This arc is going great. Surely brings a sensation to the viewer: there's no need to watch all the filler episodes of Naruto, skip most of them and reach Shippuden fast. After the news flew to Konoha, the team rushes to the Sand village to aid them. It's obvious why they must go there: despite the risk of Naruto, there won't be a better team considering how close they are to Gaara, and the reality of Akatsuki. The team encounter Temari and update her, they rushes to reach their destiny. In the way, Temari learns that Naruto is the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, so she realizes how similar he's with Gaara. Also, Sakura starts to understand Naruto's reality. Looks like she knew about the Kyuubi, but now she hears it from him. By flashbacks, seems that the village and her parents made her see Naruto as the boy with the Fox inside him. As a child, Sakura seemed curious, but seemingly her parents and everyone around made her treat Naruto the way she did when the story started. But she never knew or understood the reality until now. She knew the person he truly was thanks to being on team 7, and only now she'll realize what means for Naruto to have the Fox inside him. This is important because nobody in Konoha understands this, only Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, Kaakshi, and probably Iruka know the danger the protagonist is. As they hurry, Naruto recalls why rescuing Gaara is so important to him, tears fall from his face while imagining the Kazekage's solitude. Naruto at least had Iruka, and team 7, then Jiraiya, but Gaara, no other than his siblings. Temari silently thanks him for this, now she knows why Gaara changed his ways. This was the best part of the episode. Then, Sakura eats a food pill against Kakashi's wishes (he realized that they respect him much less than before), and tells Naruto that she has been investigating about Itachi, and his affiliation to Akatsuki. Only now she knows why Sasuke left the village, and so she thinks that while getting closer to the organization, they'll get closer to Orochimaru and Sasuke. Naruto agrees, and she thinks how Itachi already tortured his brother and now Naruto. I didn't like much this part, first, because this mission is to rescue Gaara, the rest of the people including Sasuke should be left out. People including me grew tired of Sasuke. Orochimaru will have no part on this entire first arc, which is about the jinchuriki and the Akatsuki, fortunately. At least, Sakura hopes to save both of them.
Meanwhile, a sand squad retrieves an injured Kankuro, but they can't find a cure to the poison. The rest of the squad follows the chase but they are all killed of screen by Sasori. Kankuro warns Baki about Sasori, who is remembered in the village as a puppet master who deserted. Baki visits the wise old persons in Suna, Chiyo and her brother. Turns out the old Chiyo is Sasori's grandmother. This is an important fact, given what will be revealed about Sasori's childhood with his grandma. Plus, she has a sense of humour, as she jokes by pretending she died, to her brother's surprise. Shippuden started really well, finally was showed some of the Sand Village. We were told that there are five countries, five villages, and we only met Konoha, and a town from the Hidden Mist Village, I always thought, what about the rest?
Meanwhile, a sand squad retrieves an injured Kankuro, but they can't find a cure to the poison. The rest of the squad follows the chase but they are all killed of screen by Sasori. Kankuro warns Baki about Sasori, who is remembered in the village as a puppet master who deserted. Baki visits the wise old persons in Suna, Chiyo and her brother. Turns out the old Chiyo is Sasori's grandmother. This is an important fact, given what will be revealed about Sasori's childhood with his grandma. Plus, she has a sense of humour, as she jokes by pretending she died, to her brother's surprise. Shippuden started really well, finally was showed some of the Sand Village. We were told that there are five countries, five villages, and we only met Konoha, and a town from the Hidden Mist Village, I always thought, what about the rest?
