Source: Wikipedia
“Bringing Back Reality”
“Naruto and Menma are sent on a mission with Neji and Tenten. Tsunade begins suspecting that Menma is a sound ninja due to his abilities, and Neji begins suspecting the same thing when Menma moves even faster than he does. The group enters a town that bandits largely destroyed, and Menma convinces Naruto’s group to help build it to defend against another attack.”
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Analysis
The episode served as a resolution where a new set of characters, Nan and Ran, unravelled all the mysteries of the plot. One of the characters revealed what happened to Fuki’s father, the one who was killed by the bandits. Moreover, the relevance of the title of the episode, “Bringing Back Reality,” refers to how Menma is starting to have his memories back. Therefore, this is a falling action when the events begin to resolve themselves and tension is released. Other details will be mentioned in the analysis.
At the beginning of the episode, Menma and Naruto go to the Hokage Headquarters’ office. During the day, Naruto told Tsunade and Shizune what happened when they encountered the enemy. Naruto went on to say that the melody from the ocarina Menma was playing was ninjutsu because his body was filled with chakra. It is an unusual jutsu, yet Tsunade said she had heard of a power similar to his. She goes on to say that the land of rice patties dabbles in music-based jutsu. Moreover, Shizune said the mountain stream where Naruto found Menma was in that region. It is crucial to note that the land of rice patties was the area where the sound village was located. This was also when Orochimaru was manipulating the Fuma clan. He used them to further his evil agenda to obtain power and to use the people as their vessels. Therefore, if Menma is somehow linked to the Sound Village, it raises the question: If he remembers who he was, will he betray Naruto? Only time will tell, which keeps the viewer intrigued enough to watch the rest of the storyline.
So, after Naruto and Menma heard that he could be linked to the Sound Village, they planned to go there to retrieve the memories. Tsunade also sent Tenten and Neji to accompany them in case they needed backup.
Naruto and Menma are sent on a mission with Neji and Tenten. Before they left, they informed Teuchi and his daughter Ayame outside the Ichiraku Ramen shop that they were leaving for a mission. In response, Teuchi said his pickled bamboo shoots would be ready when he came back, so Naruto couldn’t wait to try them with his ramen. As they left, they headed to the woods.
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Tsunade plays a role in solving some of the mysteries about Menma’s past.
Tsunade begins suspecting that Menma is a sound ninja due to his abilities. When the group heads to the woods, Naruto has a flashback when Tsunade reveals more details about Menma. When Menma left her office, Tsunade said to Naruto that if he calls himself a shinobi, he should suspect that there is a possibility that Menma is a spy. She then mentioned something about the land of rice patties—that he and Menma were supposed to go on a mission. She said, “This is the Land of Rice Patties, the home to the hidden sound village; have you forgotten about Orochimaru?” Afterwards, Naruto remembers when he, Jiraiya, Sakura, and Sasame went to Orochimaru’s hideout to save Arashi. For more details, you can read Season 3: Episode 139 in my other book, “Naruto Anime Analysis. Moreover, Tsunade said to Naruto, “Menma’s jutsu is strikingly familiar to the opponent Shikamaru fought when Sasuke was taken. We can’t afford to ignore the possibility that he’s affiliated with the hidden sound. If he were to remember something, then the village was in danger because of it.” She was comparing Menma to Shikamaru’s opponent, Tayuya, who is part of the Sound Four. With her abilities, the Demonic Flute could cast genjutsu, and she could control her summoned three monsters by playing specific melodies. These monsters would then launch an attack on the victim, who in this case was Shikamaru.
Back to the present, Naruto refused to believe that Menma was a spy. As the team was running in the woods, Menma was moving faster than they were, which made Neji suspicious.
And Neji begins suspecting the same thing when Menma moves even faster than he does. When Neji saw that Menma was moving faster, he came up with ways to analyse his movements. First, Neji and Tenten were moving faster to match Menma’s pace. Second, Neji deliberately loses his footing on a tree branch to see if Menma will save him. When Neji almost fell to the ground, Menma was swift enough to catch him and save him from the fall. So, they took a rest when Menma was relaxing and breathed air in an area covered with rocks. While Menma was on the other side, taking a break, the Genin were conversing among themselves. Neji expressed his suspicions that Menma was no ordinary Shinobi. He said, “I was moving at full speed when that happened back there, and losing my footing was no accident either. Not only could he match my speed, but he was swift enough to catch me. He shouldn’t be as quick as we are.” In response, Tenten said, “What if he turns those powers of his against us?” After hearing this, Naruto was still adamant that Menma was not the enemy since he risked his life to save a baby and help people. Eventually, Naruto will find out that Neji is right to suspect that Menma is no ordinary Shinobi. Neji looked at the situation for what it was without being blinded by Menma’s empathetic nature.
