And after a week of nothing but Tsubasa, I return to this not quite crap anymore. Better transform and roll out.
Ooh, nice cover spread there, Kishi. Interesting character designs. Too bad all but 4 of them are dead, all but one of those having been done in off-panel before Shippuden even started. Yeah, fantastic middle finger there.
Apparently, Naruto is learning to jump on air. He's not done yet, but we don't get to see what happens next. Instead, we get to see Iruka nearly get pwned in the face by a Pain. Kakashi steps in just in time. The fight commences, and at some point Pain uses the Rin'nengan to dodge Raikiri somehow, despite being pinned to the wall. Then he knocks Kakashi back with either his eye or the Force.
Cut to Naruto.
Yeah, Fukusaku. Why so serious?
Apparently it's because Sage Mode is "risky." Since you have to hold still to use it, it's basically useless in one-on-one battles. Thanks to that, Naruto's been nerfed back to Sasuke inferiority once again. Luckily, this can be fixed if Fukusaku and "Ma" just sit on his shoulders and gather energy for him. Until they get killed off by someone, of course.
Back to Konoha, where we learn that the Pain Piercings (or at least the bars that go in 'em) are chakra receivers, meaning that either that's how the eye works or Nagato is another freaking puppet master. Well, everybody has to get moving because one of the Pains is a firin' his lazer... out of his skull.
Tsunade has finally noticed that Pain is in her village, breakin her stuff. This means she's almost 2 full chapters slow on the uptake. Her first course of action is, of course, to call Naruto back. Been nice knowing you, Konoha.
