[ronin myael]

Originally Posted by Sabaku Kyu

However, one thing to remember is that the story is mostly told from the perspective of the heroes. Usually villains are only featured when encountering the good guys. 9/10 times this will during be some sort of battle, so it's really to be expected that this is often the time the mangaka will take time to give background about them.

Sure, there are some non-action "breather" moments that focus on the villains like in Part I where we saw Kabuto and Oro alone in their hideout discussing events that foreshadowed the debut of Itachi and the rest of Akatsuki. But overall, flashbacks are easier and more entertaining than pure exposition, even if they do disrupt the fights.

i'd rather have the story arc start slow and then pick up pace than have the buildup cut because of a flashback that has very little to do with the main plot. i also prefer some foreshadowing and just have the story unfold than have flashbacks tell key parts of the story, but that's just a matter of preference.

i have nothing against flashbacks in general though. in fact, i enjoyed that storytelling scene between tobi and sasuke where the former tells about "his" life as madara and the truth about the uchiha clan. i thought kishi did that well. besides, that sort of story needs to be told through that manner. i actually prefer having characters literally tell their stories than just have random flashbacks while the characters are in the middle of a fight. i can understand other people's complaints about flashbacks, naruto has far too many of them for my liking. some are even unnecessary.