ShadowWolf

The author splashes us with the cold water of reality in the wake of his life's work. I can honestly say that he stomped out everything that I loved about Naruto in just three chapters.

1. All of our favorite characters have deep regrets about life. Nobody is really happy in the end (including Hinata, who will forever be known as the rebound girl).

2. Sasuke has no home. He is a wanderer. Nothing has changed for him, and his his daughter will perpetuate the stigma as she is almost a bastard child with him gone so much.

3. All women are slaves to men, or at least the idea of them.

4. Bolt, who represents the future, is Naruto's clone. He is wild with ambition now, but will soon become a stagnant, regretful man like his father.

5. I have no idea where all of these couples came from. Crack pairings everywhere that don't make a shred of sense.

Why is Naruto, who aimed to become recognized by everyone, who seemingly thrived on the idea that everyone should be recognized, neglecting his own son? The feelings he had for someone he loved?

Why is it that Sakura, an admirable woman who should be respected and set as a leader in her own right, has been put in a silent position of deference to a man who leaves her to cook, clean, and care for his child? That's disgusting. I really wanted to see her in the hospital again as a lead medic, or teaching other young women such as herself to buck up and take a job. What disturbs me about Sakura's fate is that, in real life, strong women don't settle.

Don't even get me started on the foul odor of sexism that runs thick through this entire chapter. Even my favorite ex-hokage women are complaining about men.

The ending to Naruto is actually really interesting because it reveals something about the character of the author himself. We've engaged ourselves in this so called "will of fire" and rooted for the underdogs all this time, but have just been forced to swallow this large pill of so called "adulthood" of our beloved characters. There is a distinct feeling of regret at the end of Naruto. Nobody is really happy, even though they've been fighting all along for the best world that they can create for the future. They ended up back where their parents started. Drunk old people are drunk. Adults stand around graves. Children pine for love and attention. This isn't the world that Naruto and his friends had set out for when they were young.

It makes you wonder if the author feels regretful about his own life. Maybe he wanted to change so many things when he was young, but the only thing that really changed was his will to fight for something better. He has achieved so much in his life, but sacrificed many things in the end?

Perhaps he had himself a tale of unrequited love, and she still slaves in her absent lover's kitchen today.

Well they have peace and technology to be thankful for. We do, too! But that doesn't stop us from wanting more out of life...Like great manga! I say RIP Naruto. Their world is dead to me. Onto the next story :)

Am I the only one who still feels uneasy about this chapter? I feel like NS just had some sort of a cheap victory over NH. Like we're supposed to feel bad for Hinata or something. She hasn't really done anything wrong this whole time. She is really attached to Naruto and has adopted his "never give up" attitude in order to get his attention, but all of this time she's tried to support him, she's been ignored and tossed around like some sort of ridiculous side show. Something just feels off...like at the end of the story he really might feel bad for her anyway. I would be really sad if that happens, for its lack of respect toward women in general and for a beautifully developed story.

I also did not like the fact that, at this point in the story, everyone is in complete despair once again. He's really dragging this battle out...he's making it somewhat insincere after all of the other arcs. Everyone moaning and complaining again, waiting for a savior. The bad guys are talking s**t (literally about pooping) for over three chapters and toying with everyone. Meanwhile, how could Sasuke be so stupid to get stabbed right after he received the gift from Hashi? Adding to his current status as an immortal, Sasuke will rise again. It was probably another plot device to parallel him with Naruto. Wow. Very brother. Both dying. Such passion. Spiritual connections. Wow.

Comparing Karin to Sakura at the end of the chapter felt like a bad soap opera. Why would you do that? We don't know Karin half as well as Sakura. She's kind of a nut case...she pines after Sasuke in the same way that Hinata pines after Naruto. Now that's a comparison.

I am complaining too much. This chapter did have some highlights. Like Hinata falling flat on her face. Honestly, I was a little scared that Gaara would take her, too. I enjoyed the dramatic frames of Sakura and Naruto, because although at first glance they seemed overdone, they were appropriate for the situation. I also like the idea of a Gaarataxi. 

Plot twist: "Good Girl" Hinata ships NS at the end of the series