List of Naruto: Shippuden episodes (season 3)

Naruto: Shippuden (Season 3)
File:Shippuden season 3 vol1.jpg Season 3 Cover
No. of episodes	18

The episodes of the third season of the anime series Naruto: Shippuden are directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo. They are based on Part II of the Naruto manga series by Masashi Kishimoto. The third season was broadcast on TV Tokyo in Japan, between April 3, and August 14, 2008. Titled in Japan Twelve Guardian Ninja (守護忍十二士, Shugonin Jūnishi), it follows the ninja group Team Kakashi who meet a monk-in-training name Sora who is related to a figure from Asuma Sarutobi's past whose goal is the destruction of Konohagakure.

The season was later released on three DVDs in Japan between September 3 and November 5, 2008 by Aniplex. On January 2, 2009 Viz Media and Crunchyroll began providing subtitled Naruto: Shippuden episodes. The English dub began airing on Disney XD on October 28, 2009, with this season airing between November 3, 2010 and March 9, 2011. Viz Media also released it in two DVD boxes on January 25 and April 26, 2011. Manga Entertainment released it in two boxes in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2011 and July 11, 2011.

The opening theme for this season was "Blue Bird" (ブルーバード, Burūbādo) by Ikimono-gakari, and the ending themes were "Sunao na Niji" (素直な虹, "Honest Rainbow") by Surface from episode 54 to 63 and "Broken Youth" by NICO Touches the Walls from episode 64 to 71. The second feature movie, Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds, which is based on the Naruto: Shippuden series, was released on August 2, 2008. The broadcast versions of episodes 70 and 71 include scenes from the movie in the opening themes, while still retaining the original music.

