Recaps

After the Third Hokage died defending Konoha, Sakura mourned the dead with Ino and Naruto and reflected on the bonds that kept people moving forward. The next day, she sensed Itachi and Kisame at a dessert shop, and Kakashi left with Asuma and Kurenai to pursue them.

• Jiraiya carried Sakura away from the battle because she was exhausted, then arrived at the exam venue after the Third Hokage had died and Orochimaru had escaped.
• Two days after the Konoha Crush, Sakura bought white chrysanthemums at the Yamanaka Flower Shop and comforted a grieving Ino, who asked whether Sakura and Sasuke were a couple.
• Sakura visited the Memorial Stone to honor Fuyuno Maiyo, spoke with Kakashi, and attended the Third Hokage's funeral, where she and Kakashi helped Naruto understand why people risked their lives for others.
• The following day, Sakura ate dessert with Kakashi and sensed Itachi and Kisame sitting nearby; Kakashi told her to wait for Sasuke while he, Asuma, and Kurenai pursued them.

Sakura, Kakashi, and the other Konoha ninja fought Itachi and Kisame, but Itachi left Sasuke and Kakashi with severe mental injuries. After Sakura told Naruto and Jiraiya what had happened, Jiraiya announced that she would join him and Naruto on the trip to find Tsunade.

• Jiraiya persuaded Naruto to travel with him and Sakura, explaining that the trip could help Naruto learn the next stage of Rasengan.
• Kakashi agreed to let Jiraiya take Naruto for his safety and asked him to bring Sakura along to learn from Tsunade.
• Sakura helped defend Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma from Itachi and Kisame, using Azure Water Release to shield them from Kisame’s water sharks.
• Sasuke arrived and attacked Itachi with Chidori, but Itachi broke his arm and used Mangekyō Sharingan: Tsukuyomi to knock him unconscious.
• Might Guy confronted Itachi and Kisame, who withdrew after Itachi taunted Sasuke about his hatred.
• At Konoha Hospital, Sakura told Naruto and Jiraiya that Kakashi and Sasuke needed Tsunade’s help, and Jiraiya said Sakura would join them on the journey to find her.

Sakura and Naruto waited by a river while Jiraiya gathered information, but Itachi and Kisame appeared to capture Naruto. Sakura fought them off with her Azure Water Release and Water Blade techniques, though Itachi used Amaterasu to cover their retreat; Jiraiya arrived afterward and led the group toward the next town.

• Jiraiya explained that he had brought Sakura along to meet Tsunade and left Naruto in her care while he searched for information.
• Sakura considered the techniques she hoped to learn from Tsunade and told Naruto to focus on Taijutsu rather than asking for more Ninjutsu.
• Itachi and Kisame confronted Sakura and Naruto by the river and demanded that Naruto come with them.
• Sakura used her Water Clone and Azure Water Release to counter Kisame's attacks, then wounded him with her Super Water Cannon Technique.
• Itachi used Amaterasu to stop Sakura from finishing Kisame, and the two Akatsuki members retreated.
• Jiraiya returned, inspected the battle's aftermath, and led Sakura and Naruto toward the next town.

Sakura, Naruto, and Jiraiya tracked Tsunade and Orochimaru to Tanzaku Town, where Sakura fought Orochimaru and forced him to retreat. Jiraiya arrived after the battle, and Tsunade reunited with him.

• Sakura warned Jiraiya that Orochimaru might seek Tsunade for treatment, prompting Naruto and Jiraiya to hurry ahead.
• After reaching Tanzaku Town, Sakura and Naruto followed signs of battle and found Tsunade confronting Orochimaru.
• Kabuto destroyed Sakura and Naruto’s signal flares, but Sakura brought Naruto to Tsunade and faced Orochimaru.
• Sakura cut Orochimaru in half, defeated his summoned Manda with a water technique, and taunted Orochimaru until he escaped with Kabuto.
• Tsunade recovered enough to speak with Sakura and Naruto, then Jiraiya arrived with Shizune and reunited with her.

