The Oath of Pain

Kakashi is trapped within Zabuza's Water Prison Technique, leaving Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to fend off the enemy alone. Kakashi orders the three to flee, and Naruto's first instinct is to obey, but a stab of pain in his hand reminds him of the promise he swore. He chooses instead to stand and fight, both to rescue his teacher and to keep Tazuna alive, charging in to snatch his forehead protector back from beneath Zabuza's boot.

Telling Sasuke he has a scheme in mind, Naruto conjures a wall of shadow clones that hem in Zabuza's water clone. A single sweep of the blade scatters most of them, and the last remaining Naruto tosses a Fūma Shuriken to Sasuke, who instantly grasps the plan. Sasuke launches the weapon using the Shadow Shuriken Technique, sending two blades toward Zabuza. The first is caught with ease and the second only barely evaded, but once it slips past, that second shuriken reverts into Naruto, who had transformed to slip by the stronger foe. He flings a kunai that forces Zabuza to abandon his hold, springing Kakashi from the water prison.

The episode is part of the early Land of Waves arc that opens the original Naruto series, drawing on chapters 13 and 14 of the manga. The clone-decoy maneuver marks one of Naruto and Sasuke's first pieces of genuine teamwork.