Kankuro

Kankuro (カンクロウ) is a supporting character in the series. He is a jōnin-level shinobi of Sunagakure and one of the three Sand Siblings.

Background
In the anime, Kankurō mentions having once pleaded Chiyo to train him, though she turned him down because she no longer cared about the future of the village.

Personality
In Part I, one noticeable personality trait he displayed was an apparent dislike for children, first seen when he attempted to beat up Konohamaru for running into him. This carried over to many of his interactions with other characters, as he was noticeably irritated when in the presence of someone younger than him. This was most evident when he was seen with Gaara, who Kankurō was forced to put up with due to the fear his younger brother imposed on him.

Despite their apparent differences, Gaara and Kankuro become very close over the time skip, as Gaara began to confide in Kankurō, and shared his dreams of wanting to risk his life to protect Sunagakure. As such, Kankurō has become very protective of Gaara, willing to challenge anyone who insults Gaara in his presence. When Gaara was captured by Akatsuki, Kankurō rushed to his brother's aid alone in an attempt to save him, and risked his life for him. When he was incapacitated as a result of the battle with Sasori, he pleaded with Uzumaki Naruto to bring his brother back.

Then as soon as he had recovered, joined Temari in looking for Gaara. At one point when Kankurō had been poisoned by Sasori he was heard muttering Gaara's name though he was unconscious, which showed how much he cared for Gaara. Once Gaara was found and saved, Kankuro joined Temari in thanking Team Kakashi for saving their brother. It was also noted that he likes collecting puppets, and installing and upgrading the mechanisms in them.

During the Fourth Shinobi War, Kankurō indicated signs of being a caring leader when he pulled Zaji from the explosion and protecting his group from any danger. He also shows determination during his battle against Deidara, Sasori, and Shin. Kankurō keeps Omoi from overreacting and getting anxious by telling him to win the war at all costs to protect his family and friends. When Sasori was captured inside of Black Ant, Kankurō helps make Sasori realise his true faults during his lifetime as a puppeteer which makes Sasori entrust his "Father and Mother" puppets to him.

In the Japanese version, Kankurō speaks with a distinctive Yokohama dialect. He can often be heard ending his sentences with "-jaan". This makes him sound tough, as this accent is often used for biker gang members or punk kids (called "yankii" in Japanese, Yokohama supposedly has many) in manga. It is possible that he was given this accent to make him sound different from the Konoha characters' standard Tokyo Japanese.

Appearance
In Part I, Kankurō wore a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wears a black hood which covered his head completely, and had cat-like ears and his forehead protector on his forehead. Both this and later outfits are derived from traditional bunraku puppeteer costumes; bunraku puppeteers usually wear black outfits and hoods so as not to distract from their puppets. When he first made an appearance, Kankurō sported a triangular face-paint design, which changed to a different cross-like design from the Sasuke Retrieval arc up until Part II. He also wears gloves and carries his puppets on his back.

In Part II, Kankurō once again changed his face-paint. He also has a new puppet, as well as wearing a black outfit consisting of a long top and trousers with a red sash around his waist. He is revealed to have brown hair in Part II and when seen with no headgear or face-paint, he greatly resembles his father. His hood changes later on when seen again and wears a kimono type garment. He carries his puppets on his back still, only they are now in scrolls. He also sports a new face paint. It is now starting from one cheek to the lips and to the end of the other cheek, and another line starting from the top of the upper lip to the bottom of the chin. It looks like it forms the letter T.

Upon the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi War, Kankurō wears the standard attire of a Sunagakure ninja, along with his hood, which now has the symbol of the Allied Shinobi Forces stitched on to it. He has the same facial painting from the Sasuke Retrieval Arc but with broader lines and no line over his nose.

Abilities
Kankurō is a highly talented puppeteer, indicated when Sasori, a renowned master of the Puppet Technique, complimented Kankurō's abilities. He has great skill in both modifying and controlling puppets, and was physically strong enough to carry around two puppets on his back in Part I, though in Part II he instead uses scrolls to store them in. The fact that he was chosen to lead the Surprise Attack Division and become a jōnin stands as a testament to his skills. He has shown himself a capable leader while commanding his division, having his team set up a miniature headquarters before assigning individuals to various roles as well as having the tactical sense to call a retreat when outmatched.

As puppeteers are long-range fighters who rely on their puppets in combat, Kankurō is weak against close-range combat. However, he has come up with many ways of escaping it: he's shown to act quite deceptively, switching places with his puppets using the Body Replacement Technique, also altering their appearances to resemble his, to escape close combat when an opponent gets too close, while at the same time putting his puppets in range of the enemy, allowing Kankurō to catch his foes off guard and kill them. In the anime, during the Fourth Shinobi War, his taijutsu was at least good enough to keep up with other skilled puppet user.

When initially introduced, Kankurō could only use a single puppet per time. However, he would in subsequent years hone his puppeteer skills and become a puppet master himself, capable of manoeuvring more puppets at the same time. He also displayed the ability to attach his own chakra threads to another puppeteer's, a feat that earned him Sasori's praise. Kankurō utilises what he calls the Black Secret Technique (黒秘技, Kurohigi) — a name not unlike Chiyo's White Secret Technique (白秘技, Shirohigi) and Sasori's Red Secret Technique (赤秘技, Akahigi) — the latter of which he claims has been surpassed by his own style.

In the anime, Kankurō also claimed to have a resistance to poison, though not enough to withstand the effects of Ibuse's Poison Mist.

Puppet Master
With each of his appearances in the major arcs, Kankurō is seen with a new puppet in his arsenal. The four puppets that have been introduced were all originally created by Sasori (the fourth actually being Sasori himself), and came into Kankurō's possession some time after Sasori left Sunagakure. His first three puppets are destroyed by Sasori at the start of Part II. After having his puppets destroyed, he took Sasori's body and used it as a puppet after his death. During the Fourth Shinobi War, he is seen with the previously destroyed puppets, that have been repaired, plus a duplicate of the Black Ant.

Kankurō's puppets seem to be designed to work together to some degree, as seen when they use the Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot, where Crow navigates an opponent into Black Ant's torso. Once trapped, Crow separates its limbs to reveal a number of concealed weapons, which enter the slots on Black Ant's body to impale the opponent.

Black Secret Technique: Machine Triple Shot is used by Kankurō to trap more people and kill them at the same time. In the anime, Kankurō was also shown combining his puppets' attacks to make them more dangerous, as seen when they use the Poison Mist Hell: Hundred Continuous Firing technique, where Crow blankets the area in a smokescreen while Black Ant fires poisoned needles at the blinded opponent.

