Day 3

Naruto: Hero Among Shinobi

The thesis of this essay is to establish a case for Naruto as the protagonist of a manga with a theme-driven purpose, and to demonstrate how Naruto is aptly positioned from the beginning of the story to the end to become a legendary hero among Shinobi.

To do this I will examine several reoccurring themes in Naruto. So as not to cause confusion, I define "topic" as a concept and "theme" as a message that runs throughout an entire story. Sometimes a theme is a clearly stated moral. Other times it is a conversation surrounding a topic. (Note: It is likely that different people will have different interpretations and different reactions to the same messages. However, disagreeing with a theme is not the same as the theme not being there).

The themes in Naruto are seen in a lot of shounen manga (meaning you will recognize them; veterans might even find them hackneyed), but I think Kishimoto weaves them into the story in a way that is more meaningful than some others I have read, in part because his characters are realistically flawed, which gives more weight to the messages as relevant beyond their medium and is one reason why I enjoy the series so much. The themes include ideas about topics such as:

Loneliness

Failure

Self Reliance

Dreams

Empathy

Rivalry

Strength

Growing up

Change

Heroism

Each of these topics is a conversation, and all the conversations blend together. At times they are indistinguishable, and the messages change depending on which character's viewpoint is used to examine it. What remains constant is that the story is ultimately about its themes and Naruto resides at the center of the story.

How it Breaks Down:

The Premise, in Short

Naruto is a manga named for and about the character Naruto. Who is Naruto? He is an exuberant, emotional, goofy, trouble making, hyperactive, knuckle-headed…ninja.

If you were to ask someone who has not read Naruto what classifies a "ninja" none of these adjectives would come to mind. The word ninja (or Shinobi) is derived to mean "one who uses the art of remaining unperceived."

Naruto is loud and explosive. He is the antithesis of ninja in a ninja world. He is a failed Shinobi from page one, and he doesn't ever change in this respect. This is important to note.

Part 1: Naruto as the Protagonist

Naruto is the protagonist. This means that the story is about Naruto. As a protagonist, Naruto has a dream, and because he's a shounen protagonist in particular, he will believe in his dream and pursue it against all odds no matter what.

Naruto's dream originates from his disadvantaged beginnings. Naruto is the vessel of the nine-tailed fox (Kyubi), the demon monster that attacked Konoha village and was sealed inside Naruto when he was just a baby. The villagers who were around to remember the tale believe that Naruto is a liability to the village. They hope that he never becomes strong, and ostracize him as if he were the monster itself. Naruto has no idea why he is ostracized, but to prove that he's worth something, Naruto's childhood ambition is to become the greatest ninja the village has ever seen—the kind of ninja that can protect the village and earn the acknowledgment and respect of all the villagers. To achieve this, Naruto's aims to become Hokage and surpass all the previous Hokage.

That is quite the dream for a ninja who failed the graduation exam for his third time in chapter one and has yet—over 400 chapters later—to graduate from being a Genin. However, Naruto does not give up.

To achieve his dream, Naruto must grow and mature as well as become strong. Growth requires several stages. The themes in Naruto are reflected in the stages of Naruto's development. They look something like this:

Self Reliance

Empathy

Hard Work

Humanity

True Strength

Accountability

Stage 1. Self Reliance

Before he can dream anything, Naruto has to have the self-reliance to believe in himself. This he achieved through his own will before the manga began. It is his trump card whenever things get sticky.

Because all the older villagers who knew about the Nine Tails shunned him as a child, Naruto was forced to regard himself as his only ally. He believed in himself when everyone else ignored his very existence. Naruto has alluded to this several times, mostly when he is at the end of his rope and searching for that extra bit of something to defeat a powerful enemy.

Stage 2. Friendship and Empathy

Naruto's self reliance is unique however. In moments where Naruto looks into himself for strength, Naruto also remembers what the pain of loneliness was like, and how angry and stubborn and hateful it made him.

It is Iruka who teaches Naruto how to understand others through self reflection. Naruto begins the story as a trouble maker out for attention, but Iruka is able to look past Naruto's misbehavior to see his loneliness. Iruka forms a bond with Naruto because he was once a trouble maker for attention too.

Iruka solidifies a friendship when he believes in Naruto's goodness over Mizuki's assumption that a "monster" like Naruto will turn against the village if he gains the power to do so. To Naruto, this acknowledgment from one other person is what makes his dream seem possible.

Naruto is saved from self-destruction by Iruka's acknowledgment and friendship. Because of Iruka's encouragement, he graduates Academy and becomes a genin on team seven.

The lesson Iruka taught Naruto stays with him the entire manga. Although not always the smartest or strongest, because of this self awareness, Naruto is able to empathize with others who have gone through similar experiences. Naruto also learns not to hate or dwell on pain. Naruto wants relationships—bonds—and for this goal directs self-reliance to a purpose.

Naruto thinks to himself during his fight with Gaara that if Iruka hadn't befriended him and if he hadn't joined Team 7, he might eventually have become unbalanced and crazy like Gaara. He may even have come to share Gaara's conviction that the only way to survive is to love only himself and exist as a tool for killing. Fortunately, this did not happen to Naruto, but he is always sensitive to it.

Because of the way he was ignored and misunderstood, Naruto garners deeply empathy. He consistently gives people the benefit of the doubt. Naruto's way of looking "underneath the underneath" is more sophisticated than the way of most Shinobi. Naruto looks into the hearts of his enemies. If he feels that others are fighting for something other than what they believe in, or if he thinks others simply don't believe in themselves enough to go for what they really want, he recalls his own lessons in self reliance and gives them crap about it.

Stage 3. Rivalry and Hard Work

At the beginning of the story, Naruto is the worst ninja in the entire village. He needs a competitor to push him to the top. Enter Sasuke.

Naruto initially hates Sasuke (out of jealousy, not malice). Sasuke is everything Naruto is not. Sasuke is talented, gifted, admired, and all the girls sigh over him, especially Sakura, who early on Naruto wishes would look his way just once. Because of this, Naruto sees Sasuke as the guy he has to beat in order to prove his own merit.

Despite their differences, Sasuke and Naruto develop a special friendship. The difference between them is that Sasuke was born gifted whereas Naruto was slotted to fail. Otherwise, they are a lot alike. They have both suffered a great deal, they are both emotional, and they both learned to rely on themselves from having suffered loneliness. At the Valley of the End, Naruto reveals that he secretly was always curious about Sasuke and wanted to befriend him; he just didn't know how because he was jealous and insecure and Sasuke was arrogant and unfriendly.

This hang-up is common between competitors in situations where one is the gifted star and the other is determined to surpass them. It is a fact of life that some people ARE gifted, and if such people are driven to succeed, their talent gives them advantages that seem unfair.

This kind of rivalry can lead to resentment and bitterness. The hard worker becomes frustrated when the genius achieves easily. In contrast, the genius becomes lonely because jealousy drives others to hate a genius for real or perceived arrogance. As Itachi confesses to Sasuke, it is difficult being really good at something, because even if it is what you hoped for, acclaim will distance you from other people. In this situation, the only friends gifted people can have (if they want to achieve and/or be recognized at their highest level) are those they acknowledge as competitors.

