Iruka struggles to deal with his hate for the Nine-Tailed Fox inside Naruto as he tries to connect with Naruto after seeing him shunned by his peers.

After hearing the news about Akatsuki's attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, Gaara worries about Naruto's well-being. He remembers a time in the past where Team 7 was assigned to help him out with a problem, and how nobody, especially Naruto, was eager to trust him. Yet, when his life was put in danger by people he had wronged, Naruto was the first to come to his rescue.

After having discovered that the village was under the control of rebels from the Hidden Rain Village, led by Hanzo, Naruto and Jiraiya decided to take action to help save the women and children taken hostage and free the village from the Rain's tyrannical control.

Naruto, two jonin and an elder known as "the Eternal Genin" set off to a mission to patrol the border of the Land of Fire following Orochimaru's attack. After some days with no incidents, a group of enemy ninjas cross the borders. The Eternal Genin proves to be a brave ninja and remembering the lessons he learned with the 2nd and 3rd hokages, sees the similarities between Naruto and his father.

Sasuke has a flashback while traveling to Konoha with his team, Taka. He once saved a girl named Naho not knowing that she's a relative of the Feudal Lord. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura are sent on a mission to accompany Naho and act as her bodyguards while Kakashi and Sasuke are sent to discover the reason why internationally wanted bandits have entered their border. Kakashi and Sasuke later find out that the bandits intend to abduct Naho. Naruto and Sakura are defeated by the bandits and are taken hostage. Sasuke finds them first and proceeds to defeat the leader and mercilessly punches him because of his jealousy for Naruto's growing power. A cut to the present reveals Naruto contemplating on his promise to have Sasuke return to the village.

The ship is caught in a storm and Naruto uses his shadow clones to protect the ship.After the storm, Naruto wakes up and a quarrel begins between Naruto and his Shadow clones. Soon his shadow clones revolt and take control of the ship and the crew is forced to land on a nearby island. Naruto is taken hostage by the shadow clones and they put forth their demands to him. Naruto is saved by Yamato and the others only to find that it was a dream. It was caused when a Shadow clone was released and the memories of it returned to Naruto. Naruto then realizes the worth of his clones and releases them.

Tenten remembers when she was little and how she really wanted to become like the legendary Tsunade. She finds out through hard training that she won't be capable of the strength Tsunade has. She also finds out that she won't be suitable to be a medical ninja for her poor chakra control. But at last, she discovers that she has the ability to summon ninja tools, thus creating her own style of fighting.

During his final stop for supplies on an island in the Land of Water, Naruto runs into Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi of the Hidden Stone, who are on an assignment to deliver a letter from the Tsuchikage addressed to the Mizukage.

Over at the Medical Unit camp, Sakura and the other medic ninja work nonstop to treat the wounded. Neji is there to recover from overusing his Byakugan.