This episode was amazing, for one side, is a prelude to a tragic fight, and for the other, follows Naruto's training in an emotive way. Naruto keeps working to cut the waterfall in two, but it takes time, so he gets frustrated. Kakashi asks for patience, as Yamato too is staying awake and with fatigue for watching all day in case the Kyuubi's chakra slips through Naruto. The next day, Sakura brings a basket full of food pills, and sees her partner working hard. Sai was there to her surprise (she didn't notice him given how quiet he is), and tells her that Naruto will need the pills because he is pushing himself too hard, accumulating fatigue from many clones. Sakura then agrees, leaves the basket there with a letter, and walks out with Sai to not interrupt Naruto's training. This conversation goes with a beautiful piece of soundtrack, that somehow brings the sensation from the happy Konoha. Kakashi is glad that the team is getting along better, as Sai is befriending Naruto and Sakura. Then he calls Naruto to collect his clone's experience, but he feels no progress. He's tired, so Kakashi gives him Sakura's present, he's glad about her gesture, and reads the letter, which says to eat a little, train hard, and sends her regards knucklehead (with cherish). Naruto eats the pill, thinking will be good for being homemade, but funny thing is disgusting for some reason. He resumes his training, while Sakura is shown walking, and meets with Iruka. Iruka is amazed by his former students progress, and more by Naruto's, who is reaching higher levels. Sakura says she progressed too, so he recognizes she's the Hokage's apprentice. Though she seems a little tired of the flatters to Naruto, she acknowledges him as well, and Iruka ponders who eveything has changed since they were little, and is still changing. The days pass, and little by little Naruto starts to make temporal slices to the waterfall. Sakura still brings him the daily basket with food pills and a letter, glad that is helping him. Sai also goes to show his support each day. A night with the half moon, Sakura returns home after shopping more items for the food pills. She opens the window, looks at the sky and the moon, and the wind brings down her picture from team seven. She looks at it sitting in her bed (a brief comment: her shape is slightly different here, it's like her figure was drawn more womanly, with more curves), and remembers the good old times, when she reached the top of the tree first ahead Naruto and Sasuke. She also thinks about Iruka's words about how everything is changing, and Naruto's hard training with the goal of chasing Sasuke. She wonders how else she could help him, and remembers Yamato's words, that the important is not what she does, it is how much she cares about Naruto, what she feels. When a tear falls, is showed a shooting star that Naruto sees while looking at the sky (while plays another good piece of score). He is lying close to the waterfall, and with all Sakura's letters in his hand. Feeling he has rested enough, he gets up and resumes the training. In the morning, he and all his clones finally make a permanent big cut in the waterfall. Once he recollects the clones, he falls tired and hungry, so Kakashi smiles and decides to let him have a meal (a tsukemen ramen in Ichiraku during next episode). Kakashi also tells a surprised Yamato that is the memory of Sasuke what allows him to achieve the goals here. This side of the storyline is nostalgic, emotive, wonderful. Naruto's progress is not only because Sasuke's memory, also because of the support given by Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, and Sakura. The scene with Sakura and Iruka was nice, the teacher is always welcomed as he's one of the kindest characters of the story. Sometimes she gets tired of the flatters to Naruto, she knows that better than anyone, so she also wants to be acknowledged by the progress she made under Tsunade. Anyway, Iruka's words make her think about how much everything has changed since the beginning. Now she's more closer to Naruto, her worries and support allow him to go on. The scene at her room was nice, nostalgic by the memories, and though she misses those times, she acknowledges how things changed, and the memory of Yamato's words tell how her feelings have changed as well. The coincidence of her tear and the shooting star Naruto sees (depicted in the manga), implies like a connection between the two, they want the same thing. And showing Naruto with all Sakura's letters, just implies his deep love for her. Somehow, they are on this together.
The other side of the storyline, shows one of the surviving monks reaching the village. He tells what happened to Tsunade, who then orders to different jonin teams to capture or to kill the Akatsuki, to protect the Land of Fire. Asuma is stunned to learn that Chiriku died (the monk told him), and decides to go to the temple to investigate, accompanied by Shikamaru, Izumo and Kotetsu. Before leaving, he checks on Kurenai's home a last time, while saying someone has to do it. In the road, he tells Shikamaru about how he and Chiriku were two of the twelve shinobi guardians. In the meantime, Kakuzu takes Chiriku's body to collect the bounty, and Hidan refuses to help him. Kakuzu says one day he will kill him, but Hidan knows his threats are useless given that he's immortal. This part shows drama for Asuma. At the beginning, he was showed to avoid smoking for the first time, this is what Kurenai asked him to. And seeing him watching over her one last time is just wonderful. Asuma's storyline is becoming perfect. About Tsunade's order, it's clear that she's taking a risk by sending so many teams without knowing the power of these two Akatsuki. She may trust the jonin's judge, but still, the decision was fearless. One of the teams includes Ino and Choji, who want to prove that Asuma's teaching was worth it. Anyway, future episodes will show what they will be facing.
The other side of the storyline, shows one of the surviving monks reaching the village. He tells what happened to Tsunade, who then orders to different jonin teams to capture or to kill the Akatsuki, to protect the Land of Fire. Asuma is stunned to learn that Chiriku died (the monk told him), and decides to go to the temple to investigate, accompanied by Shikamaru, Izumo and Kotetsu. Before leaving, he checks on Kurenai's home a last time, while saying someone has to do it. In the road, he tells Shikamaru about how he and Chiriku were two of the twelve shinobi guardians. In the meantime, Kakuzu takes Chiriku's body to collect the bounty, and Hidan refuses to help him. Kakuzu says one day he will kill him, but Hidan knows his threats are useless given that he's immortal. This part shows drama for Asuma. At the beginning, he was showed to avoid smoking for the first time, this is what Kurenai asked him to. And seeing him watching over her one last time is just wonderful. Asuma's storyline is becoming perfect. About Tsunade's order, it's clear that she's taking a risk by sending so many teams without knowing the power of these two Akatsuki. She may trust the jonin's judge, but still, the decision was fearless. One of the teams includes Ino and Choji, who want to prove that Asuma's teaching was worth it. Anyway, future episodes will show what they will be facing.
