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Naruto 109November 19, 2004Title: The Sound Temptation After a brief skirmish, Sasuke is crushed by Orochimaru's squad.
Sakura tries to persuade Sasuke to stay in Konoha . . .
but Sasuke leaves in search of power.
The End. * * * RATING: B Ever since the start of this series, Sasuke has been portrayed as a rather individualistic character. Even so, it is shocking to actually see Sasuke sever all his ties to Konoha, and willingly yield himself into the care of the arch-enemy Orochimaru. In one sense, this truly marks the death of Kakashi's genin team, and, as Sasuke says, marks the beginning of a new era. As the final episode shared by our three protagonists, this chapter does a phenomenal job at illustrating the strong teamwork that characterized the initial half of this series. Although Sasuke does indeed turn to his own path, it's clear that he treasures his memories with Sakura and Naruto, and as a fitting example, it's quite poignant to see him finally acknowledge Sakura's tears. Plot rumblings aside, there's no doubt that the action is about to be taken to a whole different level -- it's clear that Sasuke is simply *outclassed* by the Sound ninjas, and with their arrival, they bring new curse seals, new abilities, and new fighting styles. While this is well and good, it's nice to note that the combat is extremely well choreographed, and as a case in point, it's definately thrilling to see Sasuke flit behind Sakun's back during his wicked aerial combo. It seems hard to believe, but the producers of Naruto have really kicked this title up a notch -- the plot is stronger, the characters are more intense, and the action is far faster than before. It'll be interesting to see if this series can maintain its impetus, but for now, it is on fire. * * * disagree? read 168 comments! * * * Related Reviews
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