Underneath their exteriors (Naruto's goofiness and Sasuke's aloofness), both boys have similar hearts. Sasuke was a very sweet, almost shy, child. Something—we haven't yet learned what specifically, but I suspect something "kind" rather than "cool"—drew Sakura's interest. Naruto was also sweet, but far more outgoing. This makes them intrinsically like each other, even if they have trouble admitting it.

Fortunately, Sasuke and Naruto have good role models of how competition can be a positive force. Without Kakashi, Gai wouldn't have gotten so strong. Without Neji, Lee wouldn't have pushed himself so hard. It is the same with Naruto and Sasuke. It is because of his rivalry with Sasuke that Naruto learns one of his most important lessons: how to work hard.

Hard work is the only way Naruto could hope to compete with and be acknowledged by Sasuke, and it is a lesson that comes to shape his training principle from the day of their first meeting. Without Sasuke, Naruto would never have acquired the discipline to achieve his dream.

Sasuke is very important in Naruto's story for another reason, more exemplified in Part 2, but let's first continue with Naruto's character development.

Stage 4: Humanity and What it Means to Be a Shinobi

After working so hard to be acknowledged, first as a human being instead of a monster, and then as a competitor and possible friend, Naruto is very discouraged in the Wave Arc to learn the reality of what being a Shinobi means.

The question of "what it means to be a Shinobi" is important, especially considering that Naruto wants to be the greatest of all, when in fact, Naruto is the opposite of the Shinobi ideal.

As we learn through Zabuza and Haku, True Shinobi are bred to be killers--instruments of death. True Shinobi are tools to be used--and discarded. The true shinobi is forced to make hard life-and-death decisions. In order to perform, a True Shinobi is one that kills his own heart.

This is accepted by nearly everyone in the Shinobi world. It's just "the way it is" and has been for so long that tradition has made it a fact of life. Even Sakura, who is obviously a sensitive person, comments on "the rules" she memorized about how Shinobi don't cry. She cries anyway, of course, but hates herself for this human weakness.

We have seen the Shinobi ideal echoed throughout the rest of the manga, in characters like Gaara, who was made to be a living weapon, and Kimimaro who lived solely for Orochimaru, and in Nagato, who was abandoned (by Jiraiya) in a war torn world. This "true Shinobi" way exists also in Konoha. Kakashi explains to Naruto after the Wave Arc that a "Shinobi isn't supposed to pursue his own goals. Becoming the country's tool is most important. That's the same for the leaf village."

Of course, there are disagreements as to how far this is carried out. Since at least the reign of the Third Hokage, some factions of the Leaf have come to place more value on camaraderie and teamwork. In Kakashi Gaiden, Kakashi's father was reviled for failing a mission because he disobeyed Shinobi rules for the sake of his friends. Obito deviated and thought of Kakashi's father (the White Fang) as a hero for protecting his friends, a code Kakashi himself later adopted. This philosophy isn't entirely accepted however (by Danzou for example) as favoring the people closest to you often DOES put the mission at risk.

Even so, for every Kakashi-esque dissenter there is a conformer. Perhaps the character that most exemplifies the "true" Shinobi ideal in Konoha is Itachi, who smothered his own heart and killed his family--as ordered.

From the beginning, Naruto has fully rejected this concept that being a tool is the Shinobi ideal. In fact, he's done it so thoroughly that it's hard to remember that almost everyone around Naruto lives under another expectation. After all, we see the story through Naruto's eyes, and Naruto sees different possibilities than other Shinobi. Furthermore, Naruto is the one who brings others to see the possibility of doing not as the situation seems to dictate, but as your heart tells you. Naruto only hangs around and admires people who value human life—Iruka, the Third Hokage, Kakashi (who learned it from Obito)—and is so vocal about his opinions around everyone else, that he even causes some people to change—Team Seven, Gaara, Neji, Tsunade, etc—to be more like him.

Of course, Naruto's resistance to the Shinobi ideal is naturally very attractive. It really doesn't take all that much for Naruto to convince others to agree that he has a point. At no point in the manga is Naruto really "changing" people. He's basically just telling them to do what they really feel and believe in rather than conform to emotions they think they are supposed to have. Surrounded by people who are disciplined by military psychological training, Naruto just happens to be undisciplined enough to say something, and loud enough to make his voice heard.

It is worth asking: What makes Naruto so different? Why does only Naruto go to such lengths to defy the conventions of the Shinobi world?

In part, he was born with this personality. But Naruto is also different from the other Shinobi for another reason: He wasn't raised as a Shinobi. Naruto's greatest distinction (with great irony, and not intentional by the Fourth Hokage, I don't think) is that he was ostracized as a child.

No. Really. I'm serious.

Naruto flat out missed being indoctrinated into the social norms of Shinobi society. Naruto didn't have parents to teach him how to behave. He didn't have friends to pressure him into conformity. He also didn't study in school. Because no one paid Naruto any attention no one really educated him about the Shinobi world until he joined team 7. By then, Naruto had gone ahead and formed his own ideas. Basically he made them up. He created ideals that fit his natural values and desires… rather than conform to socialized ones.

Naruto desired friends. He wanted a family. More than anything, he wanted to be recognized as a person and acknowledged as a great fighter. Naruto wanted to prove that anything is possible and heroes do exist—in part because he needed to believe it to believe in himself. These are the reasons Naruto wanted to be Hokage.

This makes Naruto unique, especially for a Shinobi. Naruto never believed that anyone is or should be a tool. In fact, he's disturbed and disgusted whenever it comes up, and he's not afraid to be vocal, and even insubordinate, about it.

Whether foolish or wise, Naruto was on to something. Despite the rules, the training, and the conditioning, or how they are used, ninja can't escape that they are human. Secretly, they all have hopes and dreams, and they are all emotionally motivated. This is why Naruto has such an impact on those around them—he is a Shinobi that refuses to be a Shinob. Merely by standing out, he makes other Shinobi remember that they are human too. If Shinobi—ones that used to have kind hearts—could re-imagine the world, it would probably look something more along the lines of what Naruto would make if he had the power.

Stage 5. True Strength: A Reason to Fight

Which brings us to the strength. Naruto cannot achieve his dream if he is not strong, but what is strength? How is it measured and where does it come from?

There are two kinds of power that make up strength: physical power and spiritual power. Physical power encompasses all jutsu, talent, and special abilities as well as stealth, speed, and actual muscles. Spiritual power is about the inner character of the fighter—the intelligence, ambition, heart, discipline, principles, and perseverance that leads one to understand battle and drives one to fight in the first place. The measure of true strength is a combination of physical power and spiritual power.

Physical Power

A ninja's physical power can be difficult to measure.

There is taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, five (maybe six) elements, different chakra levels, different control over charka, yin and yang charka, etc. There are also obvious factors like age, intelligence, speed, size, stamina, muscle strength, etc. Most recently, we've seen the addition of Sage Techniques. Etc and so forth.

You can get a rough idea of a ninja's physical power based on his or her missions (remember that "D" "C" "B" "A" and "S" apply to missions, not ninja rank), but it's impossible to compare one ninja to another and know for sure who would come out on top in a fight. This is because there simply aren't enough common denominators. Rather than power levels, ninjas win battles by tactics.

