Off of narutoforums.com, in the Naruto manga section. Latest posts of the '196' thread. It's raw though. And off of bittorrent, last I checked.
Me, I'll just be over here hitting the japanese artsites for comfort, yes. Or watching 61. Little Neji and his big fat crush on little Hinata makes everything better, somehow.
Needs 'em like he needs a hole in the head--Oh WAIT. Still holding out on the hope that Shizune's still wandering around somewhere in that forest, and will come along and, I don't know, fix it. Chouji too, damnit.
And then there's the old shounen series cliche--the one where the characters left behind always pass out after their big fights, only to limp up to congratulate the main character in a bashed up mass after the Really Big Fight (tm) goes down. So that's a possibility. Or it better be a possibility. Ooh, yes.
//Needs 'em like he needs a hole in the head--Oh WAIT.//
Page thirteen: I screech, both cats hit the ground in defensive positions. Masashi Kishimoto, I loathe you.
My other worry (and miriya and I were discussing this in her journal) is that Chouji, Neji, and (assumably) Kiba are going to be great big fakeouts, and its Shikamaru who's truly screwed by virtue of his lazy, but overall kind disposition. Because we all know there's nothing like being a (mild) bastard with a heart of gold to earn you an early grave in manga.
And his SHOULDER. You can see through that thing! That's not RIGHT!
And I second that GUH. Though I keep hoping for no casualties--problem with this series, don't wanna see anyone get toasted--Shikamaru does seem a very likely target. Because let's face it, the most well meaning ninja get crap in this series. Proven fact.
Man, as if there weren't already enough angst-vibes coming off of the Inoshikacho team to begin with--which is, if you think about it, broken up no matter how things go, with Shikamaru having advanced ahead of the others.
(Don't get me started on if Lee is the one to go...)
It's horrid, but as soon as I saw the Gaping Shoulder Wound (TM), I immediately suffered from the mental image of Gai chipping golfballs thru it. (Again--I'm no doctor, but I think Neji could probably need that connective tissue. O__O)
Shit, man, the last thing I want to see is Shikamaru or Lee punished for their good natures. That would, quite honestly, break my heart.
Also. I really don't want to be forced to hate Sasuke after all is said and done.
(On one hand, I really would applaud Kishimoto for having the balls to kill off a handful of underage ninja in one nihilistic sweep; on the other, no. Just, no.)
There are only a few major ARTERIES around there, right? Though from the looks of it the wound might have been cauterized when the arrow passed through....Which might buy him...some time. Not alot. But. Not exactly an expert, either.
If Kishimoto kills even one of the genin team, it's definately steering the series along a much darker tack than ANY of the earlier story arcs. Not sure how to take the idea, on the one hand, yeah, that does take balls, on the other, no one wants the underage ninja to die.
And it's funny, second thing my dear Kii said to me after reading this chapter was: "You could hit a GOLFBALL through that!"
...so I have this awful thought. Being that there are four of the sound-nins (plus Sasuke) and five in the Konoha team, Naruto could be left to beat some sense into Sasuke, after every other of the Konoha shinobi take down their foes and die, a la Chouji, if he is indeed dead.
If this happens, there will be no words to describe my burning hatred. Though, I think I can muster up some burning hatred if Neji dies. Manga, please, do not make me.
...And that of course, brings about the lovely post-apocalyptic picture of an injured Naruto, staggering back to Konoha, possibly dragging Sasuke's sorry ass with him (or if you wanna really go for the really dark plot, have Naruto lose 'em at the border) passing by his fallen teammates one by one.
...
WAH.
(And oh, yes, if Neji dies? Heads will roll, yes, they will. Still. Try to be optimistic! We've seen worse! There was that one chapter that ended with Tsunade getting skewered through the chest, afterall....)
Hey, I forgot about that! I should try to keep that mindset.