Episode Listing

No.	Title	Original airdate	English airdate
54	"Nightmare" "Akumu" (悪夢)	April 3, 2008	November 3, 2010
Naruto has been having nightmares about the release of the Nine-Tail's power. Afterward, Kakashi informs Naruto that he has special training for him that will make him strong quickly. They are cut off by Team 10, who have also come to visit. Sai lunches with them and, trying to make friends by using nicknames, angers Sakura by calling Ino "beautiful" after concluding that women do not like to hear how they really are.
55	"Wind" "Kaze" (旋風)	April 17, 2008	November 10, 2010
Kakashi is released from the hospital and begins Naruto's training program. Naruto learns that he has Wind-style chakra. Yamato helps by setting up the training field with his special jutsu. Naruto also learns that he can use his Multi Shadow Clone jutsu to speed up his training, since whatever the clones learn, the original user learns upon the clone's dispersal. Naruto and his mass of clones each take a leaf and attempt to slice it in half with wind chakra as the first step to creating his new jutsu.
56	"Writhe" "Ugomeku" (うごめく)	April 24, 2008	November 17, 2010
Naruto and his clones continue to work on chakra nature manipulation by slicing leaves. After some struggling, Naruto approaches Asuma, who is also a wind type, for advice. After which, Naruto is subsequently able to slice a leaf in half. Asuma and Yamato then head out with their teams on new missions. It is revealed that Asuma is the Third Hokage's son and that he is in a relationship with Kurenai. Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking a burnt village, four cloaked figures discuss the awakening of the Fire Country by eliminating the Leaf Village.
57	"Deprived of Eternal Sleep" "Ubawareta nemuri" (奪われた永眠り)	May 8, 2008	December 1, 2010
Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato head out for a new mission near the Fire Temple. When the other party fails to show up at the rendezvous point, the team gets separated and Naruto stumbles upon one of the four hidden tombs they came to protect. Due to a misunderstanding, he fights one of the monks-in-training from the Fire Temple, Sora, who also uses wind chakra based techniques. After the confusion, the monks and Team Kakashi travel to the Fire Temple, and Naruto recognizes it from his nightmare.
58	"Loneliness" "Kodoku" (孤独)	May 8, 2008	December 8, 2010
The temple monks explain that the tombs hold the loyal bodyguards of Fire Country's feudal lord. Naruto observes Sora sparring with other monks and becomes offended upon realizing he is holding back. Naruto challenges Sora, but just as the matter is about to get serious, another monk stops him. Naruto realizes Sora is despised by the other monks as he was himself and wishes to befriend him. Naruto visits Sora again and observes him practicing his wind jutsu in earnest, hoping to get strong enough to avenge his father. They later return to the temple to receive news that another tomb has been robbed.
59	"A New Enemy" "Aratana teki" (新たな敵)	May 15, 2008	December 15, 2010
Tsunade suspects that Danzo is plotting something and orders an investigation of him. Team Kakashi, Chiriku and Sora notice the coffins moving on their own, but fail to intercept them. The coffins emerge on a cliff, where the leader of the enemy ninja orders his subordinates to deal with their foes. The ninjas turn the area into a maze of rocky canyons and pits, full of deadly traps. The team members are separated from each other, and begin facing off against the enemy. Yamato speculates that the ninja may have orchestrated the theft in order to target someone on his team.
60	"Impermanence" "Uitenpen" (有為転変)	May 22, 2008	December 22, 2010
Team Kakashi begins facing off against the enemy shinobi. Yamato eludes his opponent, Fudo, by faking his death. Sora, unwilling to look for Naruto, goes off on his own. Back in Konoha, Danzo reveals that he is aware that he is being watched by Tsunade's ANBU. Naruto fights Fūka, whose kiss is fatal and shows her ability to use earth, fire, water and lightning jutsus. Sai manages to escape from his attacker, Fuen, and later saves Sakura from an enormous spider, becoming injured in the process. Sora then hits upon the enemy leader, Furido, and it is revealed that he was the group's target.
61	"Contact" "Sesshoku" (接触)	May 29, 2008	December 29, 2010
Furido taunts Sora until Sora unleashes his true powers, before informing Sora that he is planning to use the four corpses to save the Land of Fire. Naruto continues his fight with Fūka and learns that she can use all five elements. Fūka manages to kiss Naruto and begins draining his chakra. Realizing that Naruto is in trouble from extra-sensory perception, Sora rushes to rescue him. Sakura, Sai and Yamato arrive to help but are trapped by Fudo and Fuen. Fūka drains Naruto's chakra until she begins drawing on the Nine-tails's, which is too unnatural for her to successfully absorb. The enemy team retreats when Chiriku brings reinforcements.
62	"Teammate" "Chīmumeito" (チームメイト)	June 5, 2008	January 5, 2011
Asuma's team returns from its mission. Team Kakashi returns to Konoha as well, with Sora replacing Sai on the team. Naruto tries to show Sora around Konoha but Sora goes his own way. Sora's insults precipitate a brawl with Kiba and Choji, with Naruto and Rock Lee joining in. Shikamaru and Asuma stop the fight. Later Asuma tells Sora he knew Sora's father, who is revealed as one of the Guardians involved in the coup attempt. He also shows Sora his chakra blade attack. Furido and the other body snatchers begin their attack on the Kohaku Clan.
63	"The Two Kings" "Futatsu no gyoku" (二つの玉)	June 19, 2008	January 12, 2011
