Itachi Pursuit Mission

Known in the anime as Master's Prophecy and Vengeance, this storyline runs through chapters 343 to 367 across volumes 38 to 40, adapting to episodes 113 to 118 and 121 to 126 of Naruto: Shippuden. The manga arrives from the Akatsuki Suppression Mission, the anime from the Three-Tails' Appearance, and both continue into the Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant. Its dual thread follows Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki as each, for different reasons, sets out to find Itachi Uchiha.

Declaring he has nothing left to learn, Sasuke turns on the ailing Orochimaru, driving him to abandon his failing body and reveal his serpentine true form. When the poison-weakened youth is swallowed whole for a forced body transfer, Sasuke instead seizes the dimension with his own eyes and turns the technique back on its caster, leaving Orochimaru destroyed. He then frees Suigetsu, recruits the sensor Karin, and subdues the volatile Jugo, forming the team he names Hebi with a single stated purpose: to slay his brother.

In Konoha, word of Orochimaru's death convinces Naruto and Sakura that Sasuke will now hunt Itachi, so Team Kakashi and Team 8 resolve to capture the elder Uchiha and follow him to their friend. Kabuto intercepts Naruto's group to hand over a dossier on Akatsuki, thanking the boy for helping him find his own path and revealing that he has fused part of Orochimaru's remains into his body. As both sides fan out to gather intelligence, the two hunts begin closing on the same target.

Deidara and Tobi ambush Sasuke, and a drawn-out duel of explosives follows in which Deidara recalls being pressed into Akatsuki after losing to Itachi's Sharingan. Pushed to his limit, Deidara turns himself into a living bomb, but Sasuke escapes by summoning Manda as a shield and teleporting clear at the snake's expense. Elsewhere Itachi dispatches two clones, one snaring Naruto in a brief genjutsu conversation about his bond with Sasuke, the other testing Sasuke before directing him to a nearby Uchiha hideout.

Both teams press toward that meeting point. Naruto's group is stalled by Tobi, while Kisame steps in to keep the rest of Hebi occupied, leaving Suigetsu to fight him for Samehada. With his companions held back, Sasuke walks on alone and steels himself for the confrontation with Itachi that the whole hunt has been driving toward.