Naruto Anime Analysis

Season 2: Episode 68

Source: Wikipedia,
"Zero Hour! The Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village Begins!"

"Revealing himself to have killed the Fourth Kazekage to get to him, Orochimaru takes Hiruzen hostage as he has his bodyguards, the Sound Four, establish a barrier so no one would interfere. Meanwhile, invading Sound and Sand Ninja invigorate Konoha, and battles begin breaking out across the village. Kankuro and Temari carry Gaara from the village so that he can recover with Sasuke in pursuit. Preoccupied with fending off the invading forces, Kakashi instructs Sakura, who had managed to repel the sleep-inducing genjutsu, to wake Naruto and Shikamaru."

Analysis

This episode has so many important points to consider. Firstly, Orochimaru killed the fourth Kazekage to get to Hiruzen. The fourth Kazekage who witnessed the final match between Sasuke and Gaara wasn't him at all. It was Orochimaru disguised as the Fourth Kazekage.  Therefore, the element of deception is evident in Orochimaru's actions. Remember, it's not the first time he used deception to get what he wanted. For instance, in the Forest of Death, he disguises himself as the grass ninja to get to Sasuke by giving him the curse mark. Orochimaru is the antagonist, so it is no surprise that Orochimaru taking Hiruzen hostage was another part of his plan to invade the Hidden Leaf Village.

Moreover, it's very unlikely that the members of Sand Village knew anything about the death of the fourth Kazekage. Therefore, it means that Orochimaru used them as well, just like he did with the sound ninja, to get what he wanted. Orochimaru is not only manipulative but also deceitful and selfish, which is why he is the biggest villain in the anime Naruto.

Orochimaru has guards known as the Sound Four who worship Orochimaru as their master.  So they activated a dark barrier so that no one would interfere in his fight with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen. Although there isn't much information about the Sound Four, it is safe to assume that they are just puppets for Orochimaru. Since the barrier is now activated, there is going to be a fight between Orochimaru and Hiruzen.

The invasion of the leaf village already started when the Sound and Sand Village infiltrated the village. Therefore, there is a threatening atmosphere throughout this episode. It is crucial to note that the Sound Ninja is a village formed by Orochimaru himself. When formulating this village, that's when he convinced different types of ninjas from different villages to join him. It also explains why they are loyal to Orochimaru, hence why they are a part of this invasion.

Since Gaara was injured by Sasuke's attack, Temari and Kankuro decided to leave the village so that he could recover. However, instead of leaving Gaara alone, Sasuke follows them. Sasuke isn't the type to let things go, especially if it will help him get stronger as a ninja. He wants to be strong so that he can kill the unnamed person who killed the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke is an avenger, hence why he refuses to give up his match with Gaara.

Kakashi is preoccupied with fighting against the Sound and Sand Ninjas. Kakashi therefore instructs Sakura, who had managed to repel the sleep-inducing genjutsu, to wake Naruto and Shikamaru. Sakura was the only one who was alert when Kabuto unleashed the genjutsu, hence why she managed to repel it. The next episode is going to be the continuation of the invasion of Konoha and Sasuke's pursuit to follow Gaara.

The lesson from this episode is that one can be easily manipulated by someone aware of their needs, just like Orochimaru, who managed to manipulate everyone because of the promises he made to them.