Sakura challenged Tsunade to confront her grief over Dan and Nawaki, and Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha as the Fifth Hokage and take Sakura as her apprentice. After Tsunade healed Sasuke and Kakashi, Sasuke challenged Sakura and Naruto to fight, and the chapter ended as Sasuke charged at Sakura with Chidori.

• Jiraiya asked Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage and take Sakura as her apprentice, but Tsunade refused because she feared the deaths tied to pursuing dreams.
• Sakura provoked Tsunade into a fight and let Tsunade punch her, then urged her to honor Dan and Nawaki’s dream; Tsunade broke down and agreed to return to Konoha.
• Naruto said he would risk his life to become Hokage, and Tsunade accepted the role and named Sakura her apprentice the next morning.
• Two days later, Tsunade completed the Hokage succession and used Medical Ninjutsu to wake Sasuke and Kakashi.
• Sasuke challenged Sakura to a duel, then Naruto joined them; on the hospital rooftop, Sasuke attacked Sakura with Chidori.

Sakura kept Sasuke close, sparred with him, and advised him to focus his training in Konoha rather than seek strength from Orochimaru. She then introduced Haku to Ino and Hinata, whose questions ended with Haku asking Sakura whether she liked Naruto or Sasuke.

• Kakashi stopped Sasuke from using Chidori against Sakura, and Sakura persuaded Sasuke and Naruto to train together.
• Sakura lost a Taijutsu spar with Sasuke and explained how she trained Chakra control through everyday movements.
• Sakura advised Sasuke to focus on his Sharingan and one elemental style, and Sasuke left to consider her advice.
• Sakura invited Haku, Ino, and Hinata to a dessert shop, where she introduced Haku and discussed their backgrounds and romantic interests.
• Hinata fainted when Sakura teased her about liking Naruto, and Haku asked Sakura which boy she liked.

Sakura led Naruto, Sasuke, and Haku on a mission to guard actress Fujikaze Yukie during a film shoot in the Land of Snow. After the group reached an iceberg, armored Ice Release attackers ambushed them, and Sakura’s team retreated by ship after blasting apart much of the iceberg.

• Sakura reassured Ino that she had no romantic interest in her teammates, then kissed Ino on the cheek and walked Hinata home.
• Sakura told Naruto and Sasuke that Kakashi was away on a mission and, as a newly appointed Chunin, led them with Haku to accept a mission guarding Fujikaze Yukie.
• Sakura used Genjutsu to knock out Yukie after she refused to travel to the Land of Snow, and Yukie later began filming with the crew.
• On the fourth day of filming, three attackers used Ice Release to ambush the group on an iceberg and demanded that the team hand over Yukie, whom they called Princess Snow.
• Sakura ordered Naruto to evacuate the film crew and, with Sasuke and Haku, fought the attackers before detonating ice across much of the iceberg and retreating with the others by ship.

Asama Sandayu revealed that Princess Snow was Kazahana Koyuki, the rightful heir to the Land of Snow, and Naruto’s team agreed to continue protecting her and confront Kazahana Dōtō. After Dōtō disclosed his plan to use the Hexagonal Crystal to unlock a powerful secret treasure, the team destroyed his train and defeated his three Snow Ninja, leaving Dōtō facing them.

• Asama Sandayu told the group that Kazahana Koyuki was the surviving heir of the Land of Snow and begged her to reclaim her country, but Naruto and the narrator insisted they would fight Kazahana Dōtō.
• The narrator, Haku, Sasuke, and Naruto discussed the Snow Ninja’s imitation Ice Release and the defensive armor they wore, then made a plan to protect the film crew and counterattack.
• After the group reached a new filming location in the Land of Snow, Kazahana Dōtō confronted them by train and explained that Koyuki’s Hexagonal Crystal was the key to a secret treasure inside the Rainbow Ice Wall.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clones vanished after revealing that Koyuki was not present, and Naruto and Sasuke destroyed Dōtō’s weaponized train with a combined Wind and Fire technique.
• Haku blocked the Snow Ninja’s attacks, while the narrator killed the flying Tsurugi with a Chakra-free water blade and Naruto and Sasuke defeated the other two Snow Ninja.
• The narrator landed and called on Kazahana Dōtō to surrender.

