this was a good episode...hmph.


the naruto/sakura vs. kakashi fight ending was pretty weak. i was hoping that they would try to make kakashi use his sharingan and large scale attacks to wear him down. he looked pretty winded after using the three attacks in a row like that. naruto didn't really show anything new. so how is tsunade going to judge where he is at in terms of before and after the training? i guess he did show the major trait that a chuunin should have, assessing the situation and forming a plan to complete the objective of the mission (at least that's what it looked like they based shikamaru's promotion on).

obviously the gaara vs. deidara fight was the highlight of the episode. the homing missles were pretty badass. it doesn't look like either ninja is using much strategy, basically using direct attacks. gaara's strength and power is undeniable, but it looks like deidara's speed and experience is going to require him to use some planning if he wants to win.