I used to really like the manga / anime. Not the story in particular (minus the Zabusa arc, that was great and maybe set my expectations too high, Kakashi's gaiden was pretty cool too) but the setting itself was very fun to think about. And there were plenty of interesting side characters introduced.
But boy did the series really, really drag on. You could feel how at least every other chapter was only there to milk more money for Jump and/or appeal to edgy teens with DARKNESS (...and girls with big boobs and revealing/enhancing clothing, but I don't mind those... I think Naruto single handedly gave me a fishnet fetish
).
But the ending was fairly okay. Looks like almost all the characters got married and had children. Good pairings too. And Naruto ended up as Hokage and got best girl (Hinata) as his wife. To nobody's surprise. His daugther is super cute too
I was greatly amused that Kakashi went and had his head on the hokage monument include his face mask. God damn, what his face looks like has been a mystery since the first couple chapters and we still don't know.
Seems there will be a bunch of side stories next year, first being about now retired Kakashi and Gai going on a wild journey around the world. I'm actually excited. This is what the series should have been.
Now, for no reason in particular, enjoy these images of the best pair.I cried like a girl at this scene for the record.