Naruto Shippuden the Movie 4: The Lost Tower

Synopsis

In "Naruto Shippuden the Movie 4: The Lost Tower," Team 7—Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sai—led by commander Yamato, is sent to capture the rogue ninja Mukade, who seeks to release the Ryuumyaku chakra hidden within the Rouran ruins. Although the Fourth Hokage placed a seal on the Ryuumyaku, the team cannot stop Mukade from activating its power, which swallows Naruto and Yamato as they try to escape. When Naruto awakens in a grand but dangerous land, he meets the young queen, Saara, and three Konoha ninja on a covert mission. They explain that Naruto has been sent twenty years into the past to ancient Rouran. Making matters worse, Mukade has already slipped into the palace disguised as Anrokuzan, earning the queen's complete confidence. Joining forces with the three ninja, Naruto must protect Queen Saara to foil Mukade's evil scheme and discover a way to return to his own era.

Background

Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 4 - The Lost Tower is set approximately in between episodes 152-156 of the Naruto: Shippuuden anime series at the beginning of the "Pain's Assault" arc. Along with the film, an exclusive animated short feature named Naruto Soyokazeden Movie: Naruto to Mashin to Mitsu no Onegai Dattebayo!! was shown as well. To celebrate the movie's release on July 31, 2010, a one-hour episode titled "Naruto Shippuuden Big Adventure! The Quest for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy" was broadcasted on July 29, 2010. The DVD version was issued on April 27, 2011. The film was released in North America on September 17, 2013 by Viz Media. According to a Pia Corporation survey, Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 4 - The Lost Tower had been well received not only by children but also by women in their teens and 20s. The movie has an animanga adaptation as well, released exclusively in Japan on August 4, 2011.