Alright well, amidst all the fighting and Akatsuki this and Akatsuki that (even though it's interesting to see how this goes), I do believe the most valuable two points made in this chapter came from both Sai and Danzou, ironically.

First off, this is playing out like Star Wars all over again. Person in front loses power, one sneaks in and gains power little by little, all of a sudden, it's an empire and the person in charge becomes an unstoppable force. Darth Danzou has quickly taken control of the situation just by acting like he's a good leader. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. So who will come to the rescue? Will Sasuke attack, or will Gaara play a role in the changing times?

Also, I'm keen on my new theory that Danzou might actually STILL be danzou and NOT madara. I get the feeling that Danzou's sharingan is actually from Obito, considering he DOES head root and is in charge of disposing many of the fallen's bodies...

Secondly, way to go, Sai! You have officially blown Naruto's cover and completely CB'ed Hinata's purpose in this second season. Not only does Naruto conveniently forget all of Hinata's doings during the fight with Pain, but now Naruto's cover to Sakura is completely broken, and Sai leads her into what may be a shifting emotional breakthrough. You know, for someone who's obsessively been in love with someone who has been gone forever, the next obvious option always seems to be right in front of them...

Now, from a partially bias Naru-Hina perspective... this sucks. A lot. And I'm sure a lot of Sasu-Saku fans may now be biting their fingernails (I know a few, so It'll be interesting discussing this chapter with them). But hey, I don't earn the money, I don't write the chapters. Leave your opinions, and we'll just stay tuned til next week!

~skye.