Naruto is affected deeply by the five leaders' plan to deal with the rogue organization the Akatsuki, and the new Hokage of Naruto's village prepares to make a final move against Sasuke.
Two years after leaving to train with Jiraiya, Naruto is reunited with his old friends and discovers they are just as successful, if not more so, than he is, but when one of them is kidnapped, Naruto is given the chance to prove his worth.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura battle their classmates one-on-one to advance to the third round of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams. Presented in graphic novel format.
In the Forest of Death, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are recovering from Orochimaru's attack when they're attacked by Orochimaru's Sound Ninja and at the same time, Sasuke is fighting the force implanted in him by Orochimaru's curse.
After passing the final test to become junior ninjas, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura find themselves protecting a cranky old man from the Land of the Waves who is the target of an elite assassin.
Uzumaki Naruto's discovery that his body is host to the spirit of a demon fox that destroyed his village twelve years earlier makes him even more determined to become the greatest ninja ever, but he must first pass the test to enter the Ninja Academy, deal with his rival Konohamaru, and learn to get along with his new classmates, Sasuke and Sakura.