Episode 12 — Samehada’s first appearance

Why Kisame being paired with Itachi is perfect

Kisame being partnered with Itachi already benefits Samehada:

Itachi is a refined, intelligent genjutsu user; he is known as a genius. By contrast, Kisame appears like Itachi’s unintelligent, violent underling. For Samehada, that contrast is ideal camouflage.

It keeps her close to Itachi, and specifically, to the Kotoamatsukami Sharingan he inherited from Shisui. This will be relevant later.

Paired with Itachi. (Chapter 141.)

The first skirmish: hiding abilities

When Kurenai catches Itachi and Kisame in a genjutsu, Samehada doesn’t do anything, letting Itachi deal with the situation.

Retrospectively, if Samehada truly has genjutsu abilities, then doing nothing was the best move.

In the same chapter, Kisame is surprised, and slightly cut by Asuma’s chakra-extended blades, as if he couldn’t sense chakra. As we will see in the next slide, Kisame seems to be making a show of not being a sensor in this skirmish.

Chapter 141

Still hiding abilities: getting blindsided.

The same image is reinforced again and again.

Kakashi arrives and, to Kisame’s surprise, counters his technique. Later, Gai arrives and blindsides Kisame. Later still, Kisame is again surprised and interrupted by Jiraiya’s arrival.

The repetition almost turns Kisame into comic relief: a dumb brute who keeps getting surprised when smarter ninjas join the scene.

This is our first minor discrepancy. Samehada was later established as a remarkable sensor: in chapter 468, she was able to locate Bee when Kumogakure’s best sensors had failed. So Kisame systematically failing to detect incoming ninjas is an act: Samehada is hiding her abilities and faking incompetence.

Chapter 143

Chapter 141

Chapter 146

Itachi berating Kisame

Itachi displays a generally respectful behaviour with Konoha ninjas. He uses honorifics (“san”); he compliments their skills… However, he publicly berates Kisame, for example by implying that Kisame doesn’t even remember that their mission isn’t to get injured.

In a the context of a Japanese novel, Itachi’s behaviour here is particularly insulting: he is making Kisame lose face in public. Unfamiliar readers may check what “losing face” means in Japan.

Retrospectively, we can tell that Kisame provoked Itachi’s reaction by threatening to kill Kakashi - a valuable asset for Konoha, whom Itachi would want to protect. From there, Kisame doesn’t react to the verbal abuse, further consolidating his role as Itachi’s submissive, weaker underling.

Now, can you find the brilliant move Samehada played in chapter 141?

Chapter 142

Samehada’s first brilliant move: the Suikōdan

In chapter 141, we can find a minor discrepancy and a coïncidence with Kisame’s Suikōdan.

Discrepancy: he uses three hand seals to cast it. Later on, Kisame is shown casting considerably more complex techniques with less hand seals. For example: two hand seals for the 1000 sharks in chapter 506.

Coïncidence: Kisame happens to cast it just as Kakashi arrives.

So, what’s the point?

With three seals, the technique is readable enough for Kakashi to copy, allowing him to interrupt Kisame.

The two Sharingan users, Itachi and Kakashi, see Kisame use three seals for a Suikōdan. This implies a respectable skill level, slightly below Kage-level. That’s credible for an Akatsuki member, but nothing Konoha should worry about.

If Samehada truly is the main antagonist — and by the end of this quest, you will be convinced she is —, then this scene is almost overdesigned. It teaches both Itachi and Konoha the wrong lesson: Kisame is an unremarkable secondary antagonist. Like Mr Kishimoto, Samehada planned every single detail.

Two hand seals for the 1000 sharks, chapter 506.

Three hand seals for a Suikōdan, chapter 141.

Episode conclusion

These scenes do not prove Samehada’s role as the main antagonist yet. What they do show, however, is that her debut already fits her future role. You can tell Mr Kishimoto had planned everything from her first appearance, hence the amount of retrospective foreshadowing we can find so early in the novel.

These first scenes also are a good example of Naruto’s multi-layered writing:

On the first read, you’re told that Itachi and Kisame tried to capture Naruto, and failed thanks to Jiraiya’s intervention.

On the second read, you realise that Itachi botched the mission on purpose, as he is loyal to Konoha.

On the third read, you realise that Kisame played along, because it was too early for Naruto to be captured.

Kisame pretending to buy Itachi’s excuse. (Chapter 148.)