The Target Appears

Synopsis
Naruto and Gamatatsu's cooperation ninjutsu manage to destroy Guren's jade crystal labyrinth. Team Yamato then arrives to provide reinforcements, and Naruto notices that Hinata has been encased in Guren's jade crystal. Kakashi warns Naruto not to be abrupt as Hinata would die if the crystal were to shatter; nonetheless, Naruto and Gamatatsu use their Wind Release: Toad Gun towards Guren, who crystallises it and fashions it into a crystal dragon. As she uses the crystal dragon to attack the Orochimaru Search Team, Sai uses his ink bird to distract Guren while Naruto has Gamatatsu swallow the crystal-confined Hinata in order to take away Guren's leverage. Guren destroys Sai's ink bird and attempts to direct her attack towards Gamatatsu, who dispels himself to avoid the hit. The rest of the team also retreats, leaving Guren alone. Team Guren then arrives to provide Guren some personal reinforcement, and they set off back towards their base.

Outside the perimeter, Naruto has Gamatatsu slowly regurgitate Hinata, who nearly kills her when he is distracted by a fly. Pakkun arrives and notifies the team that the analysis on Shino's bug revealed that even the bug's insides were crystallised. Realising the same fate has struck Hinata, Kakashi orders the group to escort Hinata back to Konoha, in hopes that Tsunade would be able to undo the damage. However, Hinata's crystal shatters, although Hinata survives. Hinata explains to the group that she began to emit chakra from all of her chakra points before she was crystallised, notifying Kakashi that Guren's Crystal Release is unable to crystallise chakra. Kakashi then tells them that since their team has enough members, they would now be splitting into two. He tasks Sai and Sakura with the responsibility of staying with Hinata until she recovers while the others try to pick up on their enemies trail once more. As the team sets off, with Pakkun, Gamatatsu and Gamakichi dispelling themselves, they are unaware that they have been spied on by Kabuto the entire time.

As Guren and her team return to their base, Yūkimaru is excited to see Guren return, and reveals to her that he had met a boy with a headband while she was gone. Realising that Yūkimaru had met Naruto by coincidence, Guren asks him to tell her where they had met so that she could track him; however, her endeavour is interrupted by the arrival of Kabuto, who admonishes her for nearly losing Yūkimaru to Naruto, which would have foiled Orochimaru's plan. In the meantime, the rest of the search team continues to travel through the woods, with Naruto expressing his annoyance of avoiding bats. Shino proposes that they use the bats to find their enemies, as the bats are awaiting their detection before returning to their master. Although Naruto does not understand the plan, Kakashi asks him to create three shadow clones and have them run throughout the woods. Naruto complies, although he wonders why he did so as the bats have detected his clones. Kiba explains that once the bats detect his shadow clones, they would fly back to their master, and that the team would simply follow the bats to find their enemies' hideout. Kiba then proceeds to humiliate Naruto for his lower intelligence and berating him for being a genin while the other members are chūnin and jōnin, causing Naruto to emit a large cloud of flatulence in response towards Kiba and Akamaru.

Concurrently, Kabuto and Team Guren head towards the lake, where Kabuto, Yūkimaru, Guren and Gozu enter a canoe. Kabuto tasks the remaining members to remain on land and engage their pursuers while Gozu rows them out to the middle of the lake. Guren creates jade crystal hexagonal pillars while Kabuto proceeds to give Yūkimaru food pills in order to cause the latter to release his chakra; Guren protests that the pills could cause Yūkimaru's death, but is shot down when Kabuto remarks that he is merely following Orochimaru's plan. Gozu wonders what the plan is, and Guren and Kabuto reveal to him that they are summoning the Three-Tails.