After some time, Naruto went to see Menma, who was holding the ocarina flute. When Menma saw him, he thanked him for fixing it. When he played it, Neji and Tenten warned him not to play it because they believed that he was sending a signal to the enemy. They haven’t caught the guy who was sneaking into the village; hence, that’s why Tsunade approved of this mission. Tsunade also wants to find out who the enemy was who infiltrated the Leaf Village. Eventually, Menma understood that they didn’t trust him and stopped playing the flute. After some time, the Genin could smell something burning close by, so they left with Menma to find out where the smell was coming from.
The group enters a town that was largely destroyed by bandits. When they entered the town, they came across some trouble. A man named Nan and his villagers ambushed them while wielding their weapons. Eventually, the villagers let them go after finding out that the Genin were from the Leaf Village. So Nan told them to leave because they couldn’t guarantee their safety.
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Menma meets Fuki, the one he saved from the bandit.
When the team went to the riverbank to rest, they saw a young woman named Ran holding a little girl’s hand whose name was Fuki. Fuki is the one Menma saved from the bandit who wanted to kill her in the previous episode. Since she is still a little girl, it means that Menma came to the leaf village after having a hand in destroying their town. What made it awkward was that Menma didn’t remember Fuki or that he had a hand in the death of her father. So, when Menma saw her, he was being nice. He approached her, picked up a flower, and tried to give it to her, but Fuki was scared to the extent that she hid behind Ran. If only Menma knew the reason why she fears him, he would have felt a sense of regret. Moreover, the girl didn’t say anything because the pain of losing her father to the bandits still runs fresh in her mind. She doesn’t know how to process the trauma, which brings out pain and suffering. It leaves the viewer sympathetic to her situation.
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Ran reveals more details about what happened to their town.
After the strange encounter between Menma and Fuki, Ran decided to tell them what happened to the town. She said she needed their help to save it. First, she said, “We were once part of the land of rice patties border; however, so much trouble has originated in this corner of the country that our village and the surrounding areas have all been demilitarised.” After hearing this, Neji said that it probably had to do with Orochimaru because the sound’s involvement left the whole region punished. In other words, it was a war currently taking place between the land of rice patties and other nations. Even though Orochimaru is not shown in this episode, he indirectly plays a part in the destruction of their town. Not to mention, the name Orochimaru still runs rampant throughout the episode, which shows that he is still the main antagonist of the anime series. He is linked to people’s pain and suffering, whether it’s individuals like Mizuki or clans such as the Fuma Clan. It makes one wonder if Menma is linked to Orochimaru. Only time will tell.
Second, Ran said, “There’s a small mine now past the village that produces a little gold. Once people realised it was out of the land of rice patties’ jurisdiction, the bandits came. No matter how many times we pleaded with the feudal lord, he would always insist that the nation’s treaties couldn’t be broken.” At that moment, Menma and the bandits infiltrated their village because there was a mine that produced gold. In other words, they destroyed the village just to get their treasure.
Third, Ran said that after the village was destroyed, the bandits left. This was evident when she said, “They just took off a little while ago when a big storm hit the area, but there’s no question they will be back. I beg you, please save our village; you guys can handle them, I’m sure of it.” This just makes one wonder what Menma will do when he finds out who he is. If the bandits come back, will he help them? Only time will tell, which creates a sense of mystery throughout the storyline. Although Ran begged them to save the village, Neji said they couldn’t help because they had to focus on another mission. Naruto wanted to help, but Neji was adamant that without a direct order from the village, their hands were tied. After some time, her brother, Nan, appeared.
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Nan reveals a rumour that the Sound Village are the one who destroyed their town.
