Episode 76: Kakashi reveals that the Rasengan is an incomplete jutsu as he is not able to combine his own elemental chakra affinity into it, just as its creator, the Fourth Hokage could not do. He then presumes that Naruto might be the first one to be able to do so. Naruto's training increases his stress to the point that the Nine-Tails almost manifests before Yamato manages to suppress it entirely. Meanwhile, Asuma sends word to the other teams about the Akatsuki’s location and proceeds on. Kakuzu eventually reaches the checkpoint and exchanges Chiriku's corpse, explaining to a concerned collector that there is a reason why he and Hidan are partners.
Episode 77: Asuma’s team reaches the bounty station and ambushes Hidan. Izumo and Kotetsu attack, but are unable to kill him despite stabbing vital organs due to Hidan's immortality. Asuma says that if they retreat, Konoha will be endangered. Shikamaru realizes that Asuma is considering sacrificing himself to help defeat the enemy. Asuma begins fighting Hidan, while Shikamaru distracts him by forcing him to dodge his Shadow Sewing Jutsu. Hidan cuts Asuma on the cheek with his scythe, drinking the blood while drawing a circle of blood on the ground. Asuma then uses a Fire Style Jutsu on Hidan as he steps into the circle, his skin pigment changing while he is engulfed in the flames.
Episode 78: Asuma’s Fire Jutsu strikes Hidan, but, to his team's surprise, Asuma gets burnt as well. Hidan then reveals that he is conducting a ritual that allows him to create an empathic link between himself and the one whose blood he swallowed. Asuma rushes at Hidan but collapses after Hidan stabs himself in the leg, thereby injuring Asuma. Shikamaru realizes Hidan needs to be in the circle for his curse ritual to take effect, and so, uses his Shadow Possession Jutsu to force Hidan to step out of it. As he does so, Asuma is able to use his chakra knife to decapitate Hidan.
Episode 79: Despite being beheaded by Asuma, Hidan is still alive yet unable to move his body. Seeing this while his partner humbles himself to request his help, Kakuzu sews Hidan's head back on his body with threads that sprout from his body. Izumo and Kotetsu try to attack Kakuzu, but he manages to grab them both by using his body threads, restraining them and suffocating them as well. Hidan, now able to move again, returns to the circle and stabs himself with the blades of his scythe, and he finishes the ritual by stabbing himself in the chest with another spike, fatally wounding Asuma.
Episode 80: Asuma is mortally wounded and collapses. Shortly thereafter, Ino, Choji, Aoba and Raido appear as the team's backup. Hidan and Kakuzu prove to be a match for them, too, but they are ordered back to the hideout by their "leader" to seal the Two-Tails. They retreat, warning the group that they will return. Ino tries to treat Asuma with her medical jutsu, but fails, as Hidan's attacks had damaged his vital organs. Asuma leaves advice for his students and whispers to Shikamaru the identity of the "king" that Konoha must protect. As he smokes a final cigarette, he dies.
Episode 81: Naruto struggles to combine the shape and elemental manipulation in the Rasengan. Elsewhere, the Akatsuki begin sealing the Two-Tails, their "leader" revealing the organization's plan to establish a war monopoly while obtaining all nine Tailed Beasts for their ultimate goal: world domination. Meanwhile, news of Asuma's death reaches Konoha just as Naruto realizes the solution is to use two shadow clones instead of one to stabilize the Rasengan and infuse wind nature chakra into it.
Episode 82: A funeral is held for Asuma, but Shikamaru does not attend it, choosing instead to sulk at home. After a careful prodding by his father during a game of Shogi, Shikamaru works through his emotions and comes up with a strategy to defeat Hidan and Kakuzu. Team 10 visits Asuma's grave before setting out for revenge, but Tsunade stops them, telling them that they need a four-man squad and backup for the mission. But Kakashi volunteers as the leader of the team, when it becomes clear Team 10 has no intention of backing down.
