The destruction of the Village Hidden in the Leaves has been averted, but at great cost. While the village mourns, a new menace arrives in the form of Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's mysterious elder brother and sworn foe, but it's not Sasuke he's interested in!
Meanwhile, Jiraiya lures Naruto away on a training journey by promising to teach him the Fourth Hokage's own original jutsu. While Naruto practices, Jiraiya searches for the Fifth Hokage candidate Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin. But another of the Sannin is looking for Tsunade as well, for a much more sinister purpose - Orochimaru!