I don't mind the fillers, to be completely honest. I assume Kishi OK's the fillers before they're aired so they don't change his story. If that's true, I think Kishi is like me, nostalgic, and likes using the flashbacks to to help the flow of emotion through the story. Or I'm just reading into it too much.
Plus, the original episodes really give a look into the story as a whole where as these new, quick fillers give a look into mr. grumpy's (Sauske's) mind. His inner monologues were more prominent in the recent episode. That might just be though.
Finally, the wait makes me that much eager for the war. Patience is a virtue.