Naruto (Subtitled)

Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, where deadly serious ninja roam the land and the seriously mischievous Naruto Uzumaki causes trouble everywhere he goes. But when he steals the ancient scroll of sealing, he unleashes a rare power rarely seen in a 12-year-old boy!

Naruto finally graduates from the Ninja Academy and claims to know it all. Well, at least that's what he tells Konohamaru, the village elder’s pint-size grandson.

On the way to becoming a ninja, Naruto must team up with his classmates, the pretty Sakura and the pretty serious Sasuke, whose only common bond is that they both hate Naruto. So Naruto tries to win Sakura over by pretending to be her life-long crush …Sasuke!

Now that Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are a team, they meet with their sensei, the enigmatic and aloof Kakashi. He presents to them a survival challenge where only two of them will pass, sending the failing student back to the Ninja Academy! Too bad they don’t know that Kakashi’s never passed anyone…ever!

With the threat of failure hanging over their heads, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura try everything they know to pass the grueling survival test. But it will take some wise advice from Kakashi to teach these selfish ninja a thing or two about teamwork!

Naruto and his squad start their first ninja missions with boring and menial tasks. Weary and angry, Naruto vents his frustration at the Hokage. Amused by Naruto’s excitement, he gives them a new mission, to protect a grumpy old man named Tazuna as he returns to his home!

Naruto and his squad arrive in the Land of the Waves and learn that an evil businessman named Gato has taken over the land. Zabuza Momochi appears, hired by Gato to kill Tazuna. Excited and ready to attack, Naruto can’t wait to take on this powerful ninja assassin. Will he be up to the challenge?!

Kakashi has the upper hand in his battle with Zabuza. But the tide turns when Kakashi is trapped inside Zabuza’s Water Prison! Kakashi urges the squad to flee, but Naruto remembers the pledge he made--to never run away again--and holds his ground!!

Thanks to Naruto’s ingenious plan, Kakashi is freed from the water prison. He defeats Zabuza, leaving him critically injured. But in the blink of an eye, a mysterious tracking ninja shows up and kills Zabuza before Kakashi can. Naruto is shocked that a boy, not much older than he, was able to defeat Zabuza so easily.

Recuperating at Tazuna’s house, Kakashi is dissatisfied with the outcome of the battle. He concludes that Zabuza isn’t dead and the young tracking ninja helped Zabuza escape! Kakashi decides to implement some interesting training that will allow Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura to better control their chakra!

Sakura goes into town with Tazuna and sees the hardships that the people of the Land of Waves suffer under Gato’s rule. This is the reason Tazuna is risking his life to build a bridge that crosses the ocean. With a bridge that gives everyone access to other lands, people will no longer have to rely on Gato, who controls all imports. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke continue to train, using chakra to climb a tree.

While Naruto concentrates on the training to control his chakra, a mysterious person suddenly appears before him. The person tells Naruto that as long as one has the desire to protect what he loves, there is no limit to becoming stronger. The mysterious figure echoes the sentiment inside Naruto and the two feel a sense of connection.

Once again, the time has come to fight Zabuza, and this time he’s got company--the tracking ninja who supposedly killed him. Zabuza and his companion take notice of Sasuke’s abilities, and Sasuke in turn realizes the immense power that the masked ninja holds. As if they were meant to fight each other, Sasuke and the masked ninja begin to battle.

Sasuke finds himself in a pinch inside of Haku’s Crystal Ice Mirrors, but Naruto comes to the rescue. But Sasuke has a plan to counter Haku's jutsu with attacks from both the inside and outside the Crystal Ice Mirrors, and Naruto’s unexpected action ruins Sasuke’s strategy. Eventually, both young ninja are trapped.

Realizing time is of the essence, Kakashi decides to use the Sharingan once again to defeat Zabuza. But Zabuza is a ninja that has also experienced many killing battles, and from his first encounter with the Sharingan, Zabuza has devised a strategy against it.

Naruto and Sasuke continue to receive punishing attacks from within Haku’s Crystal Ice Mirrors. Naruto can no longer stand on his feet. But during the intense battle, Sasuke starts to realize the power of his own Sharingan and gradually starts to elude Haku’s assault. Haku decides to finish them off immediately. Sasuke is caught off guard by Haku’s action and uses his own body to shield Naruto…

Naruto finally explodes! His anger against Haku, who defeated Sasuke, unleashes the power of the Nine-tailed Fox. Naruto’s chakra becomes so intense that even Kakashi and Zabuza, fighting in the distance, take notice. Haku is unable to do anything in the face of Naruto’s hidden power.

Haku tells the hesitant Naruto to finish him off. Naruto strongly questions Haku’s philosophy of existing only to fight and win. Meanwhile, the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza approaches its climax. Zabuza’s movement is restrained by Kakashi’s Summoning Jutsu. With victory within his grasp, Kakashi unleashes his most devastating maneuver.

