Oto's Invitation

Sasuke trades blows with the Sound Four for a short while before they seize control of the fight. They tell him they once stood where he does now and only grew powerful after aligning themselves with Orochimaru, then hold out an offer for Sasuke to travel with them to their master's lair. Leaving him alone to weigh the choice, they depart, and the lure of greater strength proves impossible for Sasuke to refuse. He sets off for the village gates.

On the way out, Sasuke crosses paths with Sakura, who understands at once that he means to walk away from Konoha. She begs him to stay, confessing how deeply she loves him and even offering to aid him in his quest for vengeance, but nothing she says can sway him. His final, cryptic words to her, a quiet Sakura, thank you, come just before he knocks her out cold and leaves the village in the company of the Sound Four.

The episode is part of the Sasuke Recovery Mission arc of the original series and adapts chapters 178, 179, and 181. It first aired in Japan on November 17, 2004, and in English on October 20, 2007. Its opening theme is Rhapsody of Youth and its ending theme is Mountain a Go Go Two. The title is also rendered as An Invitation from the Sound.