Kabuto’s past is revealed! And a partnership that no one expected…Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha vs. Kabuto? Find out why in “Naruto” volume 61. Recommended!
© 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Naruto Volume 61
STORY AND ART BY: Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 æ–‰å²)
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga
RATED: T for Teen
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2013
The world’s most popular ninja comic!
Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He’s got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world’s greatest ninja!
As Madara uses his dominating power to fend off the Five Kage, Sasuke is reunited with his brother Itachi. Can the brothers put aside their differences and help each other out? When they come face to face with Kabuto, the man who revived Itachi from the dead, they’ll have to team up if they have any hope of survival!
For long time followers of “Naruto”, we have seen Sasuke in his pursuit of his brother, Itachi. We have seen Sasuke kill his brother. But now, Sasuke pursues his brother, who has been brought back to life through reanimation, demanding answers of why he chose to work with the Konoha ninjas and wipe out the Uchiha clan except him.
But before any answers, Itachi is in pursuit of Kabuto, who is responsible for bringing the dead back to life. And if Itachi can find a way to defeat or kill Kabuto, will it end Kabuto’s control over him?
Find out in volume 61 of Masashi Kishimoto’s “Naruto”.
What is “Naruto” all about?
The popular manga series “Naruto” has been going strong since its debut in Shueisha back in 1999 via “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine.
The manga by Masashi Kishimoto is about a young ninja named Naruto Uzamaki, a ninja of the Konoha leaf village who grew up facing prejudiced within his fellow ninjas because the evil nine-tailed fox was sealed inside him. But throughout the series, we have seen how Naruto is a kind-hearted boy who has worked hard in protecting his friends and staying true to his word with the goal of someday becoming the next Hokage of the village.
In the beginning, Naruto was part of Team Kakashi, alongside Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno and as a team, have grown up together taking on missions and also, joining with other teams of Team Konoha as well as other villages in taking on other major missions as well.
But now years have passed since those earlier years of Team Kakashi and Naruto and his friends are much older and his teammate Sasuke has left the village to pursue his brother Itachi for revenge of killing everyone of the Uchiha clan but worst of all, Sasuke is in search of the traitor of the Konoha village, the evil Orochimaru, in order to obtain more power.
During Naruto’s last confrontation with Sasuke, it appears that a black evil curse has consumed him. But as a promise to his teammate Sakura, Naruto will do what it takes to bring Sasuke back despite whether or not Sasuke has become evil.
What has happened in the last volumes of “Naruto” so far?
In the previous volume of the “Naruto” manga series features the beginning of the Great War as the ninja villages have united to take on the dead, past Gokage and deceased Akatsuki members as well as the revival of deadly ninjas by Kabuto.
The dead know they have been revived but are not able to control their bodies (which is being controlled by Kabuto). The goal of capturing Naruto for his nine-tail powers continues, but the ninja villages were able to hide Naruto in a moving island. Meanwhile, Naruto is unaware of what is going on the outside world, as the Gokage have him fighting in an enclosed space and being trained from Killer Bee.
Meanwhile, as ninja units of the Allied Shinboi Forces have been assembled to take on the resurrected and legendary ninjas that have been revived.
In volume 56, the Kage have been resurrected and Darui must take on the most dreaded ninja brothers of all time, Ginkaku and Kinkau a.k.a. The Gold & Silver Brothers. Two brothers who are not only powerful but having been eaten by the nine tails (and escaping it) and living within it’s belly and feeding off the Nine Tails inside, they were let out of the Jinchuriki’s body because of the harm they have caused and because they fed on the nine tails, they now have his chakra inside them. And Naruto is beginning to feel that something is wrong (and sensing his chakra on the outside). Meanwhile, Mifune must take on the resurrected second Tsuchikage, Hanzo and also Asuma has been resurrected and now Shikamaru, Choji and Ino must fight their former master to to the death.
In volume 57, the Allied Shinobi Forces have kept Naruto in the dark as much as they can. By telling him he’s on a major mission and keeping him hidden inside an island, with various members of the Forces to prevent his escape, with Naruto’s new found power of tapping into the power of the nine-tailed fox, he can now sense death around him.