There are factors to influence favorites, of course. There are special abilities like Kekkai Genkai or Bijuu. Some ninjas come from fearsome families or have had fearsome parents, teachers, or trainers. There are also statistics in the data books, which are helpful or basic comparisons. Most of the time, the more intelligent fighter has an edge over the stupider fighter, and the same with the faster fighter to the slower, or the more experienced fighter to the inexperienced, or the chakra high to the chakra low, or stamina high or low, or the fighter with more or powerful jutsus to the fighter with fewer or weaker jutsus, etc. However, much of the fight still depends on how the fighters trained, how their assets are used, how the match-ups are determined, how their statistics match up, and the conditions of the fight (where, when, if the fighters are tired or wounded), etc.

Spiritual Power

The spiritual power of an individual is a combination of knowledge and motive. It can be partly measured by a simple question asked at the given time and place of battle: What is a person's reason for fighting?

People get into conflicts, some of them violent, for all kinds of reasons. However, on the simplest level, the reasons for fighting can be broken down into two categories: fighting for yourself (for survival, achievement, glory, revenge, etc) or for others (friends, country, obligation, etc). Like Yin and Yang, the difference between these reasons is not the difference between "evil" and "good," but a measure of balance between inward seeking and outward seeking motives.

Fighting for Yourself

Let me stress: Fighting for yourself is not bad.

Everyone can be expected to fight for survival, and achievement is natural for anyone who defines him or herself by fighting ability. I have already discussed the value of competition. The goal to be strong, or to be as strong or stronger than someone else, to be acknowledged by someone you respect, or to assess your growth by measuring your progress against another person, is not evil. How could it be? It is the natural result of self-valuation and ambition.

Competition inspires people to improve and achieve. With a degree of sportsmanship, competition creates good will between competitors and can even turn enemies into allies. When the best compete against the best, they acknowledge and come to respect one another. This was the purpose of the Chuunin exams. This is why Naruto was so excited when Sasuke told him he wanted to fight him, and also why he insisted that Sasuke wear the Konoha headband to symbolize their equality before their showdown on the hospital roof. Fighting with Sasuke, and growing powerful enough to defeat Sasuke, was the only way Naruto was ever going to get Sasuke to acknowledge him.

However, when out of balance, fighting for oneself can become wrong. Fighting for oneself is wrong when it is childish, spiteful, or cruel. When fighting in pursuit of glory or achievement, it is possible to dominate, humiliate, or become sadistic and fight for the pleasure of hurting others. When fighting is empty, dangerous, barbaric, or cruel, it weakens in spiritual power.

Fighting for Others

However, fighting for others can also lead to weaker spiritual power. If one is too generous, too complacent, or pours too much of the self outward, especially to those who don't deserve it, one loses spiritual power. This can happen whenever one is taken advantage of, or if the reason for fighting is assigned rather than built from personal conviction. Shinobi in particular have this problem. They are hired to fight for others' causes, yet many of them do so with empty feelings, or even contradictory feelings. To be an empty fighter, to allow oneself to be used, or to fight for something you don't believe in, is to be spiritually weak.

Naruto learns the meaning of true strength from Haku. When Naruto reveals to Haku that he wants to be the strongest of all ninja, Haku asks Naruto what it means to him to be strong. Naruto has to stop to think about this. Haku explains that fighting for someone you care about, rather than for your own glory or because you were ordered, is the basis of true strength. At this moment, Haku and Naruto are strangers, and Haku knows (as Naruto doesn't) that they are also enemies. However, this philosophy of strength and the importance of protecting someone precious is something Naruto and Haku agree upon.

This idea that strength grows when fighting from the heart is not just a noble notion. Passion may not actually build skill or muscle, but it is true that people really do summon reservoirs of strength on behalf others that they can't muster for themselves. Fighting for someone else adds depth to spiritual strength, which in turn fuels physical strength. Perhaps more importantly, it creates connections between human beings, who then stand up for one another to create a wall of strength. When you know others are relying on you, and especially if they are fighting with you, confidence and resolve (as well as the combined strength of your compatriots) adds to your power.

When Naruto fights Gaara, he becomes convinced of the truth of Haku's statement. He is so convincing in turn that Gaara changes his mind about what strength means. Gaara cowers at Naruto's ferocity, and determines that Naruto's strength comes not from the Nine Tails or love for himself, but from love for others. Gaara thinks of Naruto as a "maelstrom" and comes to respect him above anybody else he knows.

Of course, Naruto isn't the only Shinobi in Konoha to believe in the philosophy of protecting others. Rock Lee uses it as a condition for the Lotus. Kakashi's way of the Shinobi is not to let his team down or his friends die. Protecting others is a core concept in Konoha's "Will of Fire," the philosophy that drives each generation of Konoha Shinobi to protect the village in order to pass the mantle to the next generation. At the passing of the Third Hokage, Naruto is referred to as a "little sprout" in the leaf village, with the implication that he is the sort to grow into a great sheltering tree because of his desire to protect everyone.

At the Third Hokage's funeral, Naruto reflects about what it means to be human, and Iruka answers with a philosophy about death, struggle, and what it means to live and die for others. Iruka explains: "Family, friends, lovers, and all the other villagers. To me, those are the most important people. From the day we are born to the day we die, we start to feel that love is the most important. And that kind of relationship takes time to develop and trust. Everyone with this headband on knows… Because it's very important…" And Naruto answers: "Yeah, I know that as well." At that time, Iruka also notes that Naruto is a "little fire" protecting Konoha.

The Problem

Part 1 focuses on themes and Naruto's "blossoming" spiritual strength. If the manga ended here, however, there would be a problem. Despite securing a number of victories that lend credibility to these philosophies, Naruto isn't actually strong. In fact, spiritual strength aside, Naruto kind of sucks. Naruto had a lot of help in Part 1 from the Kyuubi, Gamabunta, Tsunade, etc. to secure his victories. He proved to his enemies he had heart, principles, self-reliance, and determination, but his physical strength in Part 1 was rather lackluster.

The only fight Naruto really won on his own was against Kiba. In every other fight in Part 1, Naruto relied on the Nine Tailed Fox, or the aid of someone else. Naruto shows in Part 1 is that he is not a cursed demon, nor a failure, nor the worst ninja ever. He showed he had determination, stamina and chakra reserves, and beyond that, something going on spiritually which improved his place in dead last to be a challenge to the best of his class: the other "genius" Genin (Neji, Gaara, Sasuke). However, it still took three years of training with Jiraiya before his physical statistics (see the Databook) could match even the other Genin.

In Part 1, Naruto won his major battles by looking into the hearts of his enemies and talking them into acknowledging their true feelings. Again, it is important to note that Naruto didn't really change change characters like Zabuza, Neji, or Gaara.

Naruto's heart-to-heart technique was only effective on these people because they fought with empty feelings, or because they were suffering. Zabuza, Neji and Gaara were people with impressive physical strength but low spiritual strength who fought for reasons they didn't really believe in. Naruto's "listen to your heart" tactic would NOT have worked on people who are sure of what they're after and are getting exactly what they want.

It fails dismally with Sasuke.

