[NARUTO 20th Anniversary Column] Retracing the NARUTO Anime’s Ninja Way No.3: Sasuke Retrieval Arc ~ Pre-Shippuden Series Finale

In this column, we’ll be looking back at the NARUTO anime to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its first broadcast on TV in Japan! Join this writer, a fellow fan from the NARUTO generation, as we retrace the series from its humble beginnings to its climactic conclusion! This article covers the Sasuke Retrieval arc through the end of the pre-Shippuden series!

Sasuke Chooses Vengeance: Sasuke Retrieval Arc!!

Naruto successfully brings Tsunade back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But there’s no time to relax, as Sasuke immediately demands to fight him upon regaining consciousness.
This is only the first of many trials to come in the Sasuke Retrieval arc.

“Fight me!” Naruto VS Sasuke!!

Naruto is challenged to a duel by Sasuke, who has only just awakened in the hospital. While he is hesitant to accept at first, Naruto agrees upon seeing how important it is to Sasuke.

“NARUTO!!”

“SASUKE!!”

Unlike their usual more-or-less friendly rivalry, this time the two shinobi go at each other in earnest.

Sasuke counters Naruto’s Shadow Clones with his Fire Ball Jutsu, and when Naruto reveals his Rasengan, Sasuke promptly prepares his Chidori.

But Sakura and Kakashi intervene, leaving the fight with no resolution.

The Sound’s Invitation… Sasuke Steps Into Darkness

Orochimaru’s loyal subordinates, the Sound Ninja Four, appear before Sasuke.
Cleverly playing to his obsession with revenge, they succeed in inciting him to desert the village.

“SAKURA…
THANK YOU…”

Sakura, who sensed something off with Sasuke, intercepts him on the road out of the village, begging him to stay. However, her pleas fall on deaf ears, and Sasuke follows the Sound Ninja Four back to Orochimaru.

Tsunade learns of the situation the following morning and sends an emergency summons to Shikamaru, who has just been promoted to Chunin.
She orders him to form a team and set off immediately in pursuit of Sasuke.

“LIKE US, SASUKE IS A SHINOBI OF KONOHAGAKURE.
HE IS OUR COMRADE!
THEREFORE I WILL STAKE MY LIFE TO RESCUE HIM.
THAT’S THE KONOHA WAY.”

Shikamaru’s team assembles, the newly-appointed Chunin joined by Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and Neji!

“PLEASE BRING SASUKE BACK…”

“IT’S OKAY. I’LL BRING SASUKE BACK FOR SURE!
THAT’S MY PROMISE OF A LIFETIME!!”

After listening to Sakura’s heartbreaking plea, Naruto and the others set off to bring Sasuke home.

The Sound Ninja Four are forced to take a breather after tangling with Jonin from the Hidden Leaf, allowing Shikamaru’s team to catch up.
Jirobo stays behind to allow the other three sound ninja to escape with Sasuke, and when Choji volunteers to be his opponent, the battle between brawlers begins!

Choji Spreads His Wings!

With the aid of the Akimichi Clan’s secret medicine, a triad of different-colored pills, Choji unleashes a level of power that overwhelms Jirobo!
The sound ninja counters by using the power of his Curse Mark, but Choji refuses to give up, taking the next of the three pills to increase his strength even further!

After swallowing the third and strongest pill, the Chili Pepper Pill, Choji’s body undergoes a staggering transformation!

His chakra pours out, forming the wings of a butterfly before Choji gathers it all into his left fist for one final attack that crushes Jirobo!

Unfortunately, using the Akimichi Clan’s secret medicine comes with a steep cost, and Choji quickly falls unconscious, unable to rejoin his teammates.

Neji’s Resolve: Defying Fate!

The next of the Sound Ninja Four to waylay the team is Kidomaru, who fights using spiderwebs spun from his own chakra. Neji, realizing that his Byakugan and Gentle Fist technique make him uniquely suited to combat this, nominates himself to remain behind and fight.

However, Kidomaru excels at quickly analyzing and reacting to his opponent’s jutsu, which enables him to not only survive Neji’s Gentle Fist 8 Trigrams 64 Palms technique, but even to devise a strategy against the Hyuga’s defensive 8 Trigrams Palm Rotation.

