This arc is showing Sasuke getting darker and growing terribly evil. What Kishimoto did at the end of Shippuden is really hard to understand. It shouldn't be a spoiler that Sasuke returns to the good side, in the most pathetic unexplainable incoherent way possible, but he does. When Kishimoto wrote all this, did he intended for Sasuke to live? Because the character development at the end turned to be awful, especially considering episodes like this. After killing mercilessly many samurais, now Sasuke faces the Raikage. Their fight is hard, the Uchiha uses chidori, while A is so fast and strong thanks to his lightning armour, that he easily gives him a mortal hit. But this time, what saves Sasuke is Susanoo. For some reason, now he activates such defensive technique with his Mangekyo Sharingan. Then, he uses Amaterasu, and burns another samurai, while A dodges the shots. Then, Sasuke uses the black flames around Susanoo to make a burning defense, but the Raikage doesn't mind, and punches his enemy, breaking part of Susanoo armour, while sacrificing his left arm in the process. Darui impales Suigetsu with his electrified sword, paralyzing him for good. Jugo seems knocked out after the attack from the Raikage on last episode. Shee wakes up from the dark gen jutsu and stands with Darui's help. He can tell that Sasuke's abilities go beyond normal, and thinks that his Amaterasu surpassed Itachi's. Anyway, before the battle can continue, Gaara intervenes, and helps the Raikage from the black flames. During this pause, Temari and Kankuro arrive, while Shee agrees to heal the Raikage's left arm, which was severed given the black flames. Gaara talks to Sasuke, and recognizes the same hatred look he had three years ago at the Chunin exams. He has been in the same darkness, so asks him to leave that path of revenge and hatred, it won't lead him anywhere. Gaara tells him to see a gleam of light on his life. When Sasuke asks what would await him if he returns, Kankuro tells his brother that they are different, while Temari tells that after what he did to the Raikage and the crimes as Akatsuki, there's no future for him. Gaara doesn't answer, and Sasuke then says that he closed his eyes a long time ago, his goal is in the darkness. Gaara finally surrenders his pleas, with a tear on his eye, and starts gathering his sand. With the Raikage recovered, the fight continues: Temari uses her wind and fan, Kankuro his puppet of Sasori that throws venom kunais, Darui his lightning, and Gaara his sand bullets. This time, Sasuke blocks every shot with a more complete taller Susanoo. Shee recognizes the same chakra of the gen jutsu, while Karin also detects the evil and darkness surrounding that technique. She notices that Sasuke is not the same from before, now his chakra is darker and colder. All this only reassures what Temari and Kankuro said. There's no return for Sasuke, he is not the same case as Gaara. He had murdered conciously many samurais, he intended to capture killer B, and now wanted to kill all his enemies around him. He had a moment staring at Gaara, but he closed away, aware that there's no way back. About his new powers, and darker chakra that Karin sees, it's hard to understand. Itachi's Susanoo wasn't like that. Kishimoto added some unexplainable power ups to this character, which casually saved him again. The story becomes each time less realistic. Sasuke should have died already, I know that he deserves another way, but there's no point in making him this powerful out of nothing. He never trained or had much experience using Amaterasu for example. That's a bad point here. The best of the episode was Gaara. He was a monster three years ago, but he was just a boy possesed by the Shukaku. He was traumatized by involuntary murders, and the suffering of not being loved by a father, and by losing his mother. Then, after the battle with Naruto, he decided to change and embrace love, something he had never known on his life. Since Yashamaru's death, Gaara was lost in the dark, but he saw the light, and accepted the his siblings Temari and Kankuro. For Sasuke, the process was different. He got to know love from a family since he was little, but after the tragedy, he was forced to walk away from that. He knows what is the light, a family, yet he doesn't want it, he knows he lost it for good. He is in the dark willingly. Gaara had a small hope because he was in the dark too, and he was saddened to learn that not everyone can be saved. That's reality. That's something Naruto should have learned.
In the meantime, Tobi finishes telling the truth about Itachi to Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto. They struggle to believe it, and if it's true, they don't understand why Sasuke would turn against Konoha instead of following his brother's will. Tobi explains to Kakashi and Naruto that then they never really knew him. Sasuke is an avenger by nature. Naruto thinks that he was manipulated, but Tobi says he wasn't sure of what road Sasuke would follow when he learned the truth. Now he knows it was his destiny given the curse on the Uchiha clan. He tells the story of the Rikudo Sennin, who had two sons: the older who inherited mind and prioritized power; the younger who inherited body and prioritized love. The father gave his legacy to the younger, creating a rift between brothers. Eventually, the descendants of the older brother were the Uchiha, while the descendants of the younger brother were the Senjus. The cursed predestined battle between "brothers" has repeated many times, the last one with Madara and Hashirama. Tobi thinks Sasuke and Naruto are the next. Still, he has plans for Sasuke to bring the Uchiha's existence and legacy. Naruto tells not use him for selfish plans, but Tobi says that he would be selfish too if he intends to change Sasuke to something he is not. Then they talk about Nagato, and Tobi says he was someone easy to influence, he was different to Sasuke, who chose this road by his own will. When Kakashi asks him what's his plan, he says he wants to be complete (and there's a focus on his right eye). They don't understand, so the Uchiha simply tells that in other moment he will explain. After that, he disappears. This part related Obito's reasonable thoughts about Sasuke and Naruto. He called the hero selfish for trying to "rescue" Sasuke despite the path of hatred and revenge he willingly chose. And he described Sasuke very well, he is condemned given his cursed clan. What I didn't like was the story of the Rikudo Sennin. There was no need to add such biblical context to the battles of Hashirama vs Madara, or Naruto vs Sasuke. It was unnecesary. Kishimoto should have left it just with the background of the 1st Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Now, this turns into a fantastic unrealistic tale.
In the meantime, Tobi finishes telling the truth about Itachi to Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto. They struggle to believe it, and if it's true, they don't understand why Sasuke would turn against Konoha instead of following his brother's will. Tobi explains to Kakashi and Naruto that then they never really knew him. Sasuke is an avenger by nature. Naruto thinks that he was manipulated, but Tobi says he wasn't sure of what road Sasuke would follow when he learned the truth. Now he knows it was his destiny given the curse on the Uchiha clan. He tells the story of the Rikudo Sennin, who had two sons: the older who inherited mind and prioritized power; the younger who inherited body and prioritized love. The father gave his legacy to the younger, creating a rift between brothers. Eventually, the descendants of the older brother were the Uchiha, while the descendants of the younger brother were the Senjus. The cursed predestined battle between "brothers" has repeated many times, the last one with Madara and Hashirama. Tobi thinks Sasuke and Naruto are the next. Still, he has plans for Sasuke to bring the Uchiha's existence and legacy. Naruto tells not use him for selfish plans, but Tobi says that he would be selfish too if he intends to change Sasuke to something he is not. Then they talk about Nagato, and Tobi says he was someone easy to influence, he was different to Sasuke, who chose this road by his own will. When Kakashi asks him what's his plan, he says he wants to be complete (and there's a focus on his right eye). They don't understand, so the Uchiha simply tells that in other moment he will explain. After that, he disappears. This part related Obito's reasonable thoughts about Sasuke and Naruto. He called the hero selfish for trying to "rescue" Sasuke despite the path of hatred and revenge he willingly chose. And he described Sasuke very well, he is condemned given his cursed clan. What I didn't like was the story of the Rikudo Sennin. There was no need to add such biblical context to the battles of Hashirama vs Madara, or Naruto vs Sasuke. It was unnecesary. Kishimoto should have left it just with the background of the 1st Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Now, this turns into a fantastic unrealistic tale.
