Sasuke and Sakura join up with the others, but the Puppet User appears and blocks their path back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Sasuke wants to bring down the puppets and rush back to report to the Fourth Hokage, but Shikamaru and the others insist on staying and rescuing the jonin.

Naruto joins up with the rest of his comrades, and together they overcome the puppet attack. The masked man witnesses this and is convinced there is a future for the young shinobi. He promises to release the kidnapped jonin and begins to explain the truth, and the situation behind his motives.