There are some gems in it, but it is possible to skip the entire thing and start directly with Shippuuden without story loss as that's where the comprehensive story starts and everything important to the plot that was given away previously gets repeated anyway. Like Akihisa, I saw it on TV before Shippuuden was aired.
If you think it's fine, go for it.
?You know my name, not my story. You've heard what I've done, but not what I've been through." -Jonathan Anthony Burkett