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.

Gaara meets with Fugi, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on his life. He confides that perhaps, after all the fear and pain he has wrought upon the Sand, he has no right to be their leader.

As a result of having the Nine Tails sealed inside of him, Naruto is feared and hated by the villagers. He trains all alone in the woods, but one day, a certain man appears and strikes up a conversation with Naruto. Elsewhere, in the Leaf Village, a celebration is held to mark Hinata's third birthday, where she meets Neji for the first time.

Ever since he was young, Jiraiya has been a little pervy. He tries to involve Orochimaru in many of his exploits as well as his schemes to get Tsunade’s attention. In Kakashi's story, we see him living on his own since his father, Sakumo, died. Rin and Obito are fascinated by Kakashi, but his aloofness makes him hard to figure out.

"The fourth Great Shinobi World War has ended. But Sasuke decides to continue his solitary journey—this time to atone for his sins. Meanwhile, back at the Leaf Village, there is a growing number of missing shinobi. As Kakashi—the sixth Hokage—and the others discuss these incidents, the Leaf is attacked by a mysterious group of shinobi."

Orochimaru brings Sasuke to the Coliseum fighting ring, to lure out En Oyashiro, who may have some information regarding the Exploding Human incident. The match is called off when more Exploding Humans appear and the opportunity to meet Oyashiro seems lost. However, impressed by Sasuke’s Sharingan, Oyashiro approaches him in person.

Naruto had once lived a lonely existence, ostracized by everyone. But Iruka's words and his very presence have supported Naruto to this day. As Naruto's wedding nears, Iruka begins to lose sight of what he was to Naruto, and is unsure of what to say for his message.