Naruto Chapter 517 – First Blood

Post Author: Bob

Wow, this was a sweet chapter to start off the war. With first blood already drawn, the good guys have already suffered casualties from the elites of Kabuto’s Edo Tensei army. I’m expecting great things from Kishi in the chapters to come, this is the kind of dark and merciless fighting which I think has been missing from Naruto for sometime now. We’ve been hearing about the brutality of the previous ninja wars from older characters in the series, but now we’ll see it played out in front of us for the first time. But I think we should expect this war to be bloodier than all others – as we’ve seen already, Akatsuki doesn’t obey any conventional rules of engagement; for them, nothing is taboo. That said, I’m more than ever convinced that this is the beginning of the last arc of Naruto, simply because I can’t think of a more epic way to end this series. But with the scale of this war and the sheer number of characters involved, don’t expect a quick end anytime soon though 🙂

Well, we’ve already have some deaths so far on the ambush squad’s side. Anko’s advanced scout team got annihilated. There wasn’t any doubt that Anko would be outclassed by Kabuto in the encounter last chapter. Although chapter 517 doesn’t directly state whether Anko is just unconscious or dead, my gut tells me she’s a goner. Even if Kabuto is keeping her alive, you can expect him to use her against our heroes down the line. This appears to be a theme that’s going to be exploited by Akatsuki to the fullest in the battles to come. Sai is the first victim to this psychological warfare, will he be able to fight against the only person he can truly call family in this whole world? It’s an especially sad situation for Sai as well since it is the value of bonds and family that Naruto had instilled in him that is partially making him hesitate in this situation. The old Sai of Roots, as cold as he was, would probably have been unfazed.

It’s a blast to see Sasori and Deidara in action again as a team. Sure, we’ve seen them fight before, but always as individuals. This could be the first time we see them fighting as a duel, and despite their constant bickering, they need to admit that they make a devastating combo team. The use of that Aburame as a walking suicide bomber is just plain evil, but so very effective as an opener to the battle between ambush squads. And I never realized it until now, but Sasori could turn any dead enemies’ body into a fighting minion right on the battlefield. And remembering his 100 puppet technique, this means he could easily muster up a small army with the corpses of the alliance shinobi they kill here. This combined with Kabuto’s Edo Tensei, means that Akatsuki’s army will only grow stronger as the alliance suffers more and more casualties. If this war is dragged on, the alliance will be eventually destroyed. I think if the kages plan to win, they need to strike at the core and take other either Kabuto or Madara as soon as possible.

Other points I’d like to mention:
– no Naruto sighting in this chapter at all, but I don’t mind the least. I rather like the scenario of him training like crazy to master his new powers and come to the rescue like a superstar when the situation looks grimmest – like during Pein’s attack on Konoha.
– I like how the restrictions on the Edo Tensei were outlined in this chapter. As expected, it’s an overpowered jutsu. There’s no way to stop the summons even if they kill Kabuto. They must either permanently immobilize the body (such as sealing technique) or trick Kabuto to stop the technique through genjutsu. The latter scenario gave me an interesting idea for a plot twist: what if Sasuke was the one who uses genjutsu to trick Kabuto? One reason for Sasuke to do this is that Kabuto has resurrected Itachi as one of his minions. And although Kabuto hasn’t faced Sasuke yet since partnering with Madara, we know the two hate each other.
– Omoi looks like he means business and judging by the chapter’s title (Omoi’s war), the next few chapters will focus on him. I’m expecting some great jutsus from him to come, his only set back is his youth and inexperience. But I think Omoi’s situation is representative of what will happen to all the characters of the original Konoha 11 — this war will be the greatest lesson of their lives.