Kankurō's puppetry skills are also highly adaptable as shown through his latest puppet, Scorpion — which he obtained after Sasori's death and made several modifications to in order to apply his own Black Secret Technique style. It retains the coil in its stomach cavity, flamethrower and the blades on its back, plus he installed the mechanism to use Mechanical Light Shield Block on its right arm and modified its left arm to extend. Kankurō can use the Red Secret Technique Machinery Triangles with this puppet. After he defeated Sasori in the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the puppet master passed his Mother and Father puppets on to Kankurō. Somehow Kankurō managed to distinguish Chiyo's feelings through her chakra threads.

Chunin Exam arc
Soon after their arrival in Konoha for the Chūnin Exams, Kankuro and his sister, Temari were first seen with Team Kakashi, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. Annoyed at Konohamaru who had bumped into him, Kankurō grabbed him by his scarf and picked him up into the air. A few moments after, Naruto tried to help Konohamaru but he seemingly tripped over himself but in actuality, it was Kankuro's doing. Kankuro finally dropped the terrified Konohamaru onto the ground after Uchiha Sasuke threw a rock at his hand. Enraged even further Kankuro prepared to fight but was threatened by Gaara to stop. During the written portion of the exam, meant to test the examinees' ability to gather information covertly, Kankuro who excuses himself to go to the bathroom reveals that one of the proctors was actually his puppet Crow in disguise.

After retrieving the answers Kankuro came back to class just in time before the the last part of the exam started. When he walked back to his seat, he passed the answers on to Temari. As the examiner Morino Ibiki told Kankurō that he hoped his "doll-playing" was beneficial, Kankuro is shocked to realise that the examiner had uncovered his plan.

During the survival portion of the exam, Kankuro along with his siblings waited by the gate entrance of the Forest of Death ready to take on the exam. As soon as the exam started, Kankurō thought to himself that not only did he have to worry about his enemies, but also about his younger brother who may attack or even kill him. He was later seen with Gaara who brutally murdered a team of Amegakure genin easily. Gaara wanted more blood, he noticed Team Kurenai behind the bushes. Kankuro and Temari knew that Gaara was planning the kill them. They tried to stop him but Gaara threatened to kill them if they were in the way.

Kankuro was fed up from all the trouble they have to go through with him, therefore he approached and grabbed Gaara towards him. Kankuro stated that he is sick of all of these problems and told him to listen to his older brother for once. Gaara looked back at Kankuro telling him that he doesn't consider him as a brother. They soon reached the tower being the first ones there surprising Anko because of how quickly they arrived. None of the siblings were hurt or even scratched because of the great strength Gaara possesses.

During the preliminary matches, Kankuro was paired with Tsurugi Misumi. Misumi quickly wrapped himself around Kankurō's body, threatening to break Kankurō's neck if he did not forfeit. Kankuro refused, so Misumi made good on his threat by appearing to kill Kankurō. Before the match could be called in Misumi's favour, the Kankuro that Misumi attacked was revealed to have been Crow in disguise, while Kankuro was hiding where Crow was supposed to be. Kankuro quickly made Crow grab hold of Misumi and brutally constrict him, breaking his bones before he could surrender. Misumi survived, but was in no condition to fight, and Kankuro was declared the winner.

Later, Kankuro told his siblings that he is going to watch the fight from the other side of the stage to get intel from Hyuga Neji. He was standing next to Uzumaki Naruto watching the other battles. When Rock Lee was facing against Gaara, Kankuro and Temari had confidence in their faces knowing that it would be near impossible to beat Gaara since he was never even scratched before.

Rock Lee proved them wrong when he used his five of his Eight Gates to damage Gaara greatly. Kankurō and the eight others passed the preliminary exam and were set off to the final exam. Kankuro saw that he had to face off against Aburame Shino. In the anime, during their one month break from the final exam, Kankuro was seen with Temari telling her to practice for her match. She stated that she did not need to since she was paired with Nara Shikamaru who was viewed weak by her. Baki showed up and told the Sand Siblings that they have a new A+ ranked mission involving the destruction of Konoha. Kankuro and Temari wanted to deny the mission since they had close ties with the Konoha, but they were left with no choice but to do it. Baki also told Kankuro and Temari to keep an eye on Gaara so he won't ruin their new mission.

Kankuro was next seen with Teamari, when Baki asked them in angry on where Gaara had gone. Kankuro and Temari were shock,and wonder where Gaara went. Unknown to all three of them that Gaara went to Konoha Hospital to kill Rock Lee.

Invasion of Konoha arc
In the final round matches set to take place a month later, Kankuro was scheduled to fight Aburame Shino. Because he was to take part in Sunagakure's invasion of Konoha, planned to begin before his match with Shino, Kankuro outfitted Crow especially for the invasion. When the invasion was delayed and Kankuro's fight with Shino was to begin, Kankuro forfeited, not wanting to reveal Crow's new features.

When the invasion began, Kankuro and Temari escorted an injured Gaara out of the village. When they discovered they were being followed, Kankuro stayed behind to buy time. Before he could engage their pursuer, Uchiha Sasuke, Shino arrived to fight him instead, wanting to have the battle he was denied in the finals. Sasuke continued following Gaara, while Shino and Kankuro began to fight. Kankurō had Crow begin an immediate assault, but Shino avoided the attacks and, unbeknownst to Kankuro, planted a bug on him. Kankurō then launched a poison smoke bomb at Shino. Shino inhaled some of the gas, but was able to escape and use his bugs to trap and restrain Crow. Before he lost complete use of Crow, he tried to launch a final attack, only to discover that Shino's bugs, guided by the bug placed on him earlier, had found his location and consumed all his chakra.

Kankurō is left unable to move, but Shino, because of the poison gas he inhaled, passed out and couldn't finish him off. He was later found by Temari, and together they helped Gaara get back to Sunagakure. Gaara, having been defeated by Uzumaki Naruto, wearily apologised to both of his siblings. Kankurō, utterly shocked, stammered out words of forgiveness.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
Kankuro and his siblings were sent by Sunagakure to help Konoha retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. Kankuro came to the aid of Inuzuka Kiba and his dog Akamaru, saving them from Sakon and Ukon. Ukon tried to kill them, but was stopped by Kankuro who used his puppet Crow to defend Kiba and Akamaru from Ukon's kunai attack. Kiba asks Kankuro where the others that he scented are and Kankurō tells him that they went on to help his other friends because they are were also in trouble. Kankuro then engages Ukon, but is caught by Sakon, who came back when Ukon didn't return. Sakon tries to use his Parasite Demon Demolition Technique to fuse with Kankuro's body, but Kankurō revealed that Sakon had grabbed his new puppet, Black Ant.

Kankuro emerged from a pack on its back and impaled Sakon with several blades on the puppets arms. Ukon absorbs his brother and Sakon goes to sleep. After Ukon insults the puppet, Kankuro uses Crow to lure them into the Black Ant trapping Sakon and Ukon in Black Ant's belly. Kankuro then used his new Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot to plunge several blades from Crow's arms and legs into specific places in the Black Ant's body, impaling Ukon and Sakon, killing them.

