Episode Summaries

Despite Naruto's timely appearance, Sasuke decides to relinquish their scroll to Shiore to ensure their team's survival. However, Naruto stops Sasuke and punches him in the face. Refusing to accept Sasuke's mindset, Naruto takes the scroll from him. Naruto begins fighting Shiore and his snakes, although he is easily beaten and injured. As he is about to be devoured by the snake, Naruto taps into the Nine-Tails' chakra and hits the snake down with one punch. Shiore manages to use the snake to toss Naruto into a tree, and then uses the snake to attack Sasuke, only for Naruto to rush in and save him, asking him if he was okay and calling him a baby, echoing the same words Sasuke told him after their battle against the Demon Brothers.

The ninja, recognising Naruto as the Nine-Tails' container, uses a seal to block Naruto's access to the fox's chakra, rendering him unconscious. He throws him to the the ground but Sakura saves him. She then yells at a still Sasuke about how he shouldn't be a coward. Her words remind Sasuke of his brother and it rejuvenates Sasuke with determination as he prepares to battle the Kusa shinobi. Meanwhile, Anko finds the real Shiore and his team, dead and faceless, and recognises it to be the work of someone she knows.