Thinking of Haku, Naruto angrily confronts Zabuza. Even though he appears to have no emotions, Zabuza is devastated by the loss of Haku, the only person he could trust in the world. Naruto learns that this kind of cruel reality is indeed the fate of a ninja.

Naruto and his team return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves after their battle in Land of Waves. Even though they complete new missions that are assigned to them, Naruto is not satisfied with the daily routine. But soon he learns that outsiders are gathering in the Leaf Village.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are among those chosen to take the Chunin Qualification Exam. But Iruka vehemently opposes the participation of Naruto and his team. He argues that the members are too young and lack the adequate level of experience and skill for the challenge. But Kakashi believes that they have grown and are more than ready.

As Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura prepare for the examination, a ninja named Rock Lee appears. Lee wants to fight Sasuke, who holds the power of the Uchiha tribe. Sasuke accepts Lee’s challenge, but his opponent attacks with such quickness that he can only stay in defense mode.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura officially register for the Chunin Exam. In this examination, three ninja form a team, and in order to pass, not a single member is allowed to fail. Teamwork becomes absolutely vital for success in this test. When they enter the exam room, Naruto and his team are almost overwhelmed by the atmosphere, as they encounter many others who are chasing a dream just like theirs.

Naruto and his team begin the first exam, a written test. The exam proctor is a special jonin (upper rank ninja) named Ibiki Morino, who is an infamous expert in interrogation. At the sight of Ibiki, the participants become nervous. The passage or failure of a team will depend on the combined score of the three members. Sasuke and Sakura are worried that if Naruto answers all of the questions wrong, they themselves will fail the test. The examination finally begins…

The hardest part of the first exam comes in question 10. Before the ninja hear the question, Ibiki declares what seems like a harsh and unreasonable rule for that problem: if this question is answered incorrectly, not only will it result in the failure of the first exam, but the team will be denied the right to take any future Chunin Exams.

Konohamaru, the grandson of the Leaf Village’s Third Hokage, shows up at the Chunin Exam site, along with Moegi and Udon, to cover the events for the Ninja Academy’s school newspaper. Konohamaru looks up to Naruto like an older brother, and through interviews with the characters, recaps their adventures thus far.

Naruto and his fellow participants arrive at the Forest of Death, the site of the second part of the Chunin Exam. To begin, each team will be given one of two types of scrolls. A team must gain possession of the other type of scroll by stealing it from another team and reach the goal point at the tower with both scrolls in hand. Anko, the proctor, offers only one piece of advice to the participants--“Don’t get killed!”

The second exam starts in the Forest of Death. Sasuke notices that an enemy has disguised himself as Naruto. Sasuke pursues the intruder but is unable to capture him. Sasuke rescues the bound Naruto and the three teammates decide on a password in case they are split up again.

The Grass ninja that attacks Sasuke and Sakura has more power than the two can handle. Although Sasuke considers giving away their scroll to survive the assault, Naruto stops Sasuke by hitting him. As his anger escalates during the heat of the battle, Naruto starts to display his hidden powers. Meanwhile, examination proctor Anko receives a report about a problem regarding the participants in the exam…

Seeing Naruto furiously fight back against the Grass ninja, Sasuke realizes that he was wrong to think about fleeing the scene of a battle. Taking over for Naruto, who runs out of energy, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to its full potential to drive back the enemy. The Grass ninja introduces himself as Orochimaru and disappears, leaving a curse mark on Sasuke's neck. Shortly thereafter, Sasuke collapses in pain…

After receiving the report from her staff, Anko senses that Orochimaru has snuck into the examination. Anko begins to pursue Orochimaru, but even with her special jonin skills, she is unable to stop the intruder. Despite being battle weary and trembling with fear, Sakura tries to stop the enemy with her remaining power. At that moment, the self-proclaimed Leaf Village’s “Handsome Devil” Rock Lee comes to the rescue!

While Sakura fends off the Sound ninja attack by herself, the rival Ino team appears! They decide to help Sakura after watching her fight the Sound Ninja. With their battle formation “Ino-Shika-Cho,” the Ino team tries to repel their assailants…

The Sound ninja depart after witnessing Sasuke’s intense power. Naruto’s team finally gets a moment of peace to recuperate. Kiba obtains the second scroll soon after the beginning of the exam. and his team is heading toward the tower. On their way, Kiba’s canine partner Akamaru senses something happening ahead of them and stops.

To heal their wounds, Naruto and his team take a much-needed rest after their battle against the Sound ninja. But it has already been four days since the start of the exam and there is only one day remaining until time expires. Naruto proposes that they make a duplicate of the Scroll of Heaven, which they still need, and they try to open the Scroll of Earth that is supposed to be sealed.

Naruto’s team joins Kabuto on their journey to the tower, but on the way, they are trapped by the genjutsu (illusion technique) of the Hidden Rain Village’s genin (low rank ninja), Oboro’s team. Not only do they lose energy by being forced to walk the same area repeatedly, they struggle in their fight against the numerous clones created by the technique. Naruto proceeds to beat each one of the clones, but their number does not go down.

When Naruto and his team open the two scrolls after reaching the tower, Iruka suddenly appears. He starts lecturing on the spirit of the chunin (middle rank) ninja to the students of the Ninja Academy. By now, Iruka has plenty of confidence in Naruto and his teammates. Meanwhile, Anko reports to the Hokage on the appearance of Orochimaru.

The 21 ninjas that passed the second exam assemble for their next challenge. The faces of the qualifiers show the various emotions burning within. But before the third exam is introduced, it is determined that too many passed the second exam, and preliminaries for the third exam will be held immediately…

The preliminaries of the third exam consist of one-on-one combat, and the first match is between Sasuke and Orochimaru’s minion Yoroi. Once the fight begins, Yoroi quickly corners Sasuke. Sasuke is unable to use his powerful Sharingan because the curse mark on his neck reacts to the heightening of chakra. Even worse, Yoroi absorbs the chakra out of Sasuke.

As Kakashi safely releases Sasuke from the spell, Orochimaru suddenly shows up. Orochimaru expresses his desire for the power of Sharingan that the Uchiha clan holds in order to fulfill his ambitions. Meanwhile, in the third exam preliminaries, Zaku of the Hidden Sound, whose arm was broken by Sasuke, fights against the Hidden Leaf Village’s Shino.

The preliminaries continue as the next match pits Sand ninja Gaara’s teammate Kankuro against Orochimaru’s minion Misumi. Soon after the battle starts, Misumi captures Kankuro, using a body that can freely dislocate numerous joints. But what Misumi captures is actually a doll--a puppet controlled by Kankuro.

The fourth match is between Sakura and Ino, who are childhood friends and competitors for the affection of Sasuke. Although Sakura has admired Ino since she was young, she does not hesitate to fight her in this battle, and the two ninja appear well matched in skill and determination.

The fifth match is between Tenten and Temari. Tenten, who is the master of flying weapons, uses a variety of arsenal against her enemy, but they are repelled by Temari’s giant fan. The sixth match is Shikamaru versus Kin. Although Kin looks to have the advantage early in the match, Shikamaru uses his Shadow Possession Jutsu…

In the seventh match, Naruto clashes against Kiba, who brings along his dog Akamaru. Kiba uses his All-Four Jutsu to attack Naruto. Though Naruto appears to be in a bind, he manages to turn the tables. But then Akamaru and Kiba consume Food Pills and begin an intense assault on Naruto…

By consuming Food Pills, Kiba and Akamaru increase chakra levels and start their counterattack on Naruto. However, Naruto uses Transformation Jutsu to thwart Kiba, who has a strong sense of smell, and tries to win the match with a new secret move. What does Naruto have in store for his opponent…?!

Cousins Hinata and Neji of the Hyuga clan confront each other in the eighth match, and animosity between the two runs deep. Although the timid Hinata is pushed around by Neji’s aggressiveness, she gains strength by hearing Naruto’s encouraging words. With both ninja inheriting the Hyuga clans’s Byakugan (white-eye technique), how will this battle unfold…?

Hinata goes up against Neji, but he hits her pressure point by using his Byakugan (white eyes). Hinata’s flow of chakra is stopped, and she almost loses consciousness. But she finds courage by remembering Naruto not giving up in the face of any adversity in order to fulfill his way as a ninja.

Gaara finally appears in the ninth match, and his opponent is taijutsu (physical technique) specialist Lee. Against Gaara, who manipulates the sand from his gourd, Lee uses his powerful taijutsu moves. As the intense battle between the two continues, the moment comes when Gaara’s defensive Sand Armor finally comes loose…

Lee uses the banned technique Primary Lotus to attack Gaara. It appears as if the match is over, but the move only damages the shell made by Gaara’s sand. Unable to move after using Renge, Lee is simply thrown around by Gaara.

Lee decides to use the forbidden move, Hidden Lotus, as a last resort. Unlike Primary Lotus, which releases one of the eight gates that have a concentration of chakra holes, Hidden Lotus opens three or more gates. When all eight gates are open, it could even lead to the death of the user. But Gaara answers back with his own vicious attack of Sand Coffin.

In the final match of the preliminaries, Choji fights against Orochimaru’s minion Dosu. The preliminaries are finally over, and the Hokage reveals the third exam, while lurking in the shadows Orochimaru unfolds an evil plot.

In preparation for the third exam that starts in a month, Naruto’s former mentor, Kakashi, chooses Ebisu to train the young ninja. Ebisu warns Naruto that he still lacks sufficient control of his chakra and makes him practice walking on water at a hot spring. Naruto impresses Ebisu by quickly learning the technique. Then suddenly, a figure appears before the two…