After a short break, TV Tokyo's "Naruto Shippuden" is returning with season 19 episode 444 on Thursday, and unfortunately for some fans, the new episodes will continue to be fillers. In the previously aired episode 443, "The Difference in Power", Sasuke was seen leaving the village to train with Orochimaru and become more powerful; and "Rogue Ninja" will be a continuation of that storyline.
The new filler episodes serve to prove that regardless of the circumstances he is in, Sasuke would always have made the bad choices that he did in his actual life. In the previous episode, he proved that the more power he gets, more evil Sasuke becomes.
As one of the chiefs of the Leaf Police Force, he was seen installing stringent rules in the village, not even sparing an old shopkeeper. However, Naruto and his friends intervene and stop the Uchihas before things escalate. The interaction leads Sasuke to believe that something has changed in Naruto. As fans know, Naruto was learning senjutsu under Jiraiya, while Sasuke trained under Shisui and developed his Chodori.
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It is this interaction that forces Sasuke to realise there is so much more power for him to control. The final straw in his decision to leave the village yet again in pursuit of power was his father's disappointment in him and his subsequent dismissal from the Leaf Police Force.
The upcoming episode, "Sato Nuke" or "Rogue Ninja", is therefore a reference to Sasuke leaving the village with no real intention of returning and becoming a productive member of society. Not only is Sasuke leaving the village, he is going to train under Orochimaru -- an enemy of Konoha.
Watch season 19 episode 444 of "Naruto Shippuden" at 7:30 pm (JST) on Thursday, 14 January. You can also watch "Rogue Ninja" online via jpPlayer, Naruspot and Crunchyroll.
