Good discussion. Here's what I feel regarding certain points. 1) The powerscaling part is something I want to avoid when it comes to Itachi and Naruto or any character because that just opens a whole different can of worms. 2) I think Space's comment on Konan and Jiraiya is something I'd disagree on. Konan blew in paper form and this was her version of Deidara's ultimate explosion jutsu. Obito couldn't bring her back even if he wanted to. As for Jiraiya, I don't think most people were actually upset he didn't return. His returning would create a great reunion between him, Minato, and Naruto. On the other hand, it would cheapen his death and Naruto's understanding of pain and loss. That got shat on quickly in Boruto, though. Just another reason to lock the sequel in Pandora's box and dump it in the ocean. 3) Gaara's mother did love him. I'll agree with Monty on this one. Plus, his backstory and overall arc getting a massive closure was actually pretty good. He even is a popular character who got this treatment considering he is one of the few who isn't an Uchiha. 4) Speaking of 'can of worms' from my first point, this revelation of reanimation really bothers me. See, Minato was far stronger before he became Hokage and when he did become Hokage, he saved the village from the 9-Tails without letting the village take massive damage. On the other hand, Itach is essentially the same with his skillset and talent level. Yet... after reanimation, Minato is a punching bag and Itachi is creating Izanami and Izanagi*. It's as if Kishimoto was seriously biased towards the Uchihas, in particular, Itachi, Sasuke, and Madara. 5) I'd like to disagree with Monty on 2 points. The first is that people wanted Jiraiya and Shisui back is not true. Shisui had his relevance only for a minor part in Itachi's story. Beyond him, he didn't have that much influence. You could argue that Uchiha fanatics wanted him back which can apply to Uzumaki/Senju fanatics for Jiraiya. Jiraiya's chapter was complete. No one truly wanted him back unless it was for epic reunions and character development moments. The second point is that Neji didn't die protecting the clan or living to die on his own accords, he died for a pairing whose 'Bolt' is his sheathe. Furthermore, that pairing isn't even as grand as it was hyped up to be. The same applies to the other black sheep of the main canon pairings.
