I'm extremely curious about the Villain Monologue. Kishi has quite a big gap to fill here, it's a big challenge, and is he up to providing a satisfactory explanation for the fandom?

I mean, naturally, I don't think anything can excuse what Pain has done, but something could at least explain his nonsensical rationale, maybe. That's where Kishi has set up a real task for himself here.

Well, Shikamaru's Mom is pretty awesome, so I guess that's where Shikamaru inherited his better qualities from.