Plot of Naruto: Shippūden

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See also: List of Naruto: Shippūden Episodes The plot of the second part of the manga and anime series Naruto, titled Naruto: Shippūden (疾風伝, lit. Hurricane Chronicles) in the anime and simply Part II in the manga, was set two and a half years after the present timeline in Part I. The new setting for the series began with volume 28 (chapter 245) of the manga. The anime adaptation of the manga started airing on February 15 2007, premiering with the first two episodes debuting in a one-hour special. Viz is working on a North American DVD series of Naruto Shippūden, which is planned for release on September 29, 2009. The US publication of the manga began in January 2008, in the US issue of Shonen Jump.

The new story revolved mainly around Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno's new adventures, and their search for Sasuke Uchiha after he defected from Konoha in order to gain Orochimaru's power. The plot laters involves new major characters, such as Sai and Yamato. The plot also showed a more active Akatsuki in their quest to obtain all the tailed beasts.

Rescue Gaara arc

Main article: Rescue Gaara arc The Kazekage Rescue Mission (風影奪還任務, Kazekage Dakkan Ninmu), known simply as Kazekage Rescue (風影奪還, Kazekage Dakkan) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees the rescue of the Fifth Kazekage from Akatsuki. It spans through volumes 28 to 32, or more specifically, covers chapters 245 to 281 of the manga and episodes 1 to 32 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. In the manga, it is preceded by Kakashi Gaiden; in the anime, it is preceded by the Sunagakure Support Mission. In both medias, it is followed by the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission.

Sasuke and Sai arc

Main article: Sasuke and Sai arc The Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission (天地橋偵察任務, Tenchi-Kyō Teisatsu Ninmu, literally meaning: Heaven and Earth Bridge Reconnaissance Mission), known as the Long-Awaited Reunion (遥かなる再会, Harukanaru Saikai) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees Team 7's mission to the Tenchi Bridge to find Sasuke Uchiha, along with new members Sai and Yamato. It spans through volumes 32 to 35, or more specifically, covers chapters 282 to 310 of the manga and episodes 33 to 53 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. This arc is preceded by the Kazekage Rescue Mission; in the manga, it is followed by the Akatsuki Suppression Mission while it is followed by the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the anime.

Hidan and Kakuzu arc

Main article: Hidan and Kakuzu arc The Akatsuki Suppression Mission (“暁”討伐任務, "Akatsuki" Tōbatsu Ninmu), known as the Immortal Devastators — Hidan and Kakuzu (不死の破壊者、飛段・角都, Fushi no Hakaisha Hidan Kakuzu) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees Konoha's fight against Hidan and Kakuzu of Akatsuki. It spans through volumes 35 to 38, or more specifically, covers chapters 311 to 342 of the manga and episodes 72 to 88 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. In the manga, this arc is preceded by the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission and followed by the Itachi Pursuit Mission. In the anime, it is preceded by the Twelve Guardian Ninja and is followed by the Three-Tails' Appearance.

Hunt for Itachi arc

Main article: Hunt for Itachi arc The Itachi Pursuit Mission (イタチ追跡任務, Itachi Tsuiseki Ninmu), known as Master's Prophecy and Vengeance (師の予言と復讐, Shi no Yogen to Fukushū) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees the separate attempts of Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki to find Itachi Uchiha. It spans through volumes 38 to 40, or more specifically, covers chapters 343 to 367 of the manga and episodes 113 to 118 and later episodes 121 to 126 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime; two episodes of Kakashi Gaiden are shown in the interim. In the manga, it is preceded by the Akatsuki Suppression Mission; in the anime, it is preceded by the Three-Tails' Appearance. In both medias, it is followed by the Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant. In the anime, the events of Sasuke's meeting with Itachi and Hebi's travelling to Itachi's location takes place in the Fated Battle Between Brothers arc.

