"The Treasure Hunt is On!"
Uh oh, the comedy music is playing and the Hokage is talking. Never a good sign. She's asking if there are even more this month. Shizune says afraid so, people in the outer regions have heard the news she is Hokage and have sent bills. This Hokage thing is one big headache and we get an inner monologue. Her name is Tsunade, she's the Fifth Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves. Now she is stuck with all this debt and not only that...
GRANNY TSUNADE! Naruto is being held back by my two favorite cameo stars. With no missions he wants to go look for The Sauce. One proctor tells him he was ordered to stay and train. He keeps yelling. He was the other thing Tsunade was worried about. Naruto is playing soccer against his shadow clones. He couldn't score against himself, he was playing both offense and defense. He wonders if Pervy Sage is coming back soon (Oho, Ohohohohohohohoho!) and he sees a cloud that kinda looks like J-man. He can't train by himself when we hear a bark. Someone else wanted to train here.
It's Akamaru and his handler, whatever his name is. Kiba wanted to train but will shoot the shit with Naruto instead. Naruto asks where Shino is. He's backing up another squad with Mum-rah the ever living Sensei. Hinata is training at home. Naruto suggests that it's like they've been fired as ninja when suddenly...
Hinata comes running up saying their names. Wasn't she supposed to be training at home? There was a call sent out by the Hokage. She needs them immediately. Kiba is thrilled, so are Naruto and Hinata. Their first real mission in like forever. A treasure hunt? It's from another friend of the Hokage, he produces a map. A treasure worth several hundred million Ryo (Naruto bucks) is buried there. That is a whole lot of Ramen Naruto. Hinata says he couldn't eat that much Ramen in his entire life. Kiba asks the obvious question; if he has the map why does he need ninja. The client says the area is difficult for normal people to travel to. He's tried but it was impossible. A job for ninja. They've got three days and will get a special reward. This should be simple says Naruto. The Hokage agrees and lays down one final stipulation, if they should fail for any reason they'll,,,
Be busted down to the Academy. A fate worse than Shikamaru. They are all legit shook. Why would she do that? She looked over their mission success rate. Naruto's is decisively poor and whenever he's teamed up with these two they have the worst performance possible (this...is actually true and a shocking bit of continuity) Kiba remembers the bounty hunter mission and Hinata remembers the Bikochu. Kiba rightly points out that this isn't fair, it's Naruto's fault. Tsunade doesn't buy it; ninja squads, even filler ones, are a collective experience. What a commie! Naruto says this won't happen again. Kiba tells Naruto not to screw up again and Hinata points out that these kids will be their classmates if they fail. Iruka comes over to say hello. He welcomes them to come back anytime they like.
They don't take this very well. Iruka is mystified, he wonders what is up with them. The three are at the gate. Naruto vows to make this mission such a huge success that it'll put Granny Tsunade to shame. Kiba just wants Naruto to not fuck up again. Naruto argues the collective responsibility card again but Kiba points out that their success rate sans Naruto is pretty high. Fine, he's gonna prove which one of them is a burden and which one is an asset. Hinata just hopes this goes well. The path ends. Naruto suggests a course straight through the rocky area. Kiba wants to go around, it'll be faster in the end. They have a race. The finish is that boulder. Hinata follows...our boy Naruto! Hinata thinks Naruto is climbing too high and we get a funny montage. Big brambles, a mountain ledge over a rushing river that Nartuo falls into. Even with these setbacks he thinks he'll be faster...until he smells the lunch Kiba made. He won by a mile.
They come up against the same situation again. Naruto suggests a short cut straight up another cliff. Kiba doesn't even get his suggestion in before Naruto starts scaling. Hinata is right behind him. After a rough climb Naruto is exhausted and needs some water and who is there to provide it but Kiba. They do another one which leads to a field of flowers, which Kiba was napping in. Kiba explains that he and Akamaru train in mountains regularly. Hinata sees three shadowy figures and attempts to use her Byakugan but is interrupted by Naruto and Kiba arguing about how many times Naruto lost. Kiba says it is five and Naruto three. Meanwhile the figures are outlined against a nearby rock and stare out with red eyes.