The narrator and his allies defeated Kazahana Dōtō, then helped Kazahana Koyuki discover that her family’s hidden treasure could transform the Land of Snow. A geothermal generator warmed the frozen country and brought its first spring.

• Kazahana Dōtō attacked the group with his Chakra Armor, but Sasuke cracked it with Chidori and the narrator pursued the fleeing ruler through Haku’s Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, bringing him down alive.
• Asama Sandayu and his companions celebrated Dōtō’s defeat, while Kazahana Koyuki worried that she could not govern the impoverished Land of Snow or give it a future.
• The narrator argued that war would only bring disaster and suggested that the Kazahana family’s hidden treasure might solve the country’s problems, so the group brought Dōtō to the Rainbow Ice Wall.
• Dōtō revealed that the hexagonal crystal opened the treasure, and the narrator’s Water Clone inserted it into the pavilion’s slot.
• The geothermal generator activated, melting the snow and helping plants grow as Kazahana Koyuki, Asama Sandayu, and the people witnessed spring arrive in the Land of Snow.

After returning from the Land of Snow, Sakura was urgently recruited by Tsunade to assist with Lee’s dangerous surgery. The chapter ended as Sakura prepared to help remove bone fragments from Lee’s nerves.

• Sakura and the narrator persuaded Asama Sandayu to let Princess Snow finish her film so it could promote tourism in the Land of Snow.
• Princess Snow completed filming, while the narrator and Haku trained in Ice Release and Sasuke sparred with Haku.
• The team finished its mission, returned to Konoha, and Shizune summoned Sakura to Konoha Hospital.
• Tsunade told Sakura that Lee needed surgery to remove bone fragments from his nerves and trained her intensively through the night.
• Sakura woke at five in the afternoon, put on her surgical gear, and told Tsunade she was ready to begin Lee’s operation.

Sakura finished Lee’s operation, then discovered Sasuke was defecting to Orochimaru and set out with Haku and Naruto to bring him back. Near the Land of Fire border, Naruto continued after Sasuke while Sakura and Haku confronted Kimimaro and the Sound Four, and Sakura killed Jirobo with one attack.

• Sakura and Tsunade completed Lee’s eight-hour operation, removing all the bone fragments without causing further injury.
• Sasuke admitted he planned to leave Konoha for Orochimaru, used genjutsu to incapacitate Sakura, and departed after thanking her.
• Sakura told Tsunade that Sasuke had defected and used a water marker to track him; Tsunade authorized a pursuit with Haku and Naruto.
• Sakura, Haku, and Naruto chased Sasuke toward the Land of Fire border, where Kimimaro and the Sound Four blocked their path.
• Naruto escaped Kidomaru’s attack with Haku’s help and continued pursuing Sasuke while Sakura and Haku stayed to fight.
• Jirobo trapped Sakura in an earth dome, but Sakura pierced the barrier and killed him with her Super Water Gun Technique.

The narrator and Haku fought Kimimaro, Tayuya, Sakon, and Ukon, revealing a new water-and-wind technique and outmaneuvering their coordinated attacks. Haku killed Sakon and Ukon, leaving Kimimaro and two Sound Ninja still to face.

• The narrator sent Haku after Tayuya while he confronted the Sound Ninja, who transformed with their Cursed Seals and tried to keep him at bay.
• Kimimaro and the others coordinated attacks with Tayuya's Genjutsu, Kidomaru's weapons, and Kimimaro's bone forest, but Haku helped the narrator survive.
• The narrator used Wind Cutter Water Blade to destroy the summoned monsters, cut through the bone forest, and force Kimimaro to retreat.
• Sakon appeared with Haku apparently captured and threatened to kill her, but the narrator kept forming Hand Seals and revealed that Sakon held an Ice Clone.
• The Ice Clone exploded and wounded Sakon and Ukon, while Haku emerged from an ice mirror and restrained Sakon so the narrator could kill both brothers with Super Water Gun Jutsu.
• The narrator declared that three Sound Ninja remained.

