With this episode starts a streak where each one contains flashbacks, often unnecesary. I think they can be skipped, so they don't influence much on the rating. What's important is the plotline: Sakura, Kiba, Lee and Sai continue their search for Sasuke. Lee tells her that they should have told Naruto the truth, but she denies it, there was no way. Kiba thinks she is understimating Naruto. Here it's clear that Sakura was right, no one knows her partner better than her. Besides, Naruto's reaction and collapse after learning what Sai told him, and then Gaara's news, proved Sakura's decision. A while later, Kiba detects the trail more close, so Sakura tells to stop. She asks him where it is, and Kiba points at the north, so she attempts to throw a sleep bomb to them. Anyway, Sai was aware, and stops her. He explains what Sakura is trying to do, and the others complain because they were after Sasuke together. Sai also tells that he already warned Kakashi as he knows the four are no match for Sasuke and Tobi, so they aren't going anywhere. Kiba us upset because he still wants to finish Sasuke, and Lee agrees. Sai uses ink snakes to stop them, so Kiba and Akamaru charge at Sai, and then Lee follows. But Sakura takes the chance, and throws three bombs to make them fall asleep. She is sorry, but she is determined to do this alone. Here, Sakura's decision was sort of extreme, but at the same time, she was trying to protect the three of them. She brought Lee and Kiba, she wouldn't have them killed by Sasuke. She didn't want to wait for Kakashi, it was something she was determined to do alone, to protect Naruto and Konoha, in a way she could. Meanwhile, Sai's clone who was guiding Kakashi disappears after updating him and telling to hurry up. Kakashi realizes how much Sakura has progressed. As she keeps running, the flashbacks are shown and she thinks back about Sasuke: the time she started to like him, from a young age (and realized that many other girls liked him). The moments when she was assigned to team 7, and she was pleased just to see his profile. But then, she slowly began to realize that she never knew him at all, the darkness inside of him. She recalls how he rebuffed her worries and told her to stay out after being biten by Orochimaru. She realized that Naruto somehow knew about his darkness, when the two fought on the hospital roof. The flashbacks of Sasuke's departure and Sakura's late pleas, along the scene of Naruto's promise are also showed (unfortunately). She tells that when she realized how tragic was his past, the true meaning of his revenge, it was late. Sakura also thinks how Sasuke and Naruto were far away from her on skills, power, strength, so she tried to catch them on her own, by training with Tsunade. Then she recalls the time they found Sasuke again after so long, but she realized that he was a different person from the one they knew. Now, she remembers her talk to Naruto, she is sorry but she is also grateful, she wants to do what she told him back at the hospital three years ago, that this time, she won't be a burden, she is determined to end this herself. This part served to remember some of Sakura's past on the first part of Naruto. Most people agree that she was written terribly given her crush on Sasuke, she almost showed no self goals, no personality to pursue a future. She was made a common girl with no special skills "in love" with the bad boy. Anyway, it's also reminded that she finally focused on growing and training for a future when she started training with Tsunade. She did this to catch up with her teammates, but was inspired by Naruto, she didn't want to stay behind him, and feel like he was alone trying to retrieve Sasuke. Another point about the flashbacks is that basically proves how Sakura's "love" is based on anything besides liking his physical features. Because she admitted, she never really knew him, and even when they found him at Orochimaru's arid hideout, he was different. All this tells, proves how superficial or meaningless is her supposed love for Sasuke. The flashbacks serve to remember that the twelve year old Sakura didn't share nothing meaningful with Sasuke. She tried to make him open to her, to be a confidant, a friend, a girlfriend, but he never wanted that. He called her annoying (more than once), and always told her to stay out of his business, she would never understand him, no one could. He didn't care if she felt hurt. He only showed some care when she stopped him after he broke Zaku's arms, the time she was trapped by Gaara, and on that last farewell, where he thanked her for all. This tells that Sasuke did appreciate at some point how much she worried about him, but he also didn't want nothing more. He told her that he is not like her and Naruto, he is different, on a path of revenge, which became a path deep into the darkness. Then, of course, three years passed, and things change. Children grow up. Sasuke grew in hate and anger next to Orochimaru and Kabuto. Sakura grew in the happy peaceful Konoha, with Tsunade and her parents, and when Naruto returned, with him. Time, distance, closing stages are behind Sakura's determination to kill Sasuke. Because even if she cannot make it, her determination here is evidence of how much she grew. The twelve year old girl would never even think about killing Sasuke. But the sixteen year old shinobi, trained by Tsunade the 5th Hokage is different. She is not naïve anymore, she is aware of the delicate situation, and Naruto's intentions despite that he puts himself in danger (and trouble) for Sasuke. She knows that the boy she used to like and care has done terrible things, and became an international criminal. But she is mature enough to make the right decision, for Naruto and Konoha's sake. Shikamaru, Sai, Gaara all understand this. And so she.
