Yeah, turn your sadness into kindness, your uniqueness into strength
Even if you get lost, let's start walking
One more time
Are you really happy
when you're always meeting to someone's expectations?
Even if you change to who you really wanna be
Will you always have a great smile?
Dreaming of only "the beginning," I wake up
and someday, I'll live on my own.
Yes, precious things are never in shape
You never know what it is when you get it or lose it
Yeah, turn your sadness into kindness, your uniqueness into strength
Even if you get lost, let's start walking
One more time
Release the Genjutsu and wake up Naruto and Shikamaru.
He'll be getting a mission after such a long while.
What do you mean by a mission?
Be careful...
It's the first A Ranked mission since the Land of the Waves.
Ouch!
You were able to release the Genjutsu too!
Why were you pretending to be asleep?!
Track down Sasuke, join up and then stop him!
Then await next orders in a safe place.
Huh? Did something happen to Sasuke?!
I'll tell you the reason en route!
Let's go
H Hey!
I get it! So that's what happened!
That Sasuke, getting all impatient!
So, why am I pulled into this? This is such a drag!
It can't be helped!
It's Kakashi Sensei's order.
This way!
How long will it be until we catch up?
I don't know. He is moving at a pretty good speed.
Dang it!
A Shirker's Call to Action. Layabout No More!
Hey! Hurry it up, you guys.
Huh? What is it?
Did you find Sasuke?
No!
There are eight people in two squads behind us...
No...
There's one more... There are nine people following us.
What?!
C'mon. Already?! Give me a break!
It looks they haven't grasped our location, yet.
We must lose them.
Hey, what's the point of stopping
Shut up and follow me!
Huh?
We're going back over our footprints.
If we do that,
it'll look to them like our footprints suddenly disappeared.
But, they'll notice even if we do this, right?
It'll buy us some time. That's enough.
It'll be a matter for great celebration if our pursuers get impatient,
cloud their eyes of pursuit and lose sight of the trail.
Hurry!
There's no time.
I I know!
This is not good.
Though they're on alert for ambushes,
they're catching up with us slowly, but surely.
Dang it!
Probably they're all Chunin or higher.
We'll be wiped out if they catch up.
Wiped out...
Dang it! Since it's come to this, why don't we ambush them?!
Ambush?
Right.
Indeed, an ambush would be to our advantage.
Even if the opponent has twice the people than we do,
if we just catch them off guard...
That's no good.
Our opponents are former Leaf Shinobi Orochimaru's henchmen.
In the worst case scenario, there might be Jonin.
I thought it'd work, but I guess not, huh.
Hold it. Why?
The level of opponent doesn't have much to do with an ambush.
What do you mean?
You guys don't get it.
Listen. Indeed, an ambush is a very advantageous fundamental tactic.
But two conditions are necessary.
What are those necessary conditions?
Number one.
The ones on the run must act without making noise and find the enemy first.
Number two.
One must be able to catch the pursuers off guard,
capture a point and position to be able to inflict certain damage
and conceal oneself quickly.
Ah... Huh?
An ambush only becomes effective when these two conditions are ensured.
Well, the first condition won't be so difficult
since we have the Ninja Hound's nose.
And the second one also seems advantageous at a glance
since we know the geography of our village.
But Orochimaru has spent time in the Leaf before.
That approach won't work on his henchmen.
So what do you really mean?
Our pursuers must have been instructed in the terrain of this village
and have gone through simulated practice for this fight.
And on top of that,
they're probably all Ninja who have mastered the pursuit arts.
So they know what cards we have, huh.
Well, even so, the fact remains that an ambush is advantageous.
But there are too many elements of uncertainty.
In the first place, the enemy is a special unit organized for this operation.
But we have a fool...
a Kunoichi who's nothing special...
and one dog...
and, me with the number one cold feet!
A tactic is grasping the conditions that are there without fail
and formulating an optimal plan.
And so, there's only one thing that we can do now...
One?
A diversion in the guise of an ambush.
One person will remain, pretend to ambush,
and delay the pursuers.
In other words...
bait.
Right. If we delay them,
they won't be able to grasp the positions of the remaining three.
If we do that, we'll be able to shake off our pursuers,
but the one who has become the bait will probably...
die.
So, who's going to do it?
We need the dog to follow Sasuke.
That means...
Fine...
- I'II... - I guess it has to be me.