Sakura and Haku defeated the Sound Four, while Kimimaro died after exhausting his failing body trying to stop them. In a hidden room, Orochimaru and Kabuto discussed the deaths and Orochimaru’s plan to claim Sasuke as his next vessel as Sakura hurried onward.

• Sakura and Haku escaped the Sound Four’s combined ambush with Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, then used powerful attacks to incapacitate Tayuya.
• Sakura destroyed Kidomaru’s arrow, severed his spider threads, and killed him with a Super Water Gun Jutsu after her Ice Clone trapped him.
• Kimimaro attacked Sakura despite his failing health, but she easily knocked him down until he forced himself into one final charge and died before reaching her water shield.
• Sakura and Haku left the battlefield in the rain to continue after Sasuke.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto discussed Kimimaro’s death, the Sound Four’s defeat, and Orochimaru’s plan to reincarnate into Sasuke before killing Uchiha Itachi and Sakura Haruno.

Sakura found Naruto unconscious at the Valley of the End, but Sasuke had already left to pursue power and revenge. After returning to Konoha, Naruto chose to train with Jiraiya and vowed to bring Sasuke back, while Sakura agreed to help and saw them off as they departed for three years of training.

• Sakura and Haku found Naruto unconscious at the Valley of the End and learned that the Sasuke beside him was only a Shadow Clone; Sasuke refused to turn back and vanished after warning Sakura they might become enemies.
• Sakura carried Naruto back to Konoha, where Tsunade confirmed he was recovering and agreed to train Sakura in her own Ninjutsu.
• Jiraiya told Naruto that Sasuke had chosen Orochimaru and ordered Naruto to abandon the rescue, but Naruto vowed to defeat Orochimaru and the Akatsuki and bring Sasuke back.
• Sakura promised Naruto she would help him when the time came, then visited Hinata and brought her to the Konoha Gate to see Naruto off.
• Sakura gave Naruto her notes on the next stage of Rasengan training and warned Jiraiya not to teach him bad habits; Naruto then left with Jiraiya for three years of training.

Sakura studied Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade, mastered and adapted the Monstrous Strength Technique, and sparred with Tsunade to test it. Tsunade then recommended Sakura for assessment to join the Anbu.

• After Sasuke defected and Naruto left to train, Sakura began studying Medical Ninjutsu and human anatomy under Tsunade.
• Sakura learned to use Chakra water to examine her body and developed an inner vision that helped her understand its functions.
• Sakura learned Tsunade's Monstrous Strength Technique, adapted it to boost her speed, and developed her own Sakura Style version.
• During a sparring match, Tsunade warned Sakura that her speed outpaced her ability to react and read an opponent's movements.
• After more than half a year of training, Tsunade gave Sakura a letter recommending her for assessment to join the Anbu.

Sakura Haruno joined the Anbu under the code name Saigyouji Yuu after passing an assessment against Mashiro and Makoto, then completed her training and began taking Anbu assignments. A red Shuriken summoned her from an afternoon with Haku, and she followed the messenger while wondering what had happened.

• Onizuka Inu brought Sakura to the Anbu assessment, where she chose a fox mask and became Saigyouji Yuu.
• Sakura used her water defenses and techniques to counter Mashiro and Makoto, and they declared that she had passed after earning their approval.
• Mashiro recognized Sakura as Chunin Sakura Haruno, then explained that she still needed two weeks of closed Anbu training.
• Sakura completed her training and began working Anbu missions under the name Saigyouji Yuu.
• A red Shuriken summoned Sakura while she was eating with Haku, and she put on her mask and followed the Anbu messenger.

Sakura Haruno hunted down and executed the suspected Konoha traitor Watanabe Kurogarasu, then confronted three missing-nin who came to claim her bounty. She killed one with her newly developed Lightning Flash Shadow, but the other two remained to fight.

