Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie

is the ninth overall Naruto film and sixth Naruto: Shippūden film which was released on July 28, 2012 in Japanese theaters. The movie grossed 1.46 billion yen and will be released to DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on April 24, 2013.

Plot
The movie starts with a flashback to the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha, which then flashes to eight members of Akatsuki that are meant to be dead. Which unsettles Sakura, Shikamaru states there is no point in wondering why the dead are back alive. Naruto quickly attacks Akatsuki head on, forcing the rest of the Konoha 11 plus Sai, Kakashi and Guy to attack. The battle continues till Naruto is trapped by Kakuzu, when Sai frees him, by cutting part of Kakuzu's arm off, causing Akatsuki to retreat. Naruto and his friends return home, where most of Naruto's peers are congratulated by their families and their family promise to write a recommendation letter so they can become jōnin. Although Sakura has a little fight with her family, as Naruto returns home, he see many families causing him to reminisce of his father and mother causing him to get loner and loner. He then asks Iruka for a letter for recommendation instead, but Iruka refuses as Naruto is only a genin. Naruto sadden by his lonely lifestyle and the fact no one seems to understand him, storms off. He meets Sakura, who had an argument with her family and also stormed out. While Sakura complains of her family, Tobi appears in front of them. He then activates limited Tsukuyomi. Naruto and Sakura are then absorbed in a flash of light, and later find themselves still in the same park they were before.

They then meet their friends, but with the personalities switched and no one knows who Tobi is. They realise they are in another world where Sakura's father was the Fourth Hokage, who saved the village instead of Naruto's, and this world's Naruto is named Menma instead. As Naruto and Sakura return home Sakura is happy for the new freedom she has, while Naruto hurries home to his apartment hoping to see his parents, only to find he does not live there. We then switch to Tobi showing that the dead Akatsuki in the beginning was only Zetsu clones. We then see a man in a mask who meets Tobi and they agree to work together. As Sakura is looking through her dresser, she sees the same coat that Naruto's father had there. She then meets Sasuke who gives her a flower and flirts with her. Naruto and Sakura meet in the morning to try to gather more information of their current world, although Sakura enjoys this world as she has more freedom and is well loved by the village thanks to her father's actions, Naruto wants to return home as fast as possible.

Naruto and Sakura meet Tsunade who tells them that a Masked Man attacked the Kumogakure, which they think means that it is Tobi. They then meet Naruto's parents still alive. Minato says that their world Jiraiya is dead finding a scroll that was said to help save the world. Tsunade lets Naruto and Sakura join Minato and Kushina on their mission when Kakashi and Guy return. Sakura is at shock at finding out who Naruto's parents are, while Naruto is angry that Tobi would dare to make copies of his dead parents and he swears to get out. While Sakura is still enjoying her life, she wonders how Naruto is doing. While Naruto attempts to ignore his parents, he sees an album showing him, how his life would have been if his parents had been alive. In the morning, Sakura notes that this world's Kakashi and Guy as if their Kakashi and Guy switch personalities, while Naruto isolates him from his parents at every turn. They find where Jiraiya hide the scroll, while the group tries to rest Naruto charges ahead, summoning Gamabunta, Gamahiro and Gamaken. They refuse to listen to Naruto and the group. Naruto attempts to use Sage Mode, but is unable to gather enough energy before Gamabunta attacks him. Kushina protects him, but hurts herself. Minato saves both of them and quickly is able to get the scroll, unsummoning the toads.

As Sakura heals Kushina, Naruto still attempts to brush off him parents. Causing Minato to say no matter what Naruto does, they will always try to save him. Kushina then awakes up and hugs Naruto, causing him unable to try to ignore his parents and accept them. Then they return, Tsunade puts the scroll in lock up till a red moon when they can use it. As Naruto and Sakura walk home, Naruto quickly walks home leaving Sakura alone and happily walks into his house. Sakura instead finds her home too lonely and wonders if Naruto was always this alone. As she walks down town she sees happy families, only making her more sad. She then realises that this world's Sasuke was just a flirt and wants to go home. As she walks to Naruto's home to try to find a way to get out, she see how happy Naruto is and wonders should they leave. Sakura later meets Naruto, and asks him if he wants to stay. Although he denies it, he thinks that he does not want to leave.

Then an explosion occurs in Hokage's office, where the masked man from earlier asks for the scroll they brought back. He overpowers Minato, Kushina, and Tsunade, till Naruto and Sakura arrive. They realise that this was the man Tsunade was talking about, and that he knows Tobi. He overpowers Naruto and Sakura, and kidnaps Sakura in exchange for the scroll. He then uses Great Spiralling Ring destroying a large part of Konoha and leaves. Naruto tries to save Sakura, but Minato prevents him, showing that in the end this world's Minato is different from his father. He takes one of Minato's kunai and the scroll leaving with the Sakura's father's Hokage coat. Sakura is tied up and meets Tobi who is a ghost saying they are in an old training ground that Minato and Jiraiya used. Naruto arrives but is attacked by the other masked man asking for the scroll. Naruto is unable to fight properly as his stomach acts up, the Masked Man then takes the time to summon the Nine Masked Beasts, and about to kill Naruto when the Akatsuki saved him.

This Akatsuki was hired by Tsunade to help Naruto, and they deal with the masked beasts when Naruto attacks the masked man. Itachi saves Sakura and Tobi decides to escape instead. The Akatsuki defeated the measked beasts that turn into nine fox kits, while Naruto chased the masked man into the training group. They then fight, during the fight Naruto uses Sage Mode and uses the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken to counter the Masked Man's Great Spiralling Ring. They draw, but the attacks destroy the Masked Man's mask, showing that he is Menma, this world's Naruto. Menma then called back the defeated masked beasts, and summoned Kurama's counterpart, the Black Nine-Tails. Naruto was unable to attack, while the Akatsuki retreat, taking Sakura with them. Not wanting to be manipulated by the Sharingan again, Kurama made a truce with Naruto to work together, allowing him to summon Kurama out of his body. In the battle Naruto is barely able to win, but Tobi reveals that was his plan to have Naruto and Menma fight, as doing so would cause the two foxes to fight and weaken Kurama. As he possessed Menma, Kurama warned Naruto if he looked into Menma's Sharingan, it would be all over. Naruto tries to use the scroll, but Menma cuts the scroll, causing Naruto to look in Menma's eyes. Naruto's memories were erased, but Sakura rescued him.

Naruto looking at half of the scroll is able to remember Jiraiya and his memories. He then defeats Tobi the same way his father did. But Tobi using his ghost body tries again, till Minato and Kushina arrive. Tobi decides to give up, as Naruto and Sakura are about to leave, Naruto thanks Minato and Kushina. Naruto return to their world, where Naruto's coat breaks down. Naruto and Sakura tell Tsunade what happened and as they return home, Sakura's parents meet them, causing Sakura to happy hug them. As Naruto goes home, he sees Iruka at his house, wanting to apologise.

Genjutsu World
The majority of the movie takes place in an alternate dimension known as the Genjutsu World, where almost the entire cast has different personalities and behaviours compared to their actual selves. Despite this, some, however, still possess personalities and habits that mimic their actual selves.

Trivia

 * This year's 17th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine announced that Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto is personally conceiving the all-new story and designing the characters for this movie.
 * The theme song for the film will be "Well Then, See You Tomorrow", performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation.