Ep 135: The Broken Promise

Naruto wakes up and asks Where’s Sasuke? Kakashi doesn’t answer. A team of 3 medic shinobis appear and the one with glasses asks about Naruto’s condition. Kakashi says he’s fine. Then he asks about Sasuke. Kakashi just shakes his head. Kakashi asks about the other genins. The medic tells him that the first and second medic teams had been dispatched and took the injured to receive emergency treatment. Shikamaru had minor injuries, Kiba has a deep wound but life is not in danger, and Neji and Chouji are in critical condition.

At the hospital, Choji is hooked up to lots of wires and monitors. Tsunade consults a thick medical book. She calls for some deer antler and grinds together various herbs. Kiba lies in bed asking his sister about Akamaru. She says the muscles in his arms and legs are damaged and he won’t be walking for a while but his life is not in danger.

In intensive care unit 7, eight shinobi medics, 4 sitting at the corners of a complicated seal system drawn on the ground, 4 standing behind them, are trying to close the wound in Neji’s shoulder. It’s been three hours and one medics asks to switch off. Shizune is also part of the medical team. The hole in Neji’s arm starts to mend and Neji winces in pain.

Outside of intensive care unit 6, Shikamaru twiddles his thumbs. His left index finger is in a splint. Temari waits with him and says it’s pointless to fidget and sacrifices are part of the mission. She asks him if he’s received emotional training. Shikamaru replies that training is different from actual combat and that this was his first mission as team captain. He realizes now that he’s not cut out to be a shinobi. Temari says he is "unexpectedly boring" even though he’s acting like a man. Shikamaru gets up and says he all he did was trust everyone else. He was too naïve and didn’t have enough strength and it was all his fault. Temari asks if he’s afraid of being hurt.

Shikamaru walks away. His father is around the corner and says he’s been talked down to by a girl and now he’s running away. Shikamaru says it’s too troublesome to have an argument, he’s not a girl. His dad replies he’s not a man either, just a spineless coward, even if he quits there will still be missions, and his friends would be assigned to a new leader and then they might all die but if he’s the captain they might not end up that way. If he looks at this as a learning experience and grows from it maybe he’ll be able to carry out the next missions perfectly. If his friends are really important instead of running away he should consider becoming greater for their sake. That’s what it means to be a real friend. And then he adds "You damn coward!"

Tsunade comes out and says it’s all right now. The continuous cellular destructive effects of the pills were stopped by an antidote she created. She used the special medical manual of the Nara Clan. Shizune runs up to tell them that Neji is in stable condition and Kakashi and Naruto have returned. Although Naruto was injured his life is not in danger. Tsunade says although the mission was a failure everyone’s alive that’s the important thing. Shikamaru says while crying that next time he’ll carry out the mission perfectly.

Meanwhile at Orochimaru’s abode, Sasuke follows him past rooms of prisoners. Orochimaru says that he is his chosen one. Sasuke curtly answers "that doesn’t matter hurry up and give me power." Kabuto tries to give Sasuke some friendly advice and warns "if you don’t want to die, watch your mouth." Sasuke gives him a look and Kabuto is shocked at his level of chakra.

Back at the hospital, Naruto thinks about Sasuke and Sakura and his promise. Shikamaru comes to visit him. At the reception area, Ino plans to visit Chouji first while Sakura says she’ll visit Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura later hears Naruto tell Shikamaru that Sasuke got away. Choji’s dad tells Ino that Chouji can’t have visitors yet but he’ll be okay and it’s thanks to Tsunade’s return.

Tsunade and Sakura enter Naruto’s room. Naruto apologizes to Sakura, but she pretends there’s nothing to apologize for and opens the curtains instead. Naruto insists that he will keep his promise of a lifetime.

Later Naruto is alone in his hospital room thinking of healing and getting Sasuke back when he hears a crash outside his hospital room. Jiraiya appears on a huge frog. He tells Naruto that he will be training him personally for three years. He also hears that the Akatsuki will be after Naruto in 3 or 4 years. But Naruto says he doesn’t have time to train he needs to pursue Sasuke. Jiraiya says he was researching Orochimaru’s fushi no jutsu (immortality technique) and he just recently transferred so he can’t transfer again for 3 years. He tells Naruto to forget about Sasuke since he went to Orochimaru on his own free will. He says he’s seen a lot of shinobis and Sasuke is of the same type as Orochimaru and that only a fool would try to help him. Naruto insists that Sasuke’s his friend but Jiraiya asks him angrily do friends hurt each other.

Flashback to when Orochimaru leaves Konoha. Jiraiya looks worn out, he asks Oro why, since they’ve been comrades since childhood. Orochimaru calls him a simple person who doesn’t think. Jiraiya asks him to reconsider, but Orochimaru attacks.

Jiraiya says no matter who much he wished for it, he didn’t return and he was just left with remorse and regret and he doesn’t want Naruto to follow the same path. He tells Naruto that if he pursues Sasuke he can forget about training and he’ll be followed by the ANBU and permission to leave Konoha could be denied since Akatsuki is after him for the Kyuubi. Someday he’ll have to face people more dangerous than Orochimaru. Not only jutsu and power are required but shinobis should be smart and decisive, if he remains a fool, living a life of pain will be his reality. But Naruto says "if that’s what it means to be wise I’d rather be a fool for the rest of my life! Even if I’m alone I will create more powerful justsu and definitely rescue Sasuke! And I’ll defeat those Akatsuki guys too!" Jiraiya says if he’s alone "you would just come up with useless perverted ninjutsu," a fool is a fool but an idiot can do something, and tells Naruto to get ready when he’s discharge.

Meanwhile the nine Akatsuki members are meeting and say it’s the first time they’ve been all together since 7 years ago when Orochimaru left. They discuss that Oro has gotten hold of the sharingan and they will kill him eventually but they have only 3 years to complete their missions to capture the Kyuubi and get hold of everything.

Review:

Good to see everyone’s alive. Nice wrap up in preparation for the time skip. Naruto’s such an inspiration!

Notes:

The medics use hair as a medium to heal Neji’s wound. The chakra control must have pinpoint precision for the cell ratio of the damaged area.

Kiba’s sister is a vet.

Chouji is wrapped in bandages with seals written on them.

Shikaku is Shikamaru’s father’s name.

Thoughts:

A nurse wears high heel sandals - nurses should be wearing comfortable shoes!

Jiraiya tried to bring back Orochimaru, a serial killer! It's not like the Hokage could just forgive everything, could he?