[NARUTO 20th Anniversary Column] Retracing the NARUTO Anime's Ninja Way No.7: Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters Arc ~ The Seven Ninja Swordsmen Arc | NARUTO OFFICIAL SITE (NARUTO & BORUTO) (2024)

In this column, we'll be looking back at the NARUTO anime to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its first broadcast on TV in Japan! Join this writer, a fellow fan from the NARUTO generation, as we retrace the series from its humble beginnings to its climactic conclusion! This article picks up the story starting from the Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters arc, which marks the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War!

A fierce battle of wills ensues as Naruto attempts to forcibly pull the Nine Tails' chakra into himself.
But the Tailed Beast's hatred is all-consuming, and Naruto is almost completely overtaken by it when suddenly...an unfamiliar figure appears!

Before him stands a red-haired woman.
She is revealed to be the mother Naruto never knew: Kushina Uzumaki.

After 16 years, mother and son converse for the first time, and Naruto basks in the warmth of her love.

After Naruto succeeds in suppressing the Nine Tails, Kushina tells her son what really happened 16 years ago in a series of shocking revelations about the events surrounding his birth.

The seal binding a Tailed Beast to its Jinchuriki weakens greatly during childbirth, a fact that the mysterious "masked man" takes advantage of to attack the Hidden Leaf when Kushina is most vulnerable.
The intruder cuts through the village's security measures and takes Naruto hostage mere moments after his birth.

The masked man then tears the Nine Tails from Kushina and proceeds to control it via his Sharingan, directing its fearsome rage toward the Village Hidden in the Leaves. This is the truth behind the Nine Tails' attack all those years ago.

Fighting desperately to protect the village, Minato battles both the masked man and the Nine Tails.
After breaking the man's control over the Tailed Beast and forcing him to retreat with a perfectly timed attack, Minato manages to move the Nine Tails away from the village.

Kushina, already facing death due to the Tailed Beast's removal, resolves to take the Nine Tails with her to protect her loved ones.
However, Minato has a different plan. He decides to use the Reaper Death Seal to take half of the beast's chakra with him to the grave, while sealing the remaining half inside Naruto to give his son the power to defend the world from the calamities that await it in the future.

"LET'S BELIEVE IN THIS CHILD! HE IS OUR SON, AFTER ALL!!

WE WON'T BE SEEING HIM FOR A WHILE...
...SO LET'S... TELL HIM... WHAT WE WANT TO SAY TO HIM..."

"NARUTO...
THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF HARD... AND PAINFUL... TIMES AHEAD...
TAKE CARE... OF YOURSELF...!
...MAKE SURE TO HAVE DREAMS...
...AND THE CONFIDENCE... TO MAKE THOSE DREAMS... COME TRUE...!!

SO MUCH! THERE'S SO... SO... MUCH...!
THERE REALLY IS... SO MUCH MORE I WANT... TO TELL YOU...
...I WANT TO BE WITH YOU LONGER... I LOVE YOU..."

"NARUTO...
MY WORDS TO YOU AS YOUR FATHER...
...IS DITTO YOUR LOQUACIOUS MOTHER...
I GUESS..."

"YOU DIED FOR ME, YOU AND PA...
NOW I KNOW YOU ALWAYS LOVED ME!
I'M HAPPY!!
I'M GLAD I'M YOUR KID!!"

"NARUTO...
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BECOME A MOTHER...
AND MINATO A FATHER...
THANK YOU SO MUCH...
...FOR HAVING BEEN BORN TO US!!"

Heart full of his parents' affection, Naruto leaves the world within his consciousness and drifts back to reality!!

When Naruto shows off his Nine Tails Chakra Mode to Yamato and Bee, his heightened senses detect a malicious presence lurking within the Samehada sword Bee carries on his back.
They soon realize that Kisame has been alive this whole time, hiding within the sword!

Kisame attempts to flee but quickly finds himself face-to-face with Guy and the other ninja who accompanied Naruto to the island as bodyguards!!

Fate has brought Kisame and Guy together to duel once again! The two fire off incredible ninjutsu as they both strive to make this third battle the last!!
Guy finally blasts his way to victory with his Hirudora, and the match is settled!

Knowing that his death is inevitable, Kisame summons sharks which he then sets on himself, choosing to be eaten alive rather than give the enemy information about his comrades and their plans.
It is a sacrifice befitting a shinobi—Kisame lives out his final moments with pride.

