1 "Homecoming"
"Kikyō" February 15, 2007
Naruto Uzumaki returns to Konoha after a two-and-a-half-year training journey with Jiraiya. He is reintroduced to his peers, who have all advanced to Chunin rank and beyond, unlike Naruto who is still a Genin. Elsewhere, two members of Akatsuki head towards Sunagakure to capture Gaara, who has since become the Kazekage, the village leader.
2"Akatsuki makes its move"
"Akatsuki, shidō" February 15, 2007
Jiraiya tells Kakashi Hatake that Akatsuki's plan to collect the tailed beasts is underway. Because of the Demon Fox inside him, Naruto is in danger any time he leaves the village, so Jiraiya relinquishes Naruto's training to Kakashi, who can ensure his safety. Kakashi gives Naruto and Sakura Haruno a test to see how far they have improved. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori arrive at the entrance of the Sunagakure. They discover that Yura, their sleeper agent, has already cleared the guards.
3 "The Results of Training"
"Shugyō no seika" February 22, 2007
Kakashi challenges Naruto and Sakura with the bell test, in which they must forcefully take from Kakashi two jingle bells using whatever means necessary. Sakura and Naruto both demonstrate their newly acquired skills. At Sunagakure, Deidara reveals his ability to manipulate exploding clay. He takes to the skies aboard a giant clay bird and begins his aerial assault by lobbing exploding clay spiders onto the guards, instantly killing them. As soon as he makes it to the Kazekage building, however, he finds Gaara there waiting for him.
4 "Jinchūriki of the Sand"
"Suna no Jinchūriki" March 1, 2007
Naruto and Sakura both realize that even though they have vastly improved, they are still no match for Kakashi's superior techniques, as he too has become stronger, and decide to resort to more unconventional means. They win the challenge by threatening to spoil the ending of Kakashi's new novel, forcing him to cover his ears and shut his eyes because of the Sharingan's ability to read lips. Meanwhile, Deidara and Gaara begin their battle. Deidara finds a formidable challenge in Gaara's abilities to control and manipulate sand.
5 "As the Kazekage...!"
"Kazekage to shite…!" March 15, 2007
Deidara sees that subduing the Kazekage is not as easy as he thought. He hurls exploding clay at Gaara to no effect, as Gaara can quickly summon a shield of sand around him with relative ease. Gaara then commands his sand to attack Deidara who has no choice but to try to evade. Gaara's sand eventually catches up with Deidara and crushes his arm.
6 "Quota Cleared"
"Norumakuriā" March 29, 2007
Deidara is determined to capture the Kazekage. Unfazed by the loss of his arm, he unleashes a massive clay bomb onto the village. Gaara is able to deflect the bomb by using his sand to create an enormous shield over the village. However, this leaves him open to a sudden attack, and he inadvertently uses sand that had been seeded with Deidara's clay to defend himself. Deidara then detonates the clay-infested sand, which knocks Gaara unconscious. Deidara captures him and flies away.
7 "Run, Kankuro"
"Hashire Kankurō" March 29, 2007
As Deidara carries an unconscious Gaara out of the village, Gaara's older brother Kankuro chases after them. At the village entrance he discovers that all the guards there have already been killed. Upon catching Deidara and Sasori, Kankuro initiates his Puppet Technique by summoning his puppets Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouo. Sasori sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate his skills, and he allows Deidara to go ahead so that he can battle Kankuro alone.
8 "Team Kakashi Deployed"
"Shutsugeki, Kakashi han" April 12, 2007
Kankuro's attacks are all nullified by Sasori's scorpion-like tail. He eventually pierces Kankuro with his tail, inflicting him with a slow-acting poison. Kankuro is puzzled at how easily Sasori counters his fighting style. Sasori reveals that he himself used to be from Sunagakure and that Kankuro's puppets are his own creations. In response to the Akatsuki assault, Sunagakure sends a distress call to Konoha.
9 "The Jinchūriki's Tears"
"Jinchūriki no namida" April 12, 2007
Kankuro is brought back to the village but he is feeling the effects of Sasori's deadly poison. The village's medics are helpless finding a cure. Baki decides to seek help from the village's elders, Chiyo and Ebizo. Meanwhile, Konoha receives the emergency message from Sunagakure. Tsunade chooses to send Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura to respond to the Sand's need. Along the way, Sakura learns for the first time that Naruto's body contains the demon fox.
10 "Sealing Jutsu: Illusionary Dragon Nine Seal"
"Fūin Jutsu: Genryū Kyū Fūjin" April 19, 2007
Deidara and Sasori arrive at the secret Akatsuki hideout. The Akatsuki leader gathers his followers using an astral projection technique and they begin the ritual to extract the One-Tailed Shukaku from Gaara. At Sunagakure, Kankuro's condition is worsening and Chiyo claims that even her expertise is not enough to counteract Sasori's poison. At Konoha, Tsunade foresees the difficulty of Team Kakashi's mission and orders Team Guy to back them up.
11 "The Medical Ninja's Pupil"
"Iryō ninja no deshi" April 26, 2007
After traveling for three days, Team Kakashi arrives just in time to save Kankuro. Using the skills she acquired from her apprenticeship under Tsunade, Sakura is able to extract the poison and create an antidote. Kankuro regains consciousness and gives Kakashi a piece of cloth from Sasori's outfit, allowing Kakashi's ninja dogs to track the Akatsuki member.
12 "The Retired Old Lady's Determination"
"Inkyo babaa no ketsui" May 3, 2007
Team Kakashi heads out to Akatsuki's hideout along with Chiyo. On the way, Chiyo tells them about the Tailed Beasts. Meanwhile Pakkun heads out to Team Guy and informs them that they are quite close to the Akatsuki hideout. The Akatsuki send out Kisame and Itachi to stop Team Guy and Team Kakashi respectively.
13 "A Destined Meeting"
"Innen aimamieru" May 10, 2007
The battle between Team Guy and Kisame begins while Kakashi explains the danger of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan to the rest of his team and reveals what he's discovered to be its weakness. Guy's team is quickly contained, leaving Guy himself to fight Kisame alone. Kakashi leads the attack against Itachi with Naruto following close behind, but Naruto is shocked when the real Itachi explodes into a cloud and his allies morph into Itachi clones.
14 "Naruto's Growth"
"Naruto no seichō" May 17, 2007
The battle between Guy and Kisame gets into full swing. Guy bring outs his nunchaku to compensate for Kisame's sword, but takes a beating from Kisame's water attacks. Guy has to resort to opening six of the eight chakra gates to even the score. Meanwhile, Naruto realizes he is caught in an illusion and recalls his training with Jiraiya to try to dispel Itachi's illusion.
15 "Hidden Sphere - It is Named...!"
"Kakushi dama - Nazukete" May 24, 2007
The two battles continue from the previous episode. Naruto is released from Itachi's genjutsu by Chiyo and Sakura after his failed attempt to release himself. Distracted and immobilized by Kakashi's shadow clone, Itachi takes a direct hit from Naruto's Great Ball Rasengan. Meanwhile, Guy defeats Kisame using his Morning Peacock technique. The Konoha shinobi then find, to their surprise, that they have not defeated Itachi or Kisame, but two entirely different people.
16 "The Secret of Jinchūriki"
"Jinchūriki no himitsu" May 31, 2007
Kakashi's and Guy's teams both figure out that their battles with the doppelgängers were set-up to delay them from coming to Gaara's rescue. Chiyo reveals that in attempts to control the power of the tailed beasts they were bound to human hosts called "Jinchūriki", and that the human host dies when the beast is extracted — increasing the urgency of saving Gaara. Kankuro is awake and joins a meeting of the Sand council where the history of the Sand village is explained. Both teams stop to rest since their battles have taken their tolls and in preparation for the battles to come. Akatsuki sends Zetsu to "dispose" of the doppelgängers corpses.
17 "Gaara Dies!"
"Gaara shisu!" June 7, 2007
Team Guy and Team Kakashi both finish their breaks and go on towards the Akatsuki lair. Naruto shows intense passion and is in a hurry to reach Gaara. Chiyo notices this and Kakashi explains to her that Naruto is also a Jinchuriki and knows the pain Gaara has lived through. Chiyo explains that she was the ninja who sealed Shukaku in Gaara, in order to protect the Sand village. Meanwhile, Akatsuki has finished extracting Shukaku from Gaara, who dies wondering if he has become a person whom others need. Team Guy and Team Kakashi finally meet in front of the sealed entrance to the Akatsuki lair.
