The Next Year of Naruto

First off, let me say that I am glad the last year of Naruto ended with a bang: Sasuke fighting Danzo (Naruto 485), Naruto meeting Sasuke again, and a whole lot of trouble brewing from Madara and Akatsuki.

I agree with a lot of bloggers and forum commenters when they say that they see the series becoming a bit stale from the earlier chapters; Naruto, in addition to the other ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, have gone from being a bold and courageous ninja to a sensitive and sad emotional landscape. Lines of dialogue such as "Stop being a big wussy!" have been replaced with Naruto fainting from emotional overload.

With the death of Asuma, Shikamaru has been strangely absent from the comic; he's a charming character and many of his chapters read like pulp detective fiction. He's like Sherlock Holmes solving crimes. As a reader, I'm always surprised with the ways Kishimoto avoids pulpy cliches and produces emotion within the story. I hope that there will be a new story arc involving Shikamaru this next year.

Secondary characters have also been absent recently from the storyline. I have read many forum posters who say that they miss the presence of Rock Lee, Gai, Hinata, and Neji.

During the Chunin exams, the manga presented each of the lesser characters in a new way - we saw Neji's motivations for the Hyuga clan, we understood why Rock Lee wants to train so hard.

One of the best parts of Naruto is that fact that Kishimoto presents the lesser characters and gives them a reason for living. We can empathize with Rock Lee: he is ostensibly a loser, yet he won't give up even when severely injured. We can also empathize with Neji, who is reasonably struggling with the family issues of the Hyuga clan.

These detailed pictures of the lesser characters have been notably absent from the story arcs lately. Kishimoto is focusing on Sasuke, and most forum posters assume it is because Sasuke is the most popular character in Japan, selling comics.

Sasuke's character has turned a bit darker; I am under the impression that readers enjoy the evil Sasuke and hope that he will turn to the good side once again. It's a surprise to see Sasuke spear Karin with the Chidori and throw her to the side (Naruto 475).

I also understand why many readers complain about Sasuke's character - he is whiny. Where is the heroic Sasuke? Or at least grumpy friendly Sasuke? Why should we care about such a bratty character?

It's a pulp cliche found in all sorts of creative writing to see the bad guy turn good, from classic Manga (Dragon Ball Z) to Star Wars. We readers want to see the bad guy turn good after a breakdown.

I think that Kishimoto knows that the story arc will be forever changed when Sasuke changes from evil to good. It's as if he (or his editor) are trying to maximize the amount of story that can occur before that event. Strategically, that technique sells comics, I'm certain, but artistically, it's a bit of a headache. This is the main conflict behind the story - it's a bit of a bromance. Once that energy is gone, how can you bring it back?

Now that Sasuke has had Itachi's eyes implanted, I reckon that he will start to behave more like Itachi. Remember what happened with Kakashi Gaiden? Before Kakashi had Obito's eye, he was strict and on-time. After he had Obito's eye implanted, he became much more like Obito: relaxed, late, and down-to-earth.

So, in my opinion, Sasuke will become like Itachi - caring, self-sacrificing, and able to see the larger goal.

To discuss Madara, we have to examine the shocking revelation of Naruto 490, wherein Kabuto displays a coffin with mysterious contents. We readers cannot see inside - it's left to our imaginations. We know that Kabuto intends to blackmail Madara with the contents of the coffin.

Many people speculate that the mystery lies in Madara's true identity. I'm not one to speculate too much, but I will present my ideas based on the amount of creative room Kishimoto would have to work with given a particular situation.

I suggest that what is in the coffin of Naruto 490 is Madara's actual body - the person behind the mask is not really Madara. Shocking, yes!

First suggestion: Madara will be revealed as Izuna Uchiha. Assume that the story behind Madara Uchiha and Hashirama is true - to a point.

What if Madara Uchiha was actually friends with Hashirama Senju, and was provoked into fighting him by his brother, Izuna, who felt betrayed by him taking his eyes?

In that case, Madara Uchiha really did die at the battle of the Valley of the End? And suddenly, eyeless Izuna (whose story has never really been told except by Madara and Itachi) finds Madara's body and takes his eyes back, impersonating Madara and perpetuating evil on the world.

Forward this to the current state of Naruto: if Sasuke discovers that Madara is really Izuna, and that all of the of the Uchiha clan have been the victim of Izuna's selfish behavior, Sasuke (always striving for noble actions in his own mind) would destroy Madara/Izuna in a fit of rage. That way, Sasuke would be redeemed for both the Uchiha Clan and for Naruto. He could then resume life in the Village of the Hidden Leaves, and give hope to all the SasuSaku fans out there.

Imagine Sasuke saying to Madara/Izuna: "You made my fight my best friend Naruto for your own sick amusement?! You bastard!"

The problem with this scenario is that it's an easy exit. Sasuke really doesn't have to make a difficult decision in this instance. With a resolution like that, there's no work done for the redemption.

Second suggestion: Madara will be revealed as a non-Uchiha. This would mean that Madara really died in the Valley of the End, someone (who knows) found the body and decided to take the Sharingans.

Third suggestion: Madara really is Madara, with a weird Ninjitsu. He's...magic.

Again, the problem with these solutions is that ultimately, we want to see Sasuke turn into a good character again, but if he doesn't have to work for it, it's not going to be a believable transformation. We're not going to care unless Sasuke does something selfless and benevolent in the Naruto universe.

Of course, with ninjas, none of these answers may be the correct one; thank goodness the Naruto series is still engaging enough to read and enjoy.