Why does Sasuke decide to leave the Konoha village? What is the Sasuke Retrieval Arc?
Sasuke Uchiha is considered a prodigy and Naruto’s equivalent by the end of the Naruto series. However, when the show started Naruto and Sasuke were on the extreme ends of power. While Sasuke was the prodigal Sharingan bearer, Naruto was a shinobi who solely depended on his willpower to take on opponents. The duo were initially teammates and were taught by Kakashi Hatake.
Let’s take a look at what happened in the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, and the incidents that led up to it.
Sasuke Retrieval Arc | The Sasuke Recovery Mission
Sasuke Retrieval Arc was the first team mission handled by Shikamaru as Chunin. He decides to lead the mission with Choji, Neji, Kiba, and Naruto joining him as they follow the Sound Four members. The team is tasked to bring back Sasuke, who has been cursed by Orochimaru in earlier episodes of the show.
Why do you think Sasuke left the Konoha village? Why did the Sasuke Retrieval Arc happen, and what role does Orochimaru have in all this? Let’s explore what we know about the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
Also, Read | Naruto And Sasuke Vs. Jigen | The Next Generation Fight!
When Does It Happen | Sasuke Retrieval Arc
The Sasuke Retrieval Arc is the last arc of the Naruto Series, it is also the leads up to the Naruto: Shippuden series, as the two teammates, eventually go on their own path. After this arc, Naruto works hard to get more powerful and to understand the nine-tailed beast sealed within him. While Sasuke goes on a journey of self-discovery, he tries to get more powerful than his elder brother Itachi Uchiha.
The Sasuke Retrieval arc covers episodes 107 to 135 in the naruto part 1 series. This Arc is undeniably one of the most famous retrieval arcs in Naruto, as we get to see the first Naruto Vs. Sasuke fight. This arc also makes you understand Sasuke’s emotions and his actual feelings for Naruto as a friend, and he doesn’t kill him in the end despite his lust for power.
Also, Read | Naruto Vs Delta | Who’s Got An Upperhand?
The Reason Why Sasuke Leaves | Sasuke Retrieval Arc
Sasuke Uchiha is one of the 11 strongest naruto characters. He is known for his substantial growth in the series, as with time he reaches a god-like fighting ability. However, before the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, he was feeling quite frustrated with his brother Itachi giving him the side-eye as he tries to take on Naruto since he wanted the nine-tailed beast inside him.
After this specific encounter, Sasuke who was already burning for revenge against his older brother starts to get jealous of Naruto. Sasuke has always considered him better than Naruto, which he clearly was in the initial season of the series. However, Naruto has grown substantially under the guidance of master Jiraiya, and Sasuke could not handle it. He felt overwhelmed with his emotions against his brother, his clan’s death as well as Naruto’s growing abilities.
Eventually, Kakashi notices this behavior of his and tries to positively change his thinking. However, Sasuke decides to fight Naruto and they both were stopped by Kakashi. After this encounter, Sasuke was approached by the Sound four shinobi, as they offer him more power in exchange for working with Orochimaru. Sasuke eventually agrees and allows Orochimaru’s curse to take over him.
Sasuke leaves the Konoha village after that and is being escorted by the Sound shinobi to Orochimaru when Tsunade decides to start a recovery mission, which initiates the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
Also, Read | Luffy Vs Naruto | Battle Of Two Fierce Fighters!
Shinobis Involved | Sasuke Retrieval Arc
During the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, the mission starts with 5 shinobis from the Konoha village going to the mission. Eventually, multiple fights happen during this Arc, as one of the Sound shinobis decide to stay back to stop the Konoha members from following them. However, the Konoha team also follows the same technique.
For the first fight, we see Choji staying back to fight against Jirobo. Even though the fight was super difficult, Choji eventually wins by taking the third strength pill. Even though the red pepper pill is supposed to kill the shinobi once he takes it, Choji barely survives thanks to Tsunade’s skills.
The second fight happens when the rest of the teams face each other. Eventually, Neji decides to stay behind to fight against Kidomaru. Neji used his Byakugan to keep against Kidomaru’s attacks, however, eventually, Kidomaru figures out the blind spot in Neji’s Jutsu. Eventually, Neji ends up blocking Kidomaru’s chakra flow with his Gentle Fist technique and effectively killing him. Neji is also left in a critical condition.
Eventually Kiba fights Sakon with his dog Akamaru. However, they are heavily overpowered because of another being named Ukon living in Sakon. Similarly, Shikamaru also fights Tayuya and almost runs out of chakra in a long and gruesome fight. These two fights would have resulted in the defeat of the Konoha shinobis. However, the Sand shinobis appear to help the Konoha team.
Temari aids Shikamaru in fighting Tayuya while Kankuro aids Kiva. Naruto is attacked by Kimimaro, who is a terminally ill follower of Orochimaru. Kimimaro almost defeats Naruto but is stopped by Rock Lee, and Gaara as they take on the powerful shinobi. Eventually, Kimimaro dies due to his illness. Naruto successfully follows Sasuke in an attempt to stop him resulting in the first fight between them.
Also, Read | Meliodas Vs Naruto | Who Is The Superior Of The Two?!
Naruto Vs. Sasuke | Sasuke Retrieval Arc
The last two episodes of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc are undeniably one of the 16 best Naruto episodes ever. We get to see the former friends fighting each other as Sasuke fights with the intent of getting the Mangekyo Sharingan if he kills his best friend. While Naruto fights Sasuke with the intent to cripple him enough that he could take him back to the Konoha village.
The fight is one of the most emotional fights in the Naruto storyline, as we see the duo trying to outdo the other while going through their own emotional turmoil. Eventually, Sasuke allows Orochimaru’s curse to take over and completes his transformation, while Naruto’s first beast transformation is also seen during this fight.
Even though the fight happens with Naruto getting defeated by Sasuke, he leaves the Konoha village forever. This fight also initiates the growth journey of Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto takes this defeat as a broken promise to Sakura, as he tries his level best to get stronger each day so that someday he can bring back Sasuke.
Also, Read | Pain Vs Itachi | Who Is A Better Naruto Champion?
Final Words
This was the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. We hope you understand the events of the Arc and the fights that happened. Sasuke Retrieval Arc is one of the most famous incidents in the Naruto series as it presents the beginning of Naruto and Sasuke’s fighting journey in a way. This also presents the power of each of the members involved in the fights and how much they can grow.
We hope you liked our take on the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Do let us know what would you want us to cover next. Stay tuned with us for more of such engaging and informative content.
