Shippuden still follows in the good path. Here there was no action, drama, much comedy, but there's a familiar warm feeling around. Naruto keeps training to manipulate the nature of his wind type chakra. Hundreds of clones are helping thanks to Kakashi's idea, while Yamato watches carefully in case the Kyuubi's chakra slips through someone. But as he feels stuck, he questions his sensei about who in the village has the same wind type chakra like him. Surprisingly, he's playing Shogi (and losing), is Asuma. Naruto reaches him for advice and finds also Shikamaru, who already knew about the nature of the chakra (I wonder which type he is). Shikamaru thinks it's hard to change the chakra nature, but Asuma agrees to help the protagonist, if he pays the bill of his team's next meal. Naruto accepts, so Asuma shows him his blades, they're shaped with wind chakra. He teaches that he must send the chakra to his hand and the blade, then try to divide the chakra in two, and make it sharp. When Naruto asks what's the point if a blade is already sharp, Asuma shows him that while throwing the blades to the trees, his cuts not only wood, also a rock, but the common blade not. Having learned what he needed, Naruto's clone disappears, so the rest of them get what they have to do to cut a leaf. This scene was pretty good, showed Naruto interacting with another character than the usual. Asuma mentioned that there are not many ninjas with wind type chakra in the village, so they have that in common. Also, Naruto wasn't written as a dumb person like in last episode, Asuma explained everything without problem and simply. A critic to last episode is that Jiraiya should have taught the clone's usefulness, and the different chakra types to Naruto, now it looks like he learned almost nothing in two years. Anyway, as the training follows, Naruto now manages to make bigger cuts on each leaf. Temari showed in the past the power of wind, so it's clear what Naruto must achieve here. Once he recollects the clone's experience, he feels better, like he learned more, but he also feels tired, as Kakashi explains, he also gets all the exhaustion from his clones. Sai is there watching from a distance, and is surprised by Naruto's amount of chakra, and his persistance. He intends to be kind, like the book says, by bringing him food (an apple), but instead chooses to eat it himself, realizing that his teammate is really focused on training.
In the meantime, the daily and happy Konoha lives go as usual. Asuma goes to get flowers at the Yamanaka's store, and Ino sends her regards to Kurenai. Asuma blushes because he thought nobody knew about his relationship with Kurenai. Choji and Shikamaru appear, and they tell they already knew. But they are actually there looking for Asuma because Tsunade called for a mission. Naruto decides to keep working despite his exhaustion, and in a while manages to cut every leaf completely. Sakura arrived to check how he goes, Yamato is glad that he doesn't have to keep focused on emergency for the Kyuubi. But once Naruto finishes, he finally collapses, so Kakashi rushes to hold him before he falls. Sakura, worried as always, rushes to reach them, followed by Sai, and Kakashi tells that he'll be fine after he gets some rest. Anyway, Sakura also has Tsunade's message, they're going to a mission. The Hokage sends Kakashi to meet with Jiraiya, team seven to investigate the vandalizing in graves, and team ten (Asuma's) to check an attack close to the country's borders. Before leaving, Asuma checks on Kurenai from a distance, he watches her watering flowers. Then he reunites with team ten, on their first mission since they became chunin. Close to the gates, the teams meet, and then Konohamaru appears, again he was on a mission to get a runaway cat. When he leaves, he says bye, calling Asuma uncle. Turns out that Asuma is Hiruzen's son, but not even Ino knew this, only Shikamaru did. Naruto watches the third Hokage's face on the rocks, and sees some similarities, so he's glad about their wind type chakra, which they have in common. Then they leave, and Asuma asks Yamato to take care of Naruto. This episode may not be at the highest points, but surely is part of the good old days, the happy times at Konoha. Asuma's relationship with Kurenai, the revelation of his father's identity, Ino selling flowers in her family's store, Naruto's training, Sakura's support and care for his partner, Kakashi's patience, Naruto's usual complain of low ranked missions and Sakura's lecture for him to accept them, Sai's struggles to fit in, Shikamaru playing shogi with his sensei, Choji's friendship, Konohamaru chasing cats, all this summons the daily life at Konoha.
