Inside his mind, Naruto continues his battle against Nine Tails to take control of its immense power.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is ordered by Shikaku to take down the reanimated Asuma. Remembering Asuma’s final words, Shikamaru and Ino are determined to stop their former teacher.

The legendary Ama no Hoko imbues the Nine Tails’ clone with enough power to destroy the world. Naruto is overcome by its immense power and lies unconscious.

During their battle against the White Zetsu, Shino’s beetles detect the presence of another enemy. Leaving the fight to Kiba and the others, Shino goes to investigate and finds Torune preparing to unleash his forbidden jutsu.

The reanimated shinobi appearing before Gaara and Ohnoki is revealed to be none other than Madara Uchiha himself…which raises the question of who the masked man claiming to be Madara really is.

Back at the front lines, the five Kage struggle to hold their own against Madara's Susanoo-clad wood clones.  As the lights surrounding the reincarnated shinobi begin to illuminate the battlefield as they faded into pillars of light, Itachi approaches Sasuke and uses his Sharingan to show Sasuke everything about the Uchiha clan massacre.

Hiruzen relieves Kakashi of his ANBU duties and assigns him a new position as a Jonin Leader. Reflecting on his past mistakes, Kakashi decides to use the same test that Minato once used to measure one’s teamwork.

Despite all efforts, Kurama is extracted from Naruto, and ultimately, all the Tailed Beasts are imprisoned inside the Gedo Statue.

The Second Exam finally begins! To pass this stage, each team must take possession of both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and make it to the designated site in the center of the Demon Desert within 72 hours.

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.

Naruto wakes up and encounters the legendary shinobi, the Sage of Six Paths. He reveals to Naruto that he is the reincarnation of his son, Ashura, and that Sasuke is the reincarnation of Indra, Ashura's older brother.

Naruto reaches the tower Sasuke was heading for, thanks to Neji, Lee and Tenten deterring the agents from the Foundation. But it's too late—Sasuke's already made contact with Orochimaru! Naruto passionately tries to reason with Sasuke, but ultimately their powers collide!

Itachi joins the ANBU and is quickly promoted to captain. But he must report directly to Danzo, and is placed as a double agent to observe the Uchiha clan, who are in the midst of planning a coup d’état. With dissatisfaction rising within the clan, the Uchiha ultimately decide to carry out their revolt, and the fateful night approaches.

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.