Source: Wikipedia
“Hunt or Be Hunted?! Showdown at the O.K. Temple!”
“The bounty hunter reveals that he was framed for murdering a family and that the thief that he and Naruto’s group are hunting is the culprit; he wants to capture him to clear his name. The four locate the thief in a nearby city, in the process of attempting to steal a valuable bell. After the bounty hunter captures the thief, he is captured himself, and his innocence is revealed. Despite this, Naruto’s group fails the mission because they did not capture the thief.”
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Analysis
The theme of appearance versus reality is evident throughout this episode. The analysis will also look at Sazanami’s reason for becoming a bounty hunter and other details.
The bounty hunter reveals that he was framed for murdering a family and that the thief that he and Naruto’s group are hunting is the culprit; he wants to capture him to clear his name. In the morning, Sazanami wakes up at the cabin while the Genin are still sleeping. However, before he could leave, the genin woke up, and Kiba showed him the wanted flier. Naruto told him about how they were attacked last night by another bounty hunter, and he asked Sazanami to explain what was going on. Therefore, Sazanami tells them a story about how he was once a blacksmith, moulding swords in his village. He also explained why he became a bounty hunter.
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Sazanami’s reason for becoming a bounty hunter
Sazanami said, “I was poor, but for me, it was a very pleasant life until the day of the festival. I was walking alone on my way to deliver a sword that had been ordered. I was hurrying so I could get to the festival, and suddenly, for some reason, a door was already open. I told everyone what had happened, but no matter what I said, the villagers wouldn’t believe me; they said I was the only person who hadn’t shown up at the festival, and the wounds found at the scene were from a unique blade. A blacksmith can make any kind of weapon, so they thought it was me. On that day, I became a fugitive, wandering from town to town. My village had sent out warnings about me; mine was among other wanted posters; there was even one for the man who killed that family. I made a vow to capture Gosunkugi with my own two hands; once I clear my name, I’ll return to my village. I needed information about the killer, anything, so despite the bounty on my head, I became a bounty hunter.”
This explains why he thought the Genin were standing in his way. Moreover, it explains why he has a personal vendetta against Gosunkugi. This is not just a mere bounty hunt for Sazanami; he must capture Gosunkugi so that he can clear his name. Therefore, the theme of appearance versus reality is evident here. In appearance, he seemed to be a criminal, as stated by the wanted flyer. However, he is just an innocent man trying to clear his name because he misses his village. Henceforth, the audience feels sympathetic towards his situation.
Moreover, a dialogue takes place between Sazanami and the genin, where he begs them to leave Gosunkugi so that he can capture him himself.
Sazanami: The only way I can prove my innocence is to capture the real culprit myself, and then I can finally return to my home. Please step aside and leave him to me.
Naruto: Hey, you’re talking to a ninja here, buddy. When we get a mission, we see it all the way through. Even if the worst were to happen, we wouldn’t let him get away!
Afterwards, Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata leave the cabin and leave Sazanami behind to recover from his injuries.
The reason why Naruto refuses is that Gosunkugi is dangerous, so he suggests that they should stop him. Moreover, even if they had let Sazanami capture Gosunkugi himself, he wouldn’t have recovered from his injuries, and that would have resulted in him being killed by Gosunkugi. Therefore, Naruto was just keeping Sazanami safe.
After leaving Sazanami behind at the cabin, the Genin arrive at the Land of Stone. Hinata said that everything in this town—politics, economy, and military—is all administered by monks. Furthermore, the head temple, which is on a mountain, is the O.K. Temple. When they saw a huge golden bell travelling through a rope to reach the temple, Naruto believed that Gosunkugi might try to steal the huge Golden Bell. After saying this, the Genin are being followed by Gosunkugi’s guards.