Valley of the End – The Rift Between Sasuke and Naruto

Sasuke doesn't react as well as Neji and Gaara when Naruto demonstrates his growing ability. Sasuke has a number of reasons for being upset by Naruto's progress.

Part of Sasuke's angst has to do with the return of Itachi and Sasuke's humiliating defeat, but that's not the whole story.

Naruto's victories don't make sense to Sasuke. Naruto was supposed to be a failure, not because he was "destined" to be, but because he actually didn't have any skills. At the beginning of the series, Naruto had next to NO talent. Meanwhile, Sasuke was recognized as an Uchiha, a genius, and the number one rookie. Logically, their progress should be flipped.

It could be argued that Naruto showed so much success because of spiritual power and sheer perseverance (aided by stamina reserves), but this doesn't fully explain it. After all, Sasuke and Naruto initially fought for the same reasons.

Like Naruto, Sasuke believed in Team 7 and the importance of protecting his friends. Like Naruto, Sasuke tried to protect Sakura and the village from Gaara, but although he had the same spiritual motivation as Naruto, he failed. When Itachi is spotted in Konoha, Sasuke engages his brother to try and save Naruto. This was Sasuke's most important fight. If spiritual strength is all that is needed to win a battle, Sasuke should have won by all rights. But he not only fails, he's dismissed, damaged, tortured, and humiliated.

Then Naruto just seems to show up out of nowhere with kage-level jutsu. Remember, Sasuke didn't know about Jiraiya and was unaware that Naruto was the vessel for the Nine Tails. In fact, Sasuke was unconscious or absent for just about all of Naruto's training as well as all of his battles.

When Naruto fought Haku, Sasuke was "dead."

When Naruto escaped from Oro's snake, Sasuke was paralyzed/received the curse seal

When Naruto fought Kiba, Sasuke was having his Curse Seal sealed by Kakashi

When Naruto fought Neji, Sasuke was training with Kakashi

When Naruto fought Gaara, Sasuke was compromised by the Curse Seal; he glimpsed pieces of the fight but did not understand where Naruto's power came from

When Naruto fought Kabuto, Sasuke was unconscious in the hospital

Sasuke couldn't understand where all of Naruto's power was coming from. Stamina alone doesn't cut it. From Sasuke's perspective, Naruto went from loser to victor with no rhyme or reason.

Sasuke has no idea how or why Naruto became powerful, and in the wake of his own defeat, this kind of pisses him off. Naruto's biggest victories must have seemed completely incomprehensible to Sasuke, if not completely unfair and/or cheaply won (i.e HAX).

Sasuke undergoes a change in philosophy at this point. Naruto's success has just as profound an effect on Sasuke as Sasuke's own failures. He must have figured that Naruto's victories had to do with some special cheat, a power from elsewhere that Naruto was able to control. In other words, Sasuke guessed something like the Nine Tails. This is why Sasuke is unsurprised by this revelation at the Valley of the End.

And of course this would make Sasuke contemptuous of Naruto. Naruto came at Sasuke all self-righteous and condemning of Sauke's choice to go to Orochimaru for more power. To Sasuke, Naruto must have seemed like an absurd hypocrite. Going to Orochimaru for special powers to achieve his goals is no different than going to the Nine Tails "for a little help" when the chips are down. As far as Sasuke is concerned, that is how Naruto himself was winning.

Sasuke also thinks he has more reason to win—a more important, nobler reason than Naruto's desire to not be a loser and become Hokage so everyone will admire him. Sasuke fights for revenge, for justice. Sasuke lived to become powerful so he could avenge the murder of his family. He couldn't let someone like Naruto show that he's the loser.

Relying on friendship failed Sasuke. Relying on the Leaf failed Sasuke. It's not that Sasuke thinks these things are worthless, but he decides that they are not what it means to be a Shinobi and are not needed on the path he had chosen for himself. At once point, Sasuke comes to the conclusion that spiritually he was at his most powerful when he was driven entirely by self-reliance, before he befriended Team 7, when he was alone after the massacre, when he didn't care about anything but his goal, not even of what became of him in the process (although he may have changed his mind in recent chapters through his failure with the Eight Tails and his reliance on Team Hawk).

This idea of self-reliance makes up Sasuke's spiritual philosophy from VotE onward. Sasuke believes he survived the massacre of his family through reliance on himself, his goal of revenge, and his Uchiha heritage. As such Sasuke concludes that self reliance is what makes a person stronger. Although Sasuke comes to recognize Naruto as strong, he rejects Naruto's friendship, having come to the conclusion that befriending Naruto and the other Leaf Genin is what has been holding him back from his potential—the power he needs to kill Itachi—which he can only muster by relying on himself, feeding his hate, and taking the "dark" path.

Naruto had no chance to defeat Sasuke at Valley of the End.

When Naruto fights Sasuke at VoTE, Sasuke isn't looking for a reason to exist and to fight. Naruto couldn't change Sasuke's heart to acknowledge his real feelings because Sasuke isn't confused about his feelings. In fact, Sasuke tells Naruto that since he was alone from the beginning Naruto can't even understand how he feels. Naruto also didn't have the physical power to break Sasuke into pieces, or the will to kill him if it came to it. Thus, Sasuke won.

Sasuke deserts Konoha. This begins the rift between Naruto and Sasuke, a divide that is philosophical as well as spiritual. It also marks the end of Part 1 and the beginning of Part 2.

From Part 1 to Part 2: Leaving Childhood Behind

In order to become a real hero, save Sasuke, and have any chance of becoming Hokage, Naruto has to grow up and become physically strong as well as spiritually strong.

The transition between Part 1 and Part 2 is purposeful. Part 1 in its entirety largely represents the world of Naruto as a child. Part 1 is concerned largely with ninja school. The focus of Part 1 is on the development of the characters, the growth of their skills, and the formation of the themes.

Part 2 on the other hand broadens the scope the other nations and the greater ninja world, in the past as well as the present. In part 2 of Naruto's ninja training, Naruto must understand and find his place in this world before he can be considered a mature adult, much less a hero of Shinobi. As such, Naruto as a manga is a Coming of Age story (like most stories aimed at a young adult market).

Definition of a Coming-of-age story: A type of [story] where the protagonist is initiated into society through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts that take place are these:

ignorance to knowledge

innocence to experience

false view of world to correct view

idealism to realism

immature responses to mature responses

Stage 6: Accountability - The Transition to Adulthood

The scenes following the Valley of the End is a coda for Part 1 as well as a pick up for Part 2.

In the falling action, Shikamaru suffers, and almost rejects the resulting growth, but emerges from the pain of defeat to accept responsibility as a leader. Although no one from the Leaf died trying to retrieve Sasuke, something was lost, and that was innocence. The trial of experience—Shikamaru's first as a Chuunin—is the beginning of Shikamaru's transition from childhood to adulthood.

There is a message here about what it means to be an adult. In life there is suffering, especially a Shinobi's life, but the difference between children and adults is how they handle responsibility in spite of pain, hardship, and loss. The child throws a fit, rejects experience, backs down, gives up, lashes out, and runs away, abandoning everyone that depended on him or her. The adult understands, accepts, adapts, and moves forward for the sake of others. This theme of growing up is central to the story.