Episode 83: Tsunade tells Sakura that Team 7 will be Team 10's backup, but only if Naruto finishes his training within 24 hours. Elsewhere, Shikamaru quickly adjusts the team's strategy to include Kakashi, and Yugito dies after the Two-Tails is fully extracted from her and placed in the Gedo Statue. Hidan and Kakuzu resume their hunt of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki before they are found, Shikamaru pinning their shadows with Asuma's chakra knives imbued with his chakra. Using his Shadow Possession Jutsu, he forces Hidan to attack Kakuzu, but Kakuzu dodges the attempt, making Shikamaru realize that he had secretly detached his arm during Shikamaru's previous attack to remove the chakra knife pinning his shadow. With Kakuzu cornered, Choji then attacks Kakuzu from above.
Episode 84: Choji's spiked cannonball attack proves ineffective against Kakuzu's special ability, which enables him to harden his skin. In Konoha, Naruto learns more about the five elemental chakra natures and their strengths and weaknesses in relation to each other. Kakuzu gets struck by Kakashi's Lightning Blade right through his heart, but survives and produces four masked entities from his back, one of which dies, as it had been struck by Kakashi. Kakuzu then uses the masks to attack Team 10 with powerful Wind, Lightning, and Fire Jutsus.
Episode 85: Shikamaru realizes Kakuzu has five hearts, each of which must be killed to defeat him. He also reasons that separating Kakuzu from Hidan is the only way to defeat them, and so, he uses Shadow Possession Jutsu to lead Hidan into a dense forest. Kakuzu combines two of his hearts into a single entity and prepares to face Kakashi, Ino and Choji to get a replacement heart. At the same time, after taking Hidan into a forest amidst numerous explosive tags, Shikamaru's jutsu is canceled with his opponent appearing to have managed to strike Shikamaru with his spear. Hidan then drinks the apparent spilled blood and prepares to use his curse ritual to kill Shikamaru.
Episode 86: Hidan stabs himself in the chest, but instead of mortally wounding Shikamaru, he accidentally destroys another one of Kakuzu's hearts. When demanded an explanation from Hidan about why he still was alive, Shikamaru reveals to have poured Kakuzu's blood (that Kakashi had retrieved earlier in a capsule) on Hidan's spear, and so he had killed one of Kakuzu's hearts. He also traps Hidan with his Shadow Possession Jutsu though the Akatsuki member is able to slowly move towards him. Being temporarily incapacitated, Kakuzu's masked beast constructs return to his body with one of them sacrificing itself to become his heart. Just as Kakuzu is about to finish them off with another Fire-Wind Jutsu, new Team Kakashi arrives in time to stop the attack with Naruto and Yamato's Wind-Water Jutsu combo. Naruto apologizes for being late as he and others brace themselves for battle against Kakuzu.
Episode 87: Sakura and Sai leave to help Shikamaru. Hidan attempts to break out of Shikamaru's weakened Shadow Possession Jutsu on him, but Shikamaru reveals he was pretending as he uses another jutsu to pull the explosive tags onto Hidan's body. Shikamaru then opens a trap hole that he had prepared hours in advance while revealing the forest to be a place only members of the Nara Clan can freely enter, explaining that he intends to avenge Asuma by burying Hidan in the forest. Shikamaru has a vision of Asuma entrusting his "Will of Fire" to him, and then throws his lighter to ignite the tags on Hidan, with the Akatsuki member's body being blown to bits. Meanwhile, Naruto prepares the new Jutsu that he had been developing: Wind Style: Rasen Shuriken.
Episode 88: Naruto attacks Kakuzu with his Rasen Shuriken, but his attack dissipates before he can land a hit. Meanwhile, with Hidan's dismembered remains in the trap hole, Shikamaru uses another explosive tag to fill in the hole over the remains of a dismembered yet living Hidan, ultimately avenging Asuma's death. He is joined by Sakura and Sai, and they head back to the others. Naruto once again creates a Rasen Shuriken, and Kakuzu switches to a long-range mode to counter his attack. As Naruto, with his shadow clones, rush towards Kakuzu, the latter flies over and nails the original Naruto. But this is revealed to be a shadow clone, and the real Naruto manages to lands a critical hit with a second Rasen Shuriken, destroying both of Kakuzu's replacement hearts.