Asuma supervises Naruto and Sora's wind chakra training, and notices that Sora, like Naruto, has very powerful chakra. Tsunade and Yamato learn from Chiriku that Sora was inadvertently responsible for an incident in which the Temple of Fire was destroyed. Later, Asuma gives Sora a claw made from the same materials as his chakra blades. It is revealed that Asuma killed Sora's father Kazuma, who had planned to kill the Hokage. Furido then approaches Sora, telling him that Asuma is responsible for his father's death and passing him two "king" pieces from a Shogi set for Asuma. Danzo mysteriously disappears. Naruto approaches a furious Sora in the training grounds, who easily throws a chakra-powered kunai through a tree and destroys the stone behind it.
64	"Jet Black Signal Fire" "Shikkoku no noroshi" (漆黒の狼煙)	July 3, 2008	January 19, 2011
Danzo is brought in for questioning after being caught meeting with a young Rain ninja. Sora confronts Asuma, and Asuma admits to having killed Kazuma. He attacks Asuma, his arm once again assuming a demonic form. Afterward, Naruto gets injured while shielding Sora from the attacks of an unknown individual, presumably from Root. Furido then approaches Sora, telling him to kill both Asuma and the Hokage to avenge his father. Later on, Naruto catches Sora going after Tsunade. Sora retreats as Shizune and a few other ninja arrive, but Naruto pursues him. At that moment, a mysterious lightning storm strikes, cutting off power to the entire village.
65	"Lockdown of Darkness" "Ankoku no sejō" (暗黒の施錠)	July 3, 2008	January 26, 2011
With Konoha in complete darkness, the village struggles to defend against the four attackers who have sealed the entire village behind a barrier. The entire village is in a state of emergency. Asuma, commanded by Tsunade to follow Sora and Naruto, finally catches up to them. Asuma realizes that the four invaders plan to annihilate the entire village using the lightning powers of the corpses that they stole. The revelation shocks Sora. As Asuma leaves to help hold off the attackers, he instructs Naruto to continue pursuing Sora.
66	"Revived Souls" "Yomigaeru tamashii" (黄泉がえる魂)	July 10, 2008	February 2, 2011
Konoha's ninja fight off the revived zombie members of the Kohaku clan. The four Guardian Shinobi that Furido's group stole, Seito, Tōu, Nauma and Kitane, are also revived. Asuma realizes that they are planning to use the Limelight Jutsu, a special four-person lightning-element jutsu that would be powerful enough to destroy Konoha. Asuma sends Sakura and Yamato after the other three while he remains behind to battle Kitane, but Fuen tackles Sakura and Fudo fights Yamato. Though Naruto catches up to Sora, Fuuka holds him off while Sora finds Furido as the man admits that intents to completely destroy Konoha.
67	"Everyone's Struggle to the Death" "Sorezore no shitō" (それぞれの死闘)	July 24, 2008	February 9, 2011
Sora refuses to let Furido destroy the village despite his grudge against Asuma, only to be brutally beaten by Furido who claims that Kazama had a similar flaw. Asuma gets trapped by Kitane in a force field of lightning. Meanwhile, as Sakura outwits Fuen and easily kills her to disburst the barrier, Shikamaru heads to the battlefield with a plan to defeat the zombies. However, the plan becomes moot when the zombies turn to dust as the consequence of the revival jutsu being canceled with Fudo's death by Yamato's hand.
68	"Moment of Awakening" "Mezame no toki" (目覚めの刻)	July 31, 2008	February 16, 2011
Naruto deduces that Fuka's secret consists of switching stolen bodies to use each corresponding element, managing to damage each one before Fuka is forced to reveal herself to be a living mass of hair that is killed off with a Rasengan. Meanwhile, Sora still refusing to help him, Furido reveals that Kazama gathered trace chakra emitted from the Nine-Tails during the tailed beast's rampage in Konoha years ago and implanted it a few years later in the body Sora. Eventually, after Asuma manages to break free of the electric barrier to catch up to Kitane, Furido senses the Guardian Shinobi's defeat and cancels the revival jutsu on the since Limelight Jutsu is now impossible. However, Furido has a backup plan as he proceeds to remove the seal that was containing Sora's power as a pseudo-Jinchuriki.
69	"Despair" "Zetsubō" (絶望)	July 31, 2008	February 23, 2011
With the plan to destroy Konoha with the Limelight Jutsu a failure, Furido releases Sora's seal to have the pseudo-Jinchuriki destroy the village. Just then, Asuma arrives at the scene with Naruto. Asuma recognizes Furido and it is revealed that he is Kazuma, Sora's father. Yamato, Sakura, Kiba, Lee, and Team Asuma also turn up. Consumed by both the Nine-Tails chakra and his own rage, Sora turns into the Three-Tailed form of the demon fox with Yamato is unable to restrain him.
70	"Resonance" "Kyōmei" (共鳴)	August 7, 2008	March 2, 2011
The chakra of the Nine-tails rages out of control within Sora, preventing Naruto and the others from subduing him. Asuma and Kazuma resume their old battle. Naruto is repeatedly knocked down in his attempts to restrain Sora, and the chakra seeps into him and transforms him as well. Yamato is unable to suppress the Nine-tails' chakra in both Jinchūriki, being prevented by an unknown outside force. Sora's fourth tail emerges, causing the Nine-tails's cloak to envelop his body. He temporarily gains his own consciousness when he witnesses Naruto stab himself in the leg and successfully prevent the original Nine-tails' cloak from emerging.
71	"My Friend" "Tomo yo" (友よ)	August 14, 2008	March 9, 2011
The struggle between Naruto and Sora continues while Asuma and Kazuma fight. Sai arrives, having snuck out of hospital, and binds Kazuma with an ink snake. Kazuma breaks out of Sai's jutsu and charges Asuma, but is killed. Naruto eventually reaches Sora, who manages to release the Nine Tails's chakra. Sora then leaves the village to travel the world. Asuma and Shikamaru play shogi and discuss who the "king" of Konoha is. Elsewhere, two Akatsuki members, Hidan and Kakuzu, pursue the Two Tails Jinchūriki.

References

General

Specific