No. of episodes 21 | ||
The episodes for the ninth season of the anime series Naruto: Shippuden are based on Part II for Masashi Kishimoto's manga series. The anime only season aired from September 2010 to January 2011, and contains flashback episodes for Naruto and friends during Part I. The season is referred to by its DVDs as Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha (過去篇～木ノ葉の軌跡～, Kako Hen: Konoha no Kiseki) with the first volume released on April 6, 2011 by Aniplex.
The episodes are directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo. On January 2, 2009, Viz Media and Crunchyroll began providing the series subtitled episodes. The English version of the season aired on Neon Alley from March 30 to July 6, 2013.
The season contains five musical themes: two openings and three endings. The first opening theme, "Tōmei Datta Sekai" (透明だった世界, "Formerly Transparent World") by Motohiro Hata is used from episodes 176 to 179. The second opening theme song, "Diver" by Nico Touches the Walls is used from episodes 180 to 196. The first ending theme, "Utakata Hanabi" (うたかた花火, "Transient Fireworks") by Supercell is used from episodes 176 to 179. The second ending theme,"U Can Do It!" by DOMINO is used from episodes 180 to 192. The third ending theme, "Mayonaka no Orchestra" (真夜中のオーケストラ, "Midnight Orchestra") by Aqua Timez is used from episodes 193 to 196.