Then, at the bridge, Obito decides to retrieve Danzo's body, after staring at the explosion caused by his last technique. He orders Sasuke to take a rest (the Uchiha already wanted to go to Konoha), that he has used his eyes too much. He sends Danzo to the other dimension, and suggests Sasuke to eliminate Karin, now she is a burden. Then, he leaves in order to retrieve Shisui's eye from Danzo. Sasuke starts walking slowly to Karin, who is still lying on the floor, fatally wounded by his stab to Danzo. As he gets closer, Karin remembers the time where he helped her at the Chunin exams at the forest of death: after protecting her from a big bear, he saw she had an earth scroll, and smiled because he didn't need it. She wishes to see him smile like then, but it's clear he won't. He prepares his chidori, and just when he is about to kill her, Sakura appears on the other extreme of the bridge. She sees Sasuke again, but realizes that now he is even more different than before, she feels it. Still, when Sasuke asks what she is doing there, she answers that she wants to desert Konoha and join him. Here it's clear what is happening, she intends to trick him in order to get a chance to kill him. She hided a painful truth to Naruto, put to sleep to Kiba, Lee and Sai, and now she is deceiving again. After all, Sasuke doesn't know how much she changed. The end of the episode is made this way to intrigue. Then, there are two other things to comment. First, Karin's flashback implies that she was at Konoha during Naruto's first part. But looks like some time after, Orochimaru recruited her somehow. This is a question Kishimoto should have answered, Karin needed a background story, and more if she is from Uzumaki clan. The other thing is Obito's encharge. When Sasuke stabbed Danzo and Karin at the same time, he called her a burden for letting herself trap by the enemy. And when Obito saw this, he was pleased. Now, given the order, he is giving Sasuke a small push to get even more into darkness, and hatred. Obito is evil. And Sasuke, who shows no regret or mercy to kill a young girl who has saved his life more than once, is being a cruel man. This is not about vengeance, or hate, Karin is just an innocent colleague who was willing to protect him with her life. It's strange still that Sakura casually appeared when he was about to finish off Karin. It's like Kishimoto didn't want to show the Sasuke after killing someone like Karin. Would he feel regretful? Or he wouldn't care anyway, like a cold blooded villain? Looks like it was the last option. It's incredible, there's no way back for him. The end of Shippuden doesn't mean anything considering moments like this.
Then, at the bridge, Obito decides to retrieve Danzo's body, after staring at the explosion caused by his last technique. He orders Sasuke to take a rest (the Uchiha already wanted to go to Konoha), that he has used his eyes too much. He sends Danzo to the other dimension, and suggests Sasuke to eliminate Karin, now she is a burden. Then, he leaves in order to retrieve Shisui's eye from Danzo. Sasuke starts walking slowly to Karin, who is still lying on the floor, fatally wounded by his stab to Danzo. As he gets closer, Karin remembers the time where he helped her at the Chunin exams at the forest of death: after protecting her from a big bear, he saw she had an earth scroll, and smiled because he didn't need it. She wishes to see him smile like then, but it's clear he won't. He prepares his chidori, and just when he is about to kill her, Sakura appears on the other extreme of the bridge. She sees Sasuke again, but realizes that now he is even more different than before, she feels it. Still, when Sasuke asks what she is doing there, she answers that she wants to desert Konoha and join him. Here it's clear what is happening, she intends to trick him in order to get a chance to kill him. She hided a painful truth to Naruto, put to sleep to Kiba, Lee and Sai, and now she is deceiving again. After all, Sasuke doesn't know how much she changed. The end of the episode is made this way to intrigue. Then, there are two other things to comment. First, Karin's flashback implies that she was at Konoha during Naruto's first part. But looks like some time after, Orochimaru recruited her somehow. This is a question Kishimoto should have answered, Karin needed a background story, and more if she is from Uzumaki clan. The other thing is Obito's encharge. When Sasuke stabbed Danzo and Karin at the same time, he called her a burden for letting herself trap by the enemy. And when Obito saw this, he was pleased. Now, given the order, he is giving Sasuke a small push to get even more into darkness, and hatred. Obito is evil. And Sasuke, who shows no regret or mercy to kill a young girl who has saved his life more than once, is being a cruel man. This is not about vengeance, or hate, Karin is just an innocent colleague who was willing to protect him with her life. It's strange still that Sakura casually appeared when he was about to finish off Karin. It's like Kishimoto didn't want to show the Sasuke after killing someone like Karin. Would he feel regretful? Or he wouldn't care anyway, like a cold blooded villain? Looks like it was the last option. It's incredible, there's no way back for him. The end of Shippuden doesn't mean anything considering moments like this.
