I liked this episode, despite the fact it felt like they wasted a bit of time before and after to get the cliffhanger just right. It's so nice to watch Naruto episodes knowing you are going to enjoy them...

The Pain zombies now seem indeed weakened. Still, you can hardly say Naruto's timing was perfect considering he arrived after the whole village was demolished even if it helps with his fight against Pain.

So, Hinata was in Konoha, but we never saw her fight? Someone capable of disrupting chakra flow fighting against someone remote controlled by a chakra flow could have been interesting. Although a Pain zombie might have been too much out of her league in any case so maybe it was better this way.