Neji finds himself fighting for his life when the blind spot of his near-infallible Byakugan is discovered by Kidomaru, but he refuses to give up.
Knowing he will be unable to dodge completely, he instead allows Kidomaru’s attack to hit to create an opening. His gambit pays off, and Neji manages to strike a stunned Kidomaru with the Gentle Fist technique.

“FATE…ISN’T SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DECIDE.”

This battle shows how much Neji has grown since his fight with Naruto during the Chunin Exams, as he lives up to his reputation as a “genius” by defeating the formidable Kidomaru.

Battles on Three Fronts

The remaining members of Shikamaru’s team manage to catch up to Tayuya and Sakon, and even successfully secure the coffin containing Sasuke. But their triumph is short-lived, as Kimamaro—the fifth and strongest member of the former Sound Ninja Five—arrives on the scene to retake it.
Kiba and Akamaru face off against Sakon after an explosion knocks the three down into a gorge. Up above, Shikamaru stays behind to fight Tayuya, sending Naruto ahead to pursue Kimimaro and Sasuke.

A Surprise Tag Team!!

Kiba and Sakon commence their fight at the bottom of the gorge, and in a shocking turn of events, it is revealed that “Sakon” is actually one body shared by both him and his brother Ukon!
Kiba and his faithful pup Akamaru combine into the Two-Headed Wolf to unleash a brand-new jutsu: Wolf Fang Over Fang, a technique that’s more explosive than ever!

The sibling combo just barely manages to withstand the onslaught, and Ukon finds himself separated from his brother before attaching to Kiba’s body!
Kiba reacts quickly, stabbing himself in order to deal a heavy blow to Ukon! However, this leaves Kiba grievously wounded as well, and he retreats via the river to hide his scent.

Chess Match Between Sound and Shadow

Meanwhile, Shikamaru struggles to hold his own against Tayuya and the three giant monsters she controls with her flute.
She attacks relentlessly while maintaining a flawless defense, but Shikamaru pulls off an ingenious scheme that tricks her into entering the range of his Shadow Possession Jutsu!

However, Tayuya continues to resist, and with neither side able to deal the final blow, the battle reaches a stalemate.

The Return of the Leaf Village’s Handsome Devil!

Naruto finds himself unable to make headway against Kimimaro’s overwhelming strength, and to make matters worse, Sasuke emerges from the coffin and continues his journey toward Orochimaru on his own.

As Naruto lowers his guard to chase after Sasuke, Kimamaro goes in for the kill—but the attack is stopped in the nick of time by Lee, who’s fresh out of surgery and ready to save the day!

“I’LL BEAT THIS GUY!
THAT’S MY PROMISE!!”

Just as Naruto promised Sakura he’d bring back Sasuke, Lee makes a vow of his own: to defeat Kimimaro!
Kimimaro, who can use his own bones as weapons, is up against Lee, who mistook a bottle of Tsunade’s “private potion” for his medicine, inadvertently causing him to fight using the Loopy Fist technique!

Both fighters’ unique styles make for an action-packed sequence that’s worth a watch, especially Lee’s erratic moves, handstand kicks, and his tendency to fall asleep during the fight!
It’s a battle that manages to be both serious and comical, and I find myself smiling each time I watch it!

However, Lee’s loopy state wears off, and when Kimimaro is able to fend off even his Primary Lotus, the Hidden Leaf ninja’s odds aren’t looking good. On their own battlefields, Kiba and Shikamaru face a similar predicament!

Allies of the Leaf: The Siblings of the Sand Are Here!!

The Hidden Sand’s ninja arrive as reinforcements, with Temari swooping in to save Shikamaru, Kankuro going to Kiba’s rescue, and Gaara backing up Lee!
While they were terrifying foes during the Chunin Exams and the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village, the three siblings show themselves to be reliable allies this time around!

“THE ART OF THE IRON MAIDEN!!”

“FINIS.”

“KUCHIYOSE! SUMMONING!
KIRIKIRIMAI! BLADE DANCE!”

“WHAT D’YA THINK?”

Kankuro and Temari are both able to quickly dispatch their opponents with powerful jutsu!!

However, Kimimaro, the man renowned as the strongest of the Sound Ninja Five, is not so easily defeated.
Countering Gaara’s waves of sand and entering his Curse Mark’s second state, Kimimaro goes on the offensive.

Gaara manages to defend himself with his Ultimate Defense, but Kimimaro’s tenacity knows no bounds. His fervor drives him to exceed even Gaara’s power, and just as the sand ninja is about to be run through—

—Kimimaro dies, and the battle is brought to a sudden and unexpected end.

