My impressions of classic

Started great; the Zabuza arc was consistent and with good stakes. I dare to say Naruto had the most solid and fun start of all shonen. We get to see a glimpse of the world of Naruto and the battle system right through a jomnin battle (Kakashi vs Zabuza). Water jutsu, substitution jutsu, summoning jutsu, ice jutsu, fire jutsu, clone jutsu, lightning jutsu... Anyway, it opens with lots of possibilities for the future.

Chunnin exams right next was a bold move; we could have enjoyed a bit more of Team 7 together, but overall it was a good arc. Orochimaru was a good villain. This arc had some inconsistencies, and the writing got less refined, but it was still solid, and the problems were no big deal.

The Konoha invasion was probably my favorite arc; this is where Naruto peaked, and his fight against Gaara was his greatest moment. Unfortunately, it will take until Rasen-Shuriken for us to see that greatness returning again. Another unfortunate event is this is the last time we will see Sasuke as an enjoyable character.

The Tsunade arc was great. I say that because I love her tits, and I love Shizune. Besides, that is a good training arc. I know Naruto beat Kabuto here, and his learning Rasengan was a great moment, but I still think it was forced the way Kabuto was defeated. But I never liked that character, so I forgive Kishi.

Sasuke retrieval arc... Well, to be honest, I didn't like any of the fights (maybe only Neji and Shikamaru). Naruto being treated as a sack of shit from beginning to end was painful to read, and even the Kurama mode, one of the coolest aspects of the classic, was treated as a joke. I really thought Naruto vs Sasuke would redeem it, but honestly it was worse in the manga than in the anime. Yeah, I know the anime jerked off Sasuke, but it's better than lots of nothing between pages. I will give a 7/10 because I think the good things overlap the bad ones, but I think honestly rating it would be 6/10.