Done with the tenchi bridge arc in Naruto Ninja Stom 2. I think I like the beginning to it better in the manga and the end in the game.
I got a bit long winded but I had some thoughts on Kabuto’s presentation in the arc and on the arc itself.
The fight with Sasuke kind of feels like it undermines the difference between he and Naruto. Naruto is able to get a few good hits in and despite the game saying Sasuke isnt trying that hard its a small thing. On the other hand it's really cool to see the flashbacks to their last fight and Naruto's growth. I like that Sakura and Sai vanish partway through the fight as supports because ultimately the conflict is between Sasuke and Naruto. I feel like the intensity of the fight also gives more credence to Sao deciding to join Naruto and Sakura in trying to bring Sasuke back (not that thus goes anywhere) and Sai being the one to remind Naruto that Sasuke isn't out of reach as long as he can feel their bond is cute.
I think the Danzo stuff was largely underwhelming though. The Manga does a great job of setting Danzo up here through Sai, Tsunade, and the little we see of him. Even the moments we do get like Orochimaru welcoming Sai into the fold feel better in the manga. More like the implicit threat Danzo poses and his supposed connection to Orochimaru is just more interesting to me with that presentation. We are missing several Danzo scenes like his meeting with Tsunade and his introduction with Sai but idk I feel like more could've been tweaked to give him a startling impression. That being said I do prefer Naruto and Sai's conclusion here. I love the callback at the end of their fight in Orochimaru’s base to their first fight, how Naruto is stronger when hes fighting for Sasuke. Something in the wording there also recalls Haku for me.
Loved all the Kabuto moments. I don't play with sound on so as not to annoy my family, so I am just going off the words and not the line delivery. But I love his talk with Naruto and Sakura before the Sasuke fight. I love him trying again to make Naruto stand down by being an absolutely rotten bastard who talks a big game. I love his perspective into Sasuke as someone who can't be changed now. I love the little moment at the end where he tells Naruto "I told you, Sasuke can't hear you now" followed by Naruto shouting Sasuke’s name and Sasuke not listening.
Because I am a Naruto&Kabuto fan I also love the bit where Naruto is going on about the strength of his bond with Sasuke to Kabuto and how unbreakable it is considering he's completely foregone is bond with Kabuto. My interpretation of his ragging on Naruto beforehand is that he's still trying to make Naruto give up and stand down. A continuation of their fight from the Tsunade arc. He uses the same goading, that Naruto is an idiot and he's being senseless, which idk if he thinks is true since he does stand aside when Sai and Sakura back Naruto up. This is probably just because he's outnumbered and did lose against Sakura, but he was still standing and chatting and he and Orochimaru didn't interfere until the end of Naruto's fight with Sasuke despite Kabuto not being captured here. I think it could be fair to interpret that, like Sai, Kabuto maybe giving Naruto a chance to prove that connection here. It also makes his "see? Sasuke can't hear you" take on more interesting meaning than an "I told you so" if he was giving Naruti a chancs to prove hin wrong. Easy enough to read it as typical villian behavior though so this is also very much my lenses of analysis.
It's the same with Orochimaru. I like the idea that the pair were watching the Naruto vs Sasuke reunion battle to see if maybe Naruto could talk Sasuke into going back. Orochimaru fought Naruto as well and saw the strength of that bond and maybe deciding to see, to let things play out, until the winner (Sasuke was about to use Kirin) was decided. The game isn't trying to lead me to this interpretation for either character, I think you're meant to read Kabuto as cynically hating Naruto and dismissing his bond with Sasuke and Orochimaru as indifferent, and it taking so long to step in because Kabuto is grabbing Orochimaru after being outnumbered in a fight (once Sai swaps over, not before when he decides ti fight Sakura and Yamato by himself and seemingly still would've fought Naruto once he lost). But I have space enough, I feel, to interpret their motives as a bit more complicated so I will.
For the moot who may be doing an analysis on Kabuto's sexism, he fights Sakura in the game in this arc and says he doesn't like fighting women but he'll make an exception because she's being stubborn. I find that interesting because it works with my interpretation that he's not trying to hurt Naruto and co so much as make them stand down. That he wasn't planning on hurting Sakura despite the fact that they're currently enrmies but she forces his hand through standing with Naruto. As you said in oje of your series of tags it fits with kabuto being more gentle on women, but he does fight her regardless. Idk how hard we are meant to interpret him fighting, he compliments her skills after in a sense (shes better than he expected) but he's also still standing and talking and tsunting so the fight wasn't even to the knock out on either side. Idk what you could make of that but it's there if you're reading this post. This could go with his fight with Tsunade and Shizune? All three slug people fight Kabuto in this verse. The games aren't manga canon and change the way events play out so up to you if you even want to take it into consideration.
I won't do a long post like this for every kabuto appearance in the game but I had some thoughts and am curious what others think.