Episode 89: After Naruto Uzumaki has fallen down, Kakashi Hatake finishes off Kakuzu, and they return home. At Asuma's grave, Shikamaru tells Kurenai he will protect her unborn child. He plays Shogi with Shikaku and reveals what Asuma told him: the "king" that Konoha must protect is the next generation. After studying Kakuzu's corpse, Tsunade tells Kakashi not to let Naruto use Rasen Shuriken again because it will permanently destroy his ability to manipulate chakra. Meanwhile, Orochimaru learns of Konoha's latest victory and sends Kabuto to meet with a woman named Guren.
Episode 90: An ANBU sends a message to Konoha moments before he dies, having discovered what may be Orochimaru's current hideout. As Kakashi is ordered to go on a reconnaissance mission with Shino, Kiba and Hinata to find the hideout, Naruto is bothered over being warned not to use the Rasen Shuriken due to its extreme risk. Naruto is reunited with Jiraiya, who offers to train with him again. As the events occurred, Kabuto relays Orochimaru's message for Guren carry a mission and she initiate a death battle among the experimental subjects in her care with the survivors to be her subordinates. After Kabuto returns to Orochimaru, Sasuke Uchiha meets a boy called Yūkimaru.
Episode 91: Guren takes twenty-one survivors from the hideout and leaves to meet with Orochimaru, Team Kurenai and Kakashi arriving minutes later to her lair and find the barely subjects before they are forced to escape when the hideout's self destruct sequence occurs. Miles away, sixteen of the surviving subjects refuse to be experimented on by Orochimaru any further and attempted to kill Guren. By the time Team Kurenai and Kakashi arrived, the insects Shino sent ahead of them subjected to the same fate as the sixteen subjects, Guren and the remaining five subjects had left and the leaf ninja found the rest of be crystalized to Kakashi's horror. Meanwhile, as Kabuto escorts Yukimaru to their destination, Naruto and Jiraiya reach a hot spring with the former wanting to learn a ranged attack to use. But Jiraiya instead trains Naruto to use synchronizing jutsu, giving the youth a partner Gamariki to work with despite they mutual dislike for each other.
Episode 92: Kabuto brings Yukimaru to a lake, subjecting the boy to state of pain with pills and a chakra amplifying helmet in an attempt to draw out a mysterious creature. Guren branches off from her men to meet up with Orochimaru as he had Sasuke fight an army of Sound Ninja as training. Sasuke defeats them all, sparing his beaten opponents as he wants to kill only Itachi. At the hot spring village, Naruto has enough of working with Gamariki and decides to continue his training with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu despite still not understanding the concept of connecting to another person's heart. Kabuto and Yukimaru arrive at the Hot Springs Village where Naruto and Jiraiya are, with Naruto encountering Yukimaru.
Episode 93: Naruto continues his training with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu until taking a break while Jiraiya secretly leaves when a lead on the Akatsuki is presented to him. When Naruto wakes up, he finds only a letter from Jiraiya to return to the Hidden Leaf Village and continue training. But after returning home, Naruto learns that neither Gamakichi nor Gamatatsu can use Water Style ninjutsu. As these events unfold, Tsunade receives one of Shino's crystalized insects for analysis while one of Guren's men, Rinji, learns about the presence of Kakashi's team through a bat that he sent out.