Senjutsu Training arc

Main article: Senjutsu Training arc The Fated Battle Between Brothers (運命の兄弟対決, Unmei no Kyōdai Taiketsu), known as Master's Prophecy and Vengeance (師の予言と復讐, Shi no Yogen to Fukushū) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees the battle between Sasuke Uchiha and his brother Itachi. It spans through volumes 42 to 44, or more specifically, covers chapters 384 to 412 in the manga and episodes 134 to 143 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. This arc is preceded by the Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant; in the manga it is followed by Pain's Assault and in the anime it is followed by the Six-Tails Unleashed. In the anime, the events of Naruto finding out about Jiraiya's death, as well as decoding Jiraiya's message, and accepting Fukasaku's offer to learn senjutsu takes place at the beginning of the Pain's Assault arc.

Invasion of Pain arc

Main article: Invasion of Pain arc Pain's Assault (ペイン強襲, Pein Kyōshū), known as Two Saviours (二人の救世主, Futari no Kyūseishu) in the anime, is an arc from Part II of the series. This arc sees Pain's attack on Konohagakure to find Naruto Uzumaki. It spans through volumes 45 to 48, or more specifically, covers chapters 413 to 453 of the manga and episodes 152 to 169, as well as episodes 172 to 175 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime with two stand-alone episodes shown in the interim. In the manga, this arc is preceded by the Fated Battle Between Brothers and followed by the Five Kage Summit. In the anime, it is preceded by the Six-Tails Unleashed and is followed by the Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha. In the anime, the Taka vs. Eight-Tails event takes place at the end of the Fated Battle Between Brothers arc.

Five Kages Summit arc

Chapter 450 to current.

New Orders

Kakashi found Naruto and returned him to Konoha, where all the villagers and ninja had gathered to congratulate Naruto on his victory. Tsunade was left in a comatose state and a new Hokage was to be elected. In the meeting to decide who the next Hokage should be, Shikaku nominated Kakashi, much to Danzo's annoyance. Danzo argued that all the previous Hokages had, in some way, destroyed the village. The Fire Daimyo then elected Danzo as the acting Sixth Hokage. Danzo labeled Sasuke a wanted criminal, ordered Sai to keep an eye on Naruto and keep Naruto from leaving Konoha. Upon hearing the news, Naruto attempted to meet and reason with Danzo, but was stopped by Kakashi. Sai was unable to reveal Danzo's intentions because of the cursed seal given to him as well as all Root members.

Team Samui had finally reached Konoha. Overhearing information about Sasuke, the two members of Team Samui, Omoi and Karui, approached Naruto for information regarding Sasuke and Akatsuki. Naruto, due to the lessons he had learned from Pain, offered to be beaten to relieve Karui of the pain she felt over the loss of her master, Killer Bee. Naruto had endured a thorough beating before Sai stepped in to protect him. Omoi noted that no matter what Karui did to Naruto, he would not betray Sasuke. Samui found Team Samui and informed them that they would have to report to the Raikage.

After receiving medical care, Naruto told Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai his intentions of leaving the village and meeting the Raikage to ask a pardon for Sasuke. Yamato reminded him, however, that, without the First Hokage's Necklace, the already weak seal shouldn't be strained, and, as he had been assigned to help rebuild the village, he couldn't be there to seal the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox if something happened. Naruto recounted the conversation with Minato Namikaze, his father, the Fourth Hokage. Minato told Naruto about the Akatsuki member in the mask, who was the de facto leader of Akatsuki, who was responsible for the Demon Fox's attack on Konoha, and who was so strong that not even Minato could defeat. When pressed for anything else the Fourth had told him, Naruto told everyone how his father believed in him, which was enough to convince Kakashi that he and Yamato should accompany Naruto to the Land of Iron.

On its way to Konoha, Taka, having abandoned Akatsuki after completing the mission to capture the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox, was stopped by Madara Uchiha, who was angered at Taka's failure to catch the Eight-Tails and its betrayal of Akatsuki. When Sasuke tried to fight his way through, Madara calmly informed him that Konoha had already been destroyed by Pain. He gave Taka a new assignment: to kill the new Hokage, Danzo. Zetsu's white half led Taka to the Kages Summit.

