NARUTO SHIPPUDEN SEASON 7 (2010) (8.0/10)

The Leaf ninja fail to capture Itachi and also lose track of Sasuke. Calling off their pursuit, the team is heading back to the village when an urgent assignment from Lady Tsunade comes in. The mission stems from a treaty between the Third Hokage and the En no Gyoja of the Tsuchigumo Clan...

Naruto and his teammates are assigned to escort Hotaru, En no Gyoja's granddaughter, to the Tsuchigumo Clan's village located in the mountains. But Hotaru's mind is still attached to Utakata, who left after Naruto's arrival...

Having arrived at the village, Hotaru parts with Naruto and his team. But the Magaki Troops are one step ahead and threaten Hotaru to hand over the forbidden jutsu. Utakata appears, and Shiranami recognizes him as a bounty listed in the Hidden Mist's bingo book...

Yamato and Sai recognize their opponents as trackers from the Hidden Mist Village, but Naruto attacks without questioning. The Hidden Mist demands Utakata be handed over to them in exchange for Hotaru.

Hotaru is brought back to the fort in Mount Katsuragi. Naruto, outraged to learn the forbidden jutsu was embedded inside Hotaru, demands an explanation from Tonbei. But it was none other than Hotaru herself who wished for this.

Believing Shiranami's story, Hotaru writes a parting letter addressed to Utakata and leaves Mount Katsuragi. Meanwhile Naruto, still searching for Shiranami, falls into the Magaki Troops' trap but manages to escape thanks to help from Utakata.

Naruto and Utakata successfully enter the Tsuchigumo village thanks to help from Sakura, Sai, and Yamato. Utakata senses the chakra filling the atmosphere and terrain behaving oddly, and together with Naruto, they enter the cave where the anomaly is originating.

Naruto has a strange nightmare several days after their failure to bring Sasuke home. Even after he awakens wisps of the dream keep haunting him.