Asuma’s team reaches the bounty station and ambushes Hidan. Izumo and Kotetsu attack Hidan, but are unable to kill him despite stabbing his vital organs. Asuma tells his teammates that if they retreat they will be killed and Konoha will be endangered. Shikamaru realizes that Asuma is considering sacrificing himself to help defeat the enemy, based on what he knows of Asuma's shogi strategy. Asuma begins fighting Hidan, while Shikamaru distracts him by forcing him to dodge Shadow Sewing. Hidan cuts Asuma on the cheek and steps into a circle of blood as Asuma uses a jutsu to engulf Hidan in a cloud of ash. Asuma then sets the cloud ablaze, supposedly killing Hidan.

As Naruto recovers from his injury, Kakashi prepares to tell him the grim news about his new technique. Meanwhile, Sasuke secretly trains and has an encounter with a strange young girl.

In Konoha, Tsunade discovers they have an enemy using Crystal Style. While on his mission with Team Kakashi, Naruto meets Yūkimaru once again and talks to him. Guren puts a gigantic Crystal Prison over the forest trapping Team Kurenai inside. Guren then prepares six Crystal Clones and attacks Team Kurenai with them. Hinata defeats one clone but is locked up in a Crystal Prison by another. Team Kakashi reaches the borders of the giant prison and Naruto uses his new Jutsu with Gamatatsu to bust a way in.

Kabuto plans on breaking Leaf’s The Four-Corner Sealing Barrier from the inside by using Yukimaru’s power and have the Three-Tailed Beast go on a rampage.

The sealing team continue their efforts to seal the Sanbi while Kakashi and the others face against a monster fused together by Kigiri, Nurari and Kihou. Kabuto reveals Orochimaru's plans involving the Sanbi and he and Naruto begin to fight. While protecting Yukimaru, Guren fights against the real Rinji, who has been resurrected by Kabuto. When Guren sacrifices her life to save Yukimaru, Yukimaru's powers go into full effect. Now, in order to protect Yukimaru, Naruto prepares to go against the rampaging Sanbi.

Naruto, Sai, and Yamato arrive to save Hotaru and Utakata from the attacking ninja who they discover are Anbu from the Hidden Mist Village. Yamato attempts to negotiate alone with the head of the Mist Anbu, Tsurugi, and after their discussion, Tsurugi talks to Utakata alone. Tsurugi attempts to convince Utakata to return to the Hidden Mist Village but the latter refuses and remembers the horrible pain he suffered at the hands of his former master.

Naruto succeeds in mastering his Sage Mode, taking it farther than even Jiraiya could. Things aren't looking so great for Konoha, however, as Pain prepares to make his move.

Naruto returns and discovers that the village has been devastated by Pain's Shinra Tensei attack. Naruto requests that everyone stays back as he prepares to take on all six paths of Pain at once.

Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji continue to search for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy while chasing off some unexpected visitors.

As the ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village work on repairing their village in the aftermath of Pain's invasion, Naruto and Sakura come across a familiar face among the carpenters: Inari and Tazuna have arrived to help out. Inari recalls what happened after Gato's death and how Naruto and Sasuke came to his rescue.

Naruto thinks back to the time when he encountered the soul of a man named Kisuke. Kisuke didn't recall anything about who he was, but a visit to the Leaf Village's hospital revealed something startling. Meanwhile, higher-ups of the Fire Country met to decide on a new security system for the Leaf Village put together by a ninja named Sabiru. Who exactly were Kisuke and Sabiru, and what connection did the two have?

Hinata’s father Hiashi summons the Hyuga clan to discuss the role they will be playing in the upcoming Fourth Great Ninja War.