After the battle ended, with Sasuke gone. Almost all of the Konoha ninja hospitalised, but alive. After the Sasuke retrieval squad are healed ,and release from the hopstial a few weeks later. Kankuro and his siblings were seen off by Nara Shikiamaru.

Pre Shippuuden Filler arc
Sakura, Shikamaru and Naruto discussed the status report from Temari saying that she and her brothers are going to become involved in their village's new shinobi training program.

In Sunagakure, the three siblings were shown leading a combat training class. One of the students, a shy, quiet girl named Matsuri, was reluctant to use something that could hurt someone else, so Gaara taught her to use a defensive weapon, the Rope Javelin. They became friends. Matsuri was then kidnapped by the Four Celestial Symbols Men, Temari and Kankuro joined him in rescuing her. Temari was first separated to fight an opponent. Kankuro was later separated from Gaara and was seen battling Ryūgan with his two puppets Crow and Black Ant, but to no avail. However, just when all hope seem to be lost, Kiba, Akamaru and Akimichi Choji appeared to provide Kankuro aid. At first, they had trouble coordinating — attacking all at once, but eventually they were able to finally defeat Ryūgan by trapping him in Kankurō's Black Ant puppet. Everyone arrived to where Uzumaki Naruto,Matsuri and Gaara wore. They see that Gaara is turned into half of the Shukaku.

Eventually, Gaara's transformation process proved too great for the prison to handle. While Seimei was looking forward to facing Shukaku, Gaara was able to suppress Shukaku and revert to normal, amazing Naruto and everyone else who appeared. While everyone else didn't understand why Gaara wouldn't take advantage of Shukaku's power, Kankuro explained that Gaara was determined to rely on his own power from now on. Gaara then used his remaining chakra to turn some of the canyon around them into sand and crushed Seimei, finally ending the battle and saving Matsuri. As everyone rushed to help Gaara who fainted shortly afterwards, Kankuro noted to Naruto how he finally found someone who he can relate to.

Later while Naruto was recovering at the village, Jiraiya showed up. After explaining how he had spent the past few months gathering information about the Akatsuki, he told Naruto he was finally ready to train him for the next two years. After finding out from Shikamaru,that Naruto is leaving Konoha to train with Jiraiya for three and a half years. Gaara's siblings and his student left for Sunagakure.

Kazekage Rescue arc
Two and a half years later, Kankurō was first seen when his younger brother Gaara, was fighting the Akatsuki member Deidara in an aerial battle. Kankurō was with other sand shinobi including Baki, watching the battle. Each time the Suna-nin lost faith, Kankurō would replay back with a positive statement defending Gaara and his strength. At one point, Baki told Kankurō that their village could be in danger if Gaara lost control of his tailed beast, but Kankurō, remembering a previous conversation with him responded stating that Gaara would never harm the village no matter what. That statement was proven true when Gaara protected his whole village from Deidara's deadly attack. After Gaara was defeated and captured by Deidara and Sasori, Kankurō followed in hot pursuit, determined to stop them from taking his brother. In the anime, Kankurō was with other Suna shinobi at first, but one of Sasori's traps killed most of them. Kankurō managed to save only two Suna-nin by using his new puppet Salamander as protection from the blast. He ordered Baki to get the medical unit and heal the injured leaving Kankurō alone from now on. He faced another of Sasori's trap but was easily able to figure it out using his brothers sand as a track to follow. To defeat the Akatsuki pair, Kankurō released his puppets from their carrying scrolls (Crow, Black Ant, and his new puppet Salamander) to challenge the Akatsuki members. Sasori agreed to fight, but immediately repelled an attack from Crow, revealing himself to be the puppets' creator, thus knowing all of their secrets.

Since their fight went unseen in the manga, the anime adaptation explained the circumstances of Kankurō's defeat. While able to combine the use of his puppets with great effectiveness, Kankurō was unable to bypass Sasori's defences. Sasori captured each of the puppets in turn, disassembling them, before attacking Kankurō with his poison-coated tail. Kankurō collapsed, but with the last of his strength, was able to have a piece of Crow tear off part of Sasori's cloak. Sasori left, giving Kankurō three days before the poison would kill him.

Soon after, Team 7 arrived at Sunagakure to help in rescuing Gaara, and while they were there, Sakura Haruno cured Kankurō, and created an antidote from the poison still in his system. Kankurō then provided Team 7 with the part of Sasori's cloak that he had taken, which they used to track down Gaara. He was shown to be very irritated that he could not be the one to rescue Gaara. After a few episodes he was seen attempting to walk, though would have fallen over if Baki had not been passing by his room and caught him. He then attended the meeting with the council and tried to punch a council member for stating the village would be better off without Gaara, though was stopped by Baki. He was seen again when he was in his bedroom and a photo of him and his siblings fell and cracked, an omen signifying Gaara's death. Kankurō later set out with Temari to catch up with Team 7 which was shown to be his idea when Temari stated his plan had fallen apart. When Gaara was found and revived, he was the one who explained to Naruto about the puppet core and the technique used by Chiyo to revive Gaara. Kankurō joined Temari in thanking Team 7 for saving their brother, and personally thanked Naruto.

Konoha History arc
At Sunagakure, Gaara, Kankurō and Temari learn of Akatsuki's invasion of Konoha. Kankurō wonders if they'll be able to rebuild though Gaara knows they will since they have Naruto and has a flashback. Team 7 are sent on a mission to stop a group of bandits located between Konoha and Suna, resulting in the two villages working together for the first time since Suna's invasion though Naruto is reluctant about it. They meet with a team from Suna who are lead by Gaara, shocking Team 7. Gaara introduces his subordinates, Yaoki and Korobi who are scared of Gaara's sand abilities. Kakashi notices a change in Gaara, noticing he is mellower than he was before and no longer has his bloodthirsty lust.

Both Gaara and Kakashi decide to split up so they can simultaneously attack the bandit base from different sides located on mountain. But before they do, Gaara secretly informs Kakashi that he is being followed by another group from Suna and hopes he won't be a burden though Kakashi is completely fine with it as the more they overcome, the stronger both their village's bond will be. Hiding in the trees are a group of Suna ninja who plan on killing Gaara. When Gaara's team are heading to their direction, Gaara is ambushed by the group of ninja who uses techniques that prevents Gaara from using his sand. Gaara tells Yaoki and Korobi to flee as the ninja are only after him. Team 7 notice another group of Suna ninja who are watching them. When realising they aim to kill Gaara, Naruto runs off to find Gaara while the rest of Team 7 fight the assassination squad.