Right here, on episode 56, finishes the streak of canon episodes. What's next is an arc with fillers, but also from now on, even on canon episodes, will be included moments not depicted in the manga. I don't care much about the fillers, I skipped most of them, but the scenes, moments, conversations in canon episodes, I consider them as valuable. While reading a little of the manga, it's clear that sometimes looks like incomplete, in comparison to certain moments of the anime. For example, Sai's presence in Naruto's training is not depicted in the manga. But given all the past development on his character, every appearance during the following training is logic, coherent. The same goes for Sakura. I think the anime becomes more complete than the manga, even without the fillers. This is because of the manga limitations. Anyway, the real story should be a mix of what happens in the manga and the anime. Until this episode of Shippuden, the arcs have been pretty accurate, but it's true also that the anime sometimes exaggerates Naruto's naivety, Sakura's punches, and other comedic situations. But also, there will be serious moments that complete the context of the story (like Konohamaru calling uncle Asuma).
In the meantime, the daily and happy Konoha lives go as usual. Asuma goes to get flowers at the Yamanaka's store, and Ino sends her regards to Kurenai. Asuma blushes because he thought nobody knew about his relationship with Kurenai. Choji and Shikamaru appear, and they tell they already knew. But they are actually there looking for Asuma because Tsunade called for a mission. Naruto decides to keep working despite his exhaustion, and in a while manages to cut every leaf completely. Sakura arrived to check how he goes, Yamato is glad that he doesn't have to keep focused on emergency for the Kyuubi. But once Naruto finishes, he finally collapses, so Kakashi rushes to hold him before he falls. Sakura, worried as always, rushes to reach them, followed by Sai, and Kakashi tells that he'll be fine after he gets some rest. Anyway, Sakura also has Tsunade's message, they're going to a mission. The Hokage sends Kakashi to meet with Jiraiya, team seven to investigate the vandalizing in graves, and team ten (Asuma's) to check an attack close to the country's borders. Before leaving, Asuma checks on Kurenai from a distance, he watches her watering flowers. Then he reunites with team ten, on their first mission since they became chunin. Close to the gates, the teams meet, and then Konohamaru appears, again he was on a mission to get a runaway cat. When he leaves, he says bye, calling Asuma uncle. Turns out that Asuma is Hiruzen's son, but not even Ino knew this, only Shikamaru did. Naruto watches the third Hokage's face on the rocks, and sees some similarities, so he's glad about their wind type chakra, which they have in common. Then they leave, and Asuma asks Yamato to take care of Naruto. This episode may not be at the highest points, but surely is part of the good old days, the happy times at Konoha. Asuma's relationship with Kurenai, the revelation of his father's identity, Ino selling flowers in her family's store, Naruto's training, Sakura's support and care for his partner, Kakashi's patience, Naruto's usual complain of low ranked missions and Sakura's lecture for him to accept them, Sai's struggles to fit in, Shikamaru playing shogi with his sensei, Choji's friendship, Konohamaru chasing cats, all this summons the daily life at Konoha.
Right here, on episode 56, finishes the streak of canon episodes. What's next is an arc with fillers, but also from now on, even on canon episodes, will be included moments not depicted in the manga. I don't care much about the fillers, I skipped most of them, but the scenes, moments, conversations in canon episodes, I consider them as valuable. While reading a little of the manga, it's clear that sometimes looks like incomplete, in comparison to certain moments of the anime. For example, Sai's presence in Naruto's training is not depicted in the manga. But given all the past development on his character, every appearance during the following training is logic, coherent. The same goes for Sakura. I think the anime becomes more complete than the manga, even without the fillers. This is because of the manga limitations. Anyway, the real story should be a mix of what happens in the manga and the anime. Until this episode of Shippuden, the arcs have been pretty accurate, but it's true also that the anime sometimes exaggerates Naruto's naivety, Sakura's punches, and other comedic situations. But also, there will be serious moments that complete the context of the story (like Konohamaru calling uncle Asuma).
