Rookie Instructor Iruka

Iruka watches with quiet joy as Konoha lifts Naruto onto their shoulders, while Zetsu, who studied Pain's invasion from a distance, moves to report Pain's death to Tobi. Far off, Team Samui sets out for Konoha on orders from the Fourth Raikage. Surveying the ruined village, Iruka smiles at a single surviving tree, fondly recalling how Naruto once sat on its swing.

In the past, Naruto acted out constantly, even splashing red paint across the Hokage Rock, all a bid to be noticed. With the other teachers unwilling to take him, the Third Hokage personally asked Iruka to become his instructor, and Iruka accepted with reluctance. A colleague cautioned him that the boy craved attention and was best handled by ignoring him. During an outdoor ninjutsu lesson, Sasuke showed off a flawless Clone Technique that Naruto could not manage, planting the seed of Naruto's rivalry with him.

When classmates mocked the failure, Iruka told them to stop, briefly thrilling Naruto, only to add that no one should mind him at all, which crushed the boy. Naruto later slipped into the forest to drill the Clone Technique in vain, then passed Ramen Ichiraku, where Teuchi treated him to a free bowl. The following day, after trying to outdo Sasuke with shuriken, Naruto overheard students whispering that Sasuke's entire clan had been slaughtered and that he alone survived, leading Naruto to recognize a fellow orphan in his rival.

Drawn from chapter 450 within the Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha, the episode pairs the opening A World That Was Transparent with the ending Transient Fireworks. It aired in Japan on September 2, 2010, and in English on March 30, 2013. Trivia notes a Pakkun key-chain on Naruto's keys and cameos by Sakura's childhood bullies Ami, Kasumi and Fuki.