Naruto finds Yaoki and Korobi and learns Gaara is danger. He asks them why they abandoned their friend which leaves Yaoki and Korobi wondering if Gaara is their friend. Naruto rescues Gaara from the assassination squad with multiple shadow clones who fight them off with the help of Yaoki and Korobi who tell Gaara they're his friends. Gaara then easily takes out the rest of the ninja. Team 7 and Gaara's team continue and finish their mission and they bid each other farewell. After Team 7 leaves, Gaara asks Yaoki and Korobi what they said to him and they happily say they're his friends which brings a smile to Gaara. The flashback ends and Gaara thanks Naruto for helping him form his first bond with Konoha.

Five Kage Summitt arc
Kankurō and Temari were chosen to escort Gaara to the Kage Summit. When Kankurō arrived late, he explained that it had taken him a "while to figure out a new trick" and defended himself by adding that Gaara doesn't even need bodyguards. Once they arrived in the Land of Iron and the meeting began, Kankurō and Temari became annoyed by the little respect the other Kage showed to Gaara because of his young age especially the Third Tsuchikage. They later came to Gaara's defence during the Fourth Raikage's outburst and again when White Zetsu appeared. White Zetsu revealed that Sasuke was nearby and soon after the Raikage left to fight Sasuke, the siblings left to join him.

When they arrived, Gaara interrupted the fight between the Raikage and Sasuke so that he could speak with Sasuke. While he did so, Kankurō and Temari helped some samurai that had been hit by Sasuke's Amaterasu, and removed their burning armour. As Gaara was talking to Sasuke about the hatred in his heart, Kankurō mentions to Gaara that he should not let his personalities interfere because he is not like him anymore and that Sasuke is now a criminal around the whole world. After Gaara failed to convince Sasuke to change his ways, the Sand Siblings and Darui attacked him with Kankurō using Scorpion and his Red Secret Technique Machinery Triangles technique. Sasuke however, survived their assault and fled, so the siblings and the Raikage's group followed him back to the Summit hall. There he freed Chōjūrō, Mifune, Okisuke and Urakaku from White Zetsu's Spore Technique before Tobi appeared. After explaining his Eye of the Moon Plan, Tobi declared the Fourth Shinobi World War. The Kage agreed to the formation of a Shinobi Alliance in response. Gaara is given the additional task of informing Kakashi Hatake whom they had chosen as a suitable representative of Konoha with Danzō fleeing the Summit, of their decision. After the siblings find Kakashi and tell them what had happened, they returned to Sunagakure to prepare for war.

Fourth Shinobi War arc
Kankurō is placed in charge of the Surprise Attack Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces. When Kankurō announced his position to his team, Sai approached him and started to wonder what nickname he should give his captain leaving Kankurō confused. While on route to their location, Omoi who was contemplating the worst possible outcomes enquired about Kankurō's age. In response Kankurō told Omoi to focus on succeeding in order to protect his friends and family. They travelled behind enemy lines to set up an ambush; while the rest of the division carried out Kankurō's instructions on how to fortify their position, Kankurō and Kiri reviewed the division's strategy.

Muta Aburame soon stumbled into their base. Zaji recklessly approached him to provide assistance to his comrade before Hoheto Hyūga revealed that Muta was booby-trapped by a reincarnated Deidara. Acting quickly, Kankurō immediately pulled Zaji to safety before Muta exploded. Without time to recuperate, they are then attacked by more allies-turned-enemies, Ranka and Tokuma Hyūga, which Kankurō recognised to be the work of a reincarnated Sasori. Kankurō stated to Deidara. Leaping into battle, after Omoi severed Sasori's puppet strings attached to Ranka and Tokuma, Kankurō attached his own threads to Sasori's dangling ones to pull Sasori down ordering Ittan to raise the ground at the same time, sending Deidara and Sasori crashing into one another.

As Sasori praised Kankurō's improved abilities, Kankurō responded saying his Black Secret Technique had long since surpassed Sasori's Red Secret Technique. Kankurō stated that it was fated that they would fight once again and that he owed him from their last encounter where Sasori poisoned him and left him for dead. Kankurō then brought out his new Scorpion puppet from a scroll which surprises Sasori to see his former body. He began trading blows with Sasori, who was controlling a reincarnated Shin. During the battle, Hoheto informed his team that Shin also had explosive clay in his stomach to everyone's shock.

As Deidara commanded Shin to explode, Kankurō captured Shin in his Salamander puppet which effectively stifled the explosion and shielded Omoi from the blast with Scorpion's Mechanical Light Shield Block. When an enraged Sai then knocked Deidara and Sasori out of the air, Kankurō summoned two Black Ant puppets and captured the two then used his Black Secret Technique: Machine Triple Shot and impaled Sasori with Crow and bound Deidara with Scorpion's cable. Kankurō informed Sasori that his defeat was a result of his efforts to gain immortality when in fact he was immortalised through the puppets he created. Moved by his words, Sasori's soul began to depart. As he disintegrated he entrusted his Mother and Father puppets to Kankurō who promised that he in turn would pass it onto the next generation of puppeteers when he died.

The Surprise Attack Division with a restrained Deidara in tow, is later confronted by Hanzō, Kimimaro, and Chiyo, the latter of whom congratulated Kankurō on his victory over Sasori. Knowing they were outmatched, Kankurō ordered a retreat but they are pursued and paralysed by Ibuse's Poison Mist, but before Hanzō can kill them, Mifune arrived and intercepted his attack. With this, Kankurō and the others are taken to the medical unit for treatment.

In the anime, Kankurō and the samurai were resting during the night of the first day. Soon after, Deidara escaped from Black Ant and fled with Zetsu. Kankurō, with the assistance of Mifune, his samurai and Kurotsuchi, pursue an escaped Deidara and cornering him in a trap. Mifune thrusts his sword through Deidara using the electricity of a battery to cancel his explosion, allowing Kankurō to recapture Deidara in the Black Ant once again. He later comes to Mifune's aid, and takes over his fight against a reincarnated Chiyo, using the Scorpion, Mother, and Father puppets against her. By that time, Chiyo learns that Kankurō has the Mother and Father puppets alongside the Scorpion puppet, her guilt for her inability to save Sasori is brought into light. Kankurō tells her that Sasori entrusted his puppets to him and that it should continue on for the future generation of puppet users. Chiyo finally finds good memories of her grandson, and then admits that the puppets are in good hands yet continues investing over him. In the anime, Kankurō was present when one of Naruto's clones arrive in the nick of time to assist him and the Fifth Division.

Mocking Deidara as he and Hoheto kept watch over him and the other sealed reincarnated shinobi, Kankurō called Deidara a dud due to him threatening to explode for some time though he was unable to do so. He later stared in shock as the Impure World Reincarnation is released.

