This was actually pretty damn good volume.

Shikamaru and Asuma along with a few other ninjas go to take on two of the members of the Akatsuki. This time they face off against a member who can't die and basically becomes a voodoo like doll to inflict pain on others. A fast paced volume with a lot of people on the verge of death the entire time. Naruto is also working on his super training and we might see results soon.

Overall emotional arc with a ton of payoff. Probably the best arc in this second half of naruto so far. A 4 out of 5.