Despite the fact that I really want Naruto to kill Sasuke (this isn't some sort of hate campaign against him, I love both characters), I wasn't as dissapointed with his decision as I'd expected to be. At least he's got to the stage where he's accepting he's going to need to kill Sasuke, albeit he wants to die the same time. It's a step up from saving him. Maybe in the future he'll be a little bit more mature and realise he simply needs to kill him. Maybe he'll learn the Death God technique and seal Sasuke inside him, thus dying the same time? I'd still prefer a Flying Thunder God behind Sasuke, and then hitting him with a Rasenshruiken, but whatever.
This could get interesting, though. We'll finally be returning to the Leaf village. Kakashi will be acting Hokage (like Shikaku and some of the others had initially wanted), we'll get some sort of status update on Tsunade, we'll see how much of Konoha's been rebuilt. The Konoha 11 will have finally upped their game to the level of the Kakashi-like Jounins (I hope!), after the invasion, all realising they're going to need to be more powerful should anything like it ever happen again. And especially with the Fourth War coming.
This'll be the first time there's been a sort of, recovery period, in which Sakura and Naruto are together to train. It isn't like he'll be wandering off this time. Would be nice to see them improve the way they co-operate in battle and such. Hmm speaking of, something just occured to me. If an attack hits Naruto, and he has clones out, but it's his main body that's hit, does the injury appear on the clone? And if it does, can Sakura heal a clone, and then have Naruto dispell it to feel the effects?
I'm predicting Shikamaru and Temari co-ordinating efforts between Konoha and Suna quite a lot, with the Five Village Alliance achieved. Maybe Chouji and the chubbier of Tsuchikage's bodyguards will bond over barbecue... ?_?
I still think Kakashi would make a better leader for it though, or Gaara. But at the same time it seems the Raikage has more experience with war as well. Who knows.
I'm expecting Shikamaru to be an amazing strategist in this conflict. All that shougi playing will pay off. Hoping to see some more of Hinata and Neji. I'd like to see how much their Byukagan has improved. Or even Ino, to see if she's not as useless. In fact, apart from Shikamaru, in the few appearances the rest of the Konoha 11 have made in Shippuuden, there's not really been any significant evidence of their improvements. Hell, even Konohamaru's had more than that. I think it's time Kishi makes the manga grasp its darker potential. Let's have some powerful (I'm talking Special Jounin level, not Naruto/Sasuke ;P) kids, that actually look like the generation that are going to inherit the Will of Fire. He did a far better job of showing that at the end of Part 1, with the elite team they gathered to bring back Sasuke. That's who I want to be shown in this war.
There's so much potential here. I kind of want Madara and Akatsuki to gather another village or something now so the other characters have some "cannon-fodder" enemies to demonstrate their powers on. Maybe he has the Hidden Grass in his pocket, or something? I wondered about the Tsuchikage siding with him (prior to Madara's appearance at the summit). But that doesn't seem likely now, given the way he got attacked on sight. Maybe he'll gather the remmnants of Orochimaru's Sound Village. There's potential in that, given that Sasuke freed them...
I'm going off topic now, aren't I? :L