When Nan arrived, he told his sister, Ran, to stay away from them because there were no good ninjas. He also mentioned the rumour that the guys who attacked the village were rogue ninjas from Hidden Sound Village. Afterwards, Nan took everyone to a gravesite, where one-third of the villagers were killed in the last attack. Moreover, he said that half of the survivors had abandoned their homes and fled. Despite the village being destroyed, Nan didn’t want to evacuate. He even went on to raise his voice, saying their ancestors lived there, so why should he move? In response, his sister Ran said he shouldn’t shout; otherwise, he would frighten the little girl Fuki. So, Nan knelt to pat her head and apologised to her for shouting. What he said next further explains why she was afraid of Menma. Nan said to the Genin and Menma, “This child’s parents were cut down in a raid, and she hasn’t spoken a word since their deaths.” Therefore, that is why she hadn’t said anything about Menma, who played a part in her parents’ death. Thereafter, Nan left with his sister and Fuki and said to the team that they should leave. When they left, Neji told his team that they should carry on with their mission.
The three characters, Nan, Ran, and Fuki, play a role in solving the mystery of Menma’s past. First, Menma and his bandits infiltrated the village to get gold. Second, they are rumoured to be a rogue ninja from the Hidden Sound Village. Last, Menma was responsible for the deaths of Fuki’s parents. All these points lead to a resolution where all the mysteries of the plot are unravelled.
And Menma convinces Naruto’s group to help build it to defend against another attack. Menma decides to help the village because it seems he knows that he is responsible. In other words, it was his way of atoning for his crimes. Despite Neji and Tenten being reluctant to help the village, Naruto decides to help Menma. So, the two of them left to help the village, while Tenten and Neji remained behind.
When Naruto and Menma stood outside the village, Menma suggested that they should build a wall around the village to protect it. So, they started building while Neji and Tenten observed from a distance, hiding in a tree. Nan even tried to stop Naruto and Menma from building a wall by shooting an arrow in their direction. However, he realised their determination to build the wall, so he left. Eventually, after Neji and Tenten realised that it would take them days to build the wall, they decided to help them. After some time, the villagers, including Ran, Fuki, and Nan, helped to build the wall.
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An enemy named Shiin arrived to infiltrate the village.
It is important to note that Shiin is the enemy Naruto encountered in the woods in the previous episode. He was the one who infiltrated the Leaf Village. Moreover, as asserted by the Narutopedia website, his main abilities include the use of weapons such as kunai and paper bombs. He holds a unique type of kunai with long red ropes attached to the ends. As the scene progresses, the viewer can see other techniques that he possesses.
When the genin realised there was an enemy that had infiltrated the village, Tenten signalled the villagers to leave. When the villagers left, Naruto went into the woods, where Shiin was located. Naruto tried to knock him out, but Shiin used his unique type of kunai with long red ropes attached to the ends to hit Naruto. Eventually, Neji arrived to stop the attack from hitting Naruto. Afterwards, Shiin was moving at high speeds in the woods, and when Neji and Naruto pursued him, he tried to hit them with the long red rope that had a unique type of kunai. This was just a distraction to lead one of them into one of the traps made of rope in the woods. As a result, Naruto got caught in one of the traps, which caused him to pass out on the ground.
Luckily, Menma arrived to save the day. When he saw that Naruto was unconscious, he played the ocarina flute to wake him up. After hearing the flute, both Naruto and Neji’s chakra (who were still chasing Shiin) increased. In other words, the soundwaves amplified their chakra so both pursued Shiin in the woods with intense speed. Neji tried to kick him, but Shiin dodged it. As a result, they struggle with each other in the tree branches while Menma observes the fight from a distance on the ground.
After some time, Nan arrived and tried to shoot Shiin with his arrow. However, Shiin tossed a weapon in his direction, which compelled Menma to save Nan. As a result, Menma got stabbed in the back. When Shiin escaped, Menma lay unconscious on the ground with a stab wound on his back. Eventually, they take him to the village to recuperate and treat his stab wound.
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Nan reveals the truth: Menma is the one who destroyed their village.
At the village, they all sat in a room and observed Menma’s stab wound on his back. Therefore, since Nan has a bit of medical training, he plans to operate on him. However, he saw a tattoo on his shoulder, which made him angry. Menma was still unconscious as Nan said, “There is no way in hell I’m going to treat this guy.” He then said, “That mark, he’s in league with the people who attacked this village.” After hearing this, everyone was stunned. This presents a falling action when the events begin to resolve themselves and tension is released. The mystery behind Menma is out. To make matters worse, while everyone was stunned, Menma continued to bleed on his back. Will he survive? This will be revealed in the next episode.
The lesson from this episode is that some people process the pain of losing something or someone precious to them differently. For instance, Fuki lost her parents, and her way of dealing with pain was to keep quiet and not say a word. Nan dealt with the pain of the destruction of the village by pushing everyone aside who wanted to help.
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and then Add to home screen.