This arc was a sign of things to come.The pacing is slow compared to previous arcs. In terms of volumes, the arc isn't that long (seven volumes), but the battles end up feeling somewhat formulaic. The arc commits the major sin of you as a reader just waiting for the inevitable conclusion (Naruto fighting Sasuke), and the battles before that aren't inventive enough to compensate, nor do they have any connection to the main plot or its themes. Every fight that isn't the Naruto VS Sasuke fight at the end is pure padding. You could cut it down to "Sasuke leaves the village, Naruto chases after him, and they fight" and nothing changes.
