Recaps

After breaking through, Sakura Haruno planned to stay with Sage Katsuyu and master her dangerous radiation energy while pursuing a path beyond the Sage of Six Paths. She explained six routes to supreme power, but argued that the traditional Chakra path was too long and familiar, leaving her determined to pursue a different one.

• Sakura Haruno stabilized her Chakra after her breakthrough and judged that her strength had only increased slightly, though her potential had grown.
• Sakura Haruno told Sage Katsuyu she would remain to cultivate while her independent duplicate covered more of her duties, and she planned to tame the radiation energy within her.
• Sakura Haruno outlined a progression through Chakra natures, Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, and Kekkei Mōra, saying the traditional route could eventually lead to power like the Sage of Six Paths.
• Sage Katsuyu questioned why Sakura Haruno would abandon that gradual path to refine dangerous energy, and Sakura Haruno replied that it was too long and would merely make her another Sage of Six Paths.
• Sage Katsuyu realized Sakura Haruno had never truly taken Hashirama Senju as her model and that her ambition was to keep surpassing herself.

Sakura Haruno explained her plans to advance beyond the Six Paths level by developing Yang God Mode, using radiation energy to improve on Sage Mode. After returning to Konoha to prepare for secluded cultivation, the story shifted to a remote reef where a man questioned Zetsu.

• Sage Katsuyu asked Sakura Haruno about the paths she could take to reach the Six Paths level.
• Sakura Haruno described Taijutsu, transforming into a creature, and pursuing science as three possible paths, then explained her own improved Ninjutsu approach.
• Sakura Haruno revealed her plan to fuse nuclear fission and fusion energy with Chakra to create Yang God Mode.
• Sakura Haruno said she would return to Konoha to handle matters and gather supplies before secluded cultivation, and Sage Katsuyu reverse-summoned her there.
• A man standing on a remote reef west of the Land of Water asked Zetsu if they had reached the right place.

Obito and Zetsu investigated the lingering aftermath of Sakura Haruno’s devastating explosion and assessed the threat she posed. They concluded her technique had serious limitations, but Obito decided he needed Orochimaru and his Impure World Reincarnation to gain more power.

• Obito and Zetsu traveled north across the sea to investigate the explosion’s lingering effects, where they found countless dead fish and two decaying orcas.
• Zetsu recounted how a White Zetsu had returned from the blast site covered in abscesses before dying, and explained that the remaining harmful power was fading.
• At the site of the battle, Obito felt the burning presence and asked how it compared with the Ten-Tails.
• Obito and Zetsu discussed Sakura Haruno’s immense power and reasoned that her explosion must carry severe limitations and risks.
• Obito decided he needed more power and named Orochimaru and his Impure World Reincarnation as the next step.

As Konoha prepared for New Year’s amid growing hopes for peace, Naruto chose to leave for Mount Myōboku and train in Sage Mode rather than celebrate with Sasuke. Sasuke let him go, and the two parted with plans to meet again next year.

• Ichiraku Ramen reopened in an expanded shop as business boomed and people anticipated peace among the five great nations.
• Naruto and Sasuke ate ramen, and Naruto nearly revealed that he would miss New Year’s before Sasuke stopped him.
• Naruto told Sasuke he was leaving with Jiraiya to train in Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku because he feared losing control of the Nine-Tails again.
• Sasuke wanted Team 7 to reunite for the holiday but accepted Naruto’s decision and wished him luck.
• Naruto and Jiraiya left Konoha, and Sasuke watched Naruto wave before heading home alone.

Sakura Haruno returned early and synchronized her knowledge with Sakura Uchiha before assessing the clone’s combat strength with Tsunade. After discussing political judgment and the First Hokage’s choices, Sakura learned Naruto was leaving to train at Mount Myōboku, disappointing her hopes for Team 7 to reunite.

• Sakura Haruno returned to Tsunade’s office early and told Sakura Uchiha to serve as an Anbu briefly before resuming training at Shikkotsu Forest.
• Sakura Haruno mentally synchronized with Sakura Uchiha and transferred her training insights, then explained that Sakura Uchiha was a very strong Kage Level fighter but weaker than her own Super Kage strength.
• Sakura Uchiha mocked Tsunade’s combat strength, so Tsunade and Sakura Haruno threw her out of the office.
• Tsunade asked Sakura Haruno about responding to the Kumogakure incident, and Sakura said negotiation and pressure should come before war or immediate retaliation.
• Tsunade left Sakura Haruno to consider why the First Hokage had not united the Shinobi World, then told her Naruto was going to Mount Myōboku with Jiraiya to train.
• Sakura Haruno realized Naruto’s training would likely prevent the Team 7 reunion Sasuke had anticipated.