• Sakura Haruno tracked Watanabe Kurogarasu from a border intelligence station and confronted him over his suspected betrayal of Konoha.
• Kurogarasu revealed his trapmaking skills and triggered a barrage of explosives and weapons, but Sakura protected herself with Azure Water Release: Absolute Defense.
• Sakura pierced Kurogarasu through an Earth Style Wall with Water Release: Wind Cutter Water Blade, killed him, and sealed his severed head in a mission scroll.
• Three missing-nin arrived, recognized Sakura Haruno, and revealed that a black-market bounty offered five million for her head.
• Sakura used Lightning Flash Shadow to accelerate her reactions and killed the black-clad missing-nin with a kunai, though her momentum sent her tumbling away.

Sakura Haruno tracked a bounty on herself to a Bounty Guild casino and encountered Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. She killed Hidan and pierced Kakuzu’s heart, but ended the fight uneasy that something was wrong.

• Sakura questioned a captured missing-nin about Kurogarasu’s defection and learned that the Bounty Guild had placed a five-million-ryo bounty on her.
• The missing-nin led Sakura to a casino that served as a Bounty Guild base, where she met Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Kakuzu and Hidan recognized Sakura’s bounty and followed her away from the crowded town to fight.
• Sakura used a water blade to destroy Hidan’s heart while Kakuzu attacked her with Lightning Release.
• Kakuzu’s fire and wind attacks broke through Sakura’s defenses, but she used an Ice Release Body Flicker technique to strike his heart with a wind-infused Kunai.
• Sakura believed she had defeated both Akatsuki members, then felt that something was wrong.

The narrator fought Kakuzu’s five-heart monsters and Hidan, learning that both Akatsuki members could survive seemingly fatal injuries. After destroying several of Kakuzu’s hearts and believing he had gained the advantage, the narrator was struck by an unseen attack that pierced his heart, leaving him dying.

• Kakuzu revealed that he stored five hearts in his body and unleashed his masked monsters to attack the narrator.
• The narrator used his remaining Ultra-Pure Water to destroy Kakuzu’s Earth Release monster, but Kakuzu’s lightning paralyzed him and Hidan attacked with his scythe.
• The narrator escaped Hidan’s strike, kicked him away, and realized that Hidan had also survived a fatal wound.
• The narrator destroyed Kakuzu’s Fire Style monster and believed Kakuzu had lost most of his fighting strength.
• An unseen attack tore through the narrator’s heart, and his heartbeat stopped as his consciousness began to fade.

Sakura Haruno survived Hidan’s heart-destroying technique by using Chakra to force her blood to circulate, then destroyed his ritual pattern and escaped with Kakuzu and Hidan withdrawing. She headed back to Konoha, relying on an Ice Shadow Clone to keep her alive if she passed out.

• As Sakura Haruno’s heart stopped, she realized Hidan had transferred the damage to her by piercing his own heart.
• Sakura Haruno tried to restart her heart with Chakra-generated electrical impulses, but her heart would not respond and her consciousness began to fade.
• Sakura Haruno used water-natured Chakra and Ultra-Pure Water to force her heart to beat and restore blood flow, reviving herself.
• Sakura Haruno cut apart the blood-red pattern beneath Hidan, then faced Hidan and Kakuzu in a tense standoff while all three were depleted.
• Kakuzu ordered Hidan to retreat, and Sakura Haruno warned Kakuzu before using Ice Release: Ice Mirror Body Flicker Technique to escape.
• Sakura Haruno summoned an Ice Shadow Clone and told it to maintain her blood flow as they hurried toward Konoha for treatment.

After waking from surgery, Sakura reunited with Haku and helped Konoha’s Intelligence Division analyze her fight with Kakuzu and Hidan. As she returned to the hospital, Tsunade urged her to stop fighting and become a medical-nin.