Naruto movie ll
The movie revolves mostly around a special mineral called the Gelel Stone, which has a strong and mysterious power. There was once a clan that could control the stone's powers, but they were destroyed because of wars for the stone.

A battle was taking place at night on a desolate seaside beach between Sunagakure ninja and soldiers wearing bulky suits of armour. Despite their best efforts, the Sand ninja are slowly overwhelmed by the sheer strength of their mysterious opponents. The timely arrival of reinforcements, led by Kankurō and Gaara, turn the tide of battle, with Kankurō slicing apart a suit of armour with his puppet, and Gaara dispatching a large number of enemies with his signature Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral. However, when Gaara orders the Sand-nin to shine a flare at the retreating enemies, a large warship, is revealed with its own arsenal of heavy weapons much to the Sand shinobi's shock and curiosity of its appearance. The ship then opens fire with its guns, and Gaara's sand armour barely manages to protect his comrades as its artillery shells relentlessly pounded the beach.

Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, and Sakura Haruno are on a mission to capture a lost pet ferret and deliver it to its village. Naruto comically refers to the creature as a cat for the remainder of the movie. But while on their way to return the animal, they are attacked by a mysterious man clothed in knight armour. He too is accompanied by the strange armoured soldiers from before. The three fight him, but get separated when Naruto, the knight and the pet ferret all fall off a cliff. Shikamaru and Sakura only realise afterward what has happened and immediately go to look for them. Before they can, what appears to be an earthquake stops them in their tracks until they realise that it isn't an earthquake at all, but the movement of a giant mechanical moving structure. Sakura and Shikamaru split up to search for Naruto.

Naruto wakes up to find himself bandaged, as well right next to an equally wounded unknown man. They have been taken in by a very peaceful caravan of nomads that own a number of foreign animals, including ostriches and rhino. An old man goes on to inform Naruto that they are in fact the village that hired the leaf ninja to return their pet ferret, named Nerugui. The ferret also seems to have a great interest on the unknown man, much to the despair of the elder. While healing, the man seems to have a flashback dream that depicts what happened to him as a child. His home was invaded and destroyed while he hid, seemingly the only one alive. He is almost found, but in the last moment he is spared and manages to live.

Kahiko and his granddaughter Emina goes onto explaining to Naruto how their clan once originally had a country, but it was destroyed a very long time ago by some kind of disaster, and that Nerugui is proof of it. They also tell him how Nerugui is in fact older than the clan elder, having been looked after by the clan for generations. As Naruto looks for an explanation from Temujin, the knight only asks Naruto about his strange 'power,' that is actually his chakra. Temujin appears not to know what chakra is, even if he can wield a similar power. Temujin simply tells him that he is there 'to build a utopia,' then goes on to invite Naruto to join him. Naruto promptly refuses, only for the ostrich he is riding to run away on its own.

Still looking for an explanation from Temujin, Naruto follows him as he sneaks away from the caravan. After risking his injuries to save one of the caravan's children from falling from a tree, Temujin claims that his debt has been 'repaid' and continues to leave.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru infiltrates the mechanical structure and finds what appears to be a lab with children in capsules. They are overlooked by a pair of women (Kamira and Ranke) with similar armour to what Temujin had been wearing, whom operate a machine that makes the bulky soldiers from before. The two discuss the Gelel Stone, something that Shikamaru has never heard of. He is almost caught, but manages to flee at the last moment.

Naruto discovers that Temujin has gone missing and goes to head after him when Kahiko comes to him, saying how Nerugui has disappeared again. As his mission was to deliver the pet to the village the group was headed to, he still has to complete it. The clan elder even goes as far as saying he should have hired the Sand Ninja instead. Even though he returned the ferret to its owners, Naruto still must go and find it again. Meanwhile Sakura comes across an abandoned campfire and finds the caravan's trail.

Naruto goes on to find Temujin again, who has Nerugui with him. (He comically tells him to hand over the 'cat.') Temujin finally reveals his name, as they find themselves in front of the large vessel from before. They go inside, revealing the structure to be very advanced in technology and sort of like a European cathedral on the inside. There, Temujin introduces Naruto to his master, Haido. Dressed in what appears to be bishop robes, Haido goes on into detail about their goals, and again extends the invitation to join them. Naruto claims that he can't join them because he's going to be Hokage, but offers to spread the peace that they wish for. Nerugui appears on Temujin's shoulder, instantly showing a dislike for Haido. Haido starts thinking when they mention a caravan.

They move out when an overhead announcement tells them that the fleet that was sent to the Land of Wind has been annihilated. Temujin and Naruto head on to find the ship that had attacked the Sand Ninja, beached with all kinds of metal parts in the sand. Once they investigate the vessel, Naruto discovers Kankurō among a room filled with unconscious children amongst all of the rubble. Kankurō immediately attacks Temujin, explaining how the ship had been wiping out Land of Wind villages. Naruto demands an explanation, but all Temujin can reply is 'Noble sacrifices for the greater good.'

Before they battle, they are interrupted by the Kamira and Ranke, whom Kankurō and Gaara take on. Kamira uses a kind of mind control that seems to be genjutsu. Meanwhile, Ranke transforms herself, causing her to have several gorilla-like traits, as well as large lightning attacks. After a hefty battle, Gaara manages to distinguish Ranke's lightning and kill her, but Kamira manages to flee by growing bat-like features, wings included. During the commotion, Naruto is separated from Temujin.

The movie shifts to the caravan being attacked by one of Haido's followers known as Fugai. After destroying most of the wagons and killing most of the livestock, she questions Kahiko about where the Gelel stone is. Thankfully who should step in but Shikamaru and Sakura, who claim to have seen her flare. They already managed to take out the soldiers. Fugai goes on to take on wolf-like traits and manages to escape. Shikamaru questions the elder about the Gelel stones, but the he doesn't want to talk. They start to leave, saying that they need to find a friend. When Kahiko asks if their friend is Naruto, they find out that Naruto was with him. The elder goes on to ask the two for help.

Through a series of flashbacks, we discover how Temujin met Haido after his village was destroyed. We also discover that Temujin actually has a Gelel stone inside of him, causing his eyes to appear the red colour they are. After getting word that the caravan from before has information, Temujin returns to what is left of it only to be captured by Shikamaru. Naruto has managed to find Shikamaru and Sakura, and the three stay with the caravan people, who had managed to escape and are currently hiding in a cave. There, they question Temujin to find out what Haido wants with the Gelel stone. Kahiko claims that the stones only cause harm, but then Temujin reveals how he has a stone inside of him.