Naruto's growth toward adulthood is the resolution of Part 1, and herein lies the moral of the story. Based on the idea that children become adults when they recognize their limitations and start behaving "responsibly" as society expects them to, Naruto is a deviant.

Naruto goes through the same trials as Shikamaru. He was a part of the same mission, and everyone was depending on him. He suffers a devastating loss. He gave everything he had to bring back Sasuke. He even made the Lee/Gai "promise of a lifetime" to Sakura. And he hit a wall. He failed. As the reality of failure sets in, what comes next is reflection and growth. If Naruto were a protagonist in a one of those "disillusionment" Coming of Age stories, Naruto would accept Sasuke's loss and move from an idealistic child to a young adult Shinobi who understands the Shinobi world and adapts from his experience to become a part of it—by accepting limitations and realities. Many Naruto fans, in fact, wonder why he does not do this.

Naruto refuses to conform.

Chapter 237 "Fool" marks the beginning of Naruto's decision to follow his own path—a path that still leads to adulthood, but gets there Naruto's way. Following Sasuke's desertion, Jiraiya and Naruto have a very significant talk in which Jiraiya, the Sage, explains to Naruto, the Fool, that he had better "forget Sasuke" and "wise up" to the ways of the Shinobi world. In short, they have a conversation about putting away childish dreams and having more reasonable "adult" expectations.

Jiraiya: "It's not only jutsu and power… As Shinobi, we must make sure that we always have proper judgment and make good decisions. If you want to live as a Shinobi, you must be wise."

Naruto's response—and the resolution of this much of the story—is surprising. Like Shikamaru, Naruto passes from irresponsibility to responsibility. He does not throw a crying fit or run away as a result of his failure. However, Naruto refuses to assimilate to the Shinobi measure of "maturity" as "giving up."

Naruto responds to Jiraiya's advice to give up on his friend with total rejection. "If that's what it means to be wise…then I'd rather be a fool!" he says. This isn't to say that Naruto wants to be stupid; what he's really saying is that this idea of giving up—and especially on a friend—is stupid.

Coming of Age stories (the depressing ones) sometimes depict the transition between child and adult as a choice between irresponsibility and social conformity—as if those are the only two options to choose from. They aren't. Naruto forges a third path: the path of realizing one's own power. Naruto wants to grow up, but he refuses to believe that being an adult means he has to lose hope and become cynical. He determines not only to be accountable, but to use his free will to get the power he needs to leap over the other two choices. He isn't going to be irresponsible. He also won't give up on his friend. Instead, he's going to do the REALLY hard thing: He will keep his promise, no matter what it takes, or how long. He follows up with "By myself I'll invent cooler jutsu, and definitely get Sasuke back! And then, and then… I'll beat Akatsuki!!!"

Jiraiya is shocked, so surprised in fact by Naruto's belief in himself that he is inspired to jump on board. Noisy, impulsive, hyperactive, knuckle-headed, foolish, and extremely vocal about his opinions, Naruto has never conformed to Shinobi ideals and he's not about to start now. Instead, he'll change "what it means to be a Shinobi". The idea that Shinobi have to be manipulative, silent, friendless, emotionless militant types is true only as long as they believe it. Naruto doesn't.

At this point, Naurto is determined to prove that a new kind of ninja—one that fights for others—is the most powerful kind of ninja in the world. Naruto himself aims to be the most powerful ninja of all, a ninja so strong that he can protect his village while also saving a friend from his own darkness…even if he has to beat down a gang of vicious criminals into a pulp, as well as the friend himself, in the process.

Naruto's decision to save Sasuke isn't just about Sasuke being his friend. That is part of it, of course, as Sasuke is an important part of Naruto's life, but saving Sasuke is about so much more than that. Naruto made a promise to bring back Sasuke, and he meant that promise. He didn't give his word lightly. He said it was a Promise of a Lifetime. A lifetime. To go back on that promise is to go back on his word. And we all know that Naruto's ninja way is to never go back on his word.

Naruto has thought about what it means to be an adult. He has thought about what it means to be a Shinobi. He has also thought about what it means to be a hero. He is determined to become all three. Naruto believes that adults, Shinobi, and heroes have one thing in common: They keep their promises. They make good on their commitments. They can be relied upon to take care of their dependents, their clients, and their friends. The only difference is in what kind of promises they make. To Naruto, being a hero among Shinobi means being able to make good on even the toughest of promises.

So it doesn't matter if it's foolish. And it doesn't matter how long it takes (he has a lifetime to make good on it, right?). It doesn't matter if no one understands it. It doesn't matter if he's ridiculed for it. Naruto's promise is wrapped up in his dream, and dreamers believe in their dreams no matter what anybody says. Naruto committed his life to bringing back Sasuke, and come hell or high water he will make good on that promise.

Naruto's path to getting stronger

Naruto's path to getting stronger isn't instantaneous; it's hard work.

In the beginning of Part 2, Naruto comes back from training with Jiraiya having mastered the basics he was missing before (strategy, for example), only to discover that he is the only remaining Genin in Konoha (still true). After the reunion, the next arc is the Rescue Gaara arc, in which—despite a bigger Rasengan and 3-tails Kyuubi—Naruto fails to be effective. In fact, Naruto fails to protect his friend and Gaara dies (though he is revived by Chiyo). Following this arc is the Sai/Oro/Sasuke arc, in which Naruto goes 4-tails chasing after Orochimaru, but through doing so, Naruto hurts his friends.

Although he is already too weak to do what he needs to do, Naruto decides not to use the Kyuubi anymore. It is obvious as to why. The Kyuubi is a shortcut, and a dangerous one at that. If Naruto had any doubts as to where relying on the Demon Fox would lead him, Sasuke obliterates them when he demonstrates his Uchiha-inherited ability to control the Kyuubi.

Instead, Naruto works on developing his own power—the slow way. Having failed to bring back Sasuke AGAIN, Naruto goes back to the drawing board and starts learning wind manipulation. Naruto's progress is doubted even by the other characters in the manga. He uses this new ability to create the Fuuton Rasenshuriken, which is awesome, but even the FRS is ultimately a failure. Although Naruto uses Fuuton Reasenshuriken to destroy Kakuzu, it is a technique that is simply too dangerous to use again. Because of the severe backlash it delivers to the user, the move is designated "forbidden".

After this, Naruto drops out of the story until the Itachi chase.

When Naruto disappears from the story, the action turns to Sasuke.

Sasuke's Path to Getting Stronger

Some people hate this part of the story. Some have even interpreted Naruto's failures and disappearance from the manga to mean that the author has betrayed the character out of favoritism for Sasuke's story and Uchiha back history. This is a ridiculous assertion in my opinion. Although Sasuke's story is important, and the Uchiha backstory relevant, Masashi Kishimoto has stated that he chose to write a story about a failure because of his own life experience. Naruto is the hero: period. In my opinion, what Part 2 actually does is highlight the following things:

The Meaning of True Perseverance: Naruto's transition from dreamer to achiever isn't instantaneous—success requires perseverance after set back after set back after set back.

The Meaning of True Progress: Sasuke demonstrates all the appearance of strength, but his victories lack authenticity, in part because although he accumulates a number of flashy jutsu and other tricks, he hasn't really grown. Between the two of them, Naruto is the stronger person.

