What about Sai as a character? For me, he was honestly a complete non entity I didn't care at all what happened to him.

 

He really is only a filler character only as useful as Yamato who is gone from the story.

 

Best part for me must have been the Pain fight. It really felt like Naruto coming unto his own. I disregard what happened before or after, to say that was probably Shippuuden's highest point.

 

High point of everything was probably Itachi V Sasuke/Naruto vs Pein for me. Although the 5 Kage just getting stomped by Madara was pretty awesome too.

 

Jiraiya.

Naruto vs Pain
Sasuke vs Itachi

Killer B as a half-decent Jiraiya substitute.

 

Heh. I hope we see Kirin being used again, it was awesome.

 

I really liked Hashirama's tale, and witnessing the fights he had with Madara.

In fact, let me go with 'Hashirama's sage mode' as the best thing about the manga so far. His sage techniques are just . . .

 

Of the fights I really liked Sasuke Itachi and Pain Naruto ones. Really cool fights.
I also liked the scene where Obito is shocked about Naruto's powers after Fox gives him full power but that's in the anime. I would like to see the former Hokage's fighting together in Anime.

 

Kyuubi Bijuu Mode.

He was just a tool for introducing and developing Danzo, tbh. Yamato wasn't much better; he was there to re-introduce the Mokuton as a uniquely powerful kekkei genaki instead of an advanced ninjutsu. I probably would have combined the two, making Sai an experimental Mokuton user working for Danzo.

 

Chapter's out.

...So bored.

 

next week series takes a break
"It will restart in issue #1."

what does that mean?

 

Wasn't too bad, wasn't too bad.

 

Means that it'll start again next year, Issue #1 2014.

 

You can really feel the end of the series approaching, reading this chapter.

 

Mangastream version says that it's on hiatus until the first issue of the new year. Or maybe there's another chapter and then it's on hiatus.

 

It may mean a week break because for Shonen Jump 2014 starts in two weeks.

 

I'd prefer that.

 

I can believe that Naruto would try to spare Obito, it would have been lame but believable, but it was even lamer that Minato turned out to be uber merciful. That guy slaughtered his way through armies, find it a bit hard to believe that he would be so forgiving towards the traitor who is responsible for the death of his wife and himself (although, his death was kinda his own fault but that is neither here nor there).

Old student or not, come on dude. You were the leader of a military nation.

 

It kind of defeats the purpose of using talk no jutsu if you immediately murder the guy afterwards. At least give him a trial and make it an official punishment.