The Kunoichi of Nadeshiko Village

Hoping to seize Nadeshiko Village through marriage, Kokuyō sends a puppet at Shizuka, who splits it apart with a spinning blade dance. Watching from cover, Naruto is spotted by her attendant Tokiwa, whose eye lands on his forehead protector. She asks about the sannin Jiraiya and any students he trained, and once Naruto names himself as that pupil and shares Jiraiya's fate, Tokiwa stuns him with the village rule: whoever defeats a kunoichi must wed her, a custom born of the matrilineal line's search for worthy husbands.

His companions Guy, Aoba, and Yamato warn him to stay clear of local matters. That night Tokiwa explains the older bond, how the village's former leader once dueled Jiraiya, who halted the fight and pledged their two students would settle it later. She also tells of Sagiri, a mere tradesman Shizuka loved until the elders were suspected of killing him, after which Shizuka sealed her heart.

A shadow clone sails off with the others while the real Naruto stays to face Shizuka in an earthen arena. She rains kunai through her Nadeshiko dances, but Naruto scatters into clones and slips behind her, calling the bout finished without striking. When Kokuyō seizes her body with puppet strings, Naruto severs the threads and blasts him away with a Rasengan. He tells Shizuka he will not marry her because love should come first, describing his own one-sided feelings for Sakura and his wish only for her happiness. His words echo Sagiri's, and as she departs she recalls how Jiraiya had loved Tsunade the same selfless way.

Naruto learns of Nadeshiko's marriage law after Tokiwa recognizes him as Jiraiya's student. He duels Shizuka but declines to defeat her, then frees her from Kokuyō's puppet control with a Rasengan. His speech about loving Sakura without expecting anything back reawakens Shizuka's memory of Sagiri and links back to Jiraiya's devotion to Tsunade.

Episode two-hundred-thirty-five of Naruto: Shippūden belongs to the filler Paradise Life on a Boat arc. Its Japanese premiere fell on November 3, 2011, and the English airing followed on March 29, 2014. The opening theme is Newsong and the ending is Place to Try. Yamato later resurfaces to scold Naruto for once again fooling him with a clone.