When you write a narrative, you tend to write "what happened this chapter?"
When you edit a chapter, you tend to read, analyze, refine and rewrite, "how do the scenes in this chapter provide a good reading experience for the reader?"
It makes sense why Pain was considered the peak arc.
Instead of positioning Pain as a foreign enemy... the author instead made Pain Jiraya's student, a victim of war, and a senior (to Naruto). The conflict isn't just epic and ideological, but also intimate and emotional.
Readers may disagree, but they can't deny that his wounds are real. That's why I consider Pain as a gold standard for main antagonists.
Comparing my narrative quality of the early chapters with the latest ones and concluding that there was a significant gap... making me happy and tearful.
Happy because I saw progress in my narrative. Tearful because I needed more editing.
POV isn't just about I, you, we, they, he/she, it... but POV is the reader's lens to enter (perceive) the story.
If you're writing a limited third POV, narrate it like you're writing how a character experiences the life in their world... and use that lens consistently.
One of the artistic strengths of a work of fiction is its ability to simulate the lives of characters in a (fictional) world in the reader's perception, not just in the author's memory. You can feel the characters' breath without having to be them.
Don't treat your world as a static object that's observed. Make it alive, like an organism, interacting with your characters.
Let the air breathe, a cold gust making the skin creep. Let the door rattle, the wood creak making the ears ring. Let the lamp greet, the light glow making the pupils smaller.
This way, your world will feel alive (in your reader's perception), not just a backdrop.

Reactions: Nevafrost and Eldoria