Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 (Naruto: Konoha Spirits in Japan) is a PlayStation 2 Action-Adventure game developed by Cavia and Namco Bandai, based on the Naruto franchise and serves as a sequel to Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles. The game is set after the events of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc and sees Naruto chancing upon Kankuro as he flees to the Hidden Leaf Village. He's being followed by a mysterious gang of sentient puppets, and he asks for Naruto's aid and shelter. These "Puppet Walkers" are in fact puppets created by the Shirogane clan, a clan specializing in puppetry that can animate puppets to act like soldiers. They were seemingly eradicated, however a small group of remnants survived, and they now seek revenge against the Five Great Nations by stealing their Spirit Orbs, orbs which contain immense powers in order to unleash their ultimate weapon: The Master Puppet. All of the five Hidden Villages have had their orbs ransacked except for one... The Hidden Leaf Village. It's up to Naruto and co. to protect the final orb and defeat the Shirogane Clan once and for all.
Much of the game's structure has changed. The mission structure of last game is now an individual mode separate from the story mode that acts as a source of experience and rewards, and new modes such as a versus and survival mode have been added. Additionally there's been various updates to the game's systems: Allies are no longer chakra dependent assists, they are instead full characters no different from Naruto and can be customized and level up alongside him. The cast has been expanded, including characters who were only NPCs in the last game. Dungeons are more frequent, and can be even longer than those from the last game.
Tropes the game provides include:
- Big Bad: The Shirogane clan's leader is Ibushi, the Salamander puppet wielder. In reality he's just a pawn for the actual main villain: The Master Puppet.
- Escort Mission: The cart protection missions from the first game appear again, but this time they’re optional.
- Non-Linear Sequel: The Japanese release is named Konoha Spirits after the Spirit Orbs that the Shirogane clan are after. This was likely an attempt to distance itself from the first game since the plot is much more self-contained. This didn’t stop the English release from averting this and naming it after the first game.
- Nostalgia Level: The Dragon's Pool from the first game is recreated in Kakashi's bonus scenario. It features him and Guy spying on Itachi and Kisame, eventually leading to a confrontation where the Praying Mantises were fought.
- Promoted to Playable: Sakura and Lee were NPCs in the first game and are now full-fledged characters to select on missions. On the enemy side Kisame has also been given this treatment, as he was only a boss fight in the first game.
- Secret Character: Sasuke, Itachi and Kisame need to be unlocked first before you can play as them.
- Timed Mission: Meno of the Shirogane clan specializes in subjecting you to this. She rigs the Bandit Hideout to cave in when the party first meets her, and she attempts an explosive Taking You with Me after her final defeat in Sand Citadel.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Hilariously enforced when Naruto, in an attempt to destroy the Spirit Orb, overloads the Spirit Orb with chakra and sends it flying away from all parties.
