Source: Wikipedia
“Forecast: Death! Cloudy with a Chance of Sun”
“Naruto learns that his companions have been kidnapped by Renga’s men and will only be released if he turns over to Haruna. During this confrontation, it is revealed that the princess’s father, shortly before his death, confessed his regret for turning over the princess for the sake of his people and wished for the good of the people regardless of what happened to him. Haruna, having been influenced by Naruto and this revelation, offers to sacrifice herself to protect Naruto. Naruto defeats Renga by reflecting sunlight off his forehead protector and learns that Shizune, Shikamaru, and several Konoha ninjas have rescued Hinata, Choji, and Yurinojou. Haruna then succeeds her father as ruler of the Land of Greens, and Naruto and his companions return home.”
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Analysis
To finalise the storyline about the Land of Greens, the episode showed that Renga lacked loyalty to his brothers and a change in Haruna’s character due to Naruto’s influence. Other details will be mentioned in the analysis.
Before looking at the analysis, it is crucial to understand Renga’s abilities. According to the Narutopedia Website, Renga has a unique and special technique that presumably only he can use. Renga can create ice. By focusing his chakra to condense moisture particles in the air, he can form thin and transparent disks of ice. These disks have several uses. They can be hurled with tremendous blunt force at a target, which will be hard to dodge because of their transparency. They can also be strung together to spy on areas both far and hidden from a distance. They also have the defensive purpose of creating highly durable shields or disks to stand on to “float.” By forming the ice into a large lens, he can hover in the sky to focus on the rays of the sun, which can focus a powerful beam capable of melting and exploding the pinpointed area.
The episode starts when Naruto and Princess Haruna reach the end of the cliff, where they can see the Land of Greens from a distance. Before they can leave, Renga appears before them, hovering over the sky. Renga then activates his Ice Disk technique, which hits Naruto.
Naruto learns that his companions have been kidnapped by Renga’s men and will only be released if he turns them over to Haruna. Naruto had to decide whether to sacrifice Haruna to save his friends or not, and for a moment, Haruna thought that Naruto would abandon her to save his friends.
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Renga had no loyalty to his two former brothers.
To signify there was no loyalty among the brothers, ominous music plays in the background. While talking to Naruto, he thanked Naruto and his team for eliminating his brothers. First, Renga said, “You saved me the troublesome task of having to get rid of them myself.” Second, he said, “It wouldn’t have been long before they started whining, ‘Brother, when are you going to give us a share of our spoils?’ Hah! Three feudal lords are too many.” Last, he said, “What does it matter that they are my brothers? Like I said, if someone is of no use to me, I have no use for them.” This just shows that there was no loyalty among the brothers. For instance, Jiga betrayed his brother Ruiga by killing him, all because he wanted most of the country’s wealth for himself. If Jiga had survived and managed to go back to Renga, Renga would have killed him. Moreover, if Jiga and Ruiga were still alive, Renga would have killed them all. Their relationship as brothers was based on what they could get at the expense of others, and they were all looking after their interests. In other words, their brotherly relationship was all a façade; hence, the element of deception is shown here. Moreover, Renga, who was willing to kill his brothers, shows that he is selfish and only interested in the pursuit of power for himself, which will lead to his downfall.
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Naruto Versus Renga
Although he made a bargain with Naruto to give him Princess Haruna in exchange for his friends, Naruto refused. He knew that trusting Renga was a bad idea because if Renga was willing to betray his brothers, he wasn’t going to keep his end of the bargain. As a result, Naruto charges forward in Renga’s direction, and to signify the battle between them, action music plays in the background. Renga activates the Ice Disk technique from earlier, but Naruto dodges the attack. Afterwards, Naruto activates his Shadow Clone Jutsu and jumps in the air with his shadow clones, tossing the various kunai at Renga. However, Renga defeated the shadow clones with his invisible jutsu, and even though the various kunai were coming in his direction, Renga blocked the attack by activating an invisible barrier. Since Naruto couldn’t see the barrier, he came close to Renga to punch him, only to realise that he had hurt his hand by punching the invisible barrier. When Renga realised he had the upper hand, he tossed Naruto on the ground using his invisible jutsu.
Moreover, when Naruto was tossed to the ground, Haruna came to check on him. To escape from Renga’s attack, Naruto tossed a smoke bomb on the ground so that he and Haruna could hide behind a rock. What’s interesting is that the smoke revealed the Ice Barrier surrounding Renga, which compelled him to explain his jutsu. He said, “You see, I’m able to gather the water vapour in the air and instantly transform it into an impervious wall of ice.” Therefore, it means that Renga was attacking Naruto with ice. It was invincible, so it was hard to defend something Naruto could not see.
