"It's been two years since Naruto left to train with Jiraiya. Now he reunites with his old friends to find out he's still not the most accomplished of his former teammates. But when one of them is kidnapped, it's up to Naruto to prove he's got the stuff to save them!" -- Back cover.

"Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura have passed the final test to become junior ninja -- but now the real challenge begins. Tired of menial tasks, the young ninja ask for a tougher assignment, and find themselves, together with their teacher, Kakashi, bodyguarding a cranky old man from the Land of the Waves. But Tazuna the bridgebuilder is in more danger than anyone realizes: he's the target of elit ninja assassins, including Zabuza, "the demon", and our heroes...

The time has come for the secrets of the Uchiha to be told. What Sasuke finally finds out about his family's damaged past will rock Naruto's former teammate to the core of his existence.

"Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto finally meet, as the former classmates' complicated past gives way to a violent and unsure future. Naruto realizes he must eventually battle Sasuke one-on-one... to the death! But with Sasuke and his dark allies bent on complete destruction, and political intrigue in the villages, will the powerful Allied Shinobi Forces allow the two "friends" to meet in battle?!" --p.[4] of cover.

In the village of Konohagakure, school is literally a battlefield where classmates are ninjas in training competing to become the greatest ninja in the land.