Naruto releases his Nine-Tail chakra and sends Sasuke flying. Sasuke counters with his Fire Style Jutsu, but Naruto extinguishes the flames easily.
Kakashi uses his Summoning Jutsu and sends ninja dogs to track Naruto and Sasuke. With his newfound strength, Sasuke is serious about bringing down Naruto...
Sasuke quietly watches as Naruto sinks deeper in the water. He recalls the past, when the Uchiha clan was cruelly slaughtered.
Naruto is brought down by Sasuke's Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, a jutsu passed down through generations of the Uchiha family.
Naruto tries desperately to change Sasuke's mind, but Sasuke is determined to go to Orochimaru. He tells Naruto that in order to surpass his brother, Itachi, power and hatred are necessary.
With the Curse Mark covering half his body, Sasuke is no longer the Sasuke of old. Naruto charges at this new Sasuke who has turned his back on his closest comrades.
Kimimaro succeeds in shattering Gaara's protective sand shield and attacks Gaara. Naruto finally catches up to Sasuke, who is racing to his destiny at Orochimaru's hands.
Kimimaro realizes that close combat is impossible against Gaara's wall of sand, so he moves further away for a long-distance attack.
Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee are at the limits of their strength when Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro appear to assist their Leaf allies.
Naruto and the others are trapped in Jirobo's Earth Dome Prison. They try to pound their way out, but the walls regenerate each time.
The Sound Ninja Four race toward Orochimaru's lair with Sasuke in hand. They're discovered and challenged by the jonin Genma and Raido...
Sakura's pleas fall on deaf ears, and Sasuke leaves Hidden Leaf Village. When Tsunade learns of this, she summons Shikamaru to lead his first mission as a chunin.
The Sound Ninja Four, Kidomaru, Sakon, Jirobo, and Tayuya, suddenly appear before Sasuke. Sakura is concerned about the Curse Mark placed on Sasuke by Orochimaru...
Naruto and Sasuke release their ultimate weapons against each other, and just in time Kakashi arrives to stop the fight.
Shikamaru is promoted to chunin, and he and his squadmates celebrate at a BBQ restaurant. In the hospital, Lee decides to undergo a dangerous surgery to repair his body so that he can remain a ninja.
Boss Jirocho waits, confident that Idate will win. But Aoi, the ninja sent by the Wagarashi clan, stands in the way.
Despite interference from Aoi, Idate continues his run. Idate still trusts no one, and it's revealed that during the Chunin Exams, Idate's older brother was the proctor who posed the tenth question.
Naruto and his squad manage to catch up to Idate, only to find him hurt and unconscious with Aoi nearby.
The chief retainers think that Idate has made a farce of their great traditional festival. Jirocho believes that Idate has fled with some plan in mind.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are to protect the runners in a race being held during the Todoroki Shrine's ceremonial ritual held every four years.