It's not exactly a criticism that I'm saying it, but this set of
episodes definitely has a very Dragon Ball Z flavor to it. There have
been some dragged out moments so far in the first forty episodes of the
series as we've seen a few fights go on a bit, or a chase run a bit too
long, but that hasn't been exactly the same thing. What gives this one a
different feeling is that the first four episodes are all about the
face off between Naruto and Orochimaru. It's a slow build to be sure but
it has a certain intensity to it that allows it to work, though I can
imagine it would be infuriating to watch it on a weekly basis. These
four episodes really do whittle down the cast a fair bit, though we do
get a few mild moments of flashbacks that help to expand it a touch for a
minute or two. With the meeting at Tenchi Bridge now having gone
horribly wrong as Orochimaru has seen through Yamato's disguise since he
pulled out a kunai knife to defend himself, the focus has shifted to a
mild verbal sparring sequence between Naruto and Orochimaru. Naruto's
really very singled minded when it comes to what he wants and it's all
about getting Sasuke back when he's got Orochimaru in his sights.
Orochimaru can certainly egg him on easily enough just by saying that
Sasuke is a much tougher opponent than he is, but what gets Naruto is
that Orochimaru refers to Sasuke as “His Sasuke,” and Naruto just can't
take that.
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