18 "Break In! Button Hook Entry"
"Totsunyū! Botan fukku entorī" June 21, 2007
Team Guy and Team Kakashi find out there is a barrier protecting the Akatsuki hideout, being generated by 5 forbidden tags in the area. After preparations, Team Guy removes the tags and disables the barrier allowing Team Kakashi to enter the hideout. Meanwhile the Akatsuki members have ended the astral projection technique and left the hideout. Deidara and Sasori who were the only ones physically present, remain behind to take care of the intruders.
19 "Traps Activate! Team Guy's Enemies"
"Torappu sadō! Gai han no teki" July 5, 2007
Team Guy fights with exact clones of themselves, a trap set off by their removal of the barrier tags. Deidara takes Gaara's body outside of the cavern, followed by Naruto and Kakashi. Chiyo and Sakura stay behind to fight Sasori.
20 "Hiruko vs. Two Kunoichi"
"Hiruko vs. futari no kunoichi" July 19, 2007
Chiyo explains to Sakura that Sasori used to be one of the best puppeteers in Sunagakure, but he began experimenting with real people. Sakura learns that Sasori's true body is hiding within his favorite puppet, Hiruko, ensuring that he cannot be attacked while controlling it. The only way to defeat Sasori is to destroy his puppet. Using teamwork, Chiyo and Sakura are able to dodge Sasori's attacks and demolish the puppet, from which Sasori himself emerges. Just outside, Deidara begins telling Naruto and Kakashi how much stronger Sasori is compared to himself.
21 "Sasori's Real Face"
"Sasori no sugao" July 26, 2007
With his puppet destroyed, Sasori reveals himself to Chiyo and Sakura, looking no older than when he left his village twenty years ago. As a further bit of nostalgia, he produces a summoning scroll and calls forth the Third Kazekage, whom Sasori has made into a puppet. Using its weapons, which are even more dangerous than Hiruko's, Sasori is able to catch Sakura in a poison gas cloud. Meanwhile, Kankuro, Temari's team, and Ebizo make their way towards the Akatsuki hideout.
22 "Chiyo's Secret Skills"
"Chiyo no oku no te" August 2, 2007
Sakura manages to escape the poison gas cloud by using an explosive scroll near herself. Chiyo calls forth the "Mother" and "Father" puppets that Sasori created to fight him and the Third. They manage to hold down the Third for a while until Sasori releases the Third's secret technique: Iron Sand. Meanwhile, Team Guy are having trouble fighting the clones and showing exhaustion from the battle. Naruto and Kakashi manage to avoid Deidara's clay bombs and keep up with him.
23 "Father and Mother"
""Chichi" to "Haha"" August 2, 2007
The magnetic Iron Sand stops both puppets from moving. Chiyo's right arm, which she had turned into a puppet arm, gets clogged as well. Chiyo thinks back to the past and remembers how Sasori created and controlled his first puppets, Father and Mother. Sakura urges Chiyo to use her again as a puppet. With Chiyo's help, Sakura avoids the columns formed by the Iron Sand to attack her.
24 "The Third Kazekage"
"Sandaime Kazekage" August 9, 2007
Sakura and Chiyo continue their battle with Sasori, while Naruto and Kakashi follow Deidara, and Team Guy fights their clones. Sakura remembers her training with Tsunade when she was taught to observe enemies' weaknesses and dodge their attacks. Sasori attacks with an Iron Sand pyramid and prism, but Sakura is able to fend them off, causing a cave in. Sasori then uses a new technique to attack with randomly-growing iron spikes, landing a hit imbued with a poison that quickly paralyzes its victims. With a final attack of the Third Kazekage's puppet, Sasori attempts to kill the seemingly helpless Sakura, only to discover at the last second that it was a ruse. Somehow immune to the effects of the poison, Sakura destroys his puppet with a single punch at the last second.
25 "Three Minutes of Life and Death"
"Sei to shi no san bun kan" August 16, 2007
Sakura reveals that she took an antidote against Sasori's poison which will make her immune to it for three minutes, forcing herself and Chiyo to end the battle quickly. Meanwhile, Naruto and Kakashi continue their pursuit of Deidara. Deidara attempts to split up Naruto and Kakashi by creating a swarm of explosive jumping crickets out of his clay and has them pursue Kakashi. Kakashi makes a shadow clone as a decoy and the crickets, mistaking the shadow clone for the real Kakashi, detonate harmlessly. Kakashi then catches back up with Naruto and reveals a plan. Sakura and Chiyo ready themselves for the battle with Sasori, who reveals that he made himself into a human puppet.
26 "10 Puppets vs 100 Puppets"
"Jukki vs hyakki" August 23, 2007
Naruto and Kakashi continue to pursue Deidara while Sakura and Chiyo continue the battle with Sasori. Sakura manages to shatter Sasori's puppet body, but he reforms. Chiyo summons the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. Sasori, remarking on Chiyo's ability to control so many puppets, summons one hundred human puppets and the final battle begins. Sakura and Chiyo seem to trap and defeat Sasori but, under cover of the battle, Sasori, who had transferred himself to another puppet, attacks Chiyo from behind. Sakura intercedes, taking the sword thrust meant for Chiyo.
27 "The Impossible Dream"
"Kanawanu yume" August 30, 2007
Chiyo injects the last remaining antidote into Sakura and manages to stab Sasori in his only living part, his heart, using the Father and Mother puppets. With Sasori immobilized, Chiyo revives the nearly dead Sakura using her Resurrection Technique. As he dies, Sasori rewards Sakura for defeating him, telling her where he planned to meet with one of his spies who had been working undercover as one of Orochimaru's subordinates. Meanwhile as Kakashi and Naruto are pursuing Deidara, Kakashi reveals his plan to activate his version of Mangekyo Sharingan.
28 "The Revived Beasts"
"Yomigaeru kemono-tachi" September 13, 2007
Team Guy's fight continues as they fight their respective clones. Neji explains to each member of the team that they are growing weaker and weaker as the fight drags on and they become fatigued. Their clones, being non-human, remain as strong as they were when they were formed. Lee, who refuses to accept defeat, realizes that the only way for them to defeat their clones is to become stronger than they were when they first started fighting. After a flashback about their training sessions, they all remember that they resolve to constantly become stronger. The memory gives them the strength needed to overpower and defeat their clones with new techniques that they devise.
29 "Kakashi Enlightened!"
"Kakashi kaigen!" September 27, 2007
After Team Guy members finish their battles, they make their way to Team Kakashi. Sakura and Chiyo also make their way towards Naruto and Kakashi. Kakashi reveals his Mangekyo Sharingan, which he uses to warp space around Deidara, hoping to suck him into an alternate dimension. However, he only succeeds in catching Deidara's arm, severing it. Kakashi's second attempt fails when Deidara dives into the trees. While Deidara has his guard down, Naruto manages to separate him from his clay bird, having his clones take the beak, which contains Gaara's body, to safety. Naruto, meanwhile, launches a vicious attack on Deidara, only to discover that he is beating up a clay replacement. In his angered state, Naruto's fox chakra begins to emerge. The two tailed form of the nine tailed fox emerges.
30 "Aesthetics of an Instant"
"Shunkan no bigaku" September 27, 2007
After Naruto is taken over by the nine-tailed fox's chakra, Kakashi uses the seal Jiraiya gave him to suppress it. Team Guy finds Deidara thanks to Neji's Byakugan. Deidara seemingly self-destructs while attempting to kill his attackers by creating a massive explosion after eating the remains of his chakra infused clay bird. The explosion is countered by Kakashi, who is able to send it to a different dimension. Sakura cannot bring Gaara back to life, and the group mourns Gaara's death. While the group mourns, Chiyo moves over to Gaara's body and uses the life-resurrection technique.
31 "The Inheritor"
"Tsugareyukumono" October 18, 2007
Chiyo finishes her life-resurrection technique with Naruto's help. As she is about to finish her technique, she passes down to Naruto and Sakura her wisdom for the future. A revived Gaara finds himself surrounded by shinobi from Sunagakure celebrating his return. After Gaara discovers that Chiyo has passed away, he asks everyone to pray silently for Chiyo's sacrifice.