Episode 94: Kabuto entrusts Yukimaru to Guren, who is told her ability is needed and that her success in this take is the only way Orochimaru will reconsider making her his vessel instead of Sasuke. But Yukimaru falls ill on their way to meet with her group and Guren is forced to spend the night in a cabin. In the morning, Guren finds Yukimaru playing an instrument that his mother gave him. After giving him a crystalized camellia that will never die as long as Guren lives, Guren and Yukimaru head back out. Meanwhile, as Naruto tries to teach Gamakichi and Gamatatsu how to use Water Style ninjutsu, as Kiba discovers that the enemy may be using bats while Tsunade decides to send out Yamato, Sakura Haruno, and Sai to support Kakashi and Team Kurenai.
Episode 95: As Guren meets up with her group, heading out to deal with the leaf ninja after Yukimaru gave him a memento of his mother's, Kakashi, Hinata, and Kiba move out while Shino stays behind to find some of his insects that developed immunity to the crystalization and breed more. Kakashi and the two Team Kurenai members soon find themselves attacked by Guren's forces. At the same time, after Gamatatsu finally learned to use Water Style, Naruto learns of his group's mission with Team Kurenai and talks Tsunade into letting him join. Tsunade agrees, with Naruto using what time he had left to master a collaboration jutsu with Gamatatsu.
Episode 96: In the woods, Team Kurenai fights Guren's men. Hinata and Kiba get stuck in a smoke screen prepared by Kigiri and Hinata is seriously injured by Nurari's attacks. Kakashi is stuck battling Gozu, and isn't able to finish him off because Gozu has the upper hand in speed and force. Just as Rinji and his team are about to kill Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru return to save her. They are then forced to retreat by the arrival of Shino and his insects. Meanwhile, Yūkimaru remembers his mother.
Episode 97: In Konoha, Tsunade discovers they have an enemy using Crystal Style, an ability to crystalize almost all surrounding matter on a molecular level. While on his mission with Team Kakashi, Naruto meets Yukimaru once again and talks to him. Guren puts a gigantic Crystal Labyrinth over the forest trapping Team Kurenai inside. Guren then prepares six Crystal Clones that she sicks on Kakashi and Team Kurenai. Hinata defeats one clone but is locked up in a Crystal Prison by another, Guren using her as hostage as Team Kakashi reaches the borders of the labyrinth and Naruto uses his new Jutsu with Gamatatsu to bust a way in.
Episode 98: With Guren's Crystal Labyrinth shattered, Team Kakashi arrives to help Team Kurenai retrieve Hinata and fall back. Guren decides to let the Leaf ninja retreat and rendezvous with her men at their base. Though Hinata survived crystalization by coating herself in her chakra, she is left weakened and left in Sakura and Sai's care while the rest go after Guren. Kabuto appears before Guren's group and escorts them to the lake, allowing only Guren and Gozu to come with him and Yukimaru. Once the boat is in position, having Yukimaru in agony again, Kabuto has Guren create five Crystal Pillars around them to harness Yukimaru's chakra to summon the mysterious creature under the lake: the tailed beast known as the Three-Tails.
Episode 99: Yukimaru summons the Three-Tails and immobilizes it while Guren tries to capture it, but it manages to break free and attack. Kakashi tells Naruto to investigate the lake, while they find Rinji and the others. Rinji and his men prepare an ambush, but Hinata, Sakura, and Sai arrive to avert it. Naruto summons Gamakichi and Gamatatsu and approaches the Three-Tails, where they see Yukimaru and learn of his allegiance to Guren. Trying to save Guren, Yukimaru tries to suppress the Three-Tails once more, before managing to escape with her.
Episode 100: Guren is rendered unconscious and relives her past as Naruto is caught in an illusion about Sasuke. After Kakashi finds him, Teams Kakashi and Kurenai conclude the mist around them causes Genjutsu courtesy of the Three-Tails. After Guren wakes up, Yūkimaru suffers another fever and passes out. Tsunade hears of the Three-Tails and assembles Shizune, Ino, Tenten and Lee to go and seal it before the Akatsuki do. Naruto and Sakura talk about the home that people should return to before Naruto heads off to find Yūkimaru.
Rating: 8/10(Average)
Comments