As Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces battle Kabuto's zombie ninjas, they find themselves fighting against former friends and enemies as well as some fearsome weapons.
Naruto is forced to face his inner demons at the Waterfall of Truth, which threatens to destroy his biju's power. During this struggle, an important person from his past arrives in the village, bringing new information about Naruto and Nine-Tails.
Naruto is close to discovering the identity of Pain, his nemesis, but as he prepares for their final battle, the frustrated ninja begins to transform into the dreaded Nine Tails.
Not even Naruto's teammates are safe when his quest to become the world's greatest ninja makes him capable of incredible feats of strength, but Naruto will need all his resources when a deadly plot that involves Orochmaru is revealed.
Naruto, a ninja-in-training, faces his greatest challenge when he is pitted against Neji in the third phase of the Chunin Selection Exams, a young man considered to be the most talened ninja in the village of Konohagakure.
Naruto and Kakashi, Naruto's teacher, are going to fight Itachi, Sasuke's brother; and meanwhile, Guy, Neji, Lee, and Tenten are off to fight Kisame, and Gaara and Naruto learn more about Akatsuki, their common enemy.
Sasuke finally arrives at the Forest of Death to compete against Gaara in the Chunin finals, but having to wait has heightened Gaara's bloodlust and weakened his grip on his already fragile sanity.
While Naruto studies with Jiraiya to harness the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra locked within him in preparation for the Chu?nin Selection Exams, other ninja villages are secretly forming alliances against Konahagakure.