Naruto Uzumaki traveled with Jiraiya to Mount Myōboku to begin Senjutsu training after Sakura Haruno said goodbye to him. The Great Toad Sage revealed to Fukasaku that a new vision had changed the old prophecy, though Naruto still appeared to have an important role in the future.

• Jiraiya warned Naruto that Senjutsu training was dangerous, but Naruto calmly confirmed he was determined to proceed.
• Sakura Haruno found Naruto and Jiraiya, worried about the risks, then embraced Naruto and wished them well as they left for Mount Myōboku.
• Jiraiya brought Naruto to Sage Fukasaku and introduced him to the Great Toad Sage as the Child of Prophecy who would bring peace to the Shinobi World.
• The Great Toad Sage privately told Fukasaku that a recent prophetic dream showed a mysterious, radiant woman and had disrupted his earlier vision.
• After recalling that Naruto appeared in the new vision and shared a deep bond with the woman, the Great Toad Sage and Fukasaku concluded that Naruto remained important and prepared to arrange his training.

Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku urged Naruto to train hard despite the uncertainty of the prophecy. In Konoha, Sasuke decided to receive an eye transplant, while Sakura was left wondering whether anyone from Team 7 would make it to the New Year celebration.

• Jiraiya told Naruto about the Child of Prophecy, and Naruto doubted he could change the Shinobi World while Sakura was stronger than him.
• Sage Fukasaku said the prophecy was only one possible future and stressed that Naruto needed determination and strength.
• Sakura met Sasuke outside his apartment and learned that his eyesight had badly deteriorated.
• Sasuke reflected on his resentment and his need to become stronger, then decided to ask the Fifth Hokage for an eye transplant the next day.
• Sakura teased Sasuke about his Mangekyō awakening, said goodbye, and wondered whether she would be the only Team 7 member at the New Year celebration.

At the Anbu headquarters, Sakura Uchiha passed her entrance assessment by defeating Kakashi, then accompanied Sakura Haruno to watch the New Year’s fireworks. The two girls welcomed the new year together as Sakura Haruno’s loneliness eased.

• Shino watched Yugao and Kakashi spar, and Kakashi ended the fight by calling it his loss despite having the advantage.
• Yugao and Shino tried to learn about Kakashi’s Mangekyō Sharingan, but Sakura Uchiha arrived and revealed that she possessed one too.
• Sakura Uchiha challenged Kakashi for her Anbu entrance assessment and defeated him with Ice Release techniques.
• Shino accepted Sakura Uchiha into the Anbu, and Sakura Haruno accompanied her through the remaining process.
• Sakura Uchiha noticed Sakura Haruno feeling lonely without Naruto and Sasuke, took her hand, and brought her to watch the fireworks.
• Sakura Haruno and Sakura Uchiha watched the New Year’s fireworks and wished each other a happy new year.

After his eye transplant succeeded, Sasuke regained his sight and awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, prompting him to reconsider his father’s choices. Tsunade then sent Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha on a mission to stop Orochimaru and Akatsuki from cooperating.

• Sakura Uchiha removed Sasuke’s gauze and confirmed that his transplanted eyes had healed successfully.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and transformed it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke wondered whether his father, Uchiha Fugaku, had awakened the Mangekyō and reflected on his father’s motives and feelings.
• Tsunade summoned Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, then assigned them Operation Snake Capture after reports that Akatsuki had contacted Orochimaru.
• Tsunade ordered Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha to rendezvous with their scouting support at Sound Nest Town and prevent Orochimaru and Akatsuki from joining forces.
• Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha accepted the mission and left using the Body Flicker Technique.

Kumogakure ninja discussed Sakura Haruno’s strength and her battles with the Akatsuki at a crowded izakaya. Elite Jonin Ukon Uroko warned them that Kakashi Hatake and a team of Konoha experts were operating