I was worried for a while there that Neiji and Choji had died....Well, more about Neiji than Choji, but regardless...I think that perhaps new life has been breathed into both characters (no pun intended), as both showed how powerful they had become in they're individual fights against the Sounds.

Neiji has shown that he (like Garaa) has learned a great deal from Naruto, and has drastically changed his view on life, as well as some of his fighting style (getting up from the point of death and crushing the sound was a tremendous part of this season, IMO).

Choji has a new look (though if it'll last or not has yet to be seen), I think it's a very drastic change that fits him and represents the culmination of his character growth (showing him as a kid, being picked on for being fat, etc.) And in the end killing the sound in such a cool way earned him points in my book....the first actual points for him, actually.

However, both's individual fights left me thinking maybe they're fights were a last shining moment for each character, to perhaps replace them with Hinata and Lee...or Shino...not to mention the new opening originally left me believing they were dead, up until the change with them now in it. I'm glad to see both are still alive, they both have a place in the series.