The Quietly Approaching Threat

At his father's grave, Asuma revisits a bitter memory of clashing with Hiruzen, who once scolded him for failing to grasp the true nature of the Land of Fire's king even after guarding him. Standing before the headstone, Asuma admits he now understands and leaves a burning cigarette behind. In the Hokage's office, Shizune informs Tsunade that Kakashi has returned from scouting the Akatsuki and searching for Jiraiya, and has assembled a full report.

At the hospital, an eager Naruto wants to skip his recovery and resume training, but Kakashi warns that the coming stage is grueling and leaving the bed too soon would be disastrous. Asuma pulls Kakashi aside for a private word, only for Kurenai's arrival to cut the conversation short, leaving Kakashi curious about what his friend meant to say. Tsunade later asks whether Naruto can truly master a fresh technique, and Kakashi answers that success seems within reach. Meanwhile, the Two-Tails host Yugito Nii is cornered by Hidan and Kakuzu; she snares them and transforms into Matatabi, but Hidan's self-impaling Jashin ritual eventually fells her, allowing the pair to seize their target.

Episode 72 of Naruto: Shippuden falls under the Akatsuki Suppression Mission and adapts chapters 312 through 314. It first aired in Japan on August 21, 2008, and in English on March 16, 2011, opening with Blue Bird and closing with Broken Youth.