Episode Summaries

When Sakura wakes up, Izumo and Kotetsu find her lying on the bench. She tells them about Sasuke's defection, and the two inform Tsunade. Tsunade orders them to summon Shikamaru, a newly promoted Chūnin. Unable to send higher ranking ninja after Sasuke, Tsunade orders Shikamaru to assemble a team of genin under his lead to go after Sasuke. He first recruits Naruto (under the recommendation of Tsunade), and then later Chōji and Kiba. After rounding them up, he invites Neji Hyūga and Rock Lee who they find talking together. Neji joins, while Rock Lee chooses to stay behind to recover from the surgery. After rounding up all the genin he could find, Shikamaru quickly devises the optimal formation for the group. Before they leave, Sakura interrupts and pleads Naruto to make sure to bring Sasuke back. Naruto promises to do so, and the group sets out. Meanwhile, after well passing the Konoha borders, Sakon along with the rest of the Sound Four tells Sasuke of an important task that Orochimaru had given them: "Sasuke must die just this once".