User:Joolushko Tunai Fenta Hovalis/Arcs

Arcs are based on story logic: a scene can only be part of one arc. Manga chapters contain multiple scenes and can therefore be part of more than one arc. Volumes contain multiple chapters which is why arcs often end in the middle of a volume.

What binds scenes together to form an arc can be: An example of the first would be the Search For Tsunade arc. An arc based around an event would be the Sasuke Recovery Mission. The whole Itachi Pursuit arc is based around revenge and the goal of killing Itachi. And the combination of the Chūnin Exams arc and the Konoha Crush arc would have as theme the intersection of economics, politics, sports and war.
 * a character
 * an event
 * a motivation and/or goal
 * a theme

= Manga =

Part 1
Notes:
 * 1) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 8-9 marking the end of the introduction/prologue arc.
 * 2) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 33-34 marking the end of the Land of Waves arc.
 * 3) While the official end of the Chūnin Exams arc is chapter 115 (and for good reasons), it's very natural to make chapter 109 the end of this arc. The hokage and kazekage have been bending the rules to prevent Sasuke from disqualification and this is the point where Sasuke appears. In fact, it's not unreasonable to start the Konoha Crush arc with the fight that was suspiciously postponed. To summarize: the arc can span either chapters 34–109; or chapters 34–110; or chapters 34–114; or chapters 34–115.
 * 4) While the official end of the Chūnin Exams arc is chapter 115 (and for good reasons), in reality the whole fight between Sasuke and Gaara is a gradual transitioning from one arc to another: from the metaphor for war (which the exams are) to the reality of war. In chapter 113 the Temple of Nirvana Technique is first used. In chapter 114 Team Sunagakure announces the start of the operation. But in chapter 115 snakes appear and start destroying Konoha's defensive walls, while the hokage is taken hostage and kept inside a barrier to fight Orochimaru. However, chapter 115 is also where the original plan to unleash Gaara inside Konoha fails and where a confused Sasuke is informed that the exams are over and he's told to be useful by pursuing Gaara and the others.
 * 5) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 138-139 marking the end of the Konoha Crush arc.
 * 6) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 171-172 marking the end of the Search for Tsunade arc end.
 * 7) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 237-238 thus making chapter 238 the epilogue of Part 1.

Part 2
Slightly different take on the arcs in terms of naming schemes and making the name fit the content.
 * Akatsuki Attacks, Part 1: Deidara and Sasori &mdash; Kazekage Rescue Mission
 * Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission (Sasuke and Sai ...or... Sai and Yamato)
 * Akatsuki Attacks, Part 2: Hidan and Kakuzu &mdash; Akatsuki Suppression Mission
 * Itachi Pursuit Mission, Part 1
 * Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant
 * Itachi Pursuit Mission, Part 2: Fated Battle Between Brothers
 * Akatsuki Attacks, Part 3: Team Taka versus the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki
 * Akatsuki Attacks, Part 4: Konan and Pain versus Konoha &mdash; Pain's Assault
 * Five Kage Summit
 * Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown
 * Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
 * Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
 * Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
 * Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

Notes:
 * 1) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 281-282 marking the end of the Kazekage Rescue Mission.
 * 2) There's a mini time-skip in the transition of chapter 310-311 marking the end of the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission.
 * 3) There's a mini time-skip&mdash;as evidenced by Sakura's brief flashback&mdash;in the transition of chapter 342-343 marking the end of the Akatsuki Suppression Mission.
 * 4) Chapter 343 consist mostly of plot housekeeping: switching back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke, but also making a few time-skips to get to half a year later than the end of the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission.
 * 5) The Itachi Pursuit arc starts in chapter 343 with the scene in which Sasuke attacks Orochimaru&mdash;and it should finish when Konoha ninja arrive at the scene where Itachi and Sasuke fought. It's broken into two by the Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant arc.
 * 6) The intention to attack the remaining jinchūriki is declared in chapter 364 during an Akatsuki gathering---at the end of which Tobi declares himself to be Uchiha Madara.
 * 7) The Itachi Pursuit Mission, Part 1 concludes with Itachi talking to Naruto in chapter 366 and inviting Sasuke to the Uchiha's Hideout at the end of chapter 367.
 * 8) The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant starts already in chapters 366 with Jiraiya reporting to Tsunade the location of the Akatsuki Leader---but it only officially starts when Jiraiya infiltrates Amegakure in chapter 368.
 * 9) Judging from appearances, Jiraiya took care of the Ame Orphans when they were approximately 10–12 years old. He trained them for 3 years (as per chapter 373) during a time when a ceasefire probably existed but a peace agreement definitely didn't because Jiraiya mentions the countries surrounding Amegakure weren't stabilised yet. Yet in chapter 375, it's implied that Jiraiya completed training them when they were aged 10 so he had to start training them when they were 7 years old. Yahiko died 5 years later aged 15 in the middle of the 3rd Shinobi World War. As Jiraiya is 18–19 years older than the Ame Orphans, he should be 25–26 years old when he starts training them and be 28–29 years old when he stops. Yet Minato died at age 24 when Jiraiya was anywhere between 36–39 years old (but more likely 37–38 years old) and because Minato graduated at age 10 from the Academy, Jiraiya was anywhere between 22–25 years old (but more likely 23–24 years old) when he started training Minato. In other words, Jiraiya must have been a sensei to Team Minato and the Ame Orphans simultaneously via the use of Kage Bunshin. Which makes thematic sense when you consider that Jiraiya considered both Minato and Nagato to be children of prophecy.
 * 10) Chapter 377 is called Sage Mode...and this is where Jiraiya's hands and feet become more toad-like and he crouches down on all four...and even uses Henge to turn into a frog/toad.
 * 11) Chapter 383 is the proper ending for the Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant arc, but the confrontation between Itachi and Sasuke has already begun even though it hasn't ignited yet into combat.

Note 2: What follows is an arc in which Akatsuki is on the move. It starts with Obito telling Sasuke the history of the Uchiha clan which leads to Sasuke donning Akatsuki cloaks and attacking Killer B.

Note 3: Pain's Attack start with...obviously...the chapter in which he first attacks Konoha. It ends with the scene in which Naruto is celebrated as a hero.

Note 4: The Kage Summit is effectively an arc in which the ninja world responds to these attacks by Akatsuki.

Note 5: In chapter 488 Tsunade wakes up which is a fitting ending for the Kage Summit arc.

= Anime =