And now we get to some of the best fighting scenes in all of Naruto. It's Naruto vs Gaara, moving from Gaara's partial transformation into full demon possession.

One of the most interesting aspects of these mangas is how Kishimoto conveniently kept Naruto from seeing Sasuke's real powers, as well as the reverse. They're both so confident they know what's going on, so when Sasuke finally sees Naruto let loose with a shitload of chakra and the truly gigantic summoned toad, I shivered as much as if I were Sasuke, stunned speechless.

It just goes to show, no matter how close two friends (or rivals) are, there's always room for real surprise.

Definitely one of my favorite volumes. ( )

The long-awaited Gaara backstory has arrived.

I remember it cruuushing me as a kid when I got to this part of the anime (I stopped watching early into season 3, I think, so I didn't get much further than this). The scene had an even greater impact on me this time, not only because Gaara is my favorite character, but because I have a better understanding of the juxtaposition between him and Naruto now as an adult, rather than when I was a kid. Naruto might have started off the same way, but he was able to make friends and find a reason to fight, other than for himself. Plus, Gaara has the whole insomnia thing to contend with, which further diminishes his coping abilities.

Sasuke's surprise at Naruto's summoning skills was also great. It's been a while since his days of looking down on Naruto, but it's still satisfying to see others impressed by Naruto sometimes. ( )

i like it

Gaara grows ever more innervated warts.