Afterwards, tense music plays in the background with a mix of electric guitar and drums. First, Renga forms the ice into a large lens, which he can hover in the sky to focus the rays of the sun. Second, he used the lens to focus on a powerful beam capable of melting and exploding the pinpointed area. As a result, he used the sunray to shoot at Naruto and Haruna, and as soon as they dodged his attack, there was an explosion. While this was happening, Renga felt compelled once again to explain his jutsu to them. He said, “By turning the ice crystal into a magnifying lens, I can focus the sun’s rays into a deadly beam—not the most precise weapon but brutally effective, as you will soon find out. Once I’m in full control of the Land of Greens, I will use this jutsu to destroy all the neighbouring lands.” Not only did he mention his jutsu, but he also explained his other plans for destroying neighbouring lands using this jutsu. Therefore, Naruto had to come up with a plan to defeat him before it was too late.
Renga used the lens once again against Naruto and Haruna, which compelled them to run into the woods for safety. Renga used the same lens three times, causing explosions, and when Haruna and Naruto reached the dry, rocky area, Haruna hid somewhere while Naruto came face-to-face with Renga, who found them.
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Renga revealed more details about the death of the feudal lord.
During this confrontation, it is revealed that the princess’s father, shortly before his death, confessed his regret for turning over the princess for the sake of his people and wished for the good of the people regardless of what happened to him. When Naruto comes face-to-face with Renga around the dry, rocky area, dialogue takes place between them. Moreover, drums play in the background when Renga reveals more about the feudal lord:
Naruto: I swore to defend her no matter what! I gave Hinata my word.
Renga: Really? So merely to keep a promise to a friend, you’re going to fight a battle you can’t possibly win? Hahahahaha, you’re just another soft-hearted little fool like the late Lord of the Land of Greens. There was only one thing he cared about as we stole his land from him; you should have heard him beg, ‘Only one thing I ask: spare my people, spare them!’
Afterwards, ominous music plays in the background as we are shown a flashback of Renga and his brothers planning to overthrow the feudal lord at his residence. At that moment, the feudal lord kneeled and began to say to the brothers:
Feudal lord: I don’t care what happens to me, but spare my people; I beg of you! We’re only a small, weak land surrounded by powerful neighbours. We can only survive by being strong and united. The life of every citizen of the land of greens, young or old, is precious; not a single life can be wasted. Whatever you do, for the sake of this land, you must be good to my people.
Back to the present, Renga proceeded with the conversation with Naruto:
Renga: But sadly, for him, they are not his people anymore; they are mine.
Naruto: That’s it!
Renga (confused): What?
Naruto: Now I see! That’s why this land has been at peace all this time.
Renga: What do I care whether it’s been peaceful or not? To me, it’s only a stepping stone to greater things, and why don’t you ask his daughter how peaceful her life has been in the last 10 years?
Naruto (yells): What the heck are you talking about?
Renga: Her father gave her up as a hostage.
Afterwards, we are shown the flashback of Renga and his brothers once again at the feudal lord’s residence. Before Renga could kill him, the feudal lord said, “Our neighbours were too strong; the precious things they put on us were too great. Our land was on the verge of collapsing; there was rioting, treachery, and corruption. They demanded a hostage, and so I made the dreadful decision to send them my daughter, the light of my life. Is it possible Haruna could ever forgive me? Can any father ever be forgiven who would sacrifice his child even if he thought it was only to save his people?” In response, Renga said while wielding his sword, “I don’t know; you have to ask her when next you see her in the afterlife!” The flashback ends when Renga kills the feudal lord with his sword.
Back to the present, Haruna, at that moment, finds out that her father was murdered while she was hiding behind a rock. Meanwhile, Renga began to say to Naruto:
Renga: Hahahahaha, what a sentimental fool!
Naruto: You’re wrong! He was a wise man.
Renga: Hah! There are just two kinds of people in the world: the ones who use others and the fools who get used! As for me, I will gladly use anyone to get me where I want to go.
Naruto (yells): No way, not this time, mister.
Renga: Oh no-
Afterwards, Renga activates his ice lens to target Naruto. With the ice lens, Naruto gets tossed on the ground three times. The fourth strike was when Naruto was supposed to die, as there is visual imagery of his mouth bleeding a bit. Renga then went on to say:
Renga (cocky): What’s wrong, kid? You don’t seem quite as funky.
Naruto slowly gets up as triumphant music slowly plays in the background, with a mix of drums and electric guitar.
Naruto: It will never happen; you’re not the one. It was Haruna’s father who kept this place safe and peaceful. There’s only one person who can be lord of this land; only one person has the right, and that’s Haruna; no one else!
After hearing Naruto’s words, this compelled Princess Haruna was compelled to sacrifice herself to protect Naruto.
