Return of the Morning Mist

Cloaked and unhurried, Itachi and Kisame slip through Konoha's gate, lulling the sentry who spots them into sleep with genjutsu. Elsewhere Sasuke broods over the night his parents died and his helplessness to prevent it, hurling a kunai at the phantom of that memory. Naruto wraps up his own training and crosses paths with Konohamaru, who studies the carved likeness of the Third on the cliff face. Moved by the boy's resolve to help rebuild, Naruto rewards him with a voucher for free ramen at Ichiraku.

Far away in Sunagakure, a squad under Baki uncovers the decayed bodies of the Fourth Kazekage and his escorts, and Baki curses Orochimaru for the ruse, while the snake himself recovers alongside Kabuto and weighs his damaged prospects. In the Leaf, the village elders offer Jiraiya the mantle of Fifth Hokage on account of his Sannin standing. He turns it down, nominating Tsunade in his place and volunteering to track her down, provided he may bring Naruto along for the journey.

Kakashi summons Sasuke to a teahouse where Asuma and Kurenai already sit, and the trio quietly register the two hooded strangers nearby. At Kakashi's signal, he spirits Sasuke off while the other two jonin confront the pair, only to recognise the notorious Itachi and Kisame. The clash tilts swiftly in the intruders' favour, and just as Asuma and Kurenai face death, Kakashi returns to pull them clear. The episode draws on chapters one hundred forty and one hundred forty-one during the Search for Tsunade arc.