Wow! I was out of town when the chapter was released, but it was well worth the wait.
Beyond the awesome emotional impact of Naruto's conversation with Kushina, Kishimoto has done a heck of a lot to set up a grand finale (don't panic! at least 1-2 more years with all that has to be resolved). Here’s my thoughts on what we can take from this…
1. Naruto has attained control over the ninetails chakra, we know he must now use it to complete "that jutsu" to defeat Madara, Kishi showed a lot of Minato using FTG without going into much detail on how the technique works, as well as mentioning different levels of the technique and showing it go up against Madara - conclusion, this is the unfinished technique that Naruto must complete
2. Madara is directly responsible for the deaths of Naruto's parents and the ninetails being sealed inside him, couple that with his involvement in the Uchiha massacre and you have the source of the majority of the misery that Naruto has experienced in his life, he also possessed abilities that rivaled the 4th –conclusion, more will be revealed about Madara’s involvement in Itachi’s decision, the Uchiha massacre, and Sauske’s fall into darkness, Madara (if he actually is Madara) is the final villain
3. Naruto now has a lot of ammo to use against Sauske, and I’m not talking about the ninetails chakra, he now knows that he had parents that loved him enough to sacrifice themselves for him, this coupled with the loss of Jiraya, and Naruto’s decision not to follow the path of hatred and revenge can go a long way in showing Sauske just how weak and pathetic he truly is – conclusion, combine this with Itachi’s gift to Naruto and you have the formula for a win in redeeming Sauske
4. Finally, the big one, NaruSaku foreshadowing, no one can deny the parallels that were drawn between Minato and Kushina and Naruto and Sakura, in fact, you can even go back and find panels that show just how similar they are, drawn almost identically, throw in the remark to find someone like your mother and you have the perfect setup for NaruSaku – conclusion, Sakura is definitely confused about her feelings because the endearing remark about her forehead was made apparently by Sauske, Kishi has set the standard for solidifying a romantic relationship through such a remark with Minato and Kushina, there was an opportunity for the truth to be revealed to Sakura by Sauske, but no conversation took place, now it’s left to Naruto, my guess would be that he says similar words just before he bolts off to take on Sauske and Madara, knowing he might not survive he may decide to let Sakura know how he feels, Sakura is then left to have the revelation that Naruto has been the one she has truly loved since the very beginning, Lady Chiyo’s words come back into play, “next time, save that which is most important to you.” Sakura will become involved somehow, and Naruto will finally be convinced that her feelings are genuine (no long confession… Inner Sakura and a punch to the head will work.)
Anyway, can’t wait to see how this all plays out!