The Summoning Technique: Wisdom of the Toad Sage!

While Naruto sleeps, Ebisu wraps up his talk with Jiraiya and steps aside so the Sannin can take over as the boy's trainer. Elsewhere, at Kikyō Castle, Gaara sits on a statue beneath the full moon when Dosu appears, hoping to kill the Suna ninja in his sleep so he can face Sasuke in the finals. Finding Gaara wide awake, Dosu weighs his sound techniques against Gaara's sand. Gaara warns that the presence within him craves blood under a full moon, twists into a monstrous form that horrifies Dosu, and kills him before returning to normal.

Baki and Kabuto Yakushi witness the killing, and Baki worries whether a slain Oto ninja will strain the alliance between Suna and Oto to crush Konoha. Their exchange is caught by the eavesdropping Hayate Gekkō, though both men already sense him listening.

Kabuto passes Baki the Otogakure plans for the coming Konoha Crush and offers to deal with Hayate, but Baki insists on handling it himself. As Hayate races to warn the Third Hokage, Baki cuts him off. Hayate answers with his Dance of the Crescent Moon, yet it fails to seriously wound his opponent. Seizing Hayate's blade, Baki explains that a solid sword can be halted while one of wind cannot, and with his Blade of Wind he kills the trapped ninja.

Come morning, Naruto meets Jiraiya at the river to learn the promised technique, but Jiraiya wants him drawing on the red chakra of the fox. Unable to summon it at will, Naruto drains his ordinary chakra with waves of shadow clones until he is spent. Jiraiya then reveals the day's lesson to be the Summoning Technique. He bites his own thumb and calls up a toad that delivers a contract scroll. After Naruto signs it in blood and adds his prints, he attempts the jutsu but produces only a tadpole, to Jiraiya's dismay. Later, a group of Konoha Anbu discover Hayate's body, and Yūgao Uzuki is left wondering what became of him.

The episode falls within the Chūnin Exams arc and adapts chapters 91 and 92 of the manga. It aired in Japan on October 15, 2003, and in English on October 7, 2006, opening with Turning Sadness Into Kindness and closing with Viva Rock: Japanese Side.