Elsewhere, Naruto has finally caught up to Sasuke.

Fractured Friendship: The Final Valley Arc!!

“SASUKE!!
YOU’RE RUNNING OFF?!”

“HEY.
SCREW-UP.”

The days they spent together as members of Team 7, and the convictions they shared as fellow ninja of the Hidden Leaf…
With a detached air, Sasuke informs Naruto that he intends to leave it all behind.

Enraged, Naruto tackles him to the ground, landing the first blow of a confrontation that is only just beginning to unfold.

Sasuke recalls the days he spent with Itachi and their father, and how his life came crashing down on that tragic night. The more he remembers, the more he is consumed by his hatred of Itachi, and the more desperate he becomes to attain the power needed to carry out his revenge.

With renewed determination, Sasuke reiterates his intentions: he will defeat Naruto and leave the Hidden Leaf.

While Kakashi stepped in during their earlier brawl on the rooftop, no one is there to get between the two ninja now, and Naruto’s Rasengan crashes into Sasuke’s Chidori.

Their power—along with the pain they each carry—bursts out uncontrollably as they continue to go head-to-head.

“BECAUSE… FOR ME…
YOU WERE PART OF MY FAMILY.”

“IF THAT’S WHAT YOU THINK, THEN ALL I HAVE TO DO…
…IS SEVER THAT BOND!”

Sasuke puts on his ninja headband, acknowledging Naruto as an equal.

From here on out the action is non-stop as both Naruto and Sasuke surpass their own limits, dredging up every ounce of strength they have to trade blows again and again.

Allowing the Curse Mark to spread, Sasuke uses his powered-up Sharingan to predict Naruto’s attacks.
Even the noise of his surroundings fades away, enabling Sasuke to focus solely on Naruto, whom he batters mercilessly.

Naruto, in turn, draws on the Nine Tails’ chakra to counter Sasuke’s newfound strength.

The Nine Tails’ Cloak not only gives Naruto the speed to evade Sasuke’s attacks, but also uses chakra to counterattack and even shield Naruto from his rival’s fiercest fire jutsu.

Out of options, Sasuke turns to his Curse Mark again, this time allowing it to transform his entire body as he enters the forbidden second state.

The two shinobi have both drawn on the powers dormant within them to the point of drastically changing their own appearances, and in their heightened states they ready their Rasengan and Chidori for one last collision.

Naruto lies unconscious.
Sasuke stands in a daze.

Rain begins to fall on the pair, as if the sky itself has been brought to tears.
Then, slowly, Sasuke forces his injured body to continue toward Orochimaru, setting out down the path of darkness.

Naruto is found by Kakashi, who carries him back to the Hidden Leaf. The other members of Shikamaru’s team are also rescued, nursing their wounds as they return to the village.

Naruto awakens in the hospital, despondent over the mission’s failure.
Sakura comes to visit, and the two of them resolve to never give up on Sasuke, promising that next time they’ll go after him together.

Following this, Jiraiya abruptly makes an appearance.

“YOU MUST FORGET SASUKE. UNDERSTAND?
IF YOU WANT TO LIVE AS SHINOBI, YOU MUST BE SMARTER.
THIS WORLD… IT’S NO PLACE FOR A FOOL. THAT’S THE REALITY.”

“IF BEING SMART MEANS WHAT YOU SAY…
…I’LL REMAIN A FOOL MY ENTIRE LIFE.”

Seeing the similarities between his own past with Orochimaru and Sasuke’s betrayal, Jiraiya tells Naruto that he must move on, but this advice is flatly rejected.

“I never go back on my word.”

Naruto will not be dissuaded from either his ninja way or his commitment to rescuing his friend. Struck by the determination in the young ninja’s eyes, Jiraiya gives in and offers to take him along on a journey to continue his training.

After three months, Naruto’s wounds have fully healed and he leaves the village to travel with Jiraiya.

“YOU’LL SEE…”

Raising his fist toward the cliff engraved with the likenesses of the Hokage, Naruto swears to become even stronger!!

This brings my recap of the pre-Shippuden series’ 220 episodes to an end!
Next up is Shippuden itself, where Naruto’s story resumes after about two years have passed!
The next article will be published on November 3rd and cover the opening of NARUTO: Shippuden! I hope you’re looking forward to it!