Episode Summaries

After being caught by Sakon and Ukon's Explosive Tags, Shikamaru decides to ask the Sound Four if they could simply talk it out rather than fighting; however, this is a ruse so that Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, and Chōji could attack. Kidōmaru manages to ensnare all of them using his spider webs before they can launch a counterattack. Kiba drops a Smoke Bomb, despite Kidōmaru stating that it was futile since they were all trapped in his webs. Shikamaru, however, manages to trap them with his Shadow Imitation Technique, explaining that he had attempted to get caught just so that he could have trapped them. Sakon manages to free the Sound Four out of Shikamaru's shadow, and Jirōbō immediately traps them with his Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness.

Shikamaru berates himself for getting his team caught in such a trap while Kiba attempts to break his way out using his Passing Fang technique. Kiba manages to create a huge dent in the wall, only for the wall to heal itself. Neji notices that the dome is imbued with chakra, and that it will heal any damage done to it; on top of that, their own chakra itself is being absorbed by Jirōbō. Shikamaru asks Jirōbō if he could free their team in exchange for them not pursuing Sasuke; when Jirōbō refuses, Shikamaru then asks if Jirōbō could free just him in exchange for the lives of his teammates. This infuriates both Naruto and Kiba, but Neji and Chōji realise it is nothing but a ruse. Chōji starts eating, much to the dismay of Naruto and Kiba. However, Chōji tells them to remember what Shikamaru had told them before setting off on their mission (he told them that as team leader, he would be ready to lay down his life for the mission and that he was also responsible for the lives of his teammates). Neji adds that when Kiba first attacked the dome, Shikamaru was paying attention to the damage Kiba was causing, and how some parts of the dome healed slower than the others. He goes on to further explain that Shikamaru trying to sell the team out was just a ruse in order to determine where Jirōbō's location was. Proving Shikamaru's theory right, the wall Jirōbō was feeding off of had the strongest chakra lining, whereas the opposite side had the thinnest, meaning it was the weakest part of the dome.

Shikamaru asks Kiba if he could try causing damage to the dome again, and Kiba agrees. Transforming Akamaru into a Beast Human Clone and using the Four Legs Technique on himself, the pair perform their Fang Passing Fang technique, causing damage all around the dome. Shikamaru asks Neji to pinpoint the slowest-healing point of the dome wall and to throw a kunai there to mark the spot. After he does so, Shikamaru tells Chōji to break the wall, as Neji states that only powerful taijutsu can destroy the dome. Chōji uses his Human Bullet Tank technique and manages to break through the dome, freeing the entire team.