Event Year: 2007

Karui decides to get information about Sasuke from Naruto by any means necessary. When Naruto refuses to sell Sasuke out, Karui takes out her frustration upon the former. Meanwhile, Danzo prepares for the Kage Summit, and determines to keep Naruto confined to the Leaf Village.

Naruto and Sakura learn that Danzo has been made Hokage and that his first order is to eliminate Sasuke. The two go to Sai and inquire about Danzo, but Sai reveals that a curse mark given to all members of the Foundation prevent him from revealing anything about the new Hokage. Soon afterward, Karui and Darui attack them, demanding information about Sasuke.

Sasuke has a flashback while traveling to Konoha with his team, Taka. He once saved a girl named Naho not knowing that she's a relative of the Feudal Lord. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura are sent on a mission to accompany Naho and act as her bodyguards while Kakashi and Sasuke are sent to discover the reason why internationally wanted bandits have entered their border. Kakashi and Sasuke later find out that the bandits intend to abduct Naho. Naruto and Sakura are defeated by the bandits and are taken hostage. Sasuke finds them first and proceeds to defeat the leader and mercilessly punches him because of his jealousy for Naruto's growing power. A cut to the present reveals Naruto contemplating on his promise to have Sasuke return to the village.

Shikamaru remembers the time when Teams 7 and 10 joined together to flush out a band of bandits who were terrorizing a nearby village and had kidnapped the headman's granddaughter. With no assistance available from Kakashi or Asuma, Shikamaru was forced to lead the team of genin to the bandits' fort and come up with a plan to rescue the headman's granddaughter.