• Sakura woke after four days in the hospital and discovered that her chest wound had been operated on successfully, though she remained weak and unable to mold Chakra.
• Haku embraced Sakura in tears, relieved that she had survived, before leaving for an afternoon mission.
• Tsunade brought Sakura to the Intelligence Division, where she recounted her encounter with Kakuzu and Hidan and the team identified their likely abilities and backgrounds.
• Shikamaru suggested monitoring the Bounty Guild, but Tsunade concluded that the organization was too difficult to investigate and ordered a warning about Akatsuki members in black cloaks with red clouds.
• As Tsunade escorted Sakura back to the hospital that night, she seriously suggested that Sakura stop fighting and become a medical-nin.

Sakura argued with Tsunade that she would keep fighting despite the danger to her repaired heart, and Tsunade agreed to seek a cure while ordering her to recover. After waking from a nightmare about fighting the Akatsuki, Sakura received Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Haku, and looked ahead to the Chunin Ninja Exams as a proctor.

• Sakura rejected Tsunade's advice to stop fighting and insisted she could use Ninjutsu to protect her weakened heart.
• Tsunade agreed to help find a treatment for Sakura's heart and told her to focus on recovering before returning to Anbu missions.
• Sakura dreamed that she killed Kisame, Kakuzu, and Itachi, but Hidan's ritual killed her; she woke in the hospital with chest pains and calmed her heart with Medical Ninjutsu.
• Kakashi visited Sakura and asked about the strength and abilities of Kakuzu and Hidan, so she described Kakuzu's speed, defense, and powerful Ninjutsu.
• Shikamaru proposed that Haku take Ino and Choji's open spot on their team for the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Sakura invited Shikamaru and Haku to eat with her and anticipated proctoring the exams.

Sakura fought Kakashi until exhaustion and was defeated in the bell test, but Kakashi revealed that the real test was teamwork. Naruto and Sasuke refused to abandon one another over the two bells, and Kakashi passed all three members of Team 7.

• Sakura used her remaining Chakra and stamina to fight Kakashi, but he knocked her unconscious.
• Kakashi told Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke that none of them had obtained a bell and explained that he had been testing their teamwork.
• Kakashi gave the two bells to Naruto, then asked the team to decide who would be left behind.
• Naruto chose himself for elimination, but Sasuke refused the bells and challenged Kakashi to produce a third one.
• Sakura joined Naruto and Sasuke in refusing to abandon a comrade, and Kakashi declared all three of them passed.
• Kakashi ended the exercise and announced that Team 7 would begin carrying out missions the next day.

After Team 7 began its ninja career, Kakashi established a training routine for Sakura and helped her improve her combat skills. Sakura made steady progress but still had to work hard on Taijutsu, and she began learning to sense others’ Chakra and conceal her own.

• The Third Hokage reviewed Team 7’s reports and reprimanded Kakashi after Sakura’s Ninjutsu destroyed most of the training woods.
• Kakashi organized Team 7’s missions and training, teaching Sakura ordinary Water Release techniques while offering little insight into her Water Blade Technique or Ultra-Pure Water.
• Kakashi told Sakura to practice speeding up her Water Gun Technique and barred her from using the Water Blade series in sparring.
• Sakura developed her Nintaijutsu and steadily improved her Taijutsu under Kakashi’s guidance, though she realized her Taijutsu talent was limited.
• Kakashi taught Sakura that sensing others’ Chakra and concealing her own were essential ninja skills, and Sakura began building those abilities through practice and combat.

Sakura and Team 7 grew tired of repetitive D-rank work, but Sakura revealed formidable water-control abilities while cleaning a polluted river. After Naruto complained about low-level missions, the team received a C-rank assignment to protect Tazuna, and Sakura anticipated the dangerous journey to the Land of Waves.

• Team 7 spent weeks on farm work and rubbish collection, where Naruto fainted after dispelling his clones and Kakashi took him to the hospital.
• Sakura lifted and filtered a long stretch of river water, then exhausted herself and had Sasuke carry her to the hospital.
• Team 7 struggled to catch the daimyo's chakra-using pet cat, and Naruto protested that they had done enough tedious low-level missions.
• The Hokage assigned Team 7 to protect Tazuna, who insulted the team and provoked Naruto and Sakura.
• Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto left to train before the mission, while Sakura looked forward to facing danger in the Land of Waves.