Original subtitles

Thank you for

watching.

Pee -Hawks away!

of your purpose.

The fifth Hokage is a real slave driver.

She forgot these papers. She should go get them.

What is it?

Hey, wake up. You're going to catch a cold if you sleep out here.

No.

No, don't go.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you, boys.

Huh? You were fast asleep, weren't you, Lady Hokage? You made us go fetch these

heavy documents while you just sit here taking a nap?

No. Well, in any case, Lady Hokage, we have something to report.

What is it?

What did you say?

Are you sure of that?

Yes. We heard this from Sakura herself.

There's no reason to doubt what she told us.

I can't believe it. He's already making his move.

In addition to grabbing all I desire.

This time around, I'm going to grind the Hidden Leaf Village into dust.

So that's what that wretch is after. He's going for the Uchiha's powers.

Izumo, Kotetsu, there's somebody that I need to see.

Would you hurry up and eat, Shikamaru? Your dad has an important mission to get

to. If you just sit there, he won't have time for morning training.

Yeah, yeah.

Don't talk, just eat.

From the second I get up, it's nag, nag, nag.

Now who would be visiting us so early in the morning?

Hey. Dad!

What is it?

What on earth made you want to marry such a crabby woman like Mom?

That's a good question.

Even a crab like your mom can be gentle sometimes.

She has her moments.

That's the reason?

Shikamaru!

Lady Hokage has sent a messenger to see you.

Hmm?

Late last night, Sasuke Uchiha left the Hidden Leaf Village.

And we're quite certain he's headed for the Hidden Sound Village.

He just left?

How could this happen?

Simple. Orochimaru must have him in his clutches.

What?

Wait, that doesn't make any sense.

What does Sasuke have to gain by talking to someone as depraved as Orochimaru?

At this point, his motive doesn't matter. We need to deal with it quickly.

I've decided it's time for you to carry out your first mission as a Chunin,

Shikamaru. So all I gotta do is bring Sasuke back?

As long as none of our enemies are with him, it shouldn't be that big a deal.

Yes, that's your mission.

But it must be accomplished without delay.

And you may find it a more dangerous task than you think. Uh -huh.

There's a strong possibility that Sasuke is being guarded by Orochimaru's men.

Damn. This is gonna be a real pain in the ass.

What happened to Sasuke anyway?

I used to look up to him, and now he's joined up with the bad guys.

This really stinks.

Well, if we're gonna be facing opposition, I'm gonna need to request a

composed exclusively of Jonin and Chunin.

I can't honor that request.

What? And why not? You already know the answer.

As I'm sure you're aware, most of the Jonin have been sent out on missions.

Only a handful stayed behind to defend in case of attack.

Go round up any skilled genin you feel are up to the job.

You have 30 minutes to leave this village.

This whole thing's a drag.

But I do know the guy, so I can't just let it go.

Well, that's just the way it is, I guess.

Hold on.

There is one person I strongly recommend you include.

Go away!

You gotta be kidding!

You just woke up, and you're already this annoying?

Why'd she want me to bring this guy?

Sasuke, you jerk!

Hey, hold on a second! I'll go get dressed!

So, besides me, have you come up with any other top -notch guys, Tad? A few.

Wake up, will ya?

You said top -notch guys, right?

Plan B, I guess.

Wait, plan B is potato chip?

They're barbecue flavor.

Feel free to help out.

Now.

Even for a bag of potato chips, I refuse to let anyone have the last bite.

Choji and I have been on the same team for a long time.

We work well together, so asking him's a no -brainer.

I get it! You know him! But for this kind of thing, don't you think your

choice should be someone like Shino? Man, you always have to yell.

Shino can't do it. He's off on some special mission with his father right

Hey, wait.

Not them, too.

Yep. They're on the team.

I see.

Sounds like an interesting job.

I guess getting up early to walk the dogs pays off sometimes.

Hey, Shikamaru, is there anybody else?

I wish we had time to find some more guys, but we're late already.

If we don't run across anybody else on our way out of the village, I suppose

it'll just be us.

Your surgery.

I heard that it went well.

It did.

And they said you're fit to be released?

I was told I could resume my training soon. I have to take it easy, of course.

I see.

Yes, I understand.

Yeah, it's kind of a drag, but I figure the more guys we have, the better, so...

Why now, of all times?

Lee, it's up to you. You do what you must do.

Tomorrow I think I will try climbing these steps by myself.

Lee.

I will be fine.

You go on without me.

It's time to go.

Oh well. At least I got by.

Hey, Naruto.

I'm kind of supposed to be the platoon leader here. I know it's a drag, but...

You really think you're the best person to direct this operation?

You don't seem very reliable to me.

What's up with you acting like you're in charge all of a sudden, Naruto?

I mean, taking orders from somebody as lazy as Shikamaru doesn't exactly thrill

me either, but still.

But none of you get to decide who's the leader here, because Shikamaru is the

only one of us who's a tuning.

That means the elders of the village clearly believe he's got what it takes

call the shots on this one.

If that's the case, then perhaps you should start coming up with some sort of

plan. From what I heard, Sasuke's gone to the enemy, and there's a real chance

they could ambush us.