...And that of course, brings about the lovely post-apocalyptic picture of an injured Naruto, staggering back to Konoha, possibly dragging Sasuke's sorry ass with him
Naruto: *drags Sasuke, passes by Konoha!corpse #4* Damnit, Chouji too...at least he's intact...not to be horribly blunt, Sasuke, but this is all your fault. Sasuke: This kind of emotional trauma can only be fixed by many chapters of angst. Naruto: Screw that! You're telling all the families! And giving every eulogy! Jerk. Sasuke: Many, many chapters of angst. I think I'll start now. Naruto: Start? When did you ever stop?
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fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 01:49 am (UTC)Me, I'll just be over here hitting the japanese artsites for comfort, yes. Or watching 61. Little Neji and his big fat crush on little Hinata makes everything better, somehow.
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 02:56 am (UTC)...Especially because Neji, like, totally needs those vital organs.
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 03:09 am (UTC)And then there's the old shounen series cliche--the one where the characters left behind always pass out after their big fights, only to limp up to congratulate the main character in a bashed up mass after the Really Big Fight (tm) goes down. So that's a possibility. Or it better be a possibility. Ooh, yes.
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 03:29 am (UTC)Page thirteen: I screech, both cats hit the ground in defensive positions. Masashi Kishimoto, I loathe you.
My other worry (and
GUH.
ARROWED.
Date: 2003-12-06 03:47 am (UTC)And his SHOULDER. You can see through that thing! That's not RIGHT!
And I second that GUH. Though I keep hoping for no casualties--problem with this series, don't wanna see anyone get toasted--Shikamaru does seem a very likely target. Because let's face it, the most well meaning ninja get crap in this series. Proven fact.
Man, as if there weren't already enough angst-vibes coming off of the Inoshikacho team to begin with--which is, if you think about it, broken up no matter how things go, with Shikamaru having advanced ahead of the others.
(Don't get me started on if Lee is the one to go...)
SHOT DOWN! IN A BLAZE OF GLORY!
Date: 2003-12-06 04:22 am (UTC)Shit, man, the last thing I want to see is Shikamaru or Lee punished for their good natures. That would, quite honestly, break my heart.
Also. I really don't want to be forced to hate Sasuke after all is said and done.
(On one hand, I really would applaud Kishimoto for having the balls to kill off a handful of underage ninja in one nihilistic sweep; on the other, no. Just, no.)
Re: SHOT DOWN! IN A BLAZE OF GLORY!
Date: 2003-12-06 04:40 am (UTC)If Kishimoto kills even one of the genin team, it's definately steering the series along a much darker tack than ANY of the earlier story arcs. Not sure how to take the idea, on the one hand, yeah, that does take balls, on the other, no one wants the underage ninja to die.
And it's funny, second thing my dear Kii said to me after reading this chapter was: "You could hit a GOLFBALL through that!"
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 03:34 am (UTC)If this happens, there will be no words to describe my burning hatred. Though, I think I can muster up some burning hatred if Neji dies. Manga, please, do not make me.
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 03:53 am (UTC)...
WAH.
(And oh, yes, if Neji dies? Heads will roll, yes, they will. Still. Try to be optimistic! We've seen worse! There was that one chapter that ended with Tsunade getting skewered through the chest, afterall....)
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 04:15 am (UTC)...And that of course, brings about the lovely post-apocalyptic picture of an injured Naruto, staggering back to Konoha, possibly dragging Sasuke's sorry ass with him
Naruto: *drags Sasuke, passes by Konoha!corpse #4* Damnit, Chouji too...at least he's intact...not to be horribly blunt, Sasuke, but this is all your fault.
Sasuke: This kind of emotional trauma can only be fixed by many chapters of angst.
Naruto: Screw that! You're telling all the families! And giving every eulogy! Jerk.
Sasuke: Many, many chapters of angst. I think I'll start now.
Naruto: Start? When did you ever stop?
Re: fangirl mode ON
Date: 2003-12-06 04:27 am (UTC)