The elder goes on to question Temujin about a book and about their clan, confusing Temujin. He tells them that only members of the royal family of their clan could bind the stones with their bodies, Temujin being one of them. He then tells them that the royal family left and crossed the ocean, taking the Book of Gelel with them. Temujin hasn't come to a new land, in fact he has returned home. Kahiko tells them that they don't know of the stone's origin, but they do know it was a mineral that their clan was able to refine and use as they pleased. It was very powerful, so much that an entire civilisation was wiped out in a battle over it. Afterward the few remaining clan members sealed it away in attempt to keep it from happening again. The only reason they didn't destroy it was because the only ones who could were those of royal blood.

Determined after the tale, Temujin tells them that he only wants to achieve his dream of a utopia. He manages to escape (he was free the whole time) and kidnaps Kahiko to make him lead him to the Gelel mines. They don't know where the mines are, but Nerugui manages to lead them to it. Temujin and the elder find the ruins and journey deep into them to find the entrance to the mines.

The Leaf ninja try to save Kahiko, only for Haido and his entourage appear. Shikamaru tries to stop Haido to question him, only for Haido to claim he only wants peace, and he's going to create a utopia. Shikamaru ironically states that they are doing the exact opposite. Naruto angrily asks him if he even cares about his fallen comrades, whom Haido only claims are 'noble sacrifices.' Temujin grimly agrees.

After Naruto tells them that dreams without friends are nothing, the elder finally triggers a mechanism that seals him and Temujin into a passageway into the mines. Haido reveals that he possesses the Book of Gelel before smashing Naruto into the wall like it was nothing and follows them. Kamira and Fugai attack, but Shikamaru and Sakura hold them off to allow Naruto to follow Haido.

Temujin and Kahiko find themselves in the 'Chamber of Sealing' and find a picture that appears to be one of despair. The elder tries to reason with Temujin, but Temujin doesn't wish to hear it. Kahiko then reveals a knife.

Meanwhile, Kamira toys with Shikamaru as she flies around, he is unable to get a lock on her shadow. But then he suddenly spots Kankurō on the far side of the ruins. As Fugai chases after Sakura, she is unable to lose her even after Sakura blinds her. Finding a crystal structure that creates echoes, Sakura uses herself as bait so Fugai will howl and triggers the crystals to collapse on top of her. Shikamaru fills the whole area with lines with explosives (most of them are fake just pieces of paper) so Kamira cannot fly about. Just as Kamira thinks she knows what he has in store, Kankurō suddenly launches one of his puppets to automatically trap and kill her.

After wounding Temujin, the elder has his blood on a dagger that he tries to pierce a seal on the floor, only for Haido to interrupt. Just as Haido finds the mine's key, Nerugui tries to stop him. The ferret is killed by a barrier around him, a Gelel stone falling out of the ferret's mouth. Temujin stands in front of the elder as Haido is about to kill him, Temujin claiming there is no reason to kill him. Temujin suddenly has a bit of deja vu, just as Naruto appears. Haido tells Temujin to kill the both of them, but Temujin has had enough and refuses. Haido then claims that he is useless, no different from his parents. Deja vu happens again, and Temujin finally realises that Haido was the one who murdered his parents.

Haido goes on to turn into his own kind of creature, then captures Temujin and extracts the Gelel stone from him. The elder begs Naruto to stop Haido. Naruto encourages Temujin to get up as he fights, even going so far as to use Rasengan. But Haido has managed to tap into the mine and heals all of his twisted limbs. Naruto still wishes for Temujin to help him, and just as Haido goes to finish them, the fake soldiers go and protect them both. The souls of the children emerge as the soldiers are destroyed, and Temujin finally realises his wrongdoings.

Combining both Rasengen and the Galel stone, Temujin and Naruto manage to to kill Haido. But in the process they accidentally destroy the key to the mine. The walls start to crumble around them as the mine spirals out of control. Shikamaru, Sakura and Kankurō all manage to retrieve the children from the machines, only for the ruins to start collapsing. They cannot control it, but there is a way to destroy it. If Temujin puts his hand on the seal from before, he can summon a time/space continuum. Only royal blood can do it, and the one who does will end up sacrificing himself. Naruto tries to stop Temujin from doing it, for Temujin to knock him out. He says doing it is the only way to atone for what he's done. Temujin goes into the collapsing Galel to the seal and activates it.

All is quiet as Shikamaru, Sakura, Kankurō and Gaara can only watch as everything in the void's way begins to be devoured. Naruto remembers Sasuke as he is faced with Temujin's death. As Temujin waits for his fate, suddenly he finds himself floating as a line of Naruto clones have clutched onto him. Sakura almost goes into the void herself to see where Naruto is.

Only at the last moment a burst of the Gelel escapes and causing the land mass to start moving. When it finally stops, they find Kahiko, who claims that he feels even better than ever thanks to the Gelel. He is even joyously reunited with a still alive Nerugui. The wastelands have now turns into an oasis, as all the children awaken.

Temujin awakes, realising he's still alive with Naruto still clutching his arm. They find picture from despair from before, and it wasn't one after all, in fact it was one of hope.

Later they all gather at the ocean, where Temujin and the others all gather and prepare themselves to leave, back to the land that they came from. They are aware that it's one with lots of conflict, but Temujin wishes to help where he can. Temujin's eyes have now turned back to their original bright green. And much to the elder's disappointment again, Nerugui has chosen to go with them as well. As they leave, Naruto stands on a cliff and shares a sign with Temujin, promising each other never to give up.

Naruto Shippuuden movie lll
The film concerns the potential outbreak of a Fourth Shinobi World War when ninja with kekkei genkai abilities begin to disappear from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.

Team Kakashi is sent on a mission to follow the tracks of the missing kekkei genkai-wielding ninja, which leads them to Mount Shumisen, located between the Land of Earth and Kusagakure. Sai, who is flying on his ink bird, is attacked by a bird which attacks with explosive tag-like feathers. Naruto, disobeying Kakashi's orders to continue the mission, runs towards where Sai fell, saying he will not abandon Sai. There, chimera-like creatures attack them which they quickly defeat, although Naruto is injured in the process.

Back at Konoha, Kakashi gives a report on the mission to Tsunade, while worrying that the next ninja targeted will be him. Tsunade seems to not care so much, telling Kakashi to relax. At the hospital, Kakashi gives Naruto his bells, which they used for their first drill together, and tells him to fix them because he crushed them.

Konoha ANBU are sent to Mount Shumisen by Tsunade to search the area for tracks of the missing kekkei genkai ninja. There, a mysterious ninja along with his followers, absorb their chakra with his mysterious technique using their Earth nature affinity against them.

