After a lot of practice by sitting on top of the tall spikes, Naruto is finally able to take in natural energy without the help of the special oil and he can now transform into his sage mode with only a change in eye pigmentation. Fukasaku is impressed by his student’s progress and notes that Naruto is doing better than even Jiraiya did. Naruto manages to transform into his sage form with only a change in eye pigmentation. A bird lands on Naruto’s shoulders and causes him to lose balance, but Naruto is uninjured even after falling into the jagged rocks below. With Naruto now capable of going into sage mode, Fukasaku is ready to begin the final step of the training and teach Naruto some "frog-fu".
A couple of Kumagakure ninjas have found Sasuke’s old hiding place, but the only thing they find inside is the dead body of their comrade who had been caught by Sasuke’s gang.
Back in Konoha, Sakura, Shikimaru, and the rest of the ninjas aren’t having much luck in understanding Jiraiya’s message or getting anything out of the body that Jiraiya brought back. Unbeknownst to everyone, Pain (in 6 of his bodies) and Konan have arrived at the border of the village.
Now that Pain has arrived, the people at Konoha will finally see some action but it’s possible that none of them can defeat Pain. Perhaps Naruto will have to rush back and save the village. Let’s see what kind of havoc can Pain and Konan will cause.