Ominous music plays in the background as the guards and Gosunkugi seem to draw closer to the genin. Along the way, Akamaru and Kiba sensed that something was amiss. They come across an abandoned area that is in ruins, and afterwards, they are ambushed by Gosunkugi’s men. To dodge their attacks, Hinata activates her Byakugan and notices that nails are travelling underground to hurt them. The genin dodged the attacks, and luckily, Sazanami arrived to deal with Gosunkugi’s men as well. As a result, the four of them deal with those men. While they are still in battle, Hinata says, “I still sense nails underground; he’s waiting for the right moment to strike.” Despite being prepared for any attacks, they realised that the bell had reached the top of the temple. As a result, it turns out that Gosunkugi’s men were shadow clones. It was all a ruse, as is evident by Hinata’s words: “The nails underground have stopped moving; the jutsu must have worn off.” After realising that it was a ruse, they all leave to arrive at the O.K. Temple.
The four locate the thief in a nearby city, in the process of attempting to steal a valuable bell. After the bounty hunter captures the thief, he is captured himself, and his innocence is revealed. When they arrive at the temple, they are ambushed by Gosunkugi’s men. A battle takes place where Hinata uses a gentle fist to defeat her opponent. Moreover, Kiba and Akamaru activate their jutsu, Beast Mimicry, to use Men Beast Clone: Fang Over Fang. Furthermore, Naruto activates his Shadow Clone Jutsu to use the Naruto Uzumaki Barrage, and lastly, Sazanami just slices the opponent once and wins.
Tense music plays in the background with a mix of drums, electric guitar, and Japanese flute as Akamaru locates Gosunkugi’s scent. They find he is in the process of stealing the bell. Moreover, he is standing on top of the bell that is travelling through a rope until it reaches a boat. So, the four of them follow him by sliding on the rope. When Gosunkugi noticed them, he activated his jutsu, Ninja Art: Flying Nail Mist. However, Naruto blocks his attack by activating his Shadow Clone Jutsu and using his clones as a shield. Afterwards, Naruto knocks him out; however, Gosunkugi cuts the rope, and the genin falls into the water.
Meanwhile, Gosunkugi landed on the boat with the bell, and in the process, Sazanami threw a rope that had a hook and threw it on the bell. After he successfully manages to hook the bell, he hides underwater, waiting for an opportunity to strike and capture Gosunkugi. When Gosunkugi thought he had won, Sazanami ambushed him and won the fight.
However, Sazanami ended up being captured by the bounty hunter, who attacked him last night. He plans to hand him over to the villagers. Moreover, the bounty hunter also captured Gosunkugi and plans to hand him over to the government for punishment.
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Sazanami’s village
Sazanami is taken back to the village, where he is facing ridicule for being a murderer. While this is happening, the Genin are hiding in the bushes, witnessing this. However, the bounty hunter who captured Sazanami cleared his name. The bounty hunter said to the villagers, “You got a lot of nerve! How dare you put out these wanted posters without a real investigation?” In response, the villagers are confused by what he means until a village leader explains by saying, “Sazanami was not the culprit of this crime; no, it was this man. The infamous thief Gosunkugi was apprehended and has confessed, and the sword he used has been seized. Therefore, villager Tokichi is acquitted on all counts.” Afterwards, uplifting music plays in the background with a mix of Japanese flutes. When his innocence is revealed, Sazanami wonders why the bounty hunter is helping him. A dialogue takes place between him and the bounty hunter.
Sazanami: Why are you helping me?
The bounty hunter: It all started with a sob story I overheard that, to a bounty hunter like me, the truth shouldn’t have made any difference. Even so, I had to find out for myself. I needed to make sure you were the horrible criminal these posters said you were.
Sazanami: You...
The bounty hunter: I got a name, you know, Gatsu. You and I are bounty hunters; we are part of the same trade now.
Afterwards, the villagers apologised. The Genin are thrilled that everything turned out well, so they leave.
From the dialogue, the theme of appearance versus reality is evident. In appearance, the bounty hunter who was pursuing Sazanami seemed to be interested in only capturing him. However, he was willing to find out all the facts instead of conforming to what the posters said about Sazanami.
Despite this, Naruto’s group fails the mission because they do not capture the thief. Naruto doesn’t want to go home because Tsunade will complain that he failed yet another mission. After hearing this, Hinata and Kiba laughed. The episode ended on a positive note.
The lesson from this episode is that sometimes one can find help in strangers, just like how Sazanami’s name was cleared, all thanks to the bounty hunter, Gatsu.
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and then Add to home screen.