abilities and presence with what Kabuto is doing and controlling is certainly intriguing and seeing how Kabuto reacts to his understanding of it is fairly amusing. It’s not so much that Kabuto expects to be all powerful, but he’s surprised at just what can be accomplished by those that he thought he had under control.
In Summary:
With Naruto as a primary character in this episode, we get a good deal of information coming out as Uchiha makes his reveals. Unfortunately, at least for me, with this series having run for so long and feeling so convoluted, it’s hard to place exactly what the reveals are here and how it truly impacts things. Uchiha’s trust in Naruto is an amusing twist considering some of the things that have happened over the years and the things that Uchiha has done, but I like the way that Naruto handles it and the fact that it does make a real impact on him. I never viewed him as a really engaging character in a way, more aloof than necessary and distant from things with his connections, but he’s handled well here overall and it makes for some surprising bonding moments.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
