Episode Summaries

As Konoha begins to rebuild itself following Pain's assault, an old man named Kosuke Maruboshi looks up at Hokage Rock and remembers a time when he had a mission with Naruto.

After the Konoha Crush, a captain named Hayama had recruited Tekuno, a jōnin, and two genin, Naruto and Kosuke, to patrol the border of the Land of Fire and fend off intruders who were attempting to strike at the crippled Konoha. Despite Kosuke having been a genin for more than fifty years, he proved himself useful in cooking and detecting enemies. He revealed that he had been on missions with the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Sakumo, all of whom eventually surpassed him and went on to achieve great fame.

Iwagakure shinobi were the ones by the border, and they proceeded to attack the four-man team. Hayama dealt with them using his Vacuum Sword while Tekuno stalled them with his explosive tags; Naruto attempted to keep them at bay with his Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, but failed. As Naruto was nearly killed by an Iwa-nin, Kosuke used his Leaf-Style Willow technique to kill the enemy and saved Naruto. Naruto pondered as to how Kosuke knew a technique that was not genin level, while Kosuke merely retorted that Naruto's Shadow Clone Technique was also not a genin technique. Kosuke mused on his past, on how he had sacrificed his comrades in an attempt to attain chūnin status and how in shame he had decided to be a genin forever, despite the Third's insistence that he become a jōnin. He was snapped out of his reverie by incoming enemies, and told Naruto to notify the village while he dealt with the others.

Kosuke was eventually cornered by an Iwa Kunoichi, whose Earth Release: Underground Split was blocked by Kosuke's Water Release: Water Formation Wall technique. He was outraged to discover that she had purposely sacrificed genin as she believed that was the genin's duty, while she was shocked to discover that Kosuke and Naruto were just mere genin. The kunoichi planned to dismember Kosuke as a result, only to be stopped in her tracks by Naruto, who told Kosuke that he would not allow a comrade to die as he would become Hokage one day. Kosuke was reminded of the Fourth Hokage once telling him the same thing while bandaging his leg, and resolved to prove to the Iwa kunoichi that Konoha-nin would not give up. Using his Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, he countered her Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon and defeated her, while reflecting on how Naruto was like his father.

Kosuke smiles at Hokage Rock as he finishes with his recollection while Tekuno shares the same tale with the other villagers, trying to convince them that it was a real story and that he did in fact go on a mission with Naruto, Konoha's new hero. Kosuke looks at Minato's face on the monument and mentally remarks how Minato should be proud of his son.