Lee in his weakened state is having trouble defeating Dosu. Sakura realises everyone has been protecting her until now and that its her time to protect them! Can Sakura succeed where even Lee failed?

With so many participants still left, the groups are told that they will be pitted against each other in preliminary matches. Kabuto leaves, then Sasuke is told he has to fight. They know that Sasuke was given the cursed seal and if it takes over they will stop him. Can Sasuke stop the seal from taking over again and still win?

The match between Kiba and Naruto kicks off, with Kiba immediately proving he has the upper hand in the battle. Everyone still believes Naruto is the weak ninja he's always been, everyone except for Hinata, Kakashi, and Sakura. Now it's Naruto's time to shine, and this time...everyone will be watching him!

Naruto wants Kakashi to train him, but Kakashi has other plans. Ebisu arrives to an unhappy Naruto and makes a deal with him. If Naruto can get away from Ebisu, he'll make Kakashi train him. Naruto decides to accept Ebisu's challenge, but can he win?

Since Naruto is having little to no success at summoning frogs, Jiraiya figures that if Naruto's to learn how summon Kyubi's chakra, he's going to need to be put into a life-threating situation. After having Naruto do a bunch of tasks, he throws Naruto off a cliff. Naruto's only hope of survival lies within an encounter with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox himself. But, will Kyubi be willing to help him?

When it looks as if Naruto can't win, Neji continues to tell him that he cannot change his fate and that he has no idea what it feels like to carry a seal that cannot be removed. Naruto thinks back about his childhood and how he was treated because of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him. However, that same curse may prove to be his only chance at winning...

While Shino and Kankuro fight the match they should've fought back during the Chuunin Exam, Naruto, Sakura, and Pakkun slowly catch up to Sasuke. Meanwhile, Sasuke has finally caught up with Gaara and Temari, but is he ready to face true horror when Gaara reveals his demon form?

Neji's on the run from Kidomaru's bow and arrow attacks. Will Neji make it out alive or will his new-found enemy hit his blindspot dead on?

Shikamaru's got his hands full with Tayuya and her melodic attacks. Can he stop her and put an end to her malevolent flute playing?