Naruto Shippuden is a shonen anime written by Kishimoto which is the post-skip continuation animated series of the Classic Naruto Anime series. After two years of crucial training by Jiraiya, a fully grown-up and well-trained Naruto returns to his home, Konoha – the leaf village. His tale sets a kickstart on his way to dreaming of becoming a Hokage.
1. Pain Arc
Episodes – (152 – 169) (172 – 175)
Pain the head of the Akatsuki group comes to Leaf Village to find Naruto, the Jinchuruki of Nine Tails on his mission to gather all the Jinchurukis to extract the power to awaken Infinite Tsukuyomi. Pain starts destroying Konoha when he cannot find Naruto and the people of the Leaf Village are not into telling the truth about Naruto’s whereabouts.
Pain uses his strongest jutsu “Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)” to clear up the leaf village. That is when the real hype of this arc starts, Naruto Uzumaki makes a heroic entry to Konoha with Toad Lord Fukasaku. Seeing his village destroyed, Naruto starts a fierce fight with Pain. This arc comes right after the death of Jiraiya, the Gallant.
Jiraiya rushes to the Rain Village where Pain lives on his own to defeat him. Witnessing Yahiko, and Konan turns out a shocker for Jiraiya as he trains them. Even though fighting with his full strength Jiraiya couldn’t keep with Pain and was killed by his attacks.
Naruto VS Pain was an all-out revenge arc by Naruto for killing Jiraiya. Naruto uses his sage mode for the first time in the arc that he mastered in Mount Myoboku. Later he finds out that Pain is Nagato Uzumaki, a sibling student of Naruto. By looking over Naruto’s perspective of people and peace, Nagato believes that he is the prophecy that will change the world. Nagato revives all the people of Konoha that he killed by reversing the Jutsu and sacrificing himself. This is the day when Naruto becomes the hero of the Leaf Village.
Top Moments of Pain Arc
1. Pain meeting Kakashi, the Copy Ninja
“Kakashi Hatake the copy ninja I’m honored to meet you” -Pain
2. Konohamaru uses Rasengen against Pain
“Someone taught me that there’s no shortcut on the path of a ninja! following that path wouldn’t lead me to him in the end” – Konohamaru
3. Tsunade sees Jiraiya and Minato in Naruto
“It’s because to be Hokage… is your dream… isn’t it Naruto? One last time… just one last time… I place the odds on you.” – Tsunade
- Naruto becomes the Hero of Konoha
“Third lord…. fourth lord….. I’m looking at a hero right now” – Iruka Sensei
- Naruto’s promise to Nagato and Konan
“I will be Hokage and I will Bring peace to Amegakure” – Naruto
2. Five Kage Summit Arc
Episodes – (197 – 214)
The Five Kage Summit Arc involves a deep storyline in Naruto uniting the Shinobi world for the next generation of Shinobis. Even after having various disputes with every nation, all the five nations join hands to battle against their one common enemy.
First Five Kage Summit – This is shown to occur when Hashirama became the First Hokage of Leaf and the balanced division of the tailed beast’s power among each nation for peace. However, this peace didn’t last long and the Shinobi world became a War field for years aiming to destroy the other nations for power.
Second Kage Summit – All the five nations joined hands after a decade of suffering a major cause by the Akatsuki. To defeat them and restore peace in the Shinobi world the Hokage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Mizukage form the “Shinobi Allied Forces.”
Sasuke’s entry into the first gathering of Kage Summit and killing the Hokage Danzo brings in a major turning point in the Five Kage Summit Arc. Later Tobi appears and declares the Fourth Great Ninja War on all five nations. Sasuke sides with Tobi on the arc after knowing what Leaf Village has done to Itachi. This arc is the starting point of the upcoming Ninja War plot.
Top Moments of Five Kage Summit
1. Sasuke’s entry at the Kage Summit
“you have no right to talk about the uchiha!” – Sasuke
2. Sasuke vs Danzo
“Don’t ever speak itachi’s name again” – Sasuke
3. Tobi’s War Declaration
“very well then I hereby declare war on you all the fourth great ninja war” – Obito Uchiha
4. Tobi meets Naruto
“To be able to control people, you need a special technique to use the darkness in their hearts.” – Tobi
5. Sasuke shows Danzo his true fear
“Peace was attained all because of people like him.” – Danzo
3. Fourth Ninja War Arc
Episodes – (261 – 321)
This is the longest arc of Naruto Shippuden where major characters come together for a final battle. Kabuto allied with Tobi uses Reincarnation Justu to make alive all of the great Shinobi’s bodies they stole to make them fight on their side in the War. The Five Kage leads the Shinobi forces with Gaara being the War Commander of the Allied forces. It was an all-out war with 80,000 Shinobis with 100000 Zetsu clones and reincarnated Shinobis.
The major moment of the arc is the appearance of Madara Uchiha who was dead before and reincarnated by Kabuto. Shinobi allied forces faced many casualties by Madara and even the Five Kages couldn’t hold long against him.
The battle gets heated when Orochimaru reincarnates all the previous Hokage of Leaf Village – Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato with his Edo Tensei Jutsu. To save everyone Naruto uses his Nine Tails Chakra with everyone and still Neji sacrifices himself to save Naruto in the war. This is where the fight takes a major turn and also Sasuke joins with the Shinobi Allied forces for the fight.
