Naruto Anime Analysis

Season 2: Episode 88

Source: Wikipedia,
"Focal Point: The Mark of the Leaf."

"The second step involves Naruto popping a rubber ball, something that will require much more power. After Naruto struggles with this step, Jiraiya helps him by drawing a leaf on his palm to give him a point to concentrate his efforts on. With some additional practice, Naruto can complete this stage as well. Elsewhere, Tsunade, an avid and extremely unlucky gambler, hits a winning streak, leading her to believe something bad is about to happen. She is correct, as when she tries to leave the city, she is met by Orochimaru and Kabuto."

Analysis

Naruto has passed the second phase of training. Naruto is getting better at learning the jutsu, the Rasengan. At first, he failed to master it because he lacked concentration, which is why it was hard for him to master. Therefore, this is why he used "The Mark of the Leaf" on his hand to master the jutsu. He remembered Iruka talking to him about the importance of concentration. Naruto didn't get it back then in the Ninja Academy, but now he does. Due to this flashback, Naruto mastered the technique.

Jiraiya also had a mark on his hand. Could it be that he also lacked concentration? It could be the reason why he and Naruto are similar.

Tsunade, an avid and extremely unlucky gambler, hits a winning streak, leading her to believe something bad is about to happen. She is correct, as when she tries to leave the city, she is met by Orochimaru and Kabuto. The episode is weird in the sense that Tsunade is presented as a gambler. Tsunade is known to be a legendary sucker, so her hitting a winning streak was odd because it meant that something bad was about to happen. So, Tsunade winning her prize is very strange😂. It's kind of ironic, don't you think? To hit a winning streak means something bad is about to happen! That's a first, hence the confusion surrounding this scene. As the scene progresses, it is revealed that her winning was linked to Orochimaru and Kabuto as they arrived to meet Tsunade. So in a way, their bad energy is responsible for Tsunade hitting a winning streak😓😓 which is weird. In other words, it was a situational irony where what happened, which was Tsunade winning, was the opposite of what was expected, which was her losing her bet.  Moreover, due to their arrival, there is an intense atmosphere.

The next episode will reveal the reason why Orochimaru and Kabuto have come a long way to meet Tsunade.

The lesson from this episode is that sometimes we need to pay attention to our teachers because you never know when their teaching will come in handy, just like Naruto, who remembered Iruka's teaching to master the jutsu.