Original subtitles

[music playing]

[explosions]

[gasping]

-Hurts, doesn't it?

[music playing]

-Judgement has been passed.

-Wha? What hell's going on?

-So what do you think?

Helps you understand the suffering

of others a bit more, doesn't it?

ASUMA (VOICEOVER): My arm got burned, too.

Was it his jutsu?

Or something else?

-I have already cursed you.

And the rituals shall now begin.

[music playing]

-Well then.

Let's experience the ultimate pain together, shall we?

[theme music]

[music playing]

-And the ritual shall now begin.

Well then, let's experience the ultimate pain together,

shall we?

-I don't understand.

What happened to Captain Asuma?

That fire jutsu engulfed the Akatsuki, not him.

-There's no question about it.

Although somehow it looks like Asuma

must have caught a piece of the jutso as well.

-Oh no.

Don't tell me.

-This one will net us another 35 million.

[laughter]

-All the preparations have been completed.

Now you and I will share in the ultimate pain!

[music playing]

Hurts, huh?

And I didn't even hit a vital spot.

But that kind of pain is the best.

Hit the other person's agony at the final moment of death seeps

into my body.

The pain is transcended and becomes the purest ecstasy.

[music playing]

-Asuma.

He's holding on to his left leg.

Something weird's happening.

-His injury, it's the same as the Akatsuki's.

-How the hell?

[music playing]

-I have already cursed you.

[music playing]

-That's it!

ASUMA (VOICEOVER): I see.

Somehow this guy has linked his body to mine.

So that any injury he suffers, I do as well.

Only he is immortal.

[laughter]

-Now then.

Where do you want to feel pain next?

Up here, maybe?

Or further down?

How about your legs?

That'd be fun, huh?

What do you think?

Or should we just end it already?

Well?

-Shikamaru!

No physical attacks, like shadow stitching.

Use shadow strangle jutsu to hold him, and hurry!

-Already on it!

Come on.

-Please!

[music playing]

-Now die!

-I don't think so!

[music playing]

[droplet]

[music playing]

-Good job, Shikamru.

-You think you can stop me?

[music playing]

-Izumo, how long's it been since we called in for that backup?

-10 minutes or so.

At least another 20 before they get here.

-Damn it all.

We're stuck.

What the hell do we do?

If we kill him, we kill Asuma.

-To nullify a continuous jutsu, you

have to take out the caster.

But that option's off the table here.

-Every jutsu has its limitations.

There's always a loophole.

We just have to calm down and analyze him.

ASUMA (VOICEOVER): Shikumaru saved me.

Now I've got to think of a way to break this jutsu.

[music playing]

[groaning]

[music playing]

ASUMA (VOICEOVER): Shadow strangle doesn't last too long.

I only have a little time to think.

-If this is going to drag on, I can help.

Can't let a cash cow get away.

-I told you to stay out of it, didn't I?

Now butt out!

I don't need your help.

I can handle it.

-Truth be told here, we're lucky the other one

hasn't entered the mix yet.

-Even so, what do we do?

-Only a matter of time now, I guess.

Hm?

So he's the one.

-Think back.

This is exactly the kind of impossible situation

you've been preparing for.

[nature sounds]

The Akatsuki had 10 members.

But Orochimaru withdrew.

Sasuri of the Red Sand is dead.

And we only know the identities of three others.

Kisame Hoshigaki took on Gai Sensei with ease.

So he uses water style, huh?

Then there's Sasuke's brother, Itachi.

With his Sharingan.

Yeah, it was his handiwork that put Kakashi in the hospital

for over a week.

And Datara, the one Naruto fought.

Able to remotely detonate clay explosives.

Supposedly blew himself up.

But I have my doubts.

That leaves five Akatsuki we know nothing about.

All as deadly as the ones in this file.

They've got to be weilding some serious ninjutsu.

We may not know who they are, but there's no question,

they'll have powers beyond our imagination.

Boy, what a pack a wolves.

Trying to come up with a strategy in advance

would be impossible.

Heck, our preconceptions would probably

just get us into trouble.

[music playing]

So what's the solution?

Obviously, you've got to train, get stronger.

But how do you handle an unbeatable foe?

Discern what you can and make a call, I guess.

Their ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu

can tell you a lot about them.

Then get a feel for how they work with their partner,

and their place in the organization as a whole.

We'll have to make snap decisions,

based on what we can glean in the moment.

Ah boy.