Meanwhile, Madara has managed to track down Konan.
Knowing the man has come to steal Nagato's Rinnegan, Konan puts her life on the line to stop him.

But Madara survives the countless explosions set off by her attacks and stabs her from behind.

As Konan's consciousness fades and the papers of her jutsu flutter away, she remembers Yahiko and Nagato, entrusting the hopes for the future that the three of them shared to Naruto.

Having discovered Naruto's location, Kabuto takes Deidara—who he resurrected via the Reanimation Jutsu—and heads to the remote island, which is actually the back of a giant turtle! However, the invading ninja are intercepted by the Tsuchikage, Ohnoki, and his subordinates!

Deidara engages Ohnoki in a lightning-fast, aerial battle while Kabuto lands on the island.
Yamato and the other ninja sent to guard Naruto move to confront him, assisted by one of the Tsuchikage's personal bodyguards, Kurotsuchi.

But after tricking his opponents and creating an opening, Kabuto captures Yamato before hastily withdrawing along with Deidara!

Before the enemy can return, Ohnoki carries the entire turtle island along with its occupants to an area of relative safety near the Allied Shinobi Forces' headquarters.
War no longer looms—it has begun.

The Allied Shinobi Forces number 80,000, but their enemy commands an army of White Zetsu 100,000 strong, along with numerous deceased shinobi that have been resurrected by Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu and remain under his control.

Even with war on their doorstep, many members of the alliance are unable to forget the history of their nations, and squabbles break out as some ninja resist the idea of fighting alongside former enemies.
Gaara—Commander in Chief of the Main Battle Regiment—steps forth to speak, his words ringing with a sincerity felt by all.

"THERE ARE NO ENEMIES HERE IN FRONT OF ME!!
THERE IS NO SAND, NO STONE, NO LEAF, NO MIST OR CLOUD!!
THERE IS ONLY SHINOBI!!

I AM TOO YOUNG!
TOO INEXPERIENCED!
SO PLEASE...
...LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!!

ALL WHO FEEL AS I DO, FOLLOW ME!!"

Inspired by Gaara's speech, the ninja of each village come together as one, setting off for the battlefield!!

The first group to encounter a hostile force is the Commando Unit led by Kankuro!!
Oddly enough, the enemy squad they run into is also a commando team, led by the revived artists of the Akatsuki, Sasori and Deidara.

Sai is shocked to see his deceased brother Shin among his opponents...

And when Deidara treats Shin as a disposable tool, Sai's face fills with fury in an uncharacteristic display of emotion!!

The unit works together to beat back the undead Akatsuki members, allowing Kankuro to seal them in his puppets!!
Sai also shows Shin the drawing he was never able to before, which impacts his brother so profoundly that it dissolves the bonds ensnaring Shin's soul, setting him free from Kabuto's jutsu. It's an overwhelming victory for the Allied Shinobi Forces' Commando Unit!!

After their victory, the Commando Unit encounters Zabuza and Haku, who lead a group of reanimated shinobi possessing Kekkei Genkai abilities!!
The Third Company, led by Kakashi, rushes in to provide back-up!!

Haku's ice style, Gari's explosion style, Pakura's scorch style, and Zabuza's Silent Killing technique make for a truly formidable combination.

The Allied Shinobi Forces are already suffering heavy casualties due to the powerful jutsu of their enemies when Kabuto sends in even more reanimated ninja...

Joining Zabuza are the other six members of the Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen!!

Kakashi takes the lead as the company's captain, facing off against these fearsome opponents with a strategy that combines his own skills with the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu and Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, as well as the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu.

Haku uses his body to shield Zabuza, and the all-too-familiar scene reminds Kakashi of Team 7's mission to the Land of Waves.

"I'M GLAD YOU WERE NARUTO'S FIRST ADVERSARIES.

YOUR MANNERS OF DEATH AND YOUR TEARS...
THEY DEMONSTRATED YOUR BOND TO EACH OTHER."

Kakashi's Lighting Blade pierces Zabuza, and both he and Haku are sealed.
By defeating the backbone of the enemy unit, Kakashi's company has successfully turned the tide of battle!

Battling along the shoreline, Hidden Cloud ninja Darui's First Company faces an army of White Zetsu accompanied by reanimated shinobi.

