Great Episode. Even if it means my favorite character had to die in order to see it come to fruition.
I remember saying once in one of my first posts that Kakuzu's stitches on his arms may have something to do with his jutsu. I guess i was sort of right but its obvious there's more to him than the bit we've seen so far. I get the feeling that kakuzu is just like shikamaru in terms of tactics & strategy. I never thought for a second he was honoring Hidan's request to butt out of the fight. He was analyzing his opponents looking for loopholes planning his attack just like Shikamaru would. I hope Shikamaru will have a great fight with Kakuzu.
I also recall Abdula once mentioning something along the lines that the Hidan & Kakuzu arc was one, if not his only favorite in the whole series. I can see why. I'm totally digging it so far