Farewell, Naruto!

It was in my college years that I have started watching Naruto, as it was aired in a TV channel here in our country. It was kind of childish, yeah, to watch anime, but still, because of the different lessons that I have gained in this anime series, I defied all stereotypes and continued watching. I remember that the first episode that I saw was from Naruto Shippuden, the second installment to the series, and it's kinda difficult to understand at first because it's highly related to the first installment.

Curious of what has happened before Shippuden, I read the manga, and what seemed to be a "curiosity" continuously transformed to a liking, and my reading continued - week per week, a new chapter was being released, bringing additional excitement with every chapter they have released. That additional excitement is now going to stop. Maybe for now, or maybe forever.

Naruto has just ended. With its 700th chapter, the anime ended, and the story of what seemed to be a foolish boy ended with him being what is the complete opposite - a responsible, upright man who has exceeded expectations and has upheld to what he believes is the most important - friendship, and most especially, family.

For almost 5 years, he has shown me that a loner can actually break the bonds of solitude and reach out, that a person, though he has a shady past, can still shine in the end, that a person, no matter how sad his life is (Naruto lost both his parents in an attempt to save the village), he can still be a beacon of joy to others. For five years, he has led me to a realization that I, being the "Naruto" of my own life story, can be strong and hold on towards reaching my goal.

And yes, in the end, I have to let go. Naruto may have left us, but still, the lessons that we learned are the ones left - lessons worth treasuring forever.

Farewell, Naruto,
you will always be my idol!

a9fa28b75db9b939d0819c66da77c91ee8079b697216c116d2