Naruto Chapter 598 Discussion

Hey guys! Whoever comes to read my stuff here on this blog, thank you! I know I probably haven't done many posts, and I've been delaying lately, but don't worry! Hopefully, I'll have tons more discussions from here on out. That being said, let's get on to this chapter.

OK, what can I say about this chapter to begin? I'll start by saying that this chapter is, without a doubt, the EPITOME of EPIC. Very few chapters in my opinion can achieve this high quality. Everything that I'm going to say about this chapter will be positive, as you can see, but I am going to leave a lot of room for discussion.

The chapter begins where we left off with Naruto in his Tailed Beast Mode still going after Tobi. Now I was certain that the full beast would have come out like it did last time, but it didn't. Instead, he kept using parts of Kurama's (the Nine Tailed Fox's) body to fight. It appears that he's gaining better control over Kurama as he was also able to create a shadow clone in this form (last time it was just a clone in Sage Mode), but I'll get to that part later. Also, it appears that Naruto can choose to go in either his Nine Tails Chakra Mode, or full Tailed Beast Mode now, but I think it makes more sense if he only goes in His Tailed Beast Mode since it's way more powerful. One of my personal favorite parts in this fight was when Naruto manifested the head of the fox Kurama and caught one of the giant shurikens that Tobi spewed out from the other dimension in his mouth, as seen below.

Another important point to address is Kakashi's almost psychological breakdown. While Naruto was still battling Tobi, Kakashi was thinking about a certain grave, whom I think is Obito's. He says, in his mind, "He... can't be..." which we all know means that Kakashi is also starting to think that Tobi just might be Obito, as many readers already have. We can also see that Kakashi's mind was far away from reality, and it took much effort from Guy to snap him out of it. What's also interesting to note in this scene is that Guy says "I know what you're thinking..." which can only mean that Guy does know Obito, which would be surprising, or that Kakashi told him about him, which wouldn't be too surprising. But as far as I know, all of this "evidence" supporting Obito theories is all just a red herring, which I've explained in a previous post, to give us a surprise twist.

With Guy's help, Kakashi is brought back to his senses, and goes on to help his former student in the fight. But before the fight resumes, Tobi says, "I'll show you the power of the real Kamui!" and he reveals that, all along, he has had the Mangekyou Sharingan!!! AMAZING. Not only is his Mangekyou the same as Kakashi's (we learned that Tobi has Obito's eye in the previous chapter, so it was assumable that he might have the Mangekyou, but now it's confirmed), but Tobi also has Kamui!!! Last week and a half ago, some fans suggested that Tobi was hiding a third eye, Obito's eye, in his bandaged forehead, but it turns out that his right eye always was Obito's. In the next discussion, I'll go into more detail about Tobi and his eyes.

So back in the fight, Tobi jumps once again, and this time, instead of giant shurikens, he sends these huge chakra stakes from the other dimension at Naruto and B. Most of the stakes hit B and damage him. Naruto takes cover under B, and summons a shadow clone in the same form. The real Naruto forms a Tailed Beast Ball. On the other hand, the clone just makes a standard Rasengan, and jumps toward Tobi. However, Tobi doesn't want to fall in the same trap a third time, so he sends a chakra stake at the clone, thinking that he destroyed it. Meanwhile, Kakashi falls as Guy tries to grab him. Then, the real Naruto sends his Tailed Beast Ball at Tobi, causing such a huge explosion that Tobi is forced to go into the other dimension, where he finds a little surprise: the Naruto clone holding his Rasengan. Kakashi, in fact, hadn't failed; he sent the entire clone into the other dimension! Finally, a surprised Tobi receives a Rasengan to the mask as Naruto poses the one  question that's in everyone's minds: "WHO ARE YOU?!?!" Sadly the chapter ends there :(.

However, before I leave, I would like to point something out, thanks to a comment that I read on Mangahere.com.  The last page of the chapter resembles a scene from the very first arc of Naruto, when he was owning Haku with the Fox's power!!! Don't believe me? See for yourself!!!

Wow. This is just amazing, and it makes the chapter even better. This is one of the most best of meaningful echoes and bookends that I have ever seen/read in a story. In the beginning, Naruto defeated a masked man, with a punch, in his Initial Jinchuuriki Form. Now, finally near the conclusion, Naruto is close to defeating another masked man, but with a Rasengan, and in possibly his final form. Also, they both have the same 3 panel structure,and Naruto in the exact same poses. It not only shows the growth in Naruto's strength and character, but it also shows that Kishi has not forgotten where all this began and he's ready to bring a conclusion just as powerful as the beginning of this series, if not WAY more powerful.

Hopefully, Tobi's identity will be revealed next week, in chapter 599. However, Kishi might just decide to cut back to Sasuke and them, or Madara and the Kage, which would be a horrible form of trolling. But it is also likely, since the big 600 is upon us. Well, that's all I have for this beastly chapter of Naruto. See you guys soon!