Naruto, Vol. 4 - The Broken Seal
AsNarutocontinues, ninjas-in-training Naruto, Sakura, and Sosuke must defend the bridge builder while their instructor Kakashi grapples with renegade assassin Zabuza. Naruto and Sosuke battle Haku, the masked ninja, who uses a secretjutsuto create a mirrored structure of ice that conceals him in its multiple reflections, like Rita Hayworth inThe Lady from Shanghai. Haku moves at such super-human speed neither Sosuke nor Naruto can track his movements, let alone counter them. He also carries enough needles to retrofit a porcupine, which he uses to bombard the trainees from the Hidden Village. But just when defeat seems imminent, a vital seal nearly breaks, unleashing some of the power of the nine-tailed fox demon within Naruto's body. Can Haku's skills withstand this dark supernatural force? And will the Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja be able to control that awful energy? (Unrated, suitable for ages 12 and older: violence)--Charles Solomon