The Meaning of True Villainy: The real threat and conflict of the story has to be developed. Sasuke is an integral part of the conflict, but the real threat is all the evil happening in the Shinobi world, and particularly the evil that has intentionally been perpetuated and/or orchestrated by villain characters such as Madara. This is revealed to the reader through Sasuke because if/when Naruto learns of it, he will react explosively.

The Meaning of True Perseverance

Naruto's progress in Part 2 is slow—much slower than in Part 1, but this is because he is progressing the "right way," even if it means having to go backwards, unlearned the "wrong" way of doing things, and essentially start over. Since Naruto gave up relying on the Kyuubi, he has had to relearn how to be strong. And it takes time. This is to be expected. However, Naruto perseveres, even when it seems that nothing he is learning is really helpful. Because of this, all of Naruto's supposed failures might just turn out to be trump cards in the end—thanks to Senjutsu.

So what about Sasuke?

The Meaning of True Progress

:

Since their split at the Valley of the End, Sasuke and Naruto have progressed in different ways—in fact, they switched. Naruto rejected dangerous "outside" power like the Kyubi whereas Sasuke embraced the curse seal and the absorption of Orochimaru. Naruto continues to believe in the strength of the village and in protect the people he cares about. His love of other is essentially Naruto's reason for giving up the Kyubi. Meanwhile, Sasuke professes the conviction that the way to become powerful is through severing bonds. This is Sasuke's reason for cutting all ties with Konoha, especially Naruto and Sakura, and becoming the distant, cold, arrogant character we see in Part 2.

Sasuke makes his choice--vengeance and the quickest path to power, even if he has to become a demon—because of the hatred he has nursed against his brother and because he saw how a demon helped Naruto gain extraordinary power—power great enough to defeat enemies much stronger than himself. Kakashi warns Sasuke that if he gives in to hatred and depends on the curse seal, that will be it for his strength growth, but Sasuke doesn't listen. To get what he wants, Sasuke accepts the curse seal from Orochimaru and becomes a cold monster. Sasuke does not, however, intend to become Orochimaru's—or anyone's—tool. To prove both these things, Sasuke allows Orochimaru to think he is a pawn only to betray and overpower him when he's sick and weak, proclaiming that he has become "cold hearted".

Subsequently, Sasuke's main concern is to kill his brother and satisfy his vengeance. He immediately recruits Team Hebi to track down Itachi. He specifically is not looking for friends or comrades; he merely thinks a platoon will help him achieve his goal. In thinking this way, Sasuke becomes emptier, but Sasuke knew that his ambition would throw him into darkness. However, the kind-hearted Sasuke is not entirely obliterated. Even Suigetsu remarks that Sasuke is still a Leaf Ninja. Unlike characters like Haku and Itachi, Sasuke never attempts to bury his heart completely. After all, his quest is essentially an emotional one, and he is dead set against doing things the way his brother did them. In keeping with his conscience, Sasuke refuses to kill anyone who is not his enemy.

The question to ask is whether or not this method to strength works for Sasuke.

Let's consider Sasuke's victories: Under Orochimaru's tutelage, Sasuke shows impressive growth in speed, chakra shape manipulation, taijutsu, the sword, summoning, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. In short, he grows into what he always had the promise of being—a five star ninja—and accomplishes it very quickly.

To demonstrate his growth in speed, taijutsu, and weapons, Sasuke is shown defeating large numbers of fodder ninja. Sasuke's absorption of Orochimaru demonstrates his accomplishment with genjutsu and mastery of the Sharingan. Sasuke's defeat of Deidara further demonstrates these abilities as well as showing what Sasuke gained by absorbing Orochimaru—rapid healing, summoning snakes, power burst from the curse seal level two, etc.

Sasuke relies heavily on the Sharingan and what he learned from Orochimaru, especially the curse seal, to give him the strength he needs to win as often as he does. Again, in this way, Sasuke's path to power is almost directly opposite of Naruto's. Where Naruto chooses to give up the Kyuubi and develop his own power, even if it means progressing more slowly or hardly at all, Sasuke throws all of his chips into what Orochimaru can teach him, even if it means losing himself.

Sasuke does become stronger, but his victories also lack the ring of triumph. Sasuke defeats Orochimaru when he is sick and weak. Sasuke's defeat of Deidara was a technicality (Sasuke only survived Deidara because Sasuke's elemental affinity happened to be Deidara's worst match, and if not for Orochimaru's rapid healing perks and the aid of Team Hebi, he would have died).

Word spreads of Sasuke's impressive growth, and finally, Sasuke challenges Itachi. This is the most telling battle of all, for it represents everything Sasuke has worked for, made sacrifices for, and killed to achieve. Sasuke throws everything he's got into defeating Itachi. He uses a combination of the Sharingan and the surge in the Level 2 Curse Seal to counter Itachi's Tsukiyomi. He evades Amaterasu and uses the heat from Itachi's own MS attack to strike his brother down with Kirin.

But Sasuke fails. Although Itachi acknowledges Sasuke's strength, and although he technically dies, nothing in Sasuke's arsenal was able to defeat Itachi. Like Orochimaru, Itachi was suffering from illness, but in spite of being ill, he was still able to back Sasuke into a corner with the Mangekyou Sharingan's greatest jutsu: Susanoo. Considering how heavily Sasuke relied on Orochimaru to gain the power he needed, it is a telling and ironic moment when Itachi destroys Orochimaru with a single stroke. Itachi then strips Sasuke of Orochimaru's powers and makes Sasuke believe that he is going to lose his eyes and die, in spite of all he has worked for. However, Itachi instead dies at Sasuke's feet, destroyed in large part by an unknown illness that had already been killing him, and also (as Sasuke later discovers) because it was Itachi's wish to be killed by Sasuke.

Sasuke's victory is bittersweet, and not only because his win was yet another stroke of luck. In his last moments, Itachi speaks to Sasuke as the brother who once loved him when he smiles and says "This is the last time, Sasuke."

Sasuke's "victory" becomes a horror when Sasuke learns from Madara the truth of Itachi's past. Madara reveals the true history of the Uchiha and tells the story of Itachi's life as a tragic one. According to Madara, Itachi never wanted anything other than to protect Sasuke, but because he was such a "good" Shinobi, he became the sacrificial pawn of Konoha. Itachi became caught up in the politics between the founding families of Konoha village—the Uchiha and the Senju. Itachi chose the health of the village over his clan, and destroyed the clan when the Uchiha Clan plotted against the village. Because he loved Sasuke, Itachi attempted to bury this truth, but Madara reveals it in an effort to turn Sasuke's sympathies (and guilt) against Konoha. Presumably, Madara's plan works. At least, Sasuke announces his intention to attack Konoha, particularly the elders responsible for Itachi's demise and exile, but also anyone who defends or associates with them (which is everyone, since the elders are the village leaders).

Although Sasuke may be bluffing, it is not unbelievable that he intends to do exactly what he claims. Sasuke is emotional and immature. Of course, it's not entirely his fault. In many ways, Sasuke is stuck at the same maturity level he was at when Itachi massacred the Uchiha Clan. Because of that day, and since that day, Sasuke has lived for only one purpose: to kill Itachi and avenge his family. Sasuke has clung to that ambition in lieu of having a dream. Sasuke's "dream" is to live in the past with the family that is dead and the brother he used to love—an impossibility.