That night, the same mysterious ninja, the mastermind and antagonist of the film known as Hiruko, projects his image over the skies of the Five Great Ninja Villages, introducing himself as a shinobi of Konohagakure. He states that he has taken the kekkei genkai of the four missing ninja using the Chimera Technique, and that he plans to gain the fifth and final kekkei genkai which will make him immortal. By doing so, he declares the Fourth Shinobi World War. Konohagakure is believed to be behind the incident, as by the way Hiruko introduced himself, it seems that Konoha is using or working with Hiruko. Rumours circulate that they are preparing a rebellion. With the other nations amassing troops at the Land of Fire's borders, threatening invasion, the Fire Daimyō orders Tsunade to apprehend those who are responsible and prove Konoha's innocence; in the event of failure, the Land of Fire will be forced to destroy the village in order to preserve world peace.

Tsunade is awaiting Gaara at a secret meeting place to discuss what shall be done. However, on the way there Gaara and his Sunagakure shinobi are attacked by a bird-like creature, which traps them in an avalanche.

Meanwhile, Hiruko states that the Chimera Technique alone can only absorb a maximum of four kekkei genkai, and that certain conditions, most importantly the light af an annular eclipse, which is two days away, is required for the absorption of the fifth and final kekkei genkai, which will make him immortal. That night, Hiruko appears before Kakashi in a dream, activating a Puppet Curse he had placed on him over ten years ago, planning to steal Kakashi's Sharingan. Kakashi asks Tsunade to allow him to go, for the sake of the village. Before he leaves, Kakashi asks Tsunade to place a special seal on him which will automatically activate Kamui when Hiruko attempts to absorb him.

The same night, Shikamaru is visiting Asuma's grave while Kakashi is visiting Obito's. Kakashi asks Shikamaru to tell Naruto that he is leaving the village, and not to follow him. As Kakashi lets Hiruko take over his body, Naruto sees him and chases him. Shikamaru stops him and tells him what Kakashi told him to say. At the Hokage's office, Tsunade orders the Konoha 11 to stay away from Kakashi, labelling him as a missing-nin for the sake of the secret mission. After the others leave, Tsunade tells Shikamaru the truth, trusting that he will do what he needs to do as the leader. Meanwhile, Sakura comes to rescue Naruto from the cell that Shikamaru put him in, then they leave the village to rescue Kakashi. The Konoha 11 are sent to retrieve them.

The next day, Sunagakure is lining up troops and weapons at the borders of the Land of Fire, thinking that Konoha attacked Gaara, their Kazekage.

When Naruto and Sakura follow Kakashi, the Konoha 11 meet with them, and try to bring them back. Naruto reveals what Kakashi once told Team 7 during their bell test: "It is true that in the world of ninja, those who break the rules and regulations are regarded as scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum," which changes the minds of some members. However the scene is interrupted by Ichi, who was sent by Hiruko to stop and/or delay them, using his chimera snakes. Team Guy stays behind to allow the others to pass through the first gate.

Ni and her chimera nin-dogs stop them at the next gate, and Team 8 stays behind to delay her, while Naruto and Sakura, and later Team 10, pass.

As Naruto, Sakura, and Team 10 reach the next gate, San appears riding the bird that fires exploding feathers. Team 10 is still following the original mission, and tries to stop Naruto and Sakura. However, Sai appears on his ink bird, using a flash bomb to create a distraction, and takes Naruto and Sakura with him, leaving Team 10 behind to fight San.

At this point, Rock Lee and Neji defeat Ichi using Front Lotus: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven while Tenten distracts him, and Team 8 defeats Ni using Secret Technique: Insect Sphere inside a trap that Shino built while Kiba and Hinata delayed her. Team 10 gains an advantage over San, with Shikamaru binding him with his shadow and Ino using the Mind Body Switch Technique to take over his mind to tell him that they are after Naruto, not Kakashi. They also ask him where Kakashi is headed. However, San breaks out of the Mind Body Switch Technique. He then summons Ichi and Ni, uses the Chimera Technique on them and himself, and the three become a huge chimera, which seems to be a combination of all their respective chimera beasts, possessing all of their abilities.

Meanwhile, Gaara is thinking of what Jiraiya said while aiding in the recovery of Gaara and the Suna-nin. He has told Gaara that he believes Kakashi, or even Naruto, will defeat Hiruko, and it is up to Gaara depending on whether he believes in Naruto's strength or not. As the war between Konoha and Suna is about to begin, Jiraiya appears above Gamabunta and gives to Suna the proof that Gaara is still alive. At that moment, Gaara moves to where Naruto, Sakura, and Sai are headed and stops them. He says Naruto's will is not what Kakashi wants, and Naruto begins to fight Gaara. Gaara states that Naruto is too idealistic, and that he doesn't have the power to make his goals become true. However, Naruto strongly says by the belief that as a fellow comrade, he cannot allow Kakashi to sacrifice himself. Naruto breaks through Gaara's Shield of Sand, and punches him.

The rest of the members of Konoha 11 arrive to aid Team 10, and they bind the chimera beast, with the help of Tenten, by sending their chakra to the chains that were holding the beast, they asked Shikamaru to go and stop Naruto, Sai and Sakura. Shikamaru meets Gaara, who tells him that he felt what Naruto feels in the battle. Shikamaru continues on. Meanwhile, Naruto reaches the final gate, and realises this is the place they came to on their past mission. Naruto goes to Kakashi and tries to stop him, but Kakashi walks on with no response. When Naruto grabs his arm, he sees the seal on his wrist, and Sai tells him what it is. Shikamaru, who has finally caught up to them, reveals that Tsunade placed the seal on him, so that they may defeat Hiruko at the sacrifice of Kakashi. Kakashi passes through the final gate before the temple.

As Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru approach the temple, Naruto hears Hiruko's voice, and questions why he did this, and Hiruko answers by telling his story. He claims to have been a former friend of the Sannin, but he was not a skilled shinobi like they were. He was developing the Chimera Technique, a jutsu that would allow him to create a synthetic body by combining several separate ones. After the Third Shinobi World War, he was shocked when he saw Kakashi, not only because he had survived the battle, but because he had received the Sharingan, a kekkei genkai, from the original user, Obito Uchiha. This gave Hiruko the idea to steal kekkei genkai to become powerful like the Sannin. However, the Hokage found out about his research, and Hiruko was forced to flee.

As Kakashi reaches the temple, Hiruko appears from the shadows of the temple, and welcomes Kakashi. Seeing it as the only way to save Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai try to defeat Hiruko although Shikamaru tries to stop them. Hiruko, using his four kekkei genkai: Storm Release, Dark Release, Steel Release, and Swift Release, defeats them with little effort. He then steps into the temple with Kakashi. Naruto stands up, deciding that he cannot give up. Shikamaru tries to stop him, saying that he must protect the unborn children of Konoha, the "King". Naruto states that he'll protect them too, and that he loves Konoha for its shinobi, who will sacrifice themselves to save one another. However, deciding who will be sacrificed from the start isn't what Naruto wants, and Naruto believes there is no future for the children if Konoha becomes a place like this. As Naruto walks away, Shikamaru sees Asuma in him, and protects him from surrounding barrier tags with his Shadow Sewing Technique. He states that Naruto has inherited the Will of Fire, trusting the future of Konoha to him.

