It hurts, doesn't it?
Well?
The judgment has been handed down.
Wh-What do you mean?
How about it?
Has this helped you understand the pain that other people feel,
even a little bit?
Even my arm...
Has his Jutsu done something?
No, that can't be...
You have already fallen under my curse.
The ceremony will now begin.
Well, then...
Why not taste the ultimate pain with me?!
The Judgment
You have already fallen under my curse.
The ceremony will now begin.
Well, then! Why not taste the ultimate pain with me?!
Why is Captain Asuma burned?
Wasn't his opponent the one hit by the Fire Style Jutsu?!
He definitely was hit.
But for some reason,
Captain Asuma was also burned by the Jutsu!
This...could it be that...
This will net us 35 million in gold.
All the preparations are now complete!
It's going to hurt like crazy, so get ready!
Take that!
It hurts, doesn't it?!
But this is nothing. I haven't got you in a vital spot yet!
Believe me, THAT pain is out of this world!
The pain another feels while dying penetrates into my own body!
I pass through the pain, transcend it, and turn it into pleasure!
Captain Asuma...
is holding his left leg.
Something strange is going on.
It's the same injured leg as
the opponent who stabbed himself with his own lance!
Wh-Why...
You have already fallen under my curse.
So that's how it is!
But of course...
His body and mine are connected with some curse.
In other words, the damage dealt to our bodies is also linked.
Furthermore, he is immortal.
Where would you like to hurt next?
Hmm? Here? Or here?
How about both legs at the same time?!
Or...
shall we end now?!
How about it?!
Shikamaru! You must not use a physical attack like Shadow Sewing!
Stop his movements with Shadow Strangle Jutsu! Hurry!
I'm already on it!
Better make it in time!
Please make it in time!
Die--!
Do you think I'd let that happen?!
You did it, Shikamaru!
This won't stop me for long!
Izumo, how many minutes have passed
since you requested backup?
About ten minutes.
It'll be at least another 20 minutes before reinforcements arrive.
That long?!
Damn...! What should we do?!
If we kill him, Captain Asuma will also die!
Usually, one must kill one's opponent in order to break a long-lasting type Jutsu.
But if that is not possible...
Every Jutsu inevitably has rules associated with it,
as well as risks and pitfalls.
First, I need to calm down and analyze the opponent.
I was saved, thanks to Shikamaru.
I must take this chance and think of a way to break this Jutsu.
With him as an opponent,
the Shadow Strangle Jutsu won't hold out that long.
There's little time to consider the next move.
If this wears on any longer, I'll lend a hand.
We can't let all the money get away.
I told you to butt out, Kakuzu!
I can handle this...!
Truth be told, the situation as it is...
we're lucky the other guy has stayed out of the fight for now.
Be that as it may, there's still the question of what to do.
Well, it's all a matter of time now...
Why that...
That's it... Think back...
Surely, I've come this far assuming
I'd be fighting against an adversary beyond the scope of my imagination.
OROCHIMARU The Akatsuki Organization is made up of ten members.
But Orochimaru withdrew.
SASORI Sasori of the Red Sand is dead.
ITACHI Of the remaining ones, we know the identities of three.
KISAME Kisame Hoshigaki,
who is reputed to have sparred with Guy Sensei with ease...
He might be a Water Style User.
ITACHI Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha with his Sharingan...
It was his handiwork that put Kakashi in the hospital for over a week.
Deidara, said to have sparred with Naruto.
He uses animated explosive clay.
DEIDARA He blew himself up in the end.
It's doubtful whether that story is actually true.
That leaves five members of the Akatsuki Organization...
Whichever of the faces in this file you pick,
you'll find him to be one tough opponent.
Their Ninjutsu will be of a level that should not be underestimated.
Though the true nature of these five is unknown,
there is no doubt they have special abilities that are beyond our imagination.
RECORD OF PAST BATTLES Good grief.
We're up against the worst possible bunch of fellows.
When it comes to this,
it's meaningless to formulate a strategy in advance.
In fact, any preconceptions might make matters worse.
So, what should we do?
It goes without saying that we should train to get stronger,
but what happens when you encounter
an adversary against whom you cannot win?
The nature and extent of the enemy's powers--
his Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu.
You must discern what type of Ninja he is.
Then you need to determine whether or not it's a combined attack
by guys who function as a two-man cell.
And if there's a possibility of that,
then what kind of chemistry does he have with his team members?
We need to gather as much information as possible
and make a split second decision.
