Jesuvius said:
No that's not what I meant. I meant the entire story. That he's going to make this his last arc even though he had more planned, just to get the series over with. That's what I'm afraid of.
That's what he did with YYH, though that was because of a disagreement between him and the editor it was running in--yes, YYH was supposed to go longer.
As for this chapter, I like where the story's going. It does feel a little bit rushed, but that might just be because it's been bouncing around a lot, which I believe is Togashi-sensei's way of keeping the readers reminded of everything going on. The arc is coming to an end, which can also contribute to the feeling of the series ending, but I really don't think that's what he wants to do just yet.
I really loved Palm in this chapter. The art was very similar to Ai Yazawa's (ParaKiss, NANA), especially in the eyes. I was rather impressed, given the quality of previous chapters. Maybe he really has been suffering some sort of ailment--like an injured hand. That would explain the long hiatuses, at least better than the other excuses out there.