While Tsunade faces down Konoha Council's attempts to suppress and surveil Naruto, newcomer Sai joins Team Kakashi. Now led by Yamato while Kakashi is on the mend, the group prepares to continue the search for Sasuke. Sai, a Root member who's been taught to suppress all emotion, counterintuitively has an artistic leaning; he also has an abrasive relationship with Naruto, a clash which will need to be resolved if they're to work together. The book's spy intrigue ends with a cameo appearance by top villain Orochimaru himself. Vol. 32's another fine sampling of this sprawling epic.
