Homecoming (episode)

is episode 1 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It was first aired along with episode 2 as an hour-long premier special.

Synopsis
Team Ebisu is seen scampering out of a forest in Konoha, chasing a cat. Konohamaru runs into Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku. The cat finds himself in an alley and is subdued after a short bout with Konohamaru. They then report to Ebisu, their commander. As Naruto had in the past, Konohamaru demands higher ranked missions. The genin promises that he will become the Seventh Hokage, because he is totally convinced that Naruto will be the Sixth.

Meanwhile, Naruto arrives back in Konoha, and finds that it hasn't changed much since he had left for training with Jiraiya, except that Tsunade's face had now been added to the Hokage monument. Sakura and the others soon spot him, and while Sakura notes Naruto's physical change, Naruto blatantly tells her that she hasn't changed one bit, making her slightly angry. Konohamaru meets up with them, performing the Sexy Technique in front of all of them. Naruto says he will not do that again because he's no longer a kid. Sakura thinks that Naruto has matured and starts to miss the old Naruto, but when he reveals he has an even better version, it causes Sakura to punch and verbally assaults him for almost not having changed one bit mentally (with Naruto thinkning in his mind that Sakura also has not changed at all). At the Hokage Residence, Naruto catches up with Tsunade, who wishes to see how much he's learned by putting him up against a certain opponent who hasn't been given missions in a while just for this purpose. Before the name of the opponent can be given, the door to the office opens and the episode ends.

Trivia

 * The episode begins with Naruto's first post-timeskip reunion with Sasuke, something that does not actually occur until Naruto Shippūden episode 51.
 * Konohamaru and his team's capture of Tora is identical to a mission Team 7 went on in the first Naruto anime.