Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is known for its compelling storytelling and throughout the series, fans have been treated with some of the most incredible arcs that have made Naruto as famous as it is today. After the time skip of the series, especially, the story focuses more on the Akatsuki and this is where Kishimoto's true strength of writing great antagonists shines the most. While fans get to see several arcs with the focus on the Akatsuki, no arc is considered as special as Pain's Assault.
In fact, quite a lot of fans consider this arc to be the very peak of the series and it is no surprise that it makes its way into the discussions about the greatest anime and manga arcs of all time. After all, Pain's Assault arc is massive for Naruto Uzumaki's character and shapes him into becoming the person that he is today. At the same time, this arc highlights Kishimoto's biggest strengths as a writer very well, which only adds up to an incredibly well-written and gripping story arc from start to finish.
What Makes Pain's Assault Arc Special
One of the biggest strengths of this arc, like many other arcs in Kishimoto's story, is its antagonist. Often in Naruto, fans end up understanding the villains' perspective and see where they're coming from. Of course, this doesn't mean they agree with the villain's course of action but doing so definitely piques the interest of the fan and makes things more intense as it is hard to figure out who to root for. From the very first major fight where fans saw Haku to Gaara in the following arc, all the way to Obito Uchiha towards the end of the story, most of Kishimoto's villains often follow this path but nobody does it as well as Pain.
Essentially, Pain was born as a result of wars. The likes of the big shinobi villages who started wars for their own gains utterly destroyed those who lay in the middle, such as Amegakure, without any regard for their well-being. With countless people dying, crippled, and even innocent children orphaned, Pain was born through Nagato Uzumaki as a consequence of what the shinobi had done. Pain's philosophy was simple and according to him, only by knowing similar Pain could people truly understand each other, which was definitely an interesting way to look at things. Although Pain was a villain, his goal was very similar to Naruto's. Just like our heroes, Pain strived to break the cycle of hatred and wars. He wanted a world free of misery, a world where justice was delivered, and a world where people wouldn't suffer like he had to. He was a reflection of Naruto Uzumaki, but one who took a different path and this establishes Pain as arguably the greatest villain in Naruto by far.
The arc isn't just about Pain, however. For Naruto's character, this arc is pivotal. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is the turning point in Naruto's life where he gains a grasp over the state of the shinobi world and inherits a new dream. Until this point, Naruto's biggest goal was to become the Hokage of the village and make all those around him acknowledge him. With everything that happens in the Pain arc, Naruto, just like Jiraiya, learns that there is simply too much hate in the world. Being the character that he is, Naruto promises to bear the brunt of the burden of that hate on his shoulders and bring peace to the world. Ready to understand the pain of those around him, he realizes that people need to understand each other and thus begins his goal to end hate in the world and bring about true peace to not just Amegakure, but also the rest of the shinobi world.
At the same time, Naruto Uzumaki also gets tremendously powerful in the arc. By training under Lord Fukasaku at Mount Myoboku, Naruto manages to learn the Honored Sage Mode which indicates him inheriting the power of his master and using it to save his village from Pain and eventually, bring true peace to the world. With all his power, Naruto is able to overwhelm Pain in combat, but most importantly, he becomes a shinobi worthy of surpassing both Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage. Just like those two, Naruto becomes the savior of the village and he pulls off things that nobody else would've been able to. Pain's Assault arc thus acts as Naruto's coming-of-age arc and sees him make the leap from a young boy to one who is ready to change the world by becoming the Child of Prophecy.
The Hero Of Konoha Rises
Perhaps the biggest step that Naruto takes in his life comes in this arc when he saves his village and to understand that, fans need to go back to what Naruto's biggest goal as a child is established to be. Obviously, Naruto aims to become the Hokage of the village but what he truly wants is the acknowledgment that stems from becoming the Hokage. As the greatest shinobi of his village, Naruto would become respected and loved, and most importantly, he would never be alone again; something that haunted him as a child.
Although Naruto doesn't become the Hokage in this arc, he actually accomplishes his biggest goal as he is lauded by everyone as the savior of Konohagakure. Naruto becomes a hero seen in the same light as the legendary Fourth Hokage and it is certainly nothing but deserved. To Naruto, this is an incredibly important moment as for the first time, he is surrounded by the warmth of love that he never received as a child. He's seen as a hero and immediately gains great respect and acknowledgment. While a Hokage certainly does need strength, had Naruto not achieved this, he wouldn't have been close to becoming the Hokage either. As Itachi once said, one doesn't become the Hokage to be acknowledged by others but the one who is acknowledged by others becomes the Hokage.