Connected Feelings

With no way to sense Sakura or the enemy, Naruto guesses they are either far off or hidden behind a barrier. When Sakura offers to heal Shin's injured boy, Shin reveals that every one of them is a clone grown from his own teeth and tissue, and that he once followed Orochimaru; he then uses his weapons to cut the wounded clone open and kill him. Naruto weighs whether Shin is tied to Orochimaru, recalling a talk with Kakashi, and Sasuke agrees, noting the Sharingan set into Shin's arm as Orochimaru's handiwork, though Naruto doubts Shin would take Sakura to a man Konoha keeps under watch.

Sasuke argues they should question Orochimaru anyway. Stung by his cool detachment toward Sakura, Sarada is told not to let personal feelings cloud a mission, and Chōchō tries to ease the tension with chips. Naruto proposes bringing the children along, hinting to Sarada she may meet the people from her photograph. At the hideout the group finds Jūgo and Suigetsu, whom Sarada recognizes, and Orochimaru explains Shin's past as a former experiment. Pulling Suigetsu aside, Sarada asks him to run a genetic comparison, handing over an umbilical cord from Karin's possessions, and the result comes back a match.

Naruto overhears and scolds Suigetsu for muddying the truth, then tries to calm Sarada, who lashes out and denies any bond with Sakura when he mentions a rescue. Spotting her awakened Sharingan, he hands her a mirror, and reflecting on his own ties, he asks whether she truly cares; she admits she does want to save Sakura. Meanwhile Shin tells Sakura that Sasuke is unworthy of the Uchiha name and means to kill him for his eyes. Learning Shin's location from Orochimaru, Sasuke carries Naruto, Sarada, and Chōchō off atop his Susanoo. The episode is part of the Sarada Uchiha arc.