Naruto: Volume 69 manga review

Manga
Naruto: Volume 69 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
March 28, 2015 - 17:47

Viz Media
Writer(s): Masashi Kishimoto, Mari Morimoto
Penciller(s): Masashi Kishimoto
Letterer(s): John Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7856-9
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K., 208pp B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

Naruto Volume 69 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

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Rated “T” for “Teen”

The young shinobi (ninja), Uzumaki Naruto, had an incorrigible knack for mischief. He was the biggest troublemaker at the Ninja Academy in the shinobi Village of Konohagakure. Naruto was an outcast because there was something special about him. When he was a baby, his parents (father Minato and mother Kushina) imprisoned a nine-tailed fox spirit (Kurama) inside his infant body. Now, 16-years-old and incorrigible as ever, Naruto is still serious about his quest to become the world’s greatest ninja.

Two Akatsuki villains, Uchiha Madara and Kabuto, declared war on the Five Great Nations of the ninja, guided in this endeavor by their secret ally, Uchiha Obito. The Fourth Great Ninja War begins and the five great shinobi leaders, known as the Gokage, formed the Allied Shinobi Forces to fight. Obito and Madara's ultimate goal was to revive the monstrous tailed-beast, Ten Tails.

Naruto, Vol. 69 (entitled The Start of Crimson Spring – Chapters 658 to 668) opens after Naruto defeats Obito, with reason rather than with violence. However, Obito's partner Madara has stepped forward, revealing that he was using Obito all along. Now, Madara has taken charge of Ten Tails and sets about putting collars on the other biju (tailed-beasts), including Naruto's Kurama.

Black Zetsu returns. Naruto and his redeemed teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, are grievously wounded. Now, only Naruto's revived father can save him. Plus, in a flashback, we see Naruto's father, Minato, and his pregnant mother, Kushina, worry about the unborn Naruto.

THE LOWDOWN: I am finally caught up with the Naruto manga. Naruto Volume 69 was released the first week of this month (March). This is one of those volumes that focuses more on the other characters than it does Naruto, and that's a good thing. Naruto is filled with wonderful and engaging characters worth getting to know.

There is a small arc within the main story arc featuring the eccentric ninja, Gus. Creator Masashi Kishimoto weaves a poignant and engaging tale that reveals Gus' power and also the story of a father teaching a son to be proud of what he is and what he can do. Now, I'm ready for the next graphic novel in this series.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Fans of the great shonen battle manga must have the Shonen Jump title, Naruto, on their reading lists.