The dialogue above revealed the characterisation of the feudal lord. First, he was a good leader who cared about his people. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save his people because he believed that everyone should be spared to maintain the Land of Greens’ greatness. Second, although he was a good leader, he was controversial as he neglected the needs of his daughter for the sake of his village. For instance, he sent her as a hostage to the neighbouring lands just to preserve peace within the Land of Greens. Although before his death, he was expressing feelings of regret and wondered if his daughter would forgive him, it still leaves one with mixed feelings. Therefore, it shows that he and his daughter had a complicated relationship. It explains why she had a huge distrust for the people around her because her father sent her as a hostage to the neighbouring lands. This leaves the audience feeling sympathetic towards her situation. Despite all this, Haruna has forgiven her father after learning that he died. She still loved her father, even though his choices had hurt her in the past.
Haruna, having been influenced by Naruto and this revelation, offers to sacrifice herself to protect Naruto. After hearing Naruto’s words about her being the perfect leader for the Land of Greens, she offered herself as a sacrifice to Renga so that she could protect Naruto. For instance, she said, “No, stop! It’s me you want; to succeed, you must eliminate me, not Naruto. Forget him! He has nothing to do with it.” At that moment, she is like her late father in the sense that, just like her father, who risked his life to save his village, Haruna is risking her life to save someone she cares about, which is Naruto. This was the start of Haruna finally letting go of the coldness she had in her heart and starting to care about other people’s well-being. Despite her courage, Naruto was still insistent on protecting her, as he came up with a strategy to defeat Renga once and for all.
Naruto defeats Renga by reflecting sunlight off his forehead protector and learns that Shizune, Shikamaru, and several Konoha ninjas have rescued Hinata, Choji, and Yurinojou. When Naruto was coming in Renga’s direction, Renga activated his ice lens. However, his attack was ineffective when Naruto jumped in the air and used his headband to reflect the sunlight on Renga’s shoulder. As a result, Renga is injured, which causes him to kneel on the ground. Naruto proves to be a dynamic character who continues to grow as a ninja because he uses strategy to defeat Renga.
Despite getting defeated, Renga becomes confident by saying, “It’s too late; you may have beaten me, but I’ve left the land of greens devastated without a leader; it will soon fall to its neighbours.” In response to his words, Shizune arrived and said to him, “Sorry, I don’t think so,” and that’s when Naruto learns that Shizune, Shikamaru, and several Konoha ninjas have rescued Hinata, Choji, and Yurinojou. Moreover, Shizune explained to Naruto that they received information about the coup d’état in the land of greens, so Tsunade sent them to help. Shizune also said that Tsunade is fond of the land of greens because the lord of this place was very generous to her. Furthermore, Shizune said to Princess Haruna that when they arrived, their father was already dead. On the bright side, Haruna won’t have to worry about the Land of Greens being attacked by its neighbours because Shizune’s team informed them that the rightful leader of the Land of Greens is alive. In other words, Princess Haruna is now the feudal lord.
Meanwhile, when Renga was lying on the ground on his back, Haruna wanted to stab him with a kunai to avenge the death of her father. However, she stabs the ground instead and says to Renga, “I won’t do it; I’m not like you.” Haruna did not let the pursuit of revenge get into her head because she knew it would not bring her father back to life. Afterwards, she hugs Naruto and cries while everyone is watching.
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The element of friendship between Haruna and Naruto.
Afterwards, Naruto, Shizune, Choji, Hinata, and Shikamaru accompany Haruna and Yurinojo to Kikunojo’s grave to pay their respects. At the grave, Princess Haruna apologises to Kikunojo, hence showing a change of character. She went from not caring about others to being sympathetic towards people who cared about her. Therefore, we see growth in a character, which makes her a dynamic character. Moreover, Naruto gave some words of reassurance, saying the Kikunojo would watch over the land of greens from now on. Afterwards, Yurinojo thanked them all.
Before the leaf ninja could leave, Princess Haruna requested that she need help from the leaf village because she was not ready to become the feudal lord. So she asked if Naruto could stay with her to help her rebuild the village. In response, Naruto said that he couldn’t, as shown in the dialogue:
Naruto (chuckles a bit): Well, I’m honoured, but I’m afraid I can’t. You see, I’m needed at home; I’ve got a lot of responsibilities too. A lot of people depend on me to keep training and making myself stronger, and I depend on them to do the same. My friends and I need each other.
Haruna: Well then, I can’t take you away from them. All right, I’ll do my best, and one thing that will help me follow in my father’s footsteps is if you’ll promise me to always be my friend, Naruto. Will you do that?
Naruto (smiles): Sure, you’ve got my word!
Haruna then succeeds her father as ruler of the Land of Greens, and Naruto and his companions return home. The episode ends on a positive note when Princess Haruna finds peace; she is no longer as rude as she was before, and she even begins a friendship with Naruto. Naruto has helped her realise that there is so much more to life than just being a feudal lord. In her case, it was about forming relationships with people that she cared about.
The lesson from this episode is that one can’t live their life just to pursue their selfish interests at the expense of others; otherwise, it would lead to their downfall, just like Renga.
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and then Add to home screen.