Madara told the black half of Zetsu that Pain's defeat was a hindrance to his plans, and that the resurrecting technique was supposed to be used on him. Sasuke would be of no use to him if Sasuke couldn't be controlled properly. Madara decided to step out of the shadows and commence with the "Moon's Eye Plan" (月の眼計画, Tsuki no Me Keikaku).

The Kages Summit

Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Onoki the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, and the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure departed from their villages with two guards each, as requested by the Raikage, to the location of the summit, the Land of Iron.

Danzo ordered Root members Dajimu and Terai to find Kabuto before Anko did. Danzo believed that Kabuto might be able to restore his right arm and eye. On his way to the meeting, Danzo was attacked by two assailants, prompting him to remove the bandages over his eye, revealing a bloodshot Sharingan. Danzo quickly dispatched the seventeen Hanya assassins from the Land of Wood.

In Konoha, Yamato planted tracking devices on Team Samui. Kakashi put two Root members under genjutsu and told Sai to report to Danzo that Naruto had not left Konoha. Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato headed for the Land of Iron to meet the Raikage. Despite Naruto's desperate pleas, the Raikage refused to call off the hunt for Sasuke Uchiha and scolded Naruto for being weak and defending a criminal.

Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron, started the meeting while each Kage's bodyguards looked on. The five Kages began to argue due to the differences in their ideologies. Danzo mentioned Killer Bee, sending the Raikage into a fury. The Raikage quickly had to be protected by his bodyguards, as all of the other Kages' bodyguards were ready to intervene. This brief scuffle revealed Kankuro's new puppet, which mysteriously resembled Sasori. Temari now summoned her fan with a scroll instead of always carrying it around with her.

The Raikage claimed that Akatsuki was made up of missing-nins from every village but his, and the other villages had used Akatsuki for their own purposes: the Fourth Kazekage attempted to use Akatsuki to destroy Konoha, the Tsuchikage hired Akatsuki to prevent inexperienced Iwagakure ninjas from being sent into battle themselves. The Fifth Mizukage admitted that the Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tailed Giant Turtle's jinchūriki, Yagura, might have been manipulated by Akatsuki.

When Danzo stated that Akatsuki's leader was almost certainly Madara Uchiha, Mifune suggested that a five-country alliance be formed to eliminate the threat of Akatsuki. Since the only country which still possessed a tailed beast was the Land of Fire, Mifune appointed the Hokage, Danzo, to be the leader of the alliance. Ao, however, found something unusual in the midst of the summit and revealed a Byakugan under his eye patch. He immediately discovered Danzo's two different chakra colors, one belonging to him, and the other belonging to Shisui Uchiha, who had the ability to control other people's minds. The furious Raikage accused Danzo of influencing Mifune's decision. Suddenly, Zetsu's white-half appeared in the middle of the meeting room and informed the Kages that Sasuke was near.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, the Konoha 11 discussed the turns of events and came to the conclusion that they had to hunt down Sasuke before his actions sparked off an all-out war between the countries. Shikamaru asked Team 7 for consent. Sakura decided to find Naruto in the Land of Iron and talked to him herself. She left Konoha with Kiba, Lee and Sai.

While resting at an inn, Naruto is greeted by Tobi, who revealed himself as Madara Uchiha. Naruto attacked Madara with a Rasengan but missed. Even though he was quickly bound by Yamato's Wood Release and threatened with Kakashi's Lightning Blade, Madara remained calm and proceeded to tell Naruto about how Itachi had sacrificed his life to protect Sasuke and Konoha, how Sasuke resolved to seek revenge on Konoha for the tragic life Itachi was forced to endure. He stated that Naruto had inherited the Senju clan's Will of Fire while Sasuke had embraced the Uchiha clan's hatred, and the battle between the two would be inevitable.

The Kages vs. Sasuke

The enraged Raikage choked Zetsu to unconsciousness before storming out of the meeting room. Outside, Sasuke had already began battling the samurais and quickly disposed of them.

