With Sasuke still absent, and everyone anxiously anticipating his match against Gaara, the tournament is forced to move on to the next round. Meanwhile, Neji learns the shocking truth about his father.

Transformed into Kyubi, Naruto and Gamabunta prepare to stop Shukaku by waking Gaara up. Though they succeed, the battle is far from over as Gaara won't stop until Naruto is dead. Naruto and Gaara prepare for their final attacks. Meanwhile, Sarutobi continues trying to defeat Orochimaru. And even though Sarutobi isn't strong enough to kill Orochimaru, he does have enough strength to take away Orochimaru's most prized possession...the use of his arms!

The trio continue to follow Idate while fending off attacks by three Shinobi sent to kill him. They find out later just how important winning this race is to the Wasabi clan's future...

The Sound Ninja have Sasuke in their clutches and it's up to the Hidden Leaf Village's top Shinobi to stop them.