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Naruto struggles to control the demon inside himself when one of his friends dies in battle and he aches for revenge. Then, Naruto and his friends pass the written portion of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams, but the final portion, which will pit them against each other, will be the hardest part of the test.

The preliminaries to the third portion of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams continue, and with tensions at an all-time high after one of the last combatants was rushed to the emergency room, the much-anticipated bout between mysterious Sand ninja Gaara and Konoha ninja Rock Lee begins. While Naruto studies with Jiraiya to harness the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra locked within him in preparation for the Chunin Selection Exams, other ninja villages are secretly forming alliances against Konahagakure.

"Orochimaru's master plans are revealed, and Sasuke comes closer to fulfilling a dark destiny. Naruto vows to save his friend, but first he must battle the mysterious Kimimaro, who has deadly past ties to the Sound Ninja Four. Plus, Kankuro, Temari and Gaara unexpectedly aid Konahagakure against the Sound Ninja. But what's the motive for rekindling the old alliance between Leaf and Sand?"--Back cover.

"As the battle between Naruto and Sasuke grows even more heated, Sasuke delves deep into the past to recall how his brother Itachi became such a feared ninja. Unwilling to do what Itachi instructs he must do in order to obtain the power of the Mangekyo, Sasuke flees the site of battle"--Back cover.

Sasuke and an increasingly unstable Gaara face off in the final battle of the Ch?nin Exam; Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru try to locate the Sand ninja; and, the Third Hokage remains trapped in Orochimaru's barrier. Meanwhile, tensions continue to grow between the mutating Gaara and Naruto, who faces the fight of his life.

"It's Deidara vs. Sasuke, but even Deidara's Ultimate Art may be no match for the all-powerful new Sasuke. The battle culminates in a giant explosion, leaving members of Team Kakashi concerned, especially when Karin cannot sense Sasuke's charka. Plus deep inside the Land of Rain lies an Akatsuki secret that sheds light on the organization's true intentions, as well as its mysterious leader, Pain"--Back cover.

Naruto, Sakura, Granny Chiyo, and Kakashi are pulled into a deadly conflict with Sasori and Deidara that may become the final battle for one of Naruto's closest friends.

As the bridge nears completion Naruto, Sasuka, and Sakura train heavily while they await Zabuka's next attack on Tazuna's family.

Naruto, enraged when Sasuke is killed, seeks vengeance upon Haku, but he is not that sure he can finish the job.

Naruto knows that the only way he will be able to defeat the Akatsuki is to decipher to code left behind by his mentor, but as Naruto struggles to unlock the hidden message, he begins to doubt his powers.