Sasuke and Taka faced the Raikage and his bodyguards. The Raikage's immense physical strength allowed him to snap Suigetsu's sword and ward off a fully-transformed Jugo. Against the Raikage's superior lightning-based jutsu, which is capable of nullifying even the Chidori, Sasuke was forced to activate the Mangekyo Sharingan, using an incomplete Susanoo wrapped in Amaterasu to defend himself. The Raikage punched through Sasuke's defense at the cost of his right arm, which caught the black flame. Before the Raikage could injure himself further, the Kazekage, Gaara, intervened, wishing to talk to Sasuke. Gaara persuaded Sasuke to abandon his path in darkness and revenge, but failed. Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and Darui attacked Sasuke at the same time, but none of their attempts was able to harm the Susanoo, Sasuke's ultimate defense.

Sasuke broke the pillars of the meeting room with the Susanoo, hoping to collapse the roof. Karin noted Sasuke's chakra was darker and colder than ever before. When Sasuke entered the meeting room, Danzo fled, with Ao in pursuit. Sasuke was about to give chase but the Mizukage stopped him, sealing the exit with her acidic globs. The Mizukage could control three elements and had two Kekkai Genkai. Her acidic mist began to eat through his Susanoo, and had it not been for Zetsu's technique, which drained the chakra of everyone in the room and transferred it to Sasuke, Sasuke would have been killed.

Keeping Susanoo activated the whole time had considerably weakened Sasuke, and though he escaped from the Mizukage, he fell victim to the Tsuchikage's Dust Release. The Tsuchikage, who had broken out of Zetsu's grasp, pulverized the Susanoo. An unconscious Sasuke was saved by the timely intervention of Madara Uchiha.

Declaration Of War

Raikage was enraged at the sight of Madara Uchiha and attacked the masked man, but he failed to even lay a finger on Madara. Madara teleported an unconscious Sasuke and Karin to an unknown location, ordering Karin to heal Sasuke. Madara had wanted to push Sasuke to improve his Mangekyo Sharingan by sending him to the summit, and to weaken the Kages, but admitted he had overestimated Sasuke's strength.

According to Madara, the Sage of the Six Paths was worshipped as a god throughout the old ninja world because he managed to subdue the strongest tailed beast that ever lived, the Ten-Tailed Beast, by sealing it in himself, becoming the very first jinchūriki. The Sage knew once he died, the seal would be broken and the Ten-Tails would once again lay waste to the world, so on his deathbed, he summoned the last of his strength to split the Ten-Tails into nine parts (which would become the nine tailed beasts) and used a massive Chibaku Tensei to send the Ten-Tails' physical remainings into space, creating the moon.

Madara finally revealed the "Moon's Eye Plan": as he was severely injured from the fight against Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, at the Valley of the End, he had to hide in the shadows, letting Akatsuki capture the nine tailed beasts. With the beasts in his possession, he would be able to revive the Ten-Tails and become its jinchūriki, attaining god-like power. Finally, he could project an eternal Tsukuyomi onto the moon, placing everyone on Earth under the illusion of a world without strife and hatred.

Madara needed the Kages to hand over the two remaining beasts: the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox in Killer Bee and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox in Naruto. The Kages immediately opposed him, stating that he only wanted the world for himself, and that an illusion of peace is not true peace but the removal of free will. The Raikage is infuriated that Killer Bee used the opportunity of being "captured" to escape from his village.

As the Kages refused to cooperate with him, Madara declared the Fourth Shinobi War before teleporting away.

As the power of Madara and the seven beasts in his possession was too great for any one of the countries to handle, the Kages and the Land of Iron's leader, for the first time in the history of the ninja world, agreed to form a five-country alliance. Danzo, the acting Hokage, who fled earlier, was disgraced, and Gaara offered to relay new information to Konoha through Kakashi instead. The Kages decided to protect the remaining hosts, Naruto and Killer Bee, instead of using them in battle, as both were too unpredictable and Madara would expect them to turn up at the battlefield. The Raikage, having regained his composure, was voted the leader of the alliance.