Naruto enters the temple, where Hiruko begins the absorption at the beginning of the eclipse. Suddenly, Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan activates, and the space inside the slime created by the Chimera technique begins to distort. Naruto, trying to save Kakashi, creates shadow clones and breaks into the slime with multiple Rasengans and pulls him out. Kakashi wakes up, asks Naruto why he is here with him and then sighs that the plan failed. Hiruko is still alive, and he states that the eclipse hasn't ended yet, and releases a large amount of chakra, reducing the surrounding area to rubble. When Hiruko summons the chimera beast that the Konoha 11 were keeping restrained, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sai fight the beast while Naruto and Kakashi face Hiruko. Shikamaru notes that Hiruko's weak spot is his chest, which is still hollow as it is the space that Hiruko wants to assimilate Kakashi into. As the chimera beast begins to gain an advantage over them, the other Konoha 11 arrive to help. Chōji uses his Multi-Size Technique to become a giant and attacks the beast, followed by Kiba and Akamaru's Fang Passing Fang which destroys the beast's wings, then from the sky, Hinata and Neji appear and attack the beast with the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Lee kicks it into a mountain and Tenten finishes it off with her Twin Rising Dragons, covering its body with a large number of kunai with explosive tags attached and detonating them. Meanwhile, Hiruko is gaining an advantage over Naruto and Kakashi, easily absorbing their techniques: the Big Ball Rasengan and Lightning Cutter. Hiruko gives Naruto a taste of his own attack - Rasengan and returns Kakashi his Lightning Cutter. As a last resort, Naruto forms the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and carries the impact to Hiruko's chest. Hiruko tries to absorb and copy it, but cannot combine the high level of shape manipulation with the high level of nature transformation. As the Rasenshuriken's impact occurs, the chimera dies as Tenten makes her explosive tags explode.

In his final moments, Hiruko, in his original form, asks Kakashi what he did wrong. Kakashi tells him that he used others to overcome his weakness, and only tried to become perfect himself. Hiruko says that is the way the strong ones think, and that he did not have any comrades. Suddenly, Hiruko sees his old friends Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, the Third Hokage and some others appear before his eyes, and they tell him that they were there for him. Kakashi tells him if he had tried to bond with them, they would've helped him and he shouldn't have tried to do everything by himself. Hiruko then tells Kakashi that was what Kakashi tried to do this time, abandoning his comrades. Kakashi says that he and Hiruko made the same mistake as they were both lost. Hiruko asks him if he has finally made a connection, and dies. Kakashi looks over to see most of the gang cheering for Naruto. He then says that Naruto had long surpassed him.

Gaara appears before the Suna-nin army, and tells them everything has been solved, and to withdraw. Tsunade and Jiraiya talk about how they have been saved, and that the kids are just like when they were young.

The movie ends at Mount Shumisen with Kakashi thinking about Obito. He smiles at Naruto after seeing the similarities between the two. Naruto takes the smile as something creepy and random. The Konoha 11 surround them on various parts of the rocky ledge, each give their input on Kakashi's sexual orientation upon seeing this. Kakashi hurriedly denies their assumptions but not before Naruto panics and flees from him. Kakashi then chases after the fleeing Naruto trying to explain himself.

Video Games
Kankurō is a playable character in the following video games:

Quotes

 * (To Kiba about Sakon and Ukon) "Since I've been underestimated this much, I can't be leaving just yet—".
 * (To Naruto) "Don't feel bad. Women always go weak in the knees for the cool, elite type."
 * (To Gaara about Sasuke) "Gaara… don't bother… if he could be convinced, Naruto would not have failed. He is a criminal now, a member of Akatsuki… he's not like you."
 * (To Omoi) "How well or poorly we execute our ambush will have a huge impact on this war and how many casualties we suffer. If you wanna protect your friends and family, the only thing you should be thinking about is how to make this operation a success!"
 * (To Sasori) "Sasori… your strength came because of your soul, not in spite of it. You tried to erase it, to become a puppet yourself, but couldn't change completely. Now you've got your immortal body but you've fallen, sunk to the level of the puppets you used to control. You were supposed to be a top class ninja puppeteer, not a worthless nobody who lets someone else pull the strings."
 * (To Sasori) "When a puppeteer lets someone else control him, it's all over! I won't lose to you… or to the one controlling you. If I'm going to control Sasori, I might as well control the real thing! …Your techniques… and the puppets you created will never rot. As long as there's a successor who will take up the spirit inhabiting them!"

Knownable Relatives

 * Karura
 * The Fourth Kazekage
 * Yashamaru
 * Temari
 * Gaara

Trivia

 * Kankurō's name comes from Nakamura Kankurō (中村勘九郎), which is a stage name used in a long line of kabuki actors dating back to the early seventeenth century. The latest person to carry this name was Nakamura Kankurō V (五代目中村勘九郎, Godaime Nakamura Kankurō), who changed his stage name to the even more prestigious Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII (十八代目中村勘三郎, Jūhachidaime Nakamura Kanzaburō) in 2005.
 * In more technical terms, Kankurō's name can be translated to something like 'intuitive ninth son'.
 * In addition to Kankurō's Kabuki-like make-up, the fact that he uses puppets as well, as the black outfit and cap he wears, are possibly an allusion to Bunraku, Japanese puppet theatre. His entire character seems to be an allusion to stage arts. One of Bunraku's most prominent artists is Kanjuro Kiritake III.
 * Whenever Kankurō appears in a new arc of the manga, he sports a new design of purple face paint. This could be a nod to Kabuki theatre, where face paint is often used. In the art of putting on make-up, each of the colours mean something, purple representing nobility and loftiness.
 * In the omake, Temari said if Kankurō keeps talking to his puppets like they are alive, friends won't hang out with him anymore.
 * Kankurō was ranked as the 27th most popular character in the seventh and most recent Naruto character popularity poll. He placed 19th in the sixth poll.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * Kankurō's hobby is collecting puppets, and installing and upgrading the mechanisms in them.
 * Kankurō wishes to fight with anyone but Gaara.
 * Kankurō's favourite food is hamburger steak, while his least favourite food is spinach.
 * Kankurō has completed 43 official missions in total: 0 D-rank, 9 C-rank, 10 B-rank, 23 A-rank, 1 S-rank.
 * Kankurō's favourite phrase is "One must never miss a good opportunity" (好機、逸すべからず, Kōki, issu bekarazu).

Voice Actors
Japanese : Yasuyuki Kase

English : Michael Lindsay (Part l-Mid Part ll), Doug Erholtz (Naruto Shippuden movie 3 - Present)