The second member of Sasuke's team is revealed to be a woman named Karin. After Sasuke and Suigetsu arrive at the Southern Hideout, Sasuke requests that Karin comes with them. Despite her hesitations and quarrels with Suigetsu, Karin ultimately accepts after remembering her very first encounter with Sasuke. Sasuke orders Suigetsu to release the prisoners, and after that, they set off to recruit the final member of the team - Jugo.

Sakura, not wanting to cause Naruto any more pain, tells him that he can let go of his promise about bringing Sasuke back, and claims that she doesn't feel anything more for Sasuke. To top it off, Sakura confesses her feelings for Naruto, taking everyone by surprise. How will Naruto respond? Meanwhile, Kisame tracks down Killer Bee and the battle for the Eight-Tails begins.