32 "Return of the Kazekage"
"Kazekage no kikan" October 25, 2007
Deidara survives his battle and begins to search for his missing arm. Meanwhile, Zetsu and his subordinate, Tobi, who wishes to join Akatsuki, search Sasori's remains for his ring. Deidara later finds the two searching for his own ring. The leaf ninja leave Sunagakure after their victory, and Danzo gives Sai instructions for his new team, Team Kakashi. The leaf and sand ninja pay their respects at Chiyo's grave, and Gaara and Naruto shake hands before departing.
33 "The New Target"
"Aratanaru tāgetto" November 8, 2007
Teams Kakashi and Guy return home to Konoha. As Kakashi rests in the infirmary, Sakura tells Tsunade about the information Sasori gave her as a reward for defeating him. Sasori had a meeting scheduled with a spy from within Orochimaru's ranks in 10 days. 4 days have passed since Sakura received this information, and now Naruto and Sakura need to recruit a new team member to go and investigate. As Naruto searches Konoha for a willing recruit, he meets some of his old friends. Just as Choji agrees to help, Shikamaru, Choji and Naruto are attacked by a Konoha shinobi unknown to them, Sai.
34 "Formation! New Team Kakashi"
"Kessei! Shin Kakashi han" November 15, 2007
Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru attempt to capture and interrogate Sai, but Sai withdraws after insulting Naruto. Shortly afterward, Ino appears. Concerned that the demon fox could fall into Akatsuki hands, the village elders challenge Tsunade's plan to send Naruto out of the village without the still bedridden Kakashi. Tsunade promises to protect Konoha with her own life if Naruto is captured, but is still forced to compromise with Danzo by adding Sai to Team Kakashi. She also temporarily replaces Kakashi with ANBU member Yamato and warns him to keep an eye on Sai. Naruto and Sakura finally meet their new team members, and Naruto is immediately angered upon Sai's appearance.
35 "An unneeded addition"
"Gadatensoku" November 22, 2007
Yamato takes temporary leadership of Team Kakashi while Sai insults both Naruto and Sakura. While preparing to set off, Sai receives an envelope from a Root shinobi containing secret orders from Danzo, and Sakura consults with Tsunade. Jiraiya then meets with Tsunade and Yamato in Kakashi's hospital room to brief Yamato on the demon fox within Naruto, detailing the "demon fox's cloak", and revealing a scar he got from Naruto when the fourth tail formed. Finally the new Team Kakashi set off on their new mission, to intercept an Akatsuki spy and gather information about Sasuke.
36 "Fake smile"
"Itsuwari no egao" November 29, 2007
The new team Kakashi heads out for the Heaven and Earth bridge. Sai, Sakura, and Naruto come to blows after just 5 minutes on the same team due to Sai making fun of Sasuke. Therefore, Yamato decides they need to improve on teamwork and uses Mokuton to create a wooden cage threatening to lock the team up unless they behave. Given an ultimatum between being locked up or spending the night at a hot springs, the team chooses to visit the springs to improve team cohesion. Naruto still despises Sai despite this effort, and several insulting remarks from Sai worsen team relations.
37 "Untitled"
"Mudai" November 29, 2007
Sakura sees Sai drawing by the river and finds out that Sai has artistic talent but has never given titles to anything he ever drew. Naruto and Sakura begin to realize the reason behind Sai's repulsive personality. After the hot springs, the team heads off to the bridge to meet the spy. Yamato is suspicious of traps so they go off the main road into the forest. Camping for the night, Yamato then creates a two story house by again using his Mokuton jutsu. Inside this house, the team formulates their plan.
38 "Simulation"
"Shimyurēshon" December 6, 2007
Naruto is paired with Sai for the Buddy team of two, over his and Sakura's objections, while Sakura is assigned to support Yamato. Yamato conducts a simulation of the spy meeting with himself as the spy to gauge Naruto and Sai's abilities and teamwork. After Naruto makes a mistake when attacking Yamato, Sai immobilizes him and goes on to capture Yamato alone. Naruto is angry with Sai for not acting as a comrade would, but resolves to work together with him if doing so will help bring Sasuke back. Sai reveals to Sakura that he has no emotions, and little understanding of them. The group then prepares to head to the bridge.
39 "The Bridge of Heaven and Earth"
"Tenchikyō" December 13, 2007
Yamato disguises himself as Sasori after creating a wood replica of Hiruko, and goes to meet the spy. The spy turns out to be Orochimaru's right-hand man, Kabuto Yakushi, who reveals the location of Orochimaru's current hideout to Yamato. Orochimaru interrupts the meeting, appearing to attack Kabuto, and while it initially appears that Orochimaru has come after Kabuto, Kabuto attacks Yamato and reveals that he is truly loyal to Orochimaru. Orochimaru calls out Naruto, Sakura and Sai from where they are hiding and observing the meeting, and prepares to fight the team.
40 "The Nine-Tails unleashed!!"
"Kyūbi kaihō!!" December 20, 2007
Immediately after Yamato signals Naruto and the others out to the bridge where Orochimaru and Kabuto are waiting, Naruto's chakra begins to boil with the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Slowly, Naruto grows more tails as Orochimaru taunts him and makes him even more angry. Meanwhile, Yamato remembers Jiraiya speaking of how many tails he has seen Naruto grow. Jiraiya explains more about what happened and more about how Naruto acts when he's in his Nine-Tails form.
41 "Top-secret mission starts"
"Gokuhi ninmu sutāto" December 20, 2007
Naruto continues to get even more enraged and easily counters Kabuto's attack, flinging him away. Naruto's counter throws Kabuto into Sakura, knocking her unconscious. Orochimaru continues to watch Naruto become more enraged, eventually destroying the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. As the bridge collapses, Sakura slides off the edge. Sai draws a bird to fly, but chooses to follow Naruto and Orochimaru instead of saving Sakura. Yamato saves her at the last second, and creates a wood clone to catch up to the battle. Eventually the fourth tail appears, allowing the vile chakra to completely control Naruto's body, forming him into a miniature Nine-Tailed Fox.
42 "Orochimaru VS Jinchūriki"
"Orochimaru tai Jinchūriki" January 10, 2008
Naruto, in the four-tailed state, begins attacking Orochimaru with incredible force, devastating the surrounding landscape and preventing Sai and Yamato's wood clone from approaching him. The majority of Orochimaru's attacks prove to be ineffective, but Naruto also fails to kill Orochimaru as he regenerates from any injuries he sustains. Meanwhile, Kabuto advances toward Sakura and Yamato, deducing that Sasori has died. Orochimaru finally manages to strike Naruto with a sword blade from his mouth, and Sakura reacts in horror when she sees Naruto's four-tailed state.
43 "Sakura's tears"
"Sakura no namida" January 17, 2008
Kabuto comments that Naruto's state is a consequence of his desperation to bring back Sasuke, and Sakura has a few flashbacks of Naruto swearing to bring Sasuke back to her. She begins to cry and approaches Naruto but is injured when his attention turns to her. Yamato uses the mokuton jutsu to bind Naruto before he does any more harm. Kabuto heals Sakura, reasoning that the Konoha ninja are not Orochimaru's enemies because they are also fighting Akatsuki. Yamato uses the abilities of the 1st Hokage to forcibly return Naruto to his normal state. Meanwhile Sai confronts Orochimaru with a message from Danzo. Orochimaru responds by piercing Sai with his sword.
44 "The truth about the fight"
"Tatakai no tenmatsu" January 24, 2008
Yamato uses the first Hokage's chakra to suppress the demon fox's chakra and Naruto returns to normal, but with severe injuries. Sakura begins to heal him, but notes that medical ninjutsu has little effect on his wounds. Orochimaru's sword is revealed to have only pierced one of Sai's clones. The real Sai emerges, talks to Orochimaru and gives him a letter from Danzo. Sai then leaves with Orochimaru and Kabuto but Yamato´s wood clone stays close on their trail. Naruto comes to his senses and wonders what happened but Sakura decides not to tell him the truth. They reach the meeting spot, picking up the picture book Sai left behind. Yamato infers that Danzo seeks to destroy and remake Konoha by collaborating with Orochimaru.
45 "The results of betrayal"
"Uragiri no hate" January 31, 2008
Kabuto creates a fake corpse that resembles Sai, containing hidden traps to slow down Yamato's clone after sensing it. Naruto hasn't completely recovered from using the Demon Fox's chakra, and Yamato says that he will be left behind if he cannot keep up. Naruto is determined to finish his mission and not slow the team down. However Team Kakashi is forced to take a break when it's clear that Sakura has not fully recovered from her own injuries. Yamato then uses this opportunity to talk to Naruto alone and reveals to him that the one who hurt Sakura was Naruto himself. Naruto is shocked by what Yamato says to him.