And with Naruto now knowing that something is terribly wrong, both Naruto and Killer Bee want to show Madara and the Akatsuki that they are going to fight back and no way will they be stripping the power of the jinchuriki away from them. But knowing how important both Killer Bee and Naruto are for the Allied Shinobi Forces, under orders, ninjas of various villages must try to block the two from escaping.
So, badly that Raikage and Lady Tsunade are called into stop both Killer Bee and Naruto.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, as night time comes, both sides take a break and try to recuperate from their injuries. But what the Allied Shinobi Forces don’t know is that their camps have been infiltrated by ninjas that can assume a form of one of the Forces’s Shinobi. With an unknown enemy killing doctors and important people in the Allied Forces camps, they must find a way to capture and kill these hidden enemies before more ninjas of the Allied Shinobi Forces are killed.
In volume 58, Naruto and Killer Bee have been able to seal away the previous Raikage but now with the Akatsuki infiltrating all Allied Forces camps and no one able to tell who is friend and foe, more and more allied forces are being injured or killed by the impostors.
And only one person can help them…Naruto. Who must create shadow clones of himself with is new power to sniff them out.
Which leads to volume 59 as the battle continues to escalate as Gaara, leader of the Sand Village and Ohnoki, leader of the Stone Village must continue to fight against the great Mizukage of the Mist Village, who was resurrected.
But also, another battle will begin as Madara Uchiha finally strikes back and as for Naruto and Killer Bee, they find themselves in another battle with Tobi of the Akatsuki.
And now here we are with volume 60, as the Allied Shinobi Forces are making their comeback, the revived masked Madara Uchiha unleashes the six jinchuriki to fight and kill Naruto and Killer Bee.
With Killer Bee and the eight tails injured, Kakashi and Guy go into assist Naruto and Killer Bee.
But while the jinchuriki are being controlled by Madara, all biju are able to communicate with each other telepathically and somehow the six jinchuriki are confronted by Naruto for the very first time, but instead of wanting to take control of them, Naruto is intent of saving them. Never seeing this kindness ever before the biju are able to see Naruto’s kindness towards them.
And during battle, Naruto activates his Biju Mode and is now able to access the Biju Psyche Plain to be in the consciousness of the jinchuriki and a little of the history of biju is revealed.
In volume 61 of “Naruto”, as the Fourth Great Ninja War continues, all ninja leaders must take on the resurrected and powerful Madara Uchiha and for Madara, his goal is to kill Lady Tsunade, a descendant of the first Hokage Hashirama.
Meanwhile, the story shifts to Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. Itachi who was killed by Sasuke earlier has been resurrected by Kabuto’s forbidden jutsu. Sasuke had previously learned from Tobi that his brother secretly was working with the Konoha Leaf Village and his mission was to kill everyone in the Uchiha clan. This has fueled Sasuke’s resolve to destroy the Leaf Village.
But as Sasuke goes after Itachi to get some answers, Itachi is busy trying to pursue Kabuto and find a way to separate himself from Kabuto’s control. But as Sasuke arrives, who will he help…Kabuto or his brother Itachi?
For many long time readers of “Naruto”, the relationship between Sasuke and Itachi has been complicated and we know that Sasuke has been filled with rage for years because of his brother murdering the entire Uchiha ninja clan except him. But now he has been fueled by rage knowing that Itachi has been working under the Konoha Leaf Village in eliminating his clan.
And while Itachi was killed by Sasuke in battle prior to learning the truth about his brother working with the Konoha, his brother has been resurrected and now he can get the answers he has been looking for.
The problem is, they would have to go against Kabuto, who appears to have surpassed his former master Orochimaru.
As Sasuke is promised that he will receive answers if they defeat Kabuto, both estranged brothers agree to team up against Kabuto.
And as for Kabuto, the evil genius pulling the strings behind-the-scenes, we are introduced to his history for the very first time. What has made this young man turn evil?
While there is no Naruto and much focus on the battles in the Fourth Great Ninja War as in previous volumes, it is very important because it provides readers with a background on Kabuto but also the Itachi brothers teaming up for the very first time in battle.
A well-written but also necessary story that “Naruto” fans have been waiting for and still a good amount of action, “Naruto” volume 61 is an important manga volume for longtime readers! Highly recommended!