Plot_Naruto_I
Kepulangan Itachi
After Naruto defeated Gaara, helping save the village from destruction, Jiraiya was approached by Konoha's village elders, who asked Jiraiya to become the new Hokage. He respectfully declined the offer, feeling that, if he couldn't stop the Third Hokage from getting killed, he didn't deserve the title. Instead he offered to find his former teammate and fellow Sannin, Tsunade, and ask her to become the new Hokage. Jiraiya then asked for one condition: that he could take Naruto along with him for extra training and for his protection. Jiraiya then approached Naruto at the Ichiraku Ramen shop, and asked him to accompany him on his journey. At first Naruto refused, and the only way he was able to convince Naruto to go with him was by telling Naruto that he could teach him a new jutsu which was stronger than Sasuke's Chidori. Naruto quickly agreed, and set out on the journey with him. The reason Jiraiya wanted to take him on his journey was so that he could protect Naruto from the Akatsuki, an organization that was after the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and the rest of the tailed beasts. Jiraiya wanted to make Naruto strong enough to eventually fight on his own against Akatsuki. However, not everything went according to plan. Two strangers in black garb examined the damage to the village from a distance, having arrived shortly after Jiraiya and Naruto's departure with the purpose of searching for Naruto. Kakashi, waiting for Sasuke to finish his lunch, ran into Asuma and Kurenai in the middle of the village, in which they noticed the two strangers drinking tea nearby, having overheard the Jōnin' conversation about Naruto's departure with Jiraiya. These two strangers started heading out of the village when they encountered Asuma and Kurenai. The pair then introduced themselves: the larger one introduced himself as Kisame Hoshigaki, a missing-nin from Kirigakure. The other, more menacing one introduced himself as Itachi Uchiha and, after a short battle, Asuma and Kurenai learned that they were no match for these powerful adversaries. However, at the last moment, Kakashi arrived to assist in the battle. Kisame eagerly attempted to fight Kakashi, but Itachi wanted to take care of him himself. Itachi was so fast that the Jōnin couldn't see him forming any hand signs, and a battle of jutsu initiated soon after. Itachi then activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and Kakashi was caught in Itachi's genjutsu, Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi, or "Nightmare Realm", showed Kakashi tied to a plank of wood levitating over an endless ocean. Itachi then appeared in front of him and began to stab Kakashi with a sword. Then seemingly more clones appeared of Itachi with their own swords and began to stab Kakashi over and over again into what appeared to be three days, but, in actuality, only one second had passed. With Kakashi incapacitated, Kisame charged at the Jōnin. Asuma and Kurenai were helpless until Might Guy appeared in a spectacular fashion, kicking Kisame away. Kisame was about to counterattack, until Itachi declared that this fight had gone on for long enough, and that they weren't there to start a war, vanishing afterwards. Naruto and Jiraiya made a stop at a post-station a short distance away from the village. While Kakashi was in the hospital, the Jōnin were discussing why Itachi would come back to the village before figuring out that he was after Naruto, during which Sasuke walked in asking what had happened to Kakashi. Inadvertently, Sasuke learned that Itachi had come back to the village and was looking for Naruto. Sasuke hurried around the village, first going to Naruto's apartment, then the ramen shop, where he learned that Naruto had left with Jiraiya and that they had stopped at the post-station outside the village. Sasuke started to run towards the station when Jiraiya eyed a beautiful woman and told Naruto to go back to the hotel room and practice his jutsu while Jiraiya took the woman out on a date. Sasuke reached the post-station but not before Itachi and Kisame found Naruto first. They forced Naruto out into the hallway and, right before Itachi and Kisame could take Naruto away, Sasuke appeared behind Itachi. Sasuke glared at Itachi intensely, and Kisame noticed how much Sasuke and Itachi looked alike, prompting him to ask who he was. Itachi replied, "He's my younger brother." Sasuke activated his Chidori and declared, "I've lived my life like you told me to: I've resented you, and hated you, and now I am going to kill you," and then charged at Itachi. However, Itachi managed to stop Sasuke's Chidori, and broke Sasuke's wrist. Soon after this, Jiraiya appeared after being temporarily fooled by Itachi placing a genjutsu on the woman Jiraiya had taken out. As Kisame held off the recently returned Jiraiya, Sasuke was nearly beaten to death, and Itachi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to injure Sasuke mentally using Tsukuyomi. Finally managing to intervene, Jiraiya used his Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap to force Itachi and Kisame to flee via Amaterasu. While Naruto and Jiraiya tended to Sasuke, Might Guy appeared to take Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Later, Jiraiya told Naruto that the Akatsuki were after the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. Naruto understood that he must become stronger, so that he could protect himself and the people he cared about, and Naruto and Jiraiya resumed their search for Tsunade.