I'm getting in on this thread for sure.
W...T...FFFFFFFFF!!!!?!?!?
Ok, to start at one arbitrary problem. Minato, who I loved, has been completely embarrassed by the gross display that is Madara. Madara's power has completely changed the story. Whatever the Juubi was, whatever Tobi has in store, it literally cannot be more powerful than Madara. I am now sure that Madara could call down enough meteors to actually destroy the planet. Naruto? Great, he is fast and still only has one real offensive ability... Madara? He can kill just about anybody in 100 different ways. The fact that the kages are alive is also unforgivable.
Next, what is Izanami? I mean, really, it is just tsukuyomi. You can say it is "reality," but I don't see how, as Kabuto is standing there dazed, and tsukuyomi almost killed Kakashi. It is just a bogus jutsu that Kishi needed to dredge up in order to explain why Itachi needs to be around. Furthermore, and back to Madara, who CARES about the Sharringan anymore? We know it is just a half-baked rinnengan now. Not that the rinnengan has ever REALLY had its abilities and limitations spelled out for us. Oh, boohoo, the Uchiha tablet. WHO CARES WHAT IT SAYS ON THE UCHIHA TABLET???? The fact is, Madara took out two mountains this chapter. This ain't the chunin exams no more!
Next, Tobi. Completely unthreatening now. He has been fighting Naruto for a while, I guess, and he has been unable to beat/capture him. See, he used to be such a threat, because every time anybody got near to him, it was game over. Now, he is just another empty threat.
Next, Edo Tensei. I said it from the start, I DON'T CARE ABOUT ZOMBIE NINJAS! I am going to quote the great American author William Faulkner on this one:
"He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion."
Mainly the defeats and victories bit: None of these Zetsu clones, and none of these zombies, and none of the nameless allied shinobi who have died MATTER AT ALL TO ME! I don't care, because they are not real characters, or, they are characters begging for death/release. Therefore, the victories are just "YAY! We are back where we started!"
Same with Orochimaru/Kabuto, now that I think of it! The line has been blurred between whether it is Kabuto or Oro, so really, he is just another character who has been dealt with already in the story! And I am sorry, but interjecting Nagato's story into Kabuto's past is not going to make him anymore of a sympathetic character.
Next, Sasuke. I am sorry, but I just cannot believe that Sasuke is seriously still angry, or that Naruto could possibly care anymore. Now, had Sasuke killed Anko, Kakashi, Bee, Tsunade, and Sakura, THEN we would see somebody who was a serious stretch for Naruto to forgive. BUT WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN HIM FORGIVE NAGATO! WHO KILLED EVERYBODY!!!! Sasuke cannot be worse than that!
I hate that the sharringan has been ruined. I hate that we will never get a good explanation about the Senju and Uchiha, or the paths of Nagato, or the Uchiha tablet, or Gedo Maza, or Root. I hate the Kin Gin Bros. All these cool mysterious things, will get the stupid rush that Kabuto's "story" got.
You want my honest opinion? Pain was supposed to be the final villain. Think about it, he is related to Naruto, he has the most advanced eyes, he had gedo maza... The only explanation is that Kishi got more money to extend the series. But by now, not even the creator is putting in the minimum effort. For shame.
End this travesty that I have sadly been following for SIX YEARS! What a complete shame.