Event Year: 2002

An unlikely ally appears to help Sasuke and allows him to continue to pursue Gaara. Meanwhile, the Hokage prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to rid his village of Orochimaru!

While Naruto and Sakura continue to catch up to Sasuke, Temari trys to stall Sasuke long enough for Kankuro to get Gaara to safety, but Sasuke doesn't have time to waste on her! Meanwhile, The Third Hokage continues his battle with Orochimaru and is ready to use a move that not even he knows…

Shikamaru takes on Temari, only he doesn't want to fight. Can the lazy Shikamaru even last the round? Or is there more to Shikamaru than meets the eye?

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.