46 "Unfinished page"
"Mikan no pēji" February 7, 2008
Naruto finally makes sense of the destruction he witnessed around him earlier. Yamato tells Naruto not to rely on the demon because Naruto is strong enough to withstand the demon's terrible chakra. Sai discovers the loss of his book while resting. Team Kakashi browse Sai's book, and they notice that the book (which can be read from both ends) contains different paths of two boys who meet in the middle. Each page has the boys fighting someone new, each time collecting the opponent's armor and weapons into the next page. The pages where the two boys would meet are unfinished. Orochimaru's group reach their base, not realizing that Yamato's wood clone trailed them there. Sai gets a glimpse of Sasuke's silhouette and eyes and discovers that he is the man Naruto and Sakura are looking for.
47 "Sneak in! Den of the poisonous snake"
"Sennyū! Dokuhebi no ajito" February 14, 2008
Sai meets Sasuke, and receives a chilling glare from the Sharingan that frightens him. He tells Sasuke that Sakura and Naruto desperately want to bring him back, but Sasuke brushes off the revelation and insists that Orochimaru teach him the new technique he promised to. Sai gives Orochimaru a packet with names and information about Konoha's ANBU. Yamato gives Sakura and Naruto seeds with his chakra that will enable him to track them inside the lair, and reveals that he was able to track Sai because he put a seed in Sai's clothing and food during the visit to the hot springs. Kabuto locks Sai in a room, and the boy summons a bingo book from scrolls he carries. Yamato uses a jutsu to open a tunnel into Orochimaru's hideout, and he, Naruto and Sakura travel to Sai's room undetected.
48 "Bonds"
"Tsunagari" February 28, 2008
Yamato and the team enter Sai's room and confront him while Kabuto makes his way there as well. Sai, realizing that his orders are now impossible to carry out, tells Team Kakashi that he was to help with Konoha's destruction but also act as a spy against Orochimaru. Yamato reveals the secret of "Root"- its members were trained like Kirigakure's students in that they had to kill their friends so as to eliminate their emotions. Sakura returns Sai his book, remarking that Sai still has emotions because he treasures it. Sai then tells the group about his bond with his brother. Finally the team decides what to do about Sai's betrayal outside the lair. In doing so, Naruto tells the group about his own bonds and about how far he's willing to go to bring Sasuke back.
49 "Something important"
"Taisetsu na mono" March 6, 2008
Kabuto fights Team Kakashi and frees Sai. However, Sai, who intends to learn more about his bond with his brother through Naruto's bond with Sasuke, betrays him. Captured, Kabuto gives a vague description of Sasuke's location to the team. Leaving Yamato's wood clone to watch over Kabuto, Team Kakashi enters Orochimaru's hideout and splits up to find Sasuke.
50 "Picturebook tells a story"
"Ehon ga kataru sutōri" March 13, 2008
As Team Kakashi continues their search for Sasuke, Naruto suddenly collapses due to his previous fight with Orochimaru. As Naruto wakes up, Sai begins to reveal more about his brother, but Orochimaru suddenly attacks them. Sakura and Yamato come to Naruto's aid against Orochimaru, while Sai continues the search. Just as Sai finds Sasuke, Yamato finds Sai's bingo book with Sasuke listed as a target for assassination.
51 "Reunion"
"Saikai" March 20, 2008
As Team Kakashi continues their search for Sasuke, Sai approaches Sasuke's room and awakens him. Shaken by the image of Sasuke's Sharingan from earlier, Sai attempts to restrain him. A large explosion occurs and Sakura, Naruto and Yamato catch up. At first Sakura tries to restrain Sai in order to find out his true objective, but she stops, stunned at seeing her former comrade. Contrary to what the rest of the team assumed to be his mission, Sai tells them that he wishes to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.
52 "The power of Uchiha"
"Uchiha no chikara" March 20, 2008
Sasuke begins to attack Naruto, but Sai restrains him only for them both to be blown away by a Chidori emanating from his whole body. Sakura charges Sasuke saying that she will stop him herself, but Yamato intervenes and winds up being stabbed by Sasuke's unique blade infused with his Chidori. The Nine-Tailed Fox uses this opportunity to tempt Naruto with its power, but he refuses. Sasuke sees this encounter using his Sharingan and appears in Naruto's mind. The Nine-Tails says that Sasuke's chakra reminds him of Madara Uchiha, then Sasuke suppresses the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra. Before the Nine-Tailed Fox returns to its cage, it warns Sasuke not to kill Naruto, saying that he will live to regret it forever.
53 "Title"
"Taitoru" April 3, 2008
Orochimaru and Kabuto convince Sasuke to withdraw with them, saying that Konoha might be useful to him if they keep killing Akatsuki members. Naruto begins to cry over his failure to return Sasuke to the village, but Sakura says that they will bring him back together. Naruto's team reports to Tsunade about the results of the mission, and Tsunade is greatly angered over Danzo's scheme, particularly his leaking classified information to further it. Sai asks Danzo to allow him to remain with Team Kakashi, and Danzo reluctantly agrees. Sai goes on a mission with his team, having come to see them as his friends.
54 "Nightmare"
"Akumu" April 3, 2008
Naruto's been having nightmares about a mysterious person releasing the Nine-Tail's power. After remembering their recent encounter with Sasuke, Naruto realizes that he must get stronger. Sai studies the art of friendship in the library and is joined by Sakura. Sai learns that he should give friends nicknames for a better relationship. Later Kakashi lets Naruto know that he has special training for him that will make him stronger quickly. They are cut off by Team 10, who have also come to visit. Sai goes out to eat with them and nicknames Ino "gorgeous" (because his previous attempts, while true in his opinion, were unflattering and failed), making Sakura jealous. Two unnamed shinobi make their way through the ruins of an ancient temple. They break open a sarcophagus looking for someone or something but do not find it.
55 "Wind"
"Kaze" April 17, 2008
Kakashi is released from the hospital and begins Naruto's training program. Naruto learns that he has Wind-style chakra. Yamato helps by setting up the training field with his special jutsu. He will also be there to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra in case it starts going out of control. Naruto also learns that he can use his Multi Shadow Clone jutsu to speed up his training, since whatever the clones learn, the original user learns upon the clone's dispersal. Naruto and his mass of clones each take a leaf and attempt to slice it in half with wind chakra as the first step to creating a new jutsu.
56 "Squirm"
"Ugomeku" April 24, 2008
Naruto and his clones continue to work on chakra nature manipulation by slicing leaves. After struggling for a bit, Naruto asks Kakashi if there are any wind types in the village. Kakashi suggests Asuma, and Naruto goes searching for advice. Asuma gives a clone a few pointers and a demonstration of the power of wind-style chakra. Once the knowledge is shared with the others, Naruto is finally able to slice a leaf in half. Asuma and Yamato head out with their teams on new missions. It is also revealed that Asuma is the Third Hokage's son and that he is in a relationship with Kurenai. At the end of the episode, four cloaked figures are shown on a hill overlooking a burnt village, discussing the awakening of the Fire Country by eliminating the Leaf Village.
57 "Deprived of eternal sleep"
"Ubawareta nemuri" May 8, 2008
Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato head out for a mission near the Fire Temple. When the other party fails to show up at the rendezvous point, the team gets seperated and Naruto finds one of the four hidden tombs they came to protect. After a misunderstanding, he fights one of the monks-in-training from the Fire Temple. The monk Sora uses wind chakra based techniques which intrigue Naruto. The monks and Team Kakashi find the two and clear up the misunderstanding. They all travel to the Fire Temple, and Naruto realizes he recognizes it from a nightmare.
58 "Loneliness"
"Kodoku" May 8, 2008
The temple monks explain that the tombs hold the loyal bodyguards of Fire Country's feudal lord. Naruto observes Sora sparring with other monks and not fight with his full powers and is offended by Sora's actions. Naruto challenges Sora, but as Sora is about to get serious, another monk stops him. Naruto realizes Sora is despised by the other monks as Naruto was himself and wishes to befriend him. Naruto visits Sora again and observes Sora practicing wind jutsu in earnest. Then they return to the temple and hear another tomb is robbed. As they leave to catch the robbers, two of the robbers are seen surfing away on a stolen coffin.
