Simplify the answers... throughout Part 1 or otherwise, has been overcomplicated and contradictory. If kishi had stayed with a strategic and suppenceful storyline. He might have done a lot better, even with the lack of development for the other characters. Still It would have helped to see Naruto master/perform a water-sytle tech. or see hinata do 64 palms while trying to protect Naruto from Pain. One better seeing Sakura use a genjutsu tech., or learning slug sage mode whether it be complete or the like is fine with me. Just food for thought cooldown on the freakin' flashbacks!
It's like making rice, undercooked almost nobody will eat that; overcooked some people will eat but many more will throw it out.