Realizing the Akatsuki have arrived, Lady Tsunade orders the immediate recall of Naruto from his training. Naruto's Sage Training
Sakura proves her growth by defeating a Giant Centipede with a single blow, saving several civilians and taking charge of the medical response at the hospital.
Pain splits his forces into two groups: the Assault Team (Asura, Animal, and Preta Paths), tasked with causing maximum chaos and distraction, and the Search Team (Deva, Human, and Naraka Paths, along with Konan), assigned to find Naruto Uzumaki. Developments in Konoha (Dub) 157 : Hour of Temptation
Fukasaku reveals the "fusion" method used by Jiraiya, where a toad sits on the user's shoulder to gather energy while the shinobi fights. However, this fails for Naruto because the Nine-Tailed Fox inside him rejects the presence of the toads, forcing Naruto to find an alternative way to maintain Sage Mode.
Back at Mount Myōboku, Naruto continues to struggle with the logistics of . Realizing the Akatsuki have arrived, Lady Tsunade orders
In , titled " Assault on the Leaf Village! " (often referred to by fans in the context of the "Hour of Temptation" arc), the long-awaited Akatsuki invasion of Konohagakure officially begins. While Naruto remains away at Mount Myōboku perfecting his Sage Mode, the village faces its greatest threat since the Konoha Crush. The Invasion Strategy
As explosions rock the village, the Leaf shinobi scramble to mount a defense: Developments in Konoha Fukasaku reveals the "fusion" method
Inoichi Yamanaka uses a mind-reading technique on a captured Ame-nin to uncover secrets about Pain’s origins. Meanwhile, Shizune’s autopsy of the previous Animal Path corpse reveals that the black piercings are actually chakra receivers .