Itachi's Reason for Hate and His Conversation with Naruto

It is unclear what Itachi expected to become of Sasuke. It seems he did what he thought best to save his brother, but Itachi was unforgivably cruel to Sasuke. It was because of Itachi's words that Sasuke lived in hate. Perhaps Itachi feared that without hate, Sasuke would not have lived. Itachi wanted to motivate Sasuke to stay alive. He also wanted to make sure that Sasuke would come to kill him someday. It is possible that Itachi—despite having fulfilled his orders—didn't really want to live after the massacre, but hung on for Sasuke's sake, to give him the satisfaction of honor through vengeance. It is also possible that having lived as a criminal and member of Akatsuki changed Itachi. After all, habits shape the human brain; we are what we do.

Regardless of how Itachi's cruelty is explained, Naruto's dogged persistence of Sasuke seems to make an impact on him. Although they had little personal interaction, Itachi heard about Naruto's pursuit of his brother a d couldn't understand why Naruto didn't give up on him. He tries to pull Naruto aside to ask him about this, perhaps sensing, or hoping, that Naruto just might have something that could save Sasuke in a way Itachi couldn't.

This explains why Itachi smiled at Naruto in the forest before going to his death. Itachi wanted to know what motivated Naruto, why he was chasing Sasuke, and what he hoped to accomplish. What he finds out is that he and Naruto share the same goal: to be a good brother to Sasuke. But this isn't enough. After Naruto says this, Itachi has another question. In short, he presents to Naruto almost the exact same question presented to Naruto by Jiraiya. Shinobi have to make tough choices, sometimes between two great evils. Itachi had to make a choice between his greatest loves: his family and the village. Under the circumstances, as a Shinobi, he made the best choice he could. He killed his family because he had to in order to save the village and prevent a war, but he managed to save Sasuke, and hoped to "make it right" (as right as possible) by burying the ugly truth and giving Sasuke the satisfaction of killing him. His "best" was the assurance that Sasuke would live honorably, even if it was in an unsightly way.

More than anybody, Itachi suffered from adhering to the "true" Shinobi ideal. As a Shinobi, he knows that Sasuke ought to be branded a traitor for deserting the village and hunted down as a missing ninja. He is therefore baffled when Naruto continues to see him as a friend.

Itachi asks Naruto what he would do if Sasuke came against Konoha. In part, this is foreshadowing for what will really happen. But it also operates on another level. Naruto's behavior made Itachi doubt his own. He wanted to know what would Naruto do if he were faced with Itachi's choice. Would he have saved his family or the village?

And how does Naruto answer? Pretty much the same way he answered Jiraiya. Naruto won't entertain the idea that he even has to make "hard" Shinobi choices. "I won't bend my words," he says. "That's what being a ninja means to me!".

And if Naruto had the power to do it, it just might be that simple. This explains Itachi's (possibly impulsive) decision to give Naruto his own power. "Correct my mistake, Naruto," he might have said if he had allowed himself to reveal the truth, "I didn't believe like you do."

The confrontation Itachi hypothesized will come to pass. Now that Itachi is dead, Sasuke's dreams are empty. He can imagine no future for himself, and for this reason, he is easy to manipulate. Sasuke joins Akatsuki and seems to believe that he is in control of his situation, but Madara's odd deference to Sasuke indicates the opposite. Sasuke is being manipulated.

Perhaps Sasuke believes he is more fearsome and powerful than he has successfully demonstrated. Maybe he really is, but Sasuke's victories seem at least in part like a lucky streak, and it is equally possible that Sasuke's self-induced isolation has magnified his arrogance while his immaturity has made him self-absorbed and therefore naïve. Sasuke comes somewhat out of his "I can do it alone" mentality during his battle with the Eight Tails, which he survives thanks to Team Hawk. Sasuke defeats the Eight Tails (sort of) to protect his new team mates, but it unclear if any deep character change occurs within Sasuke at this time. He may earn some spiritual strength points in his realization that comrades are worth protecting and that many working together can do what one alone cannot, but bonds are another matter.

At this point, it might be plausible to assume that Sasuke will become the main villain of the manga. However, I do not believe so. Sasuke is certainly an antagonist, and he may be on the wrong "side", but deep down he is still a good person, and everything ELSE that has happened in Part 2 points in a different direction for the story's ultimate conflict.

The True Meaning of Villainy

Where Part 1 established setting and character, Part 2 deepens the world, the conflict, and the plot. Part 2 has introduced all of the following:

Deeper understanding of Jinchuriki and Bijuu.

How Bijuu were the original catalysts for the Great Ninja Wars of the past as well as the greatest continuing threat to the future.

The members, formation, and purpose of Akatsuki—to capture Bijuu.

How suffering in the Shinobi world is directly connected to the Great Ninja Wars (including the creation of Pain).

Pain's plan to create a new world devoid of suffering through a great Bijuu bomb coupled with the God-like power he possesses as a descendent of the Sage of Six Paths (still not sure how this works).

The sordid history of the Uchiha and the founding of Konoha.

Madara Uchiha's involvement in the founding of Konoha, the amenity between Madara and Shodai, and Madara's possible orchestration of the Great Ninja Wars as part of his revenge strategy.

All of this development is not for nothing! Let's review:

The Great Ninja Wars were fought over Bijuu and Jinchuriki.

Akatsuki was formed by Pain to collect Jinchuiki and Bijuu. Pain is a product of the Great Ninja Wars. Pain believes he is God, and has an ambition to end war, suffering, and unfairness through violence using the Bijuu.

Madara's involvement with Bijuu dates back to before the founding of Konoha. Madara could control the Nine Tailed Fox and was a star during the Great Ninja Wars. He was once heralded as the epitome of the unsentimental killing machine—the ideal of the true warrior. Madara profited greatly from war. We learn that Madara and the 1st Hokage founded Konoha together, but clashed over differing philosophies, and were rivals to the death. Madara has nursed a grudge against Konoha ever since he was defeated by the 1st Hokage.

Given this information, and the knowledge that Madara has been around so long, it is reasonable to assume that the Great Ninja Wars may have been caused by Madara. Madara may have purposely stirred up strife between the villages and sparked the latest wars, the ones that Kakashi fought in, the ones that scarred Itachi at the age of four. As Mizykage, it is possible that Madara was behind the gruesome training methods in the Hidden Mist that produced Zabuza. Indeed, Madara may have been the guy Zabuza was exiled for trying to assassinate. It is plausible that Madara set the Kyubi on Konoha when Naruto was a baby, that he incited mutiny in the Uchiha eight years later, that he purposely manipulated events to force Itachi to be used and discarded as a sacrifice, all of which has led to Sasuke becoming what he is now...possibly so that Madara can use him to capture Bijuu (like the Nine Tails?).

Part 3: Confrontation, Climax, and Future

It is important that most of the information revealed in Part 2—in fact, everything but what a Bijuu is--has not been revealed to Naruto. The majority of this information has been leaked through Sasuke's story. Naruto doesn't know about Madara, or Pain, or Itachi. This is important, for if Naruto suspected any of this, you'd better believe that he would take it, ALL of it, very very personally.

