A Town of Outlaws, The Shadow of the Fūma Clan

Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya study the route to their next stop, and the lewd illustrations scrawled on the map lead the pair to suspect one of Jiraiya's usual detours; the town turns out to be even seedier than they feared. Jiraiya heads for a tavern and plies its hostesses with money for word of Otogakure, but none know much beyond a blonde woman whose employer was well informed. A band of thieves then rings Jiraiya and looses arrows, which he deflects with Needle Jizo before lecturing them on how real ninja use their gifts for good rather than theft.

When their leader rushes him, Jiraiya answers with a Rasengan, and the awestruck bandits realize they face one of the Sannin. Pressing again about Otogakure and the Fuma clan, Jiraiya learns that Orochimaru was the one who ruined the clan and drove it to splinter. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura, out searching for food, come upon the injured kunoichi who had ambushed them earlier and choose to help her. Sakura dresses the wound, and Naruto is startled to discover the fighter is a girl named Sasame.

Sasame explains she belongs to the Fuma clan and had attacked because she mistook them for Sound shinobi loyal to Orochimaru, who had assaulted her. Her aim is to rescue her cousin Arashi, who left with other clan members to join Orochimaru in hopes of restoring the Fuma name.

Jiraiya confirms through the town's outlaws that Orochimaru engineered the downfall and division of the Fuma clan, tying the Sound Village directly to the clan's ruin. Sasame's rescue reveals both her identity and her cousin Arashi's defection to Orochimaru. The reunion turns into a trap when Jigumo seals the group inside their cabin with his Wind Spider Technique and Empty Cicada Shell Technique; Naruto leaves Sakura to hold off the attackers and sends out clones to scout, only to be blindsided by Kagero's Earth Release: Antlion Technique.

The episode belongs to the Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission arc. It first aired in Japan on 1 June 2005 and in English on 2 February 2008. The opening theme is No Boy, No Cry and the ending theme is Lost Words. This chapter introduces Sasame and the surviving members of the divided Fuma clan.