Shikamaru?!
W Why you?!
It's better than being wiped out, right?
Besides, among us,
the only one who is equal to playing the bait
and who has the possibility of surviving...
is me.
Shadow Possession Jutsu is an Art originally intended as a delay tactic, so...
Well, I'll catch up later!
Now get going
We're counting on you, Shikamaru!
Sakura!
Yeah.
Was Shikamaru ever this reliable of a character?
Be careful...
Shikamaru.
No matter how much you try to erase the signs of your presence...
you're in plain view.
Hey! The enemy is approaching fast.
What did you say?!
I wonder if he's really delaying the enemy.
Me with the number one cold feet!
Don't tell me, Shikamaru...
Shikamaru will be okay!
Don't tell me, he ran away.
I said he'll be okay!
What'll be okay?!
He has a dirty mouth and always says stuff is a pain.
But he wouldn't betray us!
He hardly ever says he'll do something himself,
but he makes sure to do it if he says it!
That's absolute.
I want to believe... I want to believe, but...
Pick up the pace!
I somehow managed to get away completely.
Their strides are irregular.
Urgency is probably increasing their fatigue.
Sorry about that.
I was supposed to be the guy with the number one cold feet.
It seems my character has changed just a bit this time.
The fact that I'm tired is true.
Those footprints are wrong.
By the way, this is what the dog's paw print really is.
Oh, he's still a kid.
To think we'd all get caught like this.
So this is the rumored Leaf Village's Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, huh?
That's an old way of saying it!
The times are passing!
It's called Shadow Possession Jutsu now, old man.
Sure enough, that match wasn't good.
I used too much Chakra. I can't hang on much longer...
1, 2, 3, 4...
5, 6, 7...8.
Eight people...
Eight... No, there's one more...
There are nine people following us.
Sure enough, the ninth person's role is to protect against them getting ambushed.
That person stays at a fixed distance,
moves in the back and responds to an enemy attack.
But...this will make clear where that person's hiding!
There, huh?!
Dang it... The Shadow won't reach.
I don't have the stamina to send it to Chakra.
It's futile. I see through your technique.
Is this as far as it goes?
It looks like you're at your limit...
This Shadow Possession Jutsu is going to break very soon.
Prepare yourself!
I wanted to... become a Ninja any which way,
save up money any which way,
get married any which way to an ordinary woman
who's neither beautiful nor ugly
and have two kids any which way.
First will be a girl, and then a boy...
I would retire from being a Ninja when my eldest daughter marries
and my son becomes a full fledged man.
And then I take it easy in my life of retirement
playing Japanese chess and Go the whole day.
Then I die of old age before my wife.
Such a life would've been nice.
I was out of character, I tried too hard this time.
I wanted it to end in an ordinary way.
What I did was a drag...
Hmm, the movements of our pursuers have stopped.
Yes! The delaying was a success!
Shikamaru, eh?
I'm sorry I doubted you, even a little.
Okay!
Now...you wait, Sasuke.
And...Shikamaru...
Live, and catch up to us no matter what!
As you say, it seems I'm at my limit.
Hey, come on out.
While you're at it, cut off his head.
I finally caught up.
A Asuma?! Why?
Well done, Shikamaru.
Sure enough, out of character.
For the time being, you retire here.
Hurry!
What a pest.
The pursuers have increased? Two? No, three?
Kankuro! Pick up the pace!
Okay.
I won't let you get away.
Don't jump the gun, Sasuke.
Sasuke.
Now then, shall we begin?
Everyone makes mistakes It's nothing to be ashamed about
Don't let this scar be for naught Walk with a smile
Yes, breathe in the air Lift your face to the sky and jump
If it rains, take a break Go where the wind takes you
So many regrets Don't let this scar be for naught
Let's go carve the badges in our chest Yes, it's Show Time, life begins now.
Everyone makes mistakes It's nothing to be ashamed about
Don't let this scar be for naught Walk with a smile
Transform sadness into the wind and continue to forge on
Forge on strong
I don't know what's going on!
Why is Old Man Hokage fighting with Orochimaru?
Why is Sasuke going after that guy with shadows around his eyes?
I don't understand why we have to go after him,
but that's what we have to do right now!
Wait up, Sasuke!
Next time: "An Unrivaled Match: Hokage Battle Royale!"
What the heck's happening to the village?!