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is episode 81 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.

Synopsis
In the rain, Naruto struggles to combine the shape and elemental manipulation in the Rasengan and starts to lose hope. Sai arrives and joins Sakura in watching Naruto, and she explains that the training seems to be difficult for him. Sai taunts and abuses Naruto calling him an idiot that is too incompetent for such high-level techniques. Sakura simply listens as Sai continues to insult Naruto. She then punches a tree next to her and threatens to do the same to Sai if he continued to badmouth him. She angrily exclaims that Naruto is a strong ninja that has saved lives countless times. Sai laughs reveals that it was a trick he read from a book that revealed her feelings about Naruto. He leaves, and Sakura smiles and continues to watch Naruto, hoping for his success. Naruto recalls how his purpose for training is to catch up to Sasuke.

Elsewhere, Akatsuki begins sealing the Two-Tails, and the Akatsuki leader reveals Akatsuki's plans to use the tailed beasts to cause conflict in the ninja nations, serving as mercenaries at a lower cost than the ninja of the hidden villages, replacing them, having monopoly on war and eventually taking over the world. Meanwhile, news of Asuma's death reaches Konoha just as Naruto realises the solution is to use two shadow clones instead of one.