"Kikyō" February 15, 2007
Naruto Uzumaki returns to Konoha after a two-and-a-half-year training journey with Jiraiya. He is reintroduced to his peers, who have all advanced to Chunin rank and beyond, unlike Naruto who is still a Genin. Elsewhere, two members of Akatsuki head towards Sunagakure to capture Gaara, who has since become the Kazekage, the village leader.
2"Akatsuki makes its move"
"Akatsuki, shidō" February 15, 2007
Jiraiya tells Kakashi Hatake that Akatsuki's plan to collect the tailed beasts is underway. Because of the Demon Fox inside him, Naruto is in danger any time he leaves the village, so Jiraiya relinquishes Naruto's training to Kakashi, who can ensure his safety. Kakashi gives Naruto and Sakura Haruno a test to see how far they have improved. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori arrive at the entrance of the Sunagakure. They discover that Yura, their sleeper agent, has already cleared the guards.
3 "The Results of Training"
"Shugyō no seika" February 22, 2007
Kakashi challenges Naruto and Sakura with the bell test, in which they must forcefully take from Kakashi two jingle bells using whatever means necessary. Sakura and Naruto both demonstrate their newly acquired skills. At Sunagakure, Deidara reveals his ability to manipulate exploding clay. He takes to the skies aboard a giant clay bird and begins his aerial assault by lobbing exploding clay spiders onto the guards, instantly killing them. As soon as he makes it to the Kazekage building, however, he finds Gaara there waiting for him.
4 "Jinchūriki of the Sand"
"Suna no Jinchūriki" March 1, 2007
Naruto and Sakura both realize that even though they have vastly improved, they are still no match for Kakashi's superior techniques, as he too has become stronger, and decide to resort to more unconventional means. They win the challenge by threatening to spoil the ending of Kakashi's new novel, forcing him to cover his ears and shut his eyes because of the Sharingan's ability to read lips. Meanwhile, Deidara and Gaara begin their battle. Deidara finds a formidable challenge in Gaara's abilities to control and manipulate sand.
5 "As the Kazekage...!"
"Kazekage to shite…!" March 15, 2007
Deidara sees that subduing the Kazekage is not as easy as he thought. He hurls exploding clay at Gaara to no effect, as Gaara can quickly summon a shield of sand around him with relative ease. Gaara then commands his sand to attack Deidara who has no choice but to try to evade. Gaara's sand eventually catches up with Deidara and crushes his arm.
6 "Quota Cleared"
"Norumakuriā" March 29, 2007
Deidara is determined to capture the Kazekage. Unfazed by the loss of his arm, he unleashes a massive clay bomb onto the village. Gaara is able to deflect the bomb by using his sand to create an enormous shield over the village. However, this leaves him open to a sudden attack, and he inadvertently uses sand that had been seeded with Deidara's clay to defend himself. Deidara then detonates the clay-infested sand, which knocks Gaara unconscious. Deidara captures him and flies away.
7 "Run, Kankuro"
"Hashire Kankurō" March 29, 2007
As Deidara carries an unconscious Gaara out of the village, Gaara's older brother Kankuro chases after them. At the village entrance he discovers that all the guards there have already been killed. Upon catching Deidara and Sasori, Kankuro initiates his Puppet Technique by summoning his puppets Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouo. Sasori sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate his skills, and he allows Deidara to go ahead so that he can battle Kankuro alone.
8 "Team Kakashi Deployed"
"Shutsugeki, Kakashi han" April 12, 2007
Kankuro's attacks are all nullified by Sasori's scorpion-like tail. He eventually pierces Kankuro with his tail, inflicting him with a slow-acting poison. Kankuro is puzzled at how easily Sasori counters his fighting style. Sasori reveals that he himself used to be from Sunagakure and that Kankuro's puppets are his own creations. In response to the Akatsuki assault, Sunagakure sends a distress call to Konoha.
9 "The Jinchūriki's Tears"
"Jinchūriki no namida" April 12, 2007
Kankuro is brought back to the village but he is feeling the effects of Sasori's deadly poison. The village's medics are helpless finding a cure. Baki decides to seek help from the village's elders, Chiyo and Ebizo. Meanwhile, Konoha receives the emergency message from Sunagakure. Tsunade chooses to send Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura to respond to the Sand's need. Along the way, Sakura learns for the first time that Naruto's body contains the demon fox.
10 "Sealing Jutsu: Illusionary Dragon Nine Seal"
"Fūin Jutsu: Genryū Kyū Fūjin" April 19, 2007
Deidara and Sasori arrive at the secret Akatsuki hideout. The Akatsuki leader gathers his followers using an astral projection technique and they begin the ritual to extract the One-Tailed Shukaku from Gaara. At Sunagakure, Kankuro's condition is worsening and Chiyo claims that even her expertise is not enough to counteract Sasori's poison. At Konoha, Tsunade foresees the difficulty of Team Kakashi's mission and orders Team Guy to back them up.
11 "The Medical Ninja's Pupil"
"Iryō ninja no deshi" April 26, 2007
After traveling for three days, Team Kakashi arrives just in time to save Kankuro. Using the skills she acquired from her apprenticeship under Tsunade, Sakura is able to extract the poison and create an antidote. Kankuro regains consciousness and gives Kakashi a piece of cloth from Sasori's outfit, allowing Kakashi's ninja dogs to track the Akatsuki member.
12 "The Retired Old Lady's Determination"
"Inkyo babaa no ketsui" May 3, 2007
Team Kakashi heads out to Akatsuki's hideout along with Chiyo. On the way, Chiyo tells them about the Tailed Beasts. Meanwhile Pakkun heads out to Team Guy and informs them that they are quite close to the Akatsuki hideout. The Akatsuki send out Kisame and Itachi to stop Team Guy and Team Kakashi respectively.
13 "A Destined Meeting"
"Innen aimamieru" May 10, 2007
The battle between Team Guy and Kisame begins while Kakashi explains the danger of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan to the rest of his team and reveals what he's discovered to be its weakness. Guy's team is quickly contained, leaving Guy himself to fight Kisame alone. Kakashi leads the attack against Itachi with Naruto following close behind, but Naruto is shocked when the real Itachi explodes into a cloud and his allies morph into Itachi clones.
14 "Naruto's Growth"
"Naruto no seichō" May 17, 2007
The battle between Guy and Kisame gets into full swing. Guy bring outs his nunchaku to compensate for Kisame's sword, but takes a beating from Kisame's water attacks. Guy has to resort to opening six of the eight chakra gates to even the score. Meanwhile, Naruto realizes he is caught in an illusion and recalls his training with Jiraiya to try to dispel Itachi's illusion.
15 "Hidden Sphere - It is Named...!"
"Kakushi dama - Nazukete" May 24, 2007
The two battles continue from the previous episode. Naruto is released from Itachi's genjutsu by Chiyo and Sakura after his failed attempt to release himself. Distracted and immobilized by Kakashi's shadow clone, Itachi takes a direct hit from Naruto's Great Ball Rasengan. Meanwhile, Guy defeats Kisame using his Morning Peacock technique. The Konoha shinobi then find, to their surprise, that they have not defeated Itachi or Kisame, but two entirely different people.
16 "The Secret of Jinchūriki"
"Jinchūriki no himitsu" May 31, 2007
Kakashi's and Guy's teams both figure out that their battles with the doppelgängers were set-up to delay them from coming to Gaara's rescue. Chiyo reveals that in attempts to control the power of the tailed beasts they were bound to human hosts called "Jinchūriki", and that the human host dies when the beast is extracted — increasing the urgency of saving Gaara. Kankuro is awake and joins a meeting of the Sand council where the history of the Sand village is explained. Both teams stop to rest since their battles have taken their tolls and in preparation for the battles to come. Akatsuki sends Zetsu to "dispose" of the doppelgängers corpses.
17 "Gaara Dies!"
"Gaara shisu!" June 7, 2007
Team Guy and Team Kakashi both finish their breaks and go on towards the Akatsuki lair. Naruto shows intense passion and is in a hurry to reach Gaara. Chiyo notices this and Kakashi explains to her that Naruto is also a Jinchuriki and knows the pain Gaara has lived through. Chiyo explains that she was the ninja who sealed Shukaku in Gaara, in order to protect the Sand village. Meanwhile, Akatsuki has finished extracting Shukaku from Gaara, who dies wondering if he has become a person whom others need. Team Guy and Team Kakashi finally meet in front of the sealed entrance to the Akatsuki lair.
