Pure Betrayal and a Fleeting Plea

Three of Orochimaru's servants, kin to Sasame, snare Naruto and Sakura in spider webs and bring the arena crashing down, burying Naruto and his clones under the sand. Jiraiya arrives, summons a large toad, and pulls the group clear along with Sasame. Later, at a lunch stop, Sasame slips a sleeping draught into their tea, meaning to trade the shinobi to Orochimaru in exchange for being led to Arashi.

Learning the captives are to be killed rather than delivered, Sasame begs the servants to relent. Naruto reveals that he and the others only feigned sleep and they strike back. Kagero unleashes a devastating jutsu that drains her own lifespan against Naruto and Jiraiya, then flees alongside Jigumo and Kamikiri. When the two men realise Orochimaru merely used them, they turn on him and are seemingly struck down.

The episode falls within the Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission arc. Trivia flags a likely dub slip: Naruto names the Rasengan by both its romaji and a literal English rendering, the only time this occurs. It aired on 8 June 2005 in Japan and 9 February 2008 in English, framed by the opening No Boy, No Cry and the ending Lost Words.