Going toe-to-toe with the Akatsuki.

There's probably no time to blink, let alone analyze

those guys.

-The Akatsuki, huh?

-Huh?

A- Asuma.

-So, you trying to carve out a strategy for them?

-I was.

But in the end, I think it's impossible.

-Don't be so sure.

Once we've dug up a little information on them,

that brain of yours will cook up something.

-Assuming we can get any information.

And I'm not sure it would help with these guys anyway.

They could squash me like a bug, if they really wanted to.

-You're probably right about that.

-They certainly don't do anything halfway, do they?

-Yeah, but that's only if you're fighting the Akatsuki

one-on-one, though.

-Huh?

-Your analytical skills are some of the best

that the Leaf Village has to offer.

And if there's no time for deductive reasoning,

your comrades will be there.

Looking out for your team is crucial,

but if you can't in turn rely on them,

you aren't fulfilling your responsibility to the team.

No man's an island, and with your comrades next to you,

it'll all work in the end somehow.

-Crossing my fingers isn't going to cut it.

-Figure something else out, then.

Before your friends all get killed.

-Asuma gave you tons of advice.

Now think!

You've got to think!

[music playing]

His words, personality, speech patterns, his clothes, weapons,

his behavior, the meaning behind all of his actions.

And how every move he makes relates to the next.

From it all can be gleaned insight.

A hypothetical framework of the jutsu.

Its probability and selection.

-The gods shall punish.

-The gods.

Punish.

-I have already cursed you.

And the ritual shall now begin.

-Curse.

Ritual.

-All the preparations have been completed.

-Preparations.

[music playing]

-Trust that Shikamaur has analyzed him already.

-You come up with something, Shikamaru?

-Think so.

-I can't believe he was able to do it.

And all while casting a jutsu.

-Shikamaru can think 10 steps ahead.

And imagine over 200 possible moves to make.

He has the instinct for picking just the right one.

-All right, then.

Here goes, Asuma!

[music playing]

-That shadow jutsu.

It forces the victim to mimic the caster's actions, huh?

[music playing]

-No way.

He's caught on to my jutsu.

-What are you doing?

-I'm trying to force the stupid creep out

of that weird diagram he drew on the ground.

That'll undo the jutsu, and his curse.

-What do you mean?

-That giant scythe of his.

It's got three blades.

By the shape of it, I'd say it wasn't meant for mortal blows.

But extending the wielder's range,

allowing him to reach his opponents,

and cause some degree of external injury,

great or small.

In short, if he can inflict even a single, shallow, abrasion,

his jutsu will lead to the opponent's certain death.

-That's his curse then, huh?

But how in the world does it all connect back

to the initial wound inflicted?

-Blood.

In order to link himself to his intended victim,

he has to take his opponent's blood into his own body.

-I saw him lick the blade, too.

So the blood.

I see.

If he could wound his opponent, and get even the slightest

drop of it onto his scythe, he's then able to curse them.

-So that's it.

-We he licked the blood his body changed color,

so it was pretty easy to figure that part out.

But that's not all there is to it.

There's one more crucial step that

needs to be completed to activate the curse.

-There's another one?

-What an impressive brat.

-That guy totally ignored the fire style

jutsu Asuma threw at him earlier.

He didn't even bother to avoid it,

just went straight for that marking.

Then once inside it, he said the ritual would begin.

Then barked about the preparations being done.

So my guess is the curse jutsu can only

be completed while he's inside the diagram.

-You little brat!

-It's not my fault.

You run your mouth too much.

-He's brilliant.

-Enough talk, then!

I'm going to tear you apart now, and then kill you later,

you hear me?

-There won't be a later!

He's out!

-All right.

Let's see if that did the trick.

[fighting noises]

-Yes.

[fighting noises]

-How dare you?

Still stuck.

-I'm at my limit.

I can't hold it much longer.

-Nicely done, Shikamaru.

[music playing]

-Kakazu!

Help me out here!

You idiot!

Do something, already!

[music playing]

-I told you to be careful, didn't I?

[music playing]

[theme music]

-All right.

One down, one to go.

-Careful, though.

His partner's power and speed border on superhuman.

Who knows what he's capable of.

-Shikamaru!

-He's at the end of his rope.

And the Captain's even worse for wear.

What's the plan, Izumo?

-Well, now that his friend's down,

we do have him outnumbered.

But maybe we should start looking

for a chance to retreat.

-Next time, Unfulfilled Scream.