@Plane I actually knew of that interview, but here's the thing. Had it not been for what came in-between, the ending would have been so much better. There were many plot holes, with things such as Akatsuki's very existence not getting acknowledged at all. This is clearly the exact same thing Kishi had written back in 2006. But with all the things in-between, Kishi would've HAD to update it to make it more consistent. You'd think with things like Guy being crippled and the arms of Naruto and Sasuke that the story WAS updated, but that was just art and Kishi only had the text and story back in 2006. The possible only exception to this is Neji's death, but even this I actually saw coming ages ago. A worthy comparison is the ending of HIMYM. The writers had the series finale planned back in Season 2. But then there was all the stuff in-between: Robin and Barney sealing the deal and Tracy's onscreen and offscreen development within Seasons 3-9 all looked to benefit the series, but then IN THE SERIES FINALE Robin shreds the contracts and Tracy starts fertilizing daffodils just so Robin and Ted could (inconsistently) get to bond over a blue French horn again. It makes you wonder what those seven seasons were there for in the first place, since the ending ignored all character development, resulting in heavy backlash. Pretty much the same thing happened here. And that's why it's getting the same exact backlash. But unlike HIMYM, Naruto isn't bonded by a crazy nonlinear order, ultimately making it even worse to digest.
@22Blake22 Your guess is as good as mine. Like I said; there were a lot of plot holes. I think that after he saw Guruguru die he returned to Konoha and just lived out live like normal. If it were me I'd have put him in at the scene with Kakashi and Guy.
@Airnaruto What ARE you babbling about? As for the boycott thing, I highly doubt that. They don't care as long as they're getting payed, unless there was some SERIOUS corporate inferno. Plus I tried looking it up and all I got was Takeuchi appearing at some convention.