W-We...did it!
We did it!
We did it...
To tell the truth, that was a very dangerous situation.
Without Shikamaru's accurate analysis...
we probably would have been completely done for.
Good grief...
He's really something...
It's no wonder Asuma puts so much confidence in him.
Shikamaru!
Are you all right?
Yeah. With this, there remains...
Only one more left, huh?
If you wanted help, you should have said so sooner.
You were too slow, Kakuzu!
You did that on purpose, didn't you?!
You were the one who told me to butt out at the beginning.
So are you really in any position to complain?
Well, I did order you to hold back.
But that wasn't because
I was trying to make a fool of you or disrespect you.
Well, never mind about that. Anyway, bring my body over here.
Kakuzu... Will you bring my body...?
Come on Kakuzu, buddy.
Wha--?! Hey! Wait a minute!
See here, Kakuzu! What about my body?
I thought I told you to bring my body over here!
This is lighter.
That's not the issue, now is it?
Are you ignoring me? Hey!
Unfulfilled Scream
Ouch...it hurts...hey!
Kakuzu, you're pulling my hair! Stop that!
If you are hurting at all, it should be in your neck.
You moron!
The pain in my neck isn't a tickle.
It's excruciating! This is more than just a simple injury.
That guy...
In that state, he's still alive!
It hurts like crazy! See here!
The nerve of you, cutting off my head!
This is incredibly painful, you numbskull!
Wh-What's that? What's going on?
I don't know what to think of this...
At this rate...
Even if he's still alive, he's useless in that condition.
It appears he can't move unless he's connected to a body.
His arts are useless in that state.
He may be immortal, but right now, he can't do anything.
That's for sure.
So then, there's only one opponent left.
Yes...
That may be, but that one...
No doubt he possesses powers and speed that exceed the immortal guy.
What's more, he'll have the kind of cool nerve
you can't fight against on the strength of pure momentum alone.
And furthermore...
He'll be the hard-nosed kind that doesn't budge in the slightest,
even if his comrades get done in... a real heart of stone.
We have yet to see his true power.
Or rather, his confidence may be due to the fact that he has not shown it yet.
This kind of enemy is always gauging the difference in strength
between himself and his opponents and calculating his advantages.
In that case, he may think it's in his best interests
to convince us of being in an advantageous position.
Shikamaru!
Shikamaru has really pushed himself to his limit.
Captain Asuma is injured too.
We are at an advantage in that
we have immobilized one of the Akatsuki Organization's members, but...
On the other hand,
you could also say this gives us the opportunity to escape.
In that case, the thing we need to worry about is...
Shikamaru's condition.
You mustn't open yourself up to attack!
He is such a pushover.
Captain Asuma!
Since you've now asked me to lend a hand,
I'm going to join in too.
I get it...
Ow! Ouch!
Hey, hold still, will you?
Those guys...
What are they up to?
Okay, that should do it.
His head...
It's been reconnected.
It's good to be whole again.
If you move around too much, it'll come off again.
Kakuzu, you're always such a nag.
What on earth...are we fighting?
An immortal man... and a man who possesses a Jutsu
that can sew back together a dismembered body...
Damn!
It's just one thing after another. How powerful are they?!
Your fights and your complaining seem to go on forever.
Just like your ceremonies.
You take care of the one with the price on his head.
I'll pay them back in spades.
Because it wouldn't do to violate the commandment.
That again?
Well, never mind. As for the three remaining...
I'll take care of them.
Izumo!
Got it!
Right!
Water Style: Syrup Trap!
Right!
Did that do the trick?
I suppose you meant to grab your opponent's attention
with that eye-catching aerial attack to create an opening.
And then follow-up with a land attack
by coordinating your movements with this strange liquid, but...
I think it's half-baked.
There's too much wasted effort.
Now!
What--?!
Right!
Before you know it...
That's great! Izumo!
You're mine!
Kotetsu!
Damn...!
Huh?!
They're giving me a good run for my money.
Well now, Kakuzu seems to be finishing up pretty soon...
Isn't it about time I stepped in?
Otherwise, I'll start hearing about how my ceremonies "go on forever."
So long.
Asuma!
Behind you!
So long!
Asuma!
Behind you!
It's the same moves over and over again.
Not the same, you moron!
Damn!
In the end...
In the end, even you were willing to sacrifice yourself
to protect your comrades!
I don't get it!
What's wrong with this strategy?!
If I succeeded in my Shadow Sewing,
then we would have been able to stop the enemy
and reduce their fighting power by half.
But when I tried to make Shadow Sewing work on a distant opponent,
I just fell into a trap.
So Shadow Sewing is not necessarily effective against a distant opponent.
Yet, if Shadow Sewing is used in close combat,
its binding force becomes more powerful, and its success rate increases.
Isn't that what the strategy is for?
Are you suggesting a two-top formation
in which you use Shadow Sewing aggressively
at the front lines backed by my charging power?
That's it.
With that formation,
I'd be able to tie up the enemy at the front lines.
Shikamaru, I think highly of your strategy.
Well, in that case, why not try it?
That's the very reason why it's no good!
This unit is excellent.
In terms of fighting power,
it's simply a four-man cell including three Chunin...
but my unit has a strategist that's lacking in other units.
Shikamaru, that's you!
A good strategist assesses conditions from back in the rear guard
and directs the movements of the unit off the basis of that judgment.
You have superb powers of judgment, and it's an advantage to the unit.
Bringing you around to the front lines could actually increase the risks we face
in carrying out our mission.
Even I...
Even I understand the pain of losing a comrade.
Isn't that a good reason why it's the best possible strategy?
I understand there's some risk involved.
If it enables me to protect many of my comrades...
If by " protecting your comrades" you're referring to us,
then you don't understand at all.
The things that we're protecting...
The reasons we're fighting...
Unless you understand the true meaning of that,
there's no way I can put you out in the front lines.
It's my fault...
If I... If I had thought up a better strategy...
none of this would ever have...
Don't you get it?
That' s the best thing we can do right now!
I've never seen Asuma like this before.
It's like sending in an advance unit to break through enemy lines.
Sometimes you have to be able to make a move like that.
A straightforward attack like the Climbing Silver doesn't suit you.
I won't be a mere sacrificial piece. I've got you with me, after all.
Damn! Damn!
It's my fault...
If I hadn't been such a numbskull.
Asuma wouldn't be in such a fix!
How is it? Does it hurt? Huh?
Well, how about it?!
Finally...
I finally get to taste that pain.
The pain of killing you...
Captain!
Damn!
It's over.
Stop...
Asuma...
I-It feels so good...
Asuma!
Don't bother trying to patch me up.
This is as far as I go.
That much...I understand.
The things the Third Hokage did to protect the village.
I feel like I only now have come to understand them.
I'm always so slow.
And so, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru...
I have some last words I'd like to say to you...
Next time: "Last Words"