Among these enemies are Kakuzu from the Akatsuki, the legendary Gold and Silver Brothers of the Hidden Cloud, and several well-known ninja from the Hidden Leaf: Asuma Sarutobi, Hizashi Hyuga, and Dan Kato.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, comes up with a plan from his station at the Allied Shinobi Forces' headquarters. Upon receiving his orders, each company springs into action to play their part in confronting this crisis!!

Despite not being Jinchuriki, the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku possess some of the Nine Tails' chakra, and also wield four of the Five Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths! Opposing them is a team of the Hidden Cloud's elite led by Darui!
But Darui soon finds himself fighting alone after his comrades are sealed away by the brothers' powerful ninja tools!

With a combination of luck and skill, the Hidden Cloud ninja turns the tables at the last moment to seal Ginkaku with his own trick!
But the battle is not yet over, as Kinkaku's rage at his brother's demise causes the Nine Tails' chakra within him to go berserk!!

Fortunately, reinforcements arrive from a nearby battlefield...
Here to face the legendary monster is the legendary trio of Ino-Shika-Cho!

"HUMAN JUGGERNAUT!!"

"SHADOW POSSESSION! ACHIEVED!!"

"I'M IN! MIND TRANSFER TECHNIQUE! ACHIEVED!!"

Flawlessly coordinating their attacks, the three successfully seal Kinkaku!
This generation's Ino-Shika-Cho has surpassed the legends of the past to carve out their own place in history!

The Commando Unit finds themselves hard-pressed, facing legendary shinobi like Granny Chiyo, Kimimaro, and the extraordinary man known for his long reign over the Hidden Mist—Hanzo!
Luckily, Mifune's Fifth Company arrives just in time!!

Hanzo and Mifune settle their battle in a single clash, testing their blades—and the strength of the convictions that drive them—against each other!!

Hanzo's true resolve is revealed when he plunges his own weapon into his stomach, leaving Mifune to carry on for the both of them.
The other members of the Fifth Company move in quickly to seal Hanzo before his self-inflicted injury can heal.

Ino-Shika-Cho continues to fight on the shoreline!
However, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji's next enemy is none other than their former master, Asuma...

Despite knowing him to be a puppet of Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu, Choji cannot bring himself to strike his beloved teacher.

And even as his friends and father continue to cover for him and encourage him, the young heir of the Akimichi is unable to find his resolve...
But then Choji remembers the oath he swore to Asuma, to his father, and to the yet unborn shinobi of the next generation—and takes flight!!

With their powerhouse back in action, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio wastes no time in executing a combined attack that takes down Asuma!

Satisfied to have witnessed the growth of his students, Asuma falls back into a peaceful slumber.

While the Allied Shinobi Forces are engaged in fights on several fronts, Naruto has remained on the turtle island to continue training with his Tailed Beast chakra, but he begins to sense that something is amiss.
He attempts to leave the island to see for himself but is stopped by Iruka and other shinobi from the Hidden Leaf, which only serves to deepen his suspicions.

The Allied Shinobi Forces are wrapping up their victory at the battlefield along the shoreline when the gargantuan Gedo Statue appears!

While the shinobi scramble to counter the summoned statue's monstrous size and strength, Madara—the infamous "masked man"—retrieves Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Having taken the Gold and Silver Brothers and thereby gained access to the Nine Tails' chakra they possess, Madara's plan to revive the Ten Tails is proceeding smoothly.

Meanwhile, Naruto is continuing to run toward the battle lines when the Nine Tails starts to speak to him from his subconscious. The two begin to argue.

The demon fox believes that Naruto's struggle against hatred is even more futile now that the ongoing war will exacerbate the vicious cycle, but the young ninja's resolve is unshaken.

Targeting Jonin Medics along with other ninja, White Zetsu perfectly disguised as ally shinobi are carrying out assassinations under the cover of darkness!
As this information spreads, the entire encampment is thrown into chaos. With no way to tell who can be trusted, paranoia grows rapidly.

Naruto and Bee are intercepted by Tsunade and the Raikage, Ay.

Ay blocks Naruto at every turn, using his overwhelming power and speed.
But Bee joins the fight, and together the two confront the Raikage—again, and again, and again—impressing Ay with both their strength and their determination.
The Raikage levels his fastest punch at Naruto, but the young ninja dodges, proving that his speed surpasses even the famed leader of the Hidden Cloud.

"SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TRUSTING ME.
I WON'T FAIL THEM!!!

I'M MY FATHER'S SON!
HE TAUGHT ME TO BE THE SAVIOR!!!"