Mission Cleared

"Mission cleared" (ノルマクリアー", Norumakuriā) is the sixth episode of the Naruto Shippūden series. It is originally the first part of the fourty-five minute episode 6-7.

Summary
As Sunagakure makes its preparations to go into battle and evacuates its civilians, the everlasting battle between Gaara and Deidara goes on. Deidara creates his "Ultimate Weapon", a giant clay bomb, and drops it onto the Village. In the mean time, back in Konoha, Naruto finally visits Ichiraku again, after years of practice, and orders some rame, just when Iruka joins them and offers to pay for him as his treat. Back in Suna, Deidara activates the bomb to cause a massive explotion that seems to be the end of the village. But Gaara quickly manages to rapidly move a load of desert sand above the village, covering it and deflecting the explotion and thus saving the village. He is destracted for a moment, and Deidara takes his chance to activate a bird-like clay bomb infront of Gaara's face, leaving all watching the battle in great shock. But as the smoke recides, it appears that Gaara managed to protect himself in a nick of time. The Sand shinobi decide its time to strike back, and start preparing an attack. Gaara then discovers tiny clay-bomb ants in his protective sand. Gaara used the sand to crush one of Deidara's arms in combat. Deidara then managed to sneak some ants into the sand around his hand. Deidara activates the clay bomb ants and blows up the shell of protective sand around Gaara. The outcome remains unknown, as the episode returns to Naruto and Iruka eating at Ichiraku Ramen, remembering how Naruto grew up to become the great shinobi he is now. Naruto then states that he's disapointed because he never became a chunin like the rest of his comrats had, Gaara even becoming Kazekage. In the mean time, Tsunade is deciding on which mission she should assign Sakura and Naruto. Returning to the battle scene again, Gaara's sand slowly slides off, leaving Gaara with no further protection. Gaara's condition is life treathening, the sand-shield around his face being fractured severly, but he still manages to move the desert sand he used to protect the village out of the village, with the last bit of power he has. The village then starts to fight back, launching numerous of explosive-tag arrows at Deidara, none of the attempts being a succes. Gaara falls down, and gets caught by the tail of Deidara's clay bird. Deidara heads out, back to the desert, leaving the village. His mission is cleared.