The final battle becomes more powerful with the summoning of Kaguya Otsutsuki where the story of the birth of Shinobis is shown. The Fourth Great Ninja War is one of the best-written arcs in Anime history where all the major characters are shown and bring an emotional connection.
Top Moments of Fourth Ninja War
1. Gaara Speech to the Shinobi Allied Forces
“He cried for me, I was his enemy yet still he cried for me, and he called me his friend even though we had battled. He saved me. We were on different sides, but we were both Jinchuuriki.” – Gaara
2. Madara appears in the War
“Do not misunderstand. This is not the power of your creation!” – Madara Uchiha
3. Hokage’s Reincarnation
“Vengeance against Konoha?! you brat possessed with the Uchiha evil!” – Tobirama Senju
4. Sasuke meets Itachi
“You don’t ever have to forgive me and no matter what you do from here on out know this I will love you always.” – Itachi Uchiha
5. Naruto uses Kyubi mode
“You are no longer the monster fox… You are partner of a citizen from the Hidden Leaf… Kurama!.” – Naruto Uzumaki
5. Kakashi Vs Obito
“Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash” – Kakashi Hatake
- Madara vs 80000 Shinobi Alliance
“Do not compare me to some brat who took years to get his pet back. This will take seconds. watch.” – Madara Uchiha
4. Kazekage Rescue Arc
Episodes – (1 – 32)
The Kazekage Rescue Arc is the first major story plot in Naruto Shippuden where Gaara, the fifth Kazekage is captured by the Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori for extracting his tailed beast, Shukaku. Even though Gaara gave a tough battle to Deidara he couldn’t hold longer and the same happens for Kankuro who tries to save his abducted little brother Gaara from Sasori.
To rescue Gaara, the Leaf Village sends Team Kakashi – Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi along with Team Guy – Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Guy. Guy battles with Kisame, Kakashi, and Naruto to face Deidara, and on the other side Sakura and Granny Chiyo from the Sand battle with Sasori.
After defeating Akatsuki members, the Rescue team from Konoha and Granny try to save Gaara whose chakra was almost extracted. When checking his medical condition, Sakura pronounces that he is dead which makes Naruto go crazy.
Granny Chiyo tries to revive Gaara using her Reincarnation Technique but can’t complete the revival due to the shortage of her chakra. This is where the arc peaks as Naruto gives his Chakra to save Gaara, who once tried to destroy the Leaf Village. Granny Chiyo sacrifices herself to save Gaara and the Rescue team from Konoha departs from the Sand. This arc built a soul connection between Gaara and Naruto and also between the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Village Hidden in the Leaf, who were always been enemies of each other.
Top Moments of Kazekage Rescue Arc
- Akatsuki makes it move
“For my name to be known all the way down to a kid like you… is an honour.” – Sasori
- Guy vs Kisame
“He was a worthy opponent! A man who lived and died like a real shinobi! Kisame Hoshigaki! I’ll remember that name for the rest of my life!” – Might Guy
- Granny Chiyo’s sacrifice for Gaara
“I am glad that a person like you showed up Naruto… ” – Granny Chiyo
- Granny Chiyo and Naruto save Gaara
“Power is likely to alter the future greatly.. when you become a Hokage like none before..” – Granny Chiyo
- The bond of the future
“The Village hidden in the Sand and Village hidden in the leaf….The future to come is likely to be different from the way things were in our time..” – Granny Chiyo
5. Akatsuki Suppression Arc
Episodes – (72 – 88)
Akatsuki’s suppression arc starts with the invasion of Team 10 led by Asuma to stop Akatsuki’s rampage on Jinchuruki’s abduction from Hidan and Kakuzu who both are immortal. In the battle against Hidan, Asuma gets killed by his sacrificial circle technique leaving the mission failed. Meanwhile, Naruto was training under Kakashi and Yamato for high chakra control training. After hearing about Asuma’s death everyone arrives in Konoha for paying him the final respect. On completing the funeral, Team 10 set to complete the mission and left halfway but was refused by Tsunade since they lacked a captain. So Team 10 comprised Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji accompanied by Captain Kakashi.
Kakashi fights with Kakuzu whereas Team 10 members battle against Hidan. The most interesting part of the arc is the arrival of the new Team 7 as the backup team led by Yamato including Naruto, Sai, and Sakura. Naruto easily uses his newly trained Rasenshuriken foreshadowing Kakashi that he could surpass his sensei, the fourth hokage Minato in no time.
Kakashi and Naruto manage to take down Kakuzu who has four hearts and Shikamaru uses his strategy to take down Hidan who is immortal. Shikamaru was able to trick Hidan using his own blood for a substitution for that of Kakuzu which resulted in Kakuzu losing one of his heart. When he bound him with his jutsu and suspending him over a pit surrounded him with paper bombs, Shikamaru was able to blow Hidan’s body to pieces and then bury him alive.
Shikamaru fulfills his revenge by making use of Asuma’s firelighter to blow the paper bombs to blast Hidan.
Top Moments of Akatsuki Suppression Arc
- Asuma’s Death
“The smoke always makes…. my eyes water” – Shikamaru
- Kakashi vs Kakuzu
“To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward”- Kakashi Hatake
- Naruto uses Rasenshuriken
“I will become the one… who can surpass the Fourth Hokage.” – Naruto Uzumaki
4. Shikamaru defeats Hidan
“My will of fire is…. now yours” – Asuma