Elsewhere, while Killer Bee was honing his singing voice with Master Sabu, the leader of the Enka ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki arrived.

Anime-only arcs

Fire Temple arc

Main article: Fire Temple arc The Twelve Guardian Ninja (守護忍十二士, Shugonin Jūnishi) is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It covers episodes 54 to 71. The arc expands upon the Twelve Guardian Ninja and Naruto's wind training through the introduction of a boy named Sora. This arc is preceded by the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission and followed by the Akatsuki Suppression Mission.

Three-Tailed Beast arc

Main article: Three-Tailed Beast arc The Three-Tails' Appearance (三尾出現, Sanbi Shutsugen) is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It covers episodes 89 to 112. It deals with the efforts of Akatsuki, Konoha, and Team Guren to capture the Three-Tails. This arc is preceded by the Akatsuki Suppression Mission and followed by the Itachi Pursuit Mission.

Deaths

Character Name	Arc in Which Death Occurred	Place of Death	Killer(s)	Cause of Death
Mukade	Rescue Gaara arc	Unknown	Might Guy	Morning Peacock
Yura	Rescue Gaara arc	Unknown	Naruto Uzumaki	Great Ball Rasengan
Sasori	Rescue Gaara arc	Land of Rivers	Chiyo	Puppets Made in the Likeness of Sasori's parents
Chiyo	Rescue Gaara arc	Land of Rivers	Herself	One's Own Life Reincarnation
Fuen (Anime Only)	Fire Temple arc	Konohagakure	Sakura Haruno	Cherry Blossom Impact
Fudō (Anime Only)	Fire Temple arc	Konohagakure	Tenzo (Yamato)	Wood Release: Binding Nest
Fuka (Anime Only)	Fire Temple arc	Konohagakure	Naruto Uzumaki	Rasengan
Kazuma (Anime Only)	Fire Temple arc	Konohagakure	Asuma Sarutobi	Flying Swallow
Yugito Nii	Hidan and Kakuzu arc	Akatsuki Hideout	Akatsuki	Sealing Technique: Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals
Chiriku	Hidan and Kakuzu arc	Fire Temple	Hidan and/or Kakuzu
Asuma Sarutobi	Hidan and Kakuzu arc	Land of Fire Bounty Station	Hidan	Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood
Hidan	Hidan and Kakuzu arc	Land of Fire	Shikamaru Nara	Buried Alive
Kakuzu	Hidan and Kakuzu arc	Land of Fire	Kakashi Hatake (x2), Naruto Uzumaki (x2), Hidan (x1)	Lightning Blade (x2), Wind Release: Rasenshuriken (x2), Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood (x1)
Rinji (Anime Only)	Three-Tails Arrival arc	Unnamed Three-Tails Lake	Kabuto Yakushi	Chakra Scalpel
Kigiri (Anime Only)	Three-Tails Arrival arc	Unnamed Three-Tails Lake	Kakashi Hatake	Lightning Blade
Kihō (Anime Only)	Three-Tails Arrival arc	Unnamed Three-Tails Lake	Tenzo (Yamato)	Wood Release
Nurari (Anime Only)	Three-Tails Arrival arc	Unnamed Three-Tails Lake	Three-Tailed Giant Turtle	Body Slam
Rōshi	Hunt for Itachi arc	Akatsuki Hideout	Akatsuki	Sealing Technique: Illusionary Dragon Nine Consuming Seals
Deidara	Hunt for Itachi arc		Himself	C0
Manda	Hunt for Itachi arc		Deidara	C0
Jiraiya	Hunt for Itachi arc	Amegakure	Nagato	Chakra Disruption Blades
Itachi Uchiha	Hunt for Itachi arc	Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold	No-one	Unknown Illness
Kōsuke	Invasion of Pain arc	Konohagakure	Danzo	Katana
Nagato	Invasion of Pain arc	Konohagakure	Himself	Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique