Spinning off from this ask, I wanted to talk about what I love about Naruto as a series, and my feelings for Part One and Part Two.
I know a lot of people who fell off for Part Two of the manga, and for a while I was one of them. When I did a big read through my feelings changed, and I came to really appreciate what the back half of the series was doing, and how consistent its themes were. Naruto is a story about Love and Compassion and Understanding, and it stays true to that. There are some moments it wavers -- Kabuto's resolution is fascinating and complicated for me, and I think the misogyny straight up jumped out when Naruto hit us with this:
Like, what? Obito who wiped out tens of thousands of people in the war is The Coolest Guy but Kaguya is Just Evil? You're not going to give her a chance to share her tragic backstory when we even know Madara's or Orochimaru's? Okay!
These are my biggest hangups with the back half of Naruto, past the complicated feelings about Neji's story which I have, of course, discussed a length ... but again, this as a story of breaking cycles and trying to approach people with compassion first is something that I think works beautifully alongside Naruto as a character's development into this sage-like being who unites people. It's really lovely.
I also think Kishimoto is pretty good with pacing, especially compared to the average battle shōnen mangaka. A story as full as Naruto's is only 700 chapters and the use of a Part One/Part Two structure feels like it actually serves the story. In Part One Naruto is young and learning things; in Part Two he is ready to enter the world as an actual player who will meaningfully change things. To elaborate:
Part One has a certain anthology feeling (you can tell this is the kind of story he wanted to tell) but there's still a clear emotional thread throughout, both in Naruto's development and his understanding of the ninja world, and in his relationships with his comrades, with his emotional ties to Sasuke of course being handled very well. Each arc has battles which grow markedly in strength, with each one presenting a certain ideology he has to grapple with -- ending with a final battle with Sasuke whom he can't sway. It's both an ending and an invitation for further exploration, and that's great!
Part Two takes this groundwork and expands the story into two core narratives, one of Naruto's growth, and the other of Sasuke's. They rarely meet but their actions influence each other. The backdrop for their respective development is the growing threat of the Akatsuki, which is consistent through to the war arc, since of course Madara was the real impetus and power behind everything, not Pain. The Akatsuki kill Gaara to show the stakes are higher; they invade Konoha to show their power is world-ending; they start a war because they are that serious -- and we need to see a big war, because war has haunted and shaped the history and narrative of the ninja world leading to this point.
Like Part One, there's a good escalation in the battles and what they ask of Naruto (and Sasuke.) Each of the Akatsuki encounters give us more ideology to work with, and unlike Part One where most of our Disenfranchised People were individuals who had been victims of the ninja world but weren't yet in a position to really continue the abuse on a meaningful level, in Part Two our Disenfranchised People are nuke-level threats who are trying to actively perpetuate cycles of hatred. They become increasingly powerful, and their targets wider in scope, their ideologies deeper and harder to counter. Sakura and Chiyo can offer Sasori a kind of sad peace, to die in the arms of his parents as he was once held by them, and Sasori is willing to help them in thanks. Madara, in contrast, will not let anyone sway him from his path; he is an immovable object to Naruto's unstoppable force and he needs to be Deus Ex Machina'd out of the plot.
I think it's actually very honest to say there are hearts you can't change, but for sake of Naruto's ultimate message, I appreciate that the final battle is a smaller scale one: just Naruto and Sasuke, finally resolving their parallel narratives in a confrontation that ends in a testament to the Power of Love and Compassion and Understanding, which, again, I really like. It's so simple, and that's what really resonates for me.
Emotional payoff of the century is Sasuke finally hearing Naruto and responding in kind as he finally allows himself the self-compassion of empathy. Sob ...
It really does impress me how consistent all this is and how naturally the narrative flows, and again how Kishimoto manages to do it all in only 700 chapters. Possibly not everyone would say that's an 'only' number but seriously, there is no real filler in the manga. Using 'filler' less in the anime sense (there can't be non-canon material in a canon thing) but more in the sense that pretty much all the arcs, character beats, and battles exist to develop the endgame. It moves at a steady clip and I think a lot of people don't appreciate this unless they do a big read. The war arc is definitely the longest stretch and I know it lost a lot of people and war as a subject is very grim and exhausting so that doesn't help, nor does the backdrop of endless bare churned earth, but ... I think its ambition is necessary. It also does stay pretty to the point like the rest of the series. Except the useless Gold and Silver brothers. Add them to the list of things I don't like. That was a real ball drop, @ Kishimoto.
I wouldn't call it my favourite arc, but it gives me plenty to think about, which I do like. I think ultimately, if I can write at length about something, and it isn't actively infuriating me, I'm pretty content.
Naruto has remained a popular series and a big part of this is its very interesting setting and likeable characters which make for a great sandbox, but I also like to think that it being a story about connecting people and connecting to people also plays a part. After all, Naruto as a character is forgiven for being a battle manga protagonist whose strongest weapon is his Talk no Jutsu, and it's nice to see diplomacy and compassion get to win out.