Well, for starters, this is a rescue operation, so we'll be in the position

pursuit. Which means the enemy already has an important advantage over us.

That said...

I'm arranging us in a deployment formation that can respond to any

the enemy.

If any of you don't follow my exact orders, we're all gonna die.

Okay, we'll go with a single -file strike formation.

As we all know, the most important position is the spearhead, so that's

be... Kiba, you're up front.

With all the walks you and Akamaru go on, you're the most familiar with the

of Fire's terrain.

And with that sensitive nose of yours, you'll be able to track Sasuke's scent

while sniffing out any booby traps the enemy may have set.

Moreover, because we'll have two sets of eyes up front, you and Akamaru will be

more effective in protecting our single -file line from an assault.

Second in line will be yours truly, platoon leader.

From that position, I'll be able to direct everyone behind me using silent

signals. And because I'm so close to Kiba, I'll be in position to react to

situation.

In the middle, the number three position is Naruto.

The middle of the line is the perfect location for you because you're the most

capable of executing quick moves either in front of you or behind you.

You're the cornerstone, and you have the shadow clone Jutsu.

Fourth in line is Choji.

Shoji, you might not have any speed, but your striking power is the greatest of

the platoon members.

Kiba, myself, and Naruto will launch a surprise attack.

Then you'll swoop in and finish them off. You're the second wave of our

Finally, on the end will be you, Neji.

Your position is most difficult.

Rear lookout.

I want you to use your Byakugan to constantly scan ahead for weakness in

ranks.

Got it? Then take a look at this.

This diagram shows exactly what part of the perimeter you're responsible for.

Kiba watches the front. I'm responsible for a wider forward view.

Naruto's got the left.

Choji, the right.

And Neji, using your Byakugan, you cover the entire area to the rear.

All right, now I think I should familiarize myself with our arms and

I'll need to check out all of the ninja tools each of you plan on carrying into

battle. That way I'll know what we have.

Are there any questions?

Even though we have just assembled a team, he has already created the best

possible formation for them.

Since no one has anything to add, I saved the most important thing for last.

For as long as I've known him, Sasuke and I haven't exactly been close

In fact, I don't really like him at all.

All the same, Sasuke's a ninja

belonging to the Hidden Leaf Village.

He's a comrade, and I'll put my life on the line to help him.

That's the way of our village.

I know I usually seem like a pretty lazy guy, but not today.

Because now I'm responsible for your lives, too.

Wow. I never thought I'd see Shikamaru acting like a Chunin. Very impressive.

Okay. As soon as we check our gear, we'll go.

Show me your weapons.

Sasuke would never let a guy like that think it's clawed into him.

I mean, he's already a total powerhouse. It's not like he needs that kind of

help, you know.

Don't worry.

I guarantee it.

Damn it.

Why, Sasuke?

All right.

Let's move out.

Wait! Are you

all right?

Lady Hokage told me everything.

Sorry, Sakura.

I can't take you on this mission.

I know you tried, but even you couldn't convince Sasuke, could you?

Now our only option is for me to find him and force him to come back to the

village.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing else you can do for him.

But that means... Did Sasuke turn his back on you, Sakura?

Sakura. Naruto.

This is a one -time lifetime request.

Just bring him home.

Please bring Sasuke back to me.

I did everything I could.

I tried, but I couldn't die. Stop him from leaving the village.

At this point, there's only one person who can stop him.

Only one who can save him.

Naruto, it's all up to you.

Oh gosh, Sakura.

You must really care about Sasuke, huh?

I get it.

I can see that deep down this must be really painful for you.

I know you must be suffering.

Sakura, I want to ask you something.

Huh?

Naruto, what do you think of him?

He knows about my feelings and he purposely gets in the way. It's almost

enjoys interfering and making me feel bad.

Despite what he says, he doesn't understand one single thing about me.

annoying.

Naruto,

thank you so much.

Don't you worry one bit. I'm going to bring Sasuke back.

I promised that on my life, Sakura.

More than anyone else.

You always understood me.

You've always been there.

And I needed help.

Naruto.

Whoa, hold on, Naruto.

That's quite a statement. Are you sure you should be promising her that we'll

get him? Sure.

When I give my word, you can count on it.

That's my ninja way!

Well, come on!

What are we waiting for? Let's get going!

All right, then. This little interruption cost us some time.

Let's get moving.

Right!

Did you see Naruto give you the thumbs up when he made that promise?

That means he will do it.

I can tell.

Naruto will succeed.

Sasuke, think this through. Far enough.

We're already past the hidden leaf village.

So what's up?

Orochimaru gave us a very important task to take care of when we reach this

point.

You gonna tell me what we have to do or not?

Before we go any further I'm afraid you must die just this once.

Kami sama ni hodoke sama ni

From this position, it's going to be dangerous.

Use your five senses.

Roger! Got it! We have to find them before they find us. You can count on

As soon as we locate... Yep!

Are you even listening to me?

It doesn't matter who they are! I'll beat them, no problem!

Uh, why do I even bother explaining things to him?