18 "Break In! Button Hook Entry"
"Totsunyū! Botan fukku entorī" June 21, 2007
Team Guy and Team Kakashi find out there is a barrier protecting the Akatsuki hideout, being generated by 5 forbidden tags in the area. After preparations, Team Guy removes the tags and disables the barrier allowing Team Kakashi to enter the hideout. Meanwhile the Akatsuki members have ended the astral projection technique and left the hideout. Deidara and Sasori who were the only ones physically present, remain behind to take care of the intruders.
19 "Traps Activate! Team Guy's Enemies"
"Torappu sadō! Gai han no teki" July 5, 2007
Team Guy fights with exact clones of themselves, a trap set off by their removal of the barrier tags. Deidara takes Gaara's body outside of the cavern, followed by Naruto and Kakashi. Chiyo and Sakura stay behind to fight Sasori.
20 "Hiruko vs. Two Kunoichi"
"Hiruko vs. futari no kunoichi" July 19, 2007
Chiyo explains to Sakura that Sasori used to be one of the best puppeteers in Sunagakure, but he began experimenting with real people. Sakura learns that Sasori's true body is hiding within his favorite puppet, Hiruko, ensuring that he cannot be attacked while controlling it. The only way to defeat Sasori is to destroy his puppet. Using teamwork, Chiyo and Sakura are able to dodge Sasori's attacks and demolish the puppet, from which Sasori himself emerges. Just outside, Deidara begins telling Naruto and Kakashi how much stronger Sasori is compared to himself.
21 "Sasori's Real Face"
"Sasori no sugao" July 26, 2007
With his puppet destroyed, Sasori reveals himself to Chiyo and Sakura, looking no older than when he left his village twenty years ago. As a further bit of nostalgia, he produces a summoning scroll and calls forth the Third Kazekage, whom Sasori has made into a puppet. Using its weapons, which are even more dangerous than Hiruko's, Sasori is able to catch Sakura in a poison gas cloud. Meanwhile, Kankuro, Temari's team, and Ebizo make their way towards the Akatsuki hideout.
22 "Chiyo's Secret Skills"
"Chiyo no oku no te" August 2, 2007
Sakura manages to escape the poison gas cloud by using an explosive scroll near herself. Chiyo calls forth the "Mother" and "Father" puppets that Sasori created to fight him and the Third. They manage to hold down the Third for a while until Sasori releases the Third's secret technique: Iron Sand. Meanwhile, Team Guy are having trouble fighting the clones and showing exhaustion from the battle. Naruto and Kakashi manage to avoid Deidara's clay bombs and keep up with him.
23 "Father and Mother"
""Chichi" to "Haha"" August 2, 2007
The magnetic Iron Sand stops both puppets from moving. Chiyo's right arm, which she had turned into a puppet arm, gets clogged as well. Chiyo thinks back to the past and remembers how Sasori created and controlled his first puppets, Father and Mother. Sakura urges Chiyo to use her again as a puppet. With Chiyo's help, Sakura avoids the columns formed by the Iron Sand to attack her.
24 "The Third Kazekage"
"Sandaime Kazekage" August 9, 2007
Sakura and Chiyo continue their battle with Sasori, while Naruto and Kakashi follow Deidara, and Team Guy fights their clones. Sakura remembers her training with Tsunade when she was taught to observe enemies' weaknesses and dodge their attacks. Sasori attacks with an Iron Sand pyramid and prism, but Sakura is able to fend them off, causing a cave in. Sasori then uses a new technique to attack with randomly-growing iron spikes, landing a hit imbued with a poison that quickly paralyzes its victims. With a final attack of the Third Kazekage's puppet, Sasori attempts to kill the seemingly helpless Sakura, only to discover at the last second that it was a ruse. Somehow immune to the effects of the poison, Sakura destroys his puppet with a single punch at the last second.
25 "Three Minutes of Life and Death"
"Sei to shi no san bun kan" August 16, 2007
Sakura reveals that she took an antidote against Sasori's poison which will make her immune to it for three minutes, forcing herself and Chiyo to end the battle quickly. Meanwhile, Naruto and Kakashi continue their pursuit of Deidara. Deidara attempts to split up Naruto and Kakashi by creating a swarm of explosive jumping crickets out of his clay and has them pursue Kakashi. Kakashi makes a shadow clone as a decoy and the crickets, mistaking the shadow clone for the real Kakashi, detonate harmlessly. Kakashi then catches back up with Naruto and reveals a plan. Sakura and Chiyo ready themselves for the battle with Sasori, who reveals that he made himself into a human puppet.
26 "10 Puppets vs 100 Puppets"
"Jukki vs hyakki" August 23, 2007
Naruto and Kakashi continue to pursue Deidara while Sakura and Chiyo continue the battle with Sasori. Sakura manages to shatter Sasori's puppet body, but he reforms. Chiyo summons the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. Sasori, remarking on Chiyo's ability to control so many puppets, summons one hundred human puppets and the final battle begins. Sakura and Chiyo seem to trap and defeat Sasori but, under cover of the battle, Sasori, who had transferred himself to another puppet, attacks Chiyo from behind. Sakura intercedes, taking the sword thrust meant for Chiyo.
27 "The Impossible Dream"
"Kanawanu yume" August 30, 2007
Chiyo injects the last remaining antidote into Sakura and manages to stab Sasori in his only living part, his heart, using the Father and Mother puppets. With Sasori immobilized, Chiyo revives the nearly dead Sakura using her Resurrection Technique. As he dies, Sasori rewards Sakura for defeating him, telling her where he planned to meet with one of his spies who had been working undercover as one of Orochimaru's subordinates. Meanwhile as Kakashi and Naruto are pursuing Deidara, Kakashi reveals his plan to activate his version of Mangekyo Sharingan.
28 "The Revived Beasts"
"Yomigaeru kemono-tachi" September 13, 2007
Team Guy's fight continues as they fight their respective clones. Neji explains to each member of the team that they are growing weaker and weaker as the fight drags on and they become fatigued. Their clones, being non-human, remain as strong as they were when they were formed. Lee, who refuses to accept defeat, realizes that the only way for them to defeat their clones is to become stronger than they were when they first started fighting. After a flashback about their training sessions, they all remember that they resolve to constantly become stronger. The memory gives them the strength needed to overpower and defeat their clones with new techniques that they devise.
29 "Kakashi Enlightened!"
"Kakashi kaigen!" September 27, 2007
After Team Guy members finish their battles, they make their way to Team Kakashi. Sakura and Chiyo also make their way towards Naruto and Kakashi. Kakashi reveals his Mangekyo Sharingan, which he uses to warp space around Deidara, hoping to suck him into an alternate dimension. However, he only succeeds in catching Deidara's arm, severing it. Kakashi's second attempt fails when Deidara dives into the trees. While Deidara has his guard down, Naruto manages to separate him from his clay bird, having his clones take the beak, which contains Gaara's body, to safety. Naruto, meanwhile, launches a vicious attack on Deidara, only to discover that he is beating up a clay replacement. In his angered state, Naruto's fox chakra begins to emerge. The two tailed form of the nine tailed fox emerges.
30 "Aesthetics of an Instant"
"Shunkan no bigaku" September 27, 2007
After Naruto is taken over by the nine-tailed fox's chakra, Kakashi uses the seal Jiraiya gave him to suppress it. Team Guy finds Deidara thanks to Neji's Byakugan. Deidara seemingly self-destructs while attempting to kill his attackers by creating a massive explosion after eating the remains of his chakra infused clay bird. The explosion is countered by Kakashi, who is able to send it to a different dimension. Sakura cannot bring Gaara back to life, and the group mourns Gaara's death. While the group mourns, Chiyo moves over to Gaara's body and uses the life-resurrection technique.
31 "The Inheritor"
"Tsugareyukumono" October 18, 2007
Chiyo finishes her life-resurrection technique with Naruto's help. As she is about to finish her technique, she passes down to Naruto and Sakura her wisdom for the future. A revived Gaara finds himself surrounded by shinobi from Sunagakure celebrating his return. After Gaara discovers that Chiyo has passed away, he asks everyone to pray silently for Chiyo's sacrifice.