Shizune thinks they should be back any day. Tsunade isn't so sure, it won't be easy and they'll be figuring that out right now. They made it to a limestone cave. Naruto thinks it is the one but Kiba says that the map clearly indicates it is further along. Naruto says there can't be that many more limestone caves and orders Hinata along, who agrees. This cave is infested with ceiling ninja though. Kiba comes into talk to them when he sees a paper bomb being thrown at some rock above them and he dives into save them. Outside the two remaining evil ninja wonder if that got them but they think these ninja are made of tougher stuff. One Kiba saved Hinata (good guy Akamaru) while the real one saved Naruto. Naruto wonders if there is someone here. Kiba says no, Akamaru would have smelled them. Must have been an accident. He tried to explain to him that this is the wrong cave. Naruto takes offense saying a normal person would think the first limestone cave they came across was the right one. Kiba wants a little gratitude from someone he just saved and Naruto claims he didn't need any help, he was doing just fine. Kiba gets red at all this. Hinata tries to stop them but finds out her ankle is hurt. A fragment from the ceiling. Hinata thinks she is the one that drags them all down. Naruto takes the blame and Kiba agrees with him for once, saying that he and Akamaru will find it...ALONE. Naruto claims teamwork and Hinata agrees. Kiba claims only an expert shinobi at top form could complete the tasks ahead, not an injured one and besides, they can't leave her all alone. Naruto wants to be the one to go but Kiba brings up the obvious; he can't read a map and has wasted a ton of time with his poor decisions and he leaves. Naruto gives out when the two ninja smoke bomb them.
Naruto wakes up to find himself tied up in the cave. He hears Hinata call out and answers her...only to find TWO HINATAS. Naruto is shook and asks if they used clone jutsu or our clones. Didn't use transformation jutsu either. He doesn't know what to do in this classic tv dilemma. "I'm the real Hinata." "I'M THE REAL HINATA!" They even sound alike. Naruto goes for the first classic solution; ask a question only the real one would know. What's the name of your father? Hiashi Hyuga, both respond. Wasn't a good question because Naruto didn't even know the answer! Neither girl is impressed and neither is her father. Naruto wishes Kiba was here as Akamaru could tell the difference via scent. No says a man from the shadows, not even a ninja dog could tell. It's the man that hired them! He wasn't after the buried treasure...he wanted their faces! He already has your face, Naruto. as he unties the fake Hinata. Kiba found the real cave, there's no doubt. Under this rock says Akamaru. Fang over Fang. He found it easily, too easily. Naruto and Hinata are here. He told them to go home but Hinata interrupts, the mission was for the three of them after all. He asks about Hinata's injury and she says it is fine after a little rest. Naruto skips behind him to look at the treasure. Nice going, lets grab it and bring it back to the village. Kiba then remembers that they didn't have the map and Naruto has an awful sense of direction and Hinata has a bum leg (Shadow clone Carries Hinata, She uses Byakugan to find you?) Akamaru doesn't suspect anything as the two fakes smiles behind him and knock him down the hole. Akamaru is in a sack and is tossed down to the tied up Hinata and Naruto. See what did I tell you says fake Naruto, not even a ninja dog could tell the difference as the third ninja uses Face Copying Jutsu on the third ninja. The target needs to be close and it takes some time but it really is a perfect transformation, even their immediate families bought it. The fakes are laughng evilly. The real Hinata cries out to them before he is also thrown down the hole. Kiba asks who are they and they answer. They are the Kedouin clan, the ones who wield the face copying jutsu. They are going back to the leaf to mess the place up as the episode ends!
NEXT EPISODE: "Run, Dodge, Zigzag! Chase or Be Chased!"