When you're up against an organization like the Akatsuki,
there isn't even time to gather such information, is there?
Akatsuki, you say?
Asuma...
Have you already taken action against the Akatsuki Organization?
No, I came to the conclusion that it was pointless.
That's what you think.
If you got hold of even one piece of information about the enemy,
it could lead to a successful strategy.
If we could get our hands on such information.
That's difficult since we're up against the Akatsuki for the first time.
A guy like me would be blown away in an instant.
Well, you're probably right about that.
RECORD OF PAST BATTLES CLASSIFIED DATA VOL. 1 It's mortifying, but those are guys who don't slack off.
That is if you were to come up against the Akatsuki on a one-to-one basis.
You are one of the best at judging and analyzing a situation,
even among the Hidden Leaf.
If you can't find the time to strategize in a one-on-one combat,
then depend upon your comrades.
Team responsibility is important,
but one who does not rely upon his comrades...
KISAME is not fulfilling that responsibility.
There are times when even if you can't do it alone,
things will somehow work out
if you and your comrades pool each others strengths.
It's not enough for things to just somehow work out.
Then, do something.
Before your comrades get done in.
Asuma has left me with a wealth of information.
Think! You've got to think!
Remarks, personality, speech patterns... the clothes they wear...
Grasp their movements right up to now.
The significance of each and every action.
And then the connection between actions.
Develop a hypothesis about their abilities
that can be drawn from all these factors.
It's all about observation and analysis.
God's judgment will be handed down!
God...judgment...
You have already fallen under my curse.
The ceremony will now begin.
A curse...the ceremony...
With this, all preparations are complete!
Preparations...!
Looks like Shikamaru came up with an idea.
Did you figure something out, Shikamaru?
Yeah!
It's amazing that you're capable of such an analysis
while still maintaining your Jutsu.
Shikamaru is endowed with lightning powers of analysis
that enable him to look ten steps ahead and predict 200 more.
What's more, he has the intuition to choose
the best possible strategy based on that analysis.
I'm heading out, Captain Asuma...
That Shadow Jutsu...
Does it force the person it's used on to mirror the motions of its caster?
Why you... Trying to sniff out the true nature of my Jutsu.
What are you going to do?!
I'll draw that creep outside the strange pattern drawn on the ground!
If I do that, his curse Jutsu will be broken.
What on earth does that mean?!
His weapon...
That huge scythe with three blades.
Judging by its shape, I'd say it's not designed to land a single fatal blow,
but rather increase his attack range.
All his weapons are designed to cause damage from a distance.
In other words, his tactic is to only injure his opponent
and then buy time to deploy a lethal Jutsu.
And by that you mean the curse?
But what's the connection between the enemy's wound and the curse?
It's blood...
In order to form a link between himself and his targeted opponent,
he needs to find a way to incorporate that opponent's blood into his own body.
So when he was licking the blood...
Then if he wounds his opponent and even a little blood adheres to that sickle...
he can curse his opponent.
But of course...
After licking the blood, his body changed color.
That is a condition for invoking the curse. But that's not all.
In order to completely invoke the curse, one more condition must be met.
One more?
This brat knows his stuff.
A little while ago,
that creep let Asuma's Fire Style Jutsu roll right off him.
He was unfazed,
but he hurried back to that strange pattern drawn on the ground, remember?
And once he was standing inside that pattern,
he said the ceremony would begin.
And by howling that the preparations were now complete...
We can surmise the set-up for his art of cursing
is only complete once he steps inside that pattern.
You little brat!
You talk too much.
He was able to figure all that out?
You little brat!
Why you! I'll get you later! I'll tear you limb from limb!
I'll pulverize you! I'll turn you inside out!
There isn't going to be a "later"!
We got him out!
All right! The curse is broken!
All right!
Wha--?!
Nuts...
I can't move...
I'm at my limit! I don't think I can hold him any longer.
You did well, Shikamaru.
Kakuzu! Lend me a hand!
Hey! Snap to it!
I told you to keep your wits about you.
All right! So this leaves only one opponent remaining?
But his power and speed are probably greater than that of the immortal guy.
And he may still have abilities we don't know about...!
Shikamaru!
Shikamaru is exhausted.
And the captain is wounded.
What do you want to do, Izumo?
We have the advantage of outnumbering our opponents
and even immobilized one of them.
But perhaps we should start looking for a chance to retreat.
Next time: "Unfulfilled Scream"