32 "Return of the Kazekage"
"Kazekage no kikan" October 25, 2007
Deidara survives his battle and begins to search for his missing arm. Meanwhile, Zetsu and his subordinate, Tobi, who wishes to join Akatsuki, search Sasori's remains for his ring. Deidara later finds the two searching for his own ring. The leaf ninja leave Sunagakure after their victory, and Danzo gives Sai instructions for his new team, Team Kakashi. The leaf and sand ninja pay their respects at Chiyo's grave, and Gaara and Naruto shake hands before departing.
33 "The New Target"
"Aratanaru tāgetto" November 8, 2007
Teams Kakashi and Guy return home to Konoha. As Kakashi rests in the infirmary, Sakura tells Tsunade about the information Sasori gave her as a reward for defeating him. Sasori had a meeting scheduled with a spy from within Orochimaru's ranks in 10 days. 4 days have passed since Sakura received this information, and now Naruto and Sakura need to recruit a new team member to go and investigate. As Naruto searches Konoha for a willing recruit, he meets some of his old friends. Just as Choji agrees to help, Shikamaru, Choji and Naruto are attacked by a Konoha shinobi unknown to them, Sai.
34 "Formation! New Team Kakashi"
"Kessei! Shin Kakashi han" November 15, 2007
Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru attempt to capture and interrogate Sai, but Sai withdraws after insulting Naruto. Shortly afterward, Ino appears. Concerned that the demon fox could fall into Akatsuki hands, the village elders challenge Tsunade's plan to send Naruto out of the village without the still bedridden Kakashi. Tsunade promises to protect Konoha with her own life if Naruto is captured, but is still forced to compromise with Danzo by adding Sai to Team Kakashi. She also temporarily replaces Kakashi with ANBU member Yamato and warns him to keep an eye on Sai. Naruto and Sakura finally meet their new team members, and Naruto is immediately angered upon Sai's appearance.
35 "An unneeded addition"
"Gadatensoku" November 22, 2007
Yamato takes temporary leadership of Team Kakashi while Sai insults both Naruto and Sakura. While preparing to set off, Sai receives an envelope from a Root shinobi containing secret orders from Danzo, and Sakura consults with Tsunade. Jiraiya then meets with Tsunade and Yamato in Kakashi's hospital room to brief Yamato on the demon fox within Naruto, detailing the "demon fox's cloak", and revealing a scar he got from Naruto when the fourth tail formed. Finally the new Team Kakashi set off on their new mission, to intercept an Akatsuki spy and gather information about Sasuke.
36 "Fake smile"
"Itsuwari no egao" November 29, 2007
The new team Kakashi heads out for the Heaven and Earth bridge. Sai, Sakura, and Naruto come to blows after just 5 minutes on the same team due to Sai making fun of Sasuke. Therefore, Yamato decides they need to improve on teamwork and uses Mokuton to create a wooden cage threatening to lock the team up unless they behave. Given an ultimatum between being locked up or spending the night at a hot springs, the team chooses to visit the springs to improve team cohesion. Naruto still despises Sai despite this effort, and several insulting remarks from Sai worsen team relations.
37 "Untitled"
"Mudai" November 29, 2007
Sakura sees Sai drawing by the river and finds out that Sai has artistic talent but has never given titles to anything he ever drew. Naruto and Sakura begin to realize the reason behind Sai's repulsive personality. After the hot springs, the team heads off to the bridge to meet the spy. Yamato is suspicious of traps so they go off the main road into the forest. Camping for the night, Yamato then creates a two story house by again using his Mokuton jutsu. Inside this house, the team formulates their plan.
38 "Simulation"
"Shimyurēshon" December 6, 2007
Naruto is paired with Sai for the Buddy team of two, over his and Sakura's objections, while Sakura is assigned to support Yamato. Yamato conducts a simulation of the spy meeting with himself as the spy to gauge Naruto and Sai's abilities and teamwork. After Naruto makes a mistake when attacking Yamato, Sai immobilizes him and goes on to capture Yamato alone. Naruto is angry with Sai for not acting as a comrade would, but resolves to work together with him if doing so will help bring Sasuke back. Sai reveals to Sakura that he has no emotions, and little understanding of them. The group then prepares to head to the bridge.
39 "The Bridge of Heaven and Earth"
"Tenchikyō" December 13, 2007
Yamato disguises himself as Sasori after creating a wood replica of Hiruko, and goes to meet the spy. The spy turns out to be Orochimaru's right-hand man, Kabuto Yakushi, who reveals the location of Orochimaru's current hideout to Yamato. Orochimaru interrupts the meeting, appearing to attack Kabuto, and while it initially appears that Orochimaru has come after Kabuto, Kabuto attacks Yamato and reveals that he is truly loyal to Orochimaru. Orochimaru calls out Naruto, Sakura and Sai from where they are hiding and observing the meeting, and prepares to fight the team.
40 "The Nine-Tails unleashed!!"
"Kyūbi kaihō!!" December 20, 2007
Immediately after Yamato signals Naruto and the others out to the bridge where Orochimaru and Kabuto are waiting, Naruto's chakra begins to boil with the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Slowly, Naruto grows more tails as Orochimaru taunts him and makes him even more angry. Meanwhile, Yamato remembers Jiraiya speaking of how many tails he has seen Naruto grow. Jiraiya explains more about what happened and more about how Naruto acts when he's in his Nine-Tails form.
41 "Top-secret mission starts"
"Gokuhi ninmu sutāto" December 20, 2007
Naruto continues to get even more enraged and easily counters Kabuto's attack, flinging him away. Naruto's counter throws Kabuto into Sakura, knocking her unconscious. Orochimaru continues to watch Naruto become more enraged, eventually destroying the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. As the bridge collapses, Sakura slides off the edge. Sai draws a bird to fly, but chooses to follow Naruto and Orochimaru instead of saving Sakura. Yamato saves her at the last second, and creates a wood clone to catch up to the battle. Eventually the fourth tail appears, allowing the vile chakra to completely control Naruto's body, forming him into a miniature Nine-Tailed Fox.
42 "Orochimaru VS Jinchūriki"
"Orochimaru tai Jinchūriki" January 10, 2008
Naruto, in the four-tailed state, begins attacking Orochimaru with incredible force, devastating the surrounding landscape and preventing Sai and Yamato's wood clone from approaching him. The majority of Orochimaru's attacks prove to be ineffective, but Naruto also fails to kill Orochimaru as he regenerates from any injuries he sustains. Meanwhile, Kabuto advances toward Sakura and Yamato, deducing that Sasori has died. Orochimaru finally manages to strike Naruto with a sword blade from his mouth, and Sakura reacts in horror when she sees Naruto's four-tailed state.
43 "Sakura's tears"
"Sakura no namida" January 17, 2008
Kabuto comments that Naruto's state is a consequence of his desperation to bring back Sasuke, and Sakura has a few flashbacks of Naruto swearing to bring Sasuke back to her. She begins to cry and approaches Naruto but is injured when his attention turns to her. Yamato uses the mokuton jutsu to bind Naruto before he does any more harm. Kabuto heals Sakura, reasoning that the Konoha ninja are not Orochimaru's enemies because they are also fighting Akatsuki. Yamato uses the abilities of the 1st Hokage to forcibly return Naruto to his normal state. Meanwhile Sai confronts Orochimaru with a message from Danzo. Orochimaru responds by piercing Sai with his sword.
44 "The truth about the fight"
"Tatakai no tenmatsu" January 24, 2008
Yamato uses the first Hokage's chakra to suppress the demon fox's chakra and Naruto returns to normal, but with severe injuries. Sakura begins to heal him, but notes that medical ninjutsu has little effect on his wounds. Orochimaru's sword is revealed to have only pierced one of Sai's clones. The real Sai emerges, talks to Orochimaru and gives him a letter from Danzo. Sai then leaves with Orochimaru and Kabuto but Yamato´s wood clone stays close on their trail. Naruto comes to his senses and wonders what happened but Sakura decides not to tell him the truth. They reach the meeting spot, picking up the picture book Sai left behind. Yamato infers that Danzo seeks to destroy and remake Konoha by collaborating with Orochimaru.
45 "The results of betrayal"
"Uragiri no hate" January 31, 2008
Kabuto creates a fake corpse that resembles Sai, containing hidden traps to slow down Yamato's clone after sensing it. Naruto hasn't completely recovered from using the Demon Fox's chakra, and Yamato says that he will be left behind if he cannot keep up. Naruto is determined to finish his mission and not slow the team down. However Team Kakashi is forced to take a break when it's clear that Sakura has not fully recovered from her own injuries. Yamato then uses this opportunity to talk to Naruto alone and reveals to him that the one who hurt Sakura was Naruto himself. Naruto is shocked by what Yamato says to him.
