Post-pain struggles: Balancing power, story, and Sasuke After Pain arc, Kishimoto had to find a new big bad to bring the heat and raise the stakes. So go figure, Obito, Madara and Kaguya.

Clearly, Naruto challenged Kishimoto in some big ways, but its most difficult arc came courtesy of Pain. The invasion really marked a shift in Naruto’s life and the future of the Hidden Leaf.

After Pain arc, Kishimoto had to find a new big bad to bring the heat and raise the stakes. So go figure, Obito, Madara and Kaguya. Right there, a weird pacing problem, because we needed to keep ...