Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-12509038-20140813031918

Volume 70 of the best-selling manga, Naruto, is titled Naruto and the Sage of the Six Paths. It has eleven chapters (669-679), and covers Might Guy's epic battle against Madara Uchiha, Naruto and Sasuke's meeting with Hagoromo Otsutsuki, their revival and battle against the legendary Uchiha as well, the completion of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya Otsutsuki's revival, and many other groundbreaking events! Let's get started!!!

I. The Cover: While I was certainly expecting something different, I am certainly very pleased with this cover art, and I personally believe it is one of the greatest covers in the entire series. I really like the whole reincarnation theme, Hagoromo's appearance in the middle, his staff's symbols pointing at Indra and Asura's reincarnations respectively, and the appearance of Kaguya in the back. If I would've changed anything, I would've preferred Sasuke's Rinnegan be shown (even though it is already confirmed to be purple since it is the same coloring scheme as the 686 cover page), and I do wish Madara had a bigger presence, as he is essentially the major villain for the majority of the Volume, and since this is somewhat his last major appearance, I wish he got some more love. But nonetheless, this is an amazing cover, and I would give the overall rating of the Volume 70 Cover a '''9.5/10! '''

'II. The Chapters:' This is the titles of and ratings of every chapter in this Volume (please note that my ratings may have changed from the original ratings, as time has passed and opinions change; also, three chapters break the scale- it's my discussion, I can do that :P).

1. 669- Eight Gates Released Formation: 10/10

2. 670- The Incipient...: 9.5/10 

3. 671- Naruto and the Sage of the Six Paths: 11/10 

4. 672- Night Guy: 9.5/10 

5. 673- We Will!: 11/10 

6. 674- Sasuke's Rinnegan: 10/10 

7. 675- The Current Dream: 8.5/10

8. 676- The Infinite Dream: 11/10 

9. 677- Infinite Tsukuyomi: 9.5/10 

10. 678- My Will Is: 9/10 

11. 679- The Incipient: 9.5/10

'III. Summary- Why I Love Volume 70:' For starters, I want to address the three chapters that I gave an 11/10. When I do the Naruto 2014 manga list, I may need to put all three of those in my #1 spot, as I can't pick which one I love more. Let's start with 671- there were so many answers in that chapter it is not even funny. It was great to know that both Naruto and Sasuke were reincarnations of Asura and Indra, and I was really digging where the story went. The reunion of Hagoromo and the Tailed Beasts was great, and the panel where Hagoromo gives his power to Naruto and Sasuke was spectacular! This is one of the greatest chapters in the series, bar none. Now for 673- you know a chapter will be amazing when it starts out with Naruto hitting Madara Uchiha with a Lava-enhanced Rasenshuriken! Not only did that do major damage to Madara, but he also managed to cut the Shinju in half- some call it BS, but I call it awesome! One of the greatest moments of the chapter was actually when Gaara acknowledged that Naruto is worthy of the Hokage title, and plans to make drink sake with him once the War is over. The chapter concludes with Naruto and Sasuke reuniting, with the former in a brand new mode called the Six Paths Sage Technique, and Sasuke branding a new, mysterious Rinnegan. With that, the final battle with Madara Uchiha was about to begin (or so we thought)! Finally, let's address 676- I'm pretty sure this is one of the most action-packed chapters in the entire series! But that does not mean that the story did not progress, as something very important happened in the end. For starters, even Sakura shows off some stuff, as she shows that she can use the Strength of a Hundred Technique, but despite her effort, she is no match for Madara. The legendary Uchiha then creates Multiple Chibaku Tense, and lets dozens of meteorites fall to the Earth. But don't fear, Naruto and Sasuke are here- Naruto creates a Wind Release Tailed Beast Bomb, while Sasuke creates his Perfect Susanoo, which FLIES up to the sky and cuts up the meteorites! Had it not been for one event, Sasuke would've stolen the show right there- however, his badassery comes in second to Madara's achievement- he awakens the third Rinnegan eye on his forehead and casts the Infinite Tsukuyomi onto the Moon!!! Damn- talk about amazing!

Now let's address the remaining chapters in order: 669 was absolutely awesome, as not only does Guy perform his greatest technique ever (IMO), but the teamwork between him, Kakashi, Gaara, Minato, and Rock Lee is definitely the show stealer. And it is great to see Madara get his a*s kicked so severely by "mere peasants." 670 was a historic chapter in the series, and definitely one of the most important. After years of hype, we meet Hagoromo Otsutsuki- AKA the Sage of the Six Paths. Not only did we learn that Naruto is the reincarnation of his son Asura, but we learned bucket loads of other amazing info. The only thing that bogged down the chapter was Naruto and Hagoromo's jokey dialogue- while it was funny, we could've spent more time developing the plot instead of making jokes. 672 was another amazing chapter- the greatest part about that chapter was undoubtedly Guy's final attack, Night Guy, which completely obliterated Madara! The only thing that made this chapter a little lackluster IMO was the flashback (but at least it was short). 674 was a almost God-like chapter, and I like it more every time I read it. It was the fight between Naruto, Sasuke, and Madara, and we learn much about Sasuke's new Rinnegan and Madara's Limbo technique. This chapter had the perfect balance of strategy and action, and it only makes me sad to know that we only got two real chapters of Naruto and Sasuke vs. Madara before someone else intervenes- after Naruto and Sasuke's final battle, it could've been the best fight in the series. 675 was all about Madara- at the time, he was a master manipulator, and it seemed like he planned out everything. At the time it was amazing (though I won't mention that other mastermind, as his plan is not revealed till next chapter). The biggest thing that bogged this chapter down was how Naruto managed to recreate Kakashi's left eye out of nothing- that was some BS! 677 was another good chapter, as I liked seeing how everyone was caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and we got some closure on the fates of multiple characters that had long seemed forgotten, such as Killer Bee and Yamato. 678 was an enjoyable read, as we got to see the dreams of many of our favorite characters as they are trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Some were stupid, but there were quite a few that were really touching. And then the big Black Zetsu/Kaguya twist at the end- while I may not have liked how it resulted becoming, I will give Kishi his props, as I didn't see the twist coming at all (though to be fair, it was very unnecessary). Finally, we have 679. While it absolutely sucked to see Madara go out, I can't say that it wasn't entertaining, especially with Naruto and Sasuke's attempts to stop Kaguya's return. And while it may have not have been as good as Madara, it was really cool to see Kaguya's return, and her transporting everyone to a lava world was very exciting, and a really good cliffhanger to end the volume on.

'IV. Conclusion:' While this point in the story may not be my favorite part in the entire story (first it is the Itachi Pursuit Arc, then Sasuke Retrieval Arc, and then this), I would still consider this volume my favorite Volume in the entire series because of all that just happens in this volume alone. I don't really think that we have ever gotten this kind of progression and badassery in any other volume of the series. The action in this volume was absolutely amazing, the character progression/development for the core characters was very important, the plot progression was immense, and the artwork was downright stunning- one of Kishi's best work as a mangaka. There are not enough words to describe how much I love this Volume, and I truly believe that this is when the story was at one of it's best points (after all, the lowest score in this chapter was a freaking 8.5)! Volume 70 is truly an amazing addition to the Naruto story, and certainly one that every Naruto fan must own!

'V. Overall Rating For Volume 70: ''10/10!!! '''

What are your thoughts on Volume 70? Also, what is your favorite Volume in the entire series? Let me know in the comments below!!! 