Naruto is, after all, the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Naruto also sees himself as Sasuke's brother. If Madara IS responsible for ANY of the speculations above—much less all of them—then Madara must answer not only for Naruto's personal hardships, but Sasuke's personal hardships, Itachi's personal hardships, Kakashi's personal hardships, Gaara's personal hardships, Zabuza's personal hardships, Haku's personal hardships, etc and so forth down to the strife at the founding of the village. Something like this—along with Pain's plan to "end war," as well as confrontation with Konoha's elders, and whatever part Orochimaru/Kabuto have yet to play—will be sure to stoke Naruto's little fire into a blazing inferno.

Of course, Naruto must be strong. That is a given. Anger and passion alone are not enough to win—not with these kinds of stakes. But Naruto is working hard, and he is getting stronger. As Haku predicted, Naruto will one day be very very strong. Everyone, I'm sure, will be amazed, but the one who will be most amazed is Sasuke.

Where Naruto knows nothing of the evil truths Sasuke has uncovered, Sasuke knows nothing of Naruto's growth. Sasuke doesn't even know that Naruto gave up the Kyubi. When they next meet, Sasuke will assume that Naruto will be relying on the Nine Tails, and will plan his strategy for defeating Naruto accordingly. Certainly, Sasuke will have no idea of the exchange that took place between Naruto and Itachi.

There will likely be a cataclysmic exchange of information more powerful than whatever jutsu they throw at each other. Although it may be necessary (and satisfying) for Naruto to beat Sasuke to a pulp, what really matters is for them to actually understand each other. Sasuke had the wrong idea about Naruto at the Valley of the End. Naruto didn't understand Sasuke's suffering. Now, in the space of three-four years, there is so much more that they know but have not shared. Communication will be critical. Communication is Sasuke's weak point, but it is Naruto's great strength, and may just be his trump card. And if it is true that love can surmount all obstacles, then redemption should be possible for Sasuke. At the very least, it should be a very enlightening confrontation!

I'm not really sure what order things will happen in, but I'm fairly sure that the story will not end with Naruto fighting Sasuke.

It is important to recognize that winning a fight isn't really what Naruto is about.

A theme continually emphasized in Naruto is the reason for strength. Ideology drives confrontation. Naruto's reason for being strong will clash with that of the villains' and the victory will fall to whoever has the greatest strength: spiritually as well as physically. Here are the contenders for a climactic confrontation:

Sasuke: Sasuke's reasons for fighting are personal and emotional. For Naruto to defeat Sasuke, he has to nullify Sasuke's desire for vengeance. Depending what the elders have to say about Itachi's death, Naruto has the cards in his hand to do that, but it depends on their communication and willingness to listen to each other. As with Naruto's fight with Gaara, this might only happen if they've first exhausted all physical strength,

Orochimaru: Ideologically, Orochimaru was a mad scientist. He wanted to live forever so he could forever learn new jutsu and become—eternally—the greatest of all ninja. Because he didn't understand or value the Will of Fire, Orochimaru was passed over for the position of Fourth Hokage. Itachi supposedly destroyed Orochimaru by trapping him "forever" in a genjutsu, but Kabuto has absorbed something of his former master and I predict that there will be a part yet for Kabuto/Orochimaru to play.

Madara: Madara is a warmonger. If life was just about being strong, Madara would be the hero of the story. I suspect his end goal is to drive the state of the world backward in time to an era that reflects his glory days—so he can relive them. Madara's time should be over. He is old. But like Orochimaru, Madara doesn't see it this way. One of the final conflicts (perhaps THE final conflict, unless Pain supersedes Madara as the ultimate threat) will be a confrontation reminiscent of the one between Madara and Shodai—only it will be Naruto who represents Shodai's way of the ninja: The Will of Fire. This confrontation will echo Kakashi's ironic commentary at the end of Part 1 when Sasuke faced Naruto at the Valley of the End—where Madara and Shodai also fought.

Fear of death or unwillingness to diminish and let the next generation progress is a flaw shared by Orochimaru and Madara. It was also shared by Kakuzu. In fact, it was the reason Kakuzu was defeated--by Naruto.

Konoha's Will of Fire is a flame that is passed from one generation to the next, growing stronger and brighter as the former generation bows out to the one that follows it. This—the children of Konoha—is Asuma's "King." The idea of passing strength to the up-and-coming is something villains like Orochimaru, Kakuzu, and Madara never valued, but it is only in this way that progress occurs. The deeper bonds grow, and the farther they reach (brother to brother, father to son, mother to daughter, teacher to student, from the past to the future, connecting every one to everyone), the stronger they become, and the more strength actually comes to mean something. Strength without someone to protect is pointless.

Pain: Pain does understand the Will of Fire. He explains Konoha's "religion" to Hidan, but Pain's problem is that he is a megalomaniac. Pain believes he is God, and that the purpose of strength is to protect everyone from pain and suffering.

However, protecting someone isn't necessary about keeping them from suffering. Suffering is part of life, as failure is part of growth, and competition is part of strength. As already covered, it is through hardship and competition that people are motivated to achieve and change things for the better.

It is for this reason that Pain's philosophy of suffering and his method of ending war is likewise misguided. Pain is a terrorist: plain and simple. Pain wants to control the world and everyone in it through fear, and through threat of violence strip people of their free will, thereby denying them the freedom to harm others. This is because Pain doesn't trust that people can change things on their own, or that they can make decisions that do not lead to suffering (accidentally in Jiraiya's case, but on purpose for many). Pain's ambition is to use his great power to cow and control others—in order to protect them.

Not ALL About Naruto:

No matter what the matchups, Naruto's battles won't decide the outcome of the story.

The fight to change the world—to retire an era where Shinobi are used and discarded as tools--isn't the decision of one person or the outcome of one battle (or many). It has to be a clamor of voices, the united will of a generation, the passion of young people united who will surpass their teachers, rise to power, and replace the people who came before them. The world will change only if people change it, and those of Naruto's generation—a number of whom have been heavily influenced by Naruto himself, namely in recognizing their ability to change things--will form their own rules for the way they choose to live. Together, they can change Konoha—the Konoha of the elder generation that made "tough" choices, that sacrificed Itachi, that valued missions over human life, that treated Shinobi as tools.

And that, I suspect, can't fail to have a sweeping effect, not just in and throughout Konoha, but throughout the five countries, starting with the Sand Village, thanks to the Sand's alliance with the Leaf and Gaara's admiration and support of Naruto. And if two villages out of the five great Shinobi nations change, then the others will take notice, with a similar sentiment being echoed in the Rain Village, and the Cloud Village, the Mist Village, etc and so forth until Shinobi everywhere acknowledge that this is another way and redefine what it means to be a Shinobi—based largely on the example of one failure ninja who just didn't give up (or shut up).

If that happens, I can't imagine that anyone can object to why the story is called "Naruto" and can't imagine that Naruto could possibly fail to redeem Sasuke, or become Hokage, even if he's elected by vote from Genin status, or be regarded as having done anything less than prove to a generation that heroes really do exist.