Team 10 tells Naruto that they will take care of the brothers, and use their combined skills to immobilize them. Naruto leaves to catch up to Iruka, who is fighting Mizuki in a building used to test academy instructors. It is revealed that Iruka and Mizuki are childhood friends, although Mizuki only hoped to get [...]

Naruto is having trouble with the two brothers, and Iruka is having his share of difficulties with Mizuki. Iruka struggles to try and get the old Mizuki back, but Mizuki explains the only reason he was ever nice to Iruka was because he wanted to be the Hokage’s favorite too. He wanted Iruka to be [...]

Shizune and her team encounter Mizuki, but all of them are defeated. When Ton-ton comes back to warn Tsunade, Naruto takes the initiative to find Shizune with Ton-ton’s help. Kakashi arrives and finds out the situation. Unfortunately, he has another mission. So, he summons Pakkun who will guide Iruka to Naruto. Iruka eventually catches up [...]

With the events of the Rice Field Country behind them, everyone prepares for their training. But, a new threat soon arises. Mizuki is back, and he’s planning to break out of Konoha’s Correctional Facility along with the help of Fujin and Raijin, the Legendary Stupid Brothers. However, this time Orochimaru may be pulling the strings. [...]

Naruto takes on Arashi, but gets trapped easily. Sakura thinks he’s dead and Naruto ends up blowing his sneak attack cover to protect her. Naruto tries his attack again, but his injury causes a problem. Naruto gets trapped in an attack that will crush him if he doesn’t get out. Sasame attacks Arashi manages to [...]

Naruto arrives in the nick of time to save Sakura, but not before Kabuto tells her that Sasuke is dead. Naruto tells her not to believe him and a battle ensues. Naruto defeats him with the Rasengan, but Kabuto traps him in some chakra threads that connect their hearts; if Kabuto’s stops, so will Naruto’s. [...]

Sasame leads Naruto, Jiraiya, and Sakura to Orochimaru’s hideout. They send Sasame back to the village because of the danger level. Jiraiya summons Gamakichi to go in first and investigate. The four come to three tunnels. Jiraiya goes off to the right, Naruto and Sakura down the middle and Gamakichi down the left. As Sakura [...]

When Sasame drugs Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya, she prepares to let them be given to Orochimaru in order for her to be led to Arashi. But, when she discovers that they were planning to be killed, she begs the ones about to do so to stop. Naruto reveals that he and the others faked being [...]

Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya end up in a town that is worse than the one out of which they were chased. Jiraiya heads off and leaves Naruto and Sakura to get food. Along the way, they find the female ninja that attacked them before. Because the ninja is injured, Naruto and Sakura fight some Sound [...]

Jiraiya begins to worry about Naruto and Sakura’s well-being. He then requests that Tsunade send the two on a mission with him. He finds Naruto telling Sakura he is not going to stop her from going after Sasuke, but he is going with her, and tells them about the mission. They head off to Rice [...]