46 "Unfinished page"
"Mikan no pēji" February 7, 2008
Naruto finally makes sense of the destruction he witnessed around him earlier. Yamato tells Naruto not to rely on the demon because Naruto is strong enough to withstand the demon's terrible chakra. Sai discovers the loss of his book while resting. Team Kakashi browse Sai's book, and they notice that the book (which can be read from both ends) contains different paths of two boys who meet in the middle. Each page has the boys fighting someone new, each time collecting the opponent's armor and weapons into the next page. The pages where the two boys would meet are unfinished. Orochimaru's group reach their base, not realizing that Yamato's wood clone trailed them there. Sai gets a glimpse of Sasuke's silhouette and eyes and discovers that he is the man Naruto and Sakura are looking for.
47 "Sneak in! Den of the poisonous snake"
"Sennyū! Dokuhebi no ajito" February 14, 2008
Sai meets Sasuke, and receives a chilling glare from the Sharingan that frightens him. He tells Sasuke that Sakura and Naruto desperately want to bring him back, but Sasuke brushes off the revelation and insists that Orochimaru teach him the new technique he promised to. Sai gives Orochimaru a packet with names and information about Konoha's ANBU. Yamato gives Sakura and Naruto seeds with his chakra that will enable him to track them inside the lair, and reveals that he was able to track Sai because he put a seed in Sai's clothing and food during the visit to the hot springs. Kabuto locks Sai in a room, and the boy summons a bingo book from scrolls he carries. Yamato uses a jutsu to open a tunnel into Orochimaru's hideout, and he, Naruto and Sakura travel to Sai's room undetected.
48 "Bonds"
"Tsunagari" February 28, 2008
Yamato and the team enter Sai's room and confront him while Kabuto makes his way there as well. Sai, realizing that his orders are now impossible to carry out, tells Team Kakashi that he was to help with Konoha's destruction but also act as a spy against Orochimaru. Yamato reveals the secret of "Root"- its members were trained like Kirigakure's students in that they had to kill their friends so as to eliminate their emotions. Sakura returns Sai his book, remarking that Sai still has emotions because he treasures it. Sai then tells the group about his bond with his brother. Finally the team decides what to do about Sai's betrayal outside the lair. In doing so, Naruto tells the group about his own bonds and about how far he's willing to go to bring Sasuke back.
49 "Something important"
"Taisetsu na mono" March 6, 2008
Kabuto fights Team Kakashi and frees Sai. However, Sai, who intends to learn more about his bond with his brother through Naruto's bond with Sasuke, betrays him. Captured, Kabuto gives a vague description of Sasuke's location to the team. Leaving Yamato's wood clone to watch over Kabuto, Team Kakashi enters Orochimaru's hideout and splits up to find Sasuke.
50 "Picturebook tells a story"
"Ehon ga kataru sutōri" March 13, 2008
As Team Kakashi continues their search for Sasuke, Naruto suddenly collapses due to his previous fight with Orochimaru. As Naruto wakes up, Sai begins to reveal more about his brother, but Orochimaru suddenly attacks them. Sakura and Yamato come to Naruto's aid against Orochimaru, while Sai continues the search. Just as Sai finds Sasuke, Yamato finds Sai's bingo book with Sasuke listed as a target for assassination.
51 "Reunion"
"Saikai" March 20, 2008
As Team Kakashi continues their search for Sasuke, Sai approaches Sasuke's room and awakens him. Shaken by the image of Sasuke's Sharingan from earlier, Sai attempts to restrain him. A large explosion occurs and Sakura, Naruto and Yamato catch up. At first Sakura tries to restrain Sai in order to find out his true objective, but she stops, stunned at seeing her former comrade. Contrary to what the rest of the team assumed to be his mission, Sai tells them that he wishes to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.
52 "The power of Uchiha"
"Uchiha no chikara" March 20, 2008
Sasuke begins to attack Naruto, but Sai restrains him only for them both to be blown away by a Chidori emanating from his whole body. Sakura charges Sasuke saying that she will stop him herself, but Yamato intervenes and winds up being stabbed by Sasuke's unique blade infused with his Chidori. The Nine-Tailed Fox uses this opportunity to tempt Naruto with its power, but he refuses. Sasuke sees this encounter using his Sharingan and appears in Naruto's mind. The Nine-Tails says that Sasuke's chakra reminds him of Madara Uchiha, then Sasuke suppresses the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra. Before the Nine-Tailed Fox returns to its cage, it warns Sasuke not to kill Naruto, saying that he will live to regret it forever.
53 "Title"
"Taitoru" April 3, 2008
Orochimaru and Kabuto convince Sasuke to withdraw with them, saying that Konoha might be useful to him if they keep killing Akatsuki members. Naruto begins to cry over his failure to return Sasuke to the village, but Sakura says that they will bring him back together. Naruto's team reports to Tsunade about the results of the mission, and Tsunade is greatly angered over Danzo's scheme, particularly his leaking classified information to further it. Sai asks Danzo to allow him to remain with Team Kakashi, and Danzo reluctantly agrees. Sai goes on a mission with his team, having come to see them as his friends.
54 "Nightmare"
"Akumu" April 3, 2008
Naruto's been having nightmares about a mysterious person releasing the Nine-Tail's power. After remembering their recent encounter with Sasuke, Naruto realizes that he must get stronger. Sai studies the art of friendship in the library and is joined by Sakura. Sai learns that he should give friends nicknames for a better relationship. Later Kakashi lets Naruto know that he has special training for him that will make him stronger quickly. They are cut off by Team 10, who have also come to visit. Sai goes out to eat with them and nicknames Ino "gorgeous" (because his previous attempts, while true in his opinion, were unflattering and failed), making Sakura jealous. Two unnamed shinobi make their way through the ruins of an ancient temple. They break open a sarcophagus looking for someone or something but do not find it.
55 "Wind"
"Kaze" April 17, 2008
Kakashi is released from the hospital and begins Naruto's training program. Naruto learns that he has Wind-style chakra. Yamato helps by setting up the training field with his special jutsu. He will also be there to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra in case it starts going out of control. Naruto also learns that he can use his Multi Shadow Clone jutsu to speed up his training, since whatever the clones learn, the original user learns upon the clone's dispersal. Naruto and his mass of clones each take a leaf and attempt to slice it in half with wind chakra as the first step to creating a new jutsu.
56 "Squirm"
"Ugomeku" April 24, 2008
Naruto and his clones continue to work on chakra nature manipulation by slicing leaves. After struggling for a bit, Naruto asks Kakashi if there are any wind types in the village. Kakashi suggests Asuma, and Naruto goes searching for advice. Asuma gives a clone a few pointers and a demonstration of the power of wind-style chakra. Once the knowledge is shared with the others, Naruto is finally able to slice a leaf in half. Asuma and Yamato head out with their teams on new missions. It is also revealed that Asuma is the Third Hokage's son and that he is in a relationship with Kurenai. At the end of the episode, four cloaked figures are shown on a hill overlooking a burnt village, discussing the awakening of the Fire Country by eliminating the Leaf Village.
57 "Deprived of eternal sleep"
"Ubawareta nemuri" May 8, 2008
Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato head out for a mission near the Fire Temple. When the other party fails to show up at the rendezvous point, the team gets seperated and Naruto finds one of the four hidden tombs they came to protect. After a misunderstanding, he fights one of the monks-in-training from the Fire Temple. The monk Sora uses wind chakra based techniques which intrigue Naruto. The monks and Team Kakashi find the two and clear up the misunderstanding. They all travel to the Fire Temple, and Naruto realizes he recognizes it from a nightmare.
58 "Loneliness"
"Kodoku" May 8, 2008
The temple monks explain that the tombs hold the loyal bodyguards of Fire Country's feudal lord. Naruto observes Sora sparring with other monks and not fight with his full powers and is offended by Sora's actions. Naruto challenges Sora, but as Sora is about to get serious, another monk stops him. Naruto realizes Sora is despised by the other monks as Naruto was himself and wishes to befriend him. Naruto visits Sora again and observes Sora practicing wind jutsu in earnest. Then they return to the temple and hear another tomb is robbed. As they leave to catch the robbers, two of the robbers are seen surfing away on a stolen coffin.
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