The Best Episodes Written By Junki Takegami

An old friend comes into town and the Tatsumi siblings arrive to escort him safely. Denus must then go undercover to retrieve the disc that he is carrying.

Director: Hajime Konaka

Writer: Junki Takegami

Shou is tricked by a pretty lady into watched a group of children. Later, he runs into a Psyma Beast with a similar weakness.

Director: Katsuya Watanabe

Writer: Junki Takegami

Denus and Cobolda attach a deadly parasite to Matoi in order to resurrect their older brother.

Director: Takao Nagaishi

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Sealing Team prepared to start sealing the Three-Tails and tell Sai to take Yūkimaru somewhere safe, but he gets attacked by Kabuto's men. Kabuto meanwhile prepares his plans while Lee, Tenten, and Kiba are also attacked. Rinji finds his men and converts them back to his side, ordering them to attack the Sealing Team; they're stopped by Kakashi, Yamato and Shino. Rinji then makes Yūkimaru eat the pills to control the Three-Tails, which Naruto and Guren learn about.

Director: Shigeharu Takahashi

Writer: Junki Takegami

The story travels back to the time after Sasuke's defection from the Leaf and before Naruto's return from his two-year training journey with Jiraiya.

Director: Naoki Horiuchi

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Hidden Leaf begin preparing for the Chunin Exams. Ino and Choji ask Sakura to join their three-man team as a stand-in for Shikamaru, who is already a chunin.

Director: Taisuke Mamori

Writer: Junki Takegami

Sand Jonin Fugi sneaks into the Demon Desert and creates a massive sandstorm in order to assassinate Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.

Director: Kentaro Fujita

Writer: Junki Takegami

Gaara heads out to rescue Matsuri and the others but is attacked by a mysterious priest who binds him with a Chakra Chain to capture his Tailed Beast.

Director: Masayuki Yamada

Writer: Junki Takegami

Neji and the team come across Matsuri collapsed in the desert and find out that Gaara is in danger. Meanwhile, the chains of a mysterious priest bind Gaara and Foo.

Director: Tsuneo Tominaga

Writer: Junki Takegami

Gaara meets with Fugi, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on his life. He confides that perhaps, after all the fear and pain he has wrought upon the Sand, he has no right to be their leader.

Director: Kazunori Mizuno

Writer: Junki Takegami

With the exception of Naruto’s Team 7, which is protected by the Susano’o, all other shinobi have been swept into a dream world by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Even the Hokage, Tsunade, has fallen into a dream state. She awakens to find herself in the Leaf Village, where she discovers Jiraiya's final book, entitled "Jiraiya Ninja Scrolls," and begins to read...

Director: Akira Shimizu

Writer: Junki Takegami

Tsunade continues to read Jiraiya’s novel. Chunin- and jonin-level ninja have gone missing, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato, orders a search mission with teams of genin led by Guy and Kurenai. Kakashi’s Team 7 is also dispatched, but the hero Naruto Uzumaki, despite being the Hokage’s son, has the misfortune of being labeled a loser.

Director: N/A

Writer: Junki Takegami

Team Jiraiya, Shikamaru, and his Leaf teammates are lured into a mysterious village during their battle. A couple children from the village get caught in the crossfire and fall into a cave-in. Yahiko’s team rushes to the rescue, but Shikamaru doesn’t budge. Meanwhile, Naruto and Neji’s teams rendezvous, but a mysterious voice addresses them out of nowhere!

Director: Kazuya Iwata

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Masked Man shows Neji and Naruto images of past incidents that occurred in the Leaf Village. Meanwhile, Shikamaru and friends join up with Team Jiraiya to rescue the children. After fighting side by side with the Leaf, Yahiko and the others seem to have a change of heart.

Director: Ayataka Tanemura

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Masked Man is satisfied that the Hidden Leaf Genin chose the importance of life over their mission, but orders his team to continue their surveillance. Meanwhile, Naruto is frustrated at his inabilities, and recalls why his father Minato sealed the Nine Tails inside of him.

Director: Masayuki Yamada

Writer: Junki Takegami

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.

Director: Kiyoshi Murayama

Writer: Junki Takegami

Jiraiya weakens the seal on the Nine Tails in order to help Naruto learn how to control the Tailed Beast's power. Jiraiya recalls the words spoken to him years ago by the Great Lord Elder. He told Jiraiya that he would have a student, and that his guidance would decide whether the student would save the Ninja World or destroy it.

Director: Shinnosuke Imagawa

Writer: Junki Takegami

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.

Director: Kazunori Mizuno

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Anbu who attack Naruto and Shikamaru are agents sent by Danzo, who had promised Orochimaru that he would deliver Sasuke safely to him. Luckily, Neji, Lee and Tenten rush to their aid in the nick of time! Meanwhile, Hiruko reveals the truth behind the incident involving Hizashi

Director: Ayataka Tanemura

Writer: Junki Takegami

Sasuke has left with Orochimaru, but Naruto is not about to give up. Determined to bring Sasuke back, he returns to the village with Shikamaru and the others. Meanwhile, Yahiko appears in the village, calling himself “Pain" and seeking revenge for the Hidden Leaf’s betrayal.

Director: Toshihiro Maeya

Writer: Junki Takegami

Several months after Pain’s attack, Jiraiya arrives with intel regarding the Akatsuki, who are attacking shinobi villages and kidnapping their Kage and jonin. He also reveals that Sasuke is working with them. Naruto is determined to bring his friend and comrade Sasuke back, once and for all!

Director: Yuuji Yanase

Writer: Junki Takegami

The Nine Tails, having been released from Madara's control, continues to wreck havoc in the city. The Third Hokage summons the Monkey King Enma and drives the Nine Tails away from the city. Minato then returns to the city and with the help of the toad Gamabunta is able to restrain the Nine Tails long enough for him to teleport it along with his family to the outskirts of the village. Kushina binds the Nine Tails and as Minato prepares to do the Reaper Death Seal to seal away half of the Nine Tails Chakra and seal the rest inside Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal. He also seals a bit of Kushina's chakra to help Naruto tame the Nine Tails. All of this is witnessed by the Third Hokage and a few other ninja.

Director: Chikara Sakurai

Writer: Junki Takegami

Minato is forced to use his Flying Raijin jutsu and leave his wife Kushina behind to save their newborn son, Naruto, from a masked assailant.

Director: Masaaki Kumagai

Writer: Junki Takegami

Obito ignores Kakashi’s order to continue with the mission and leaves to save Rin, who was kidnapped by the Rock ninja. But the enemies detect Obito’s arrival and defeat him. Kakashi arrives at the last minute and saves Obito…

Director: Masahiro Takada

Writer: Junki Takegami

Jiraiya realizes that the six Pains are all ninja he's met before. Putting various pieces of information together, Jiraiya figures out Pain's true identity, but Pain doesn't intend to allow Jiraiya to leave with that information alive. Elsewhere, the fated meeting between Itachi and Sasuke arrives, and Sasuke foresees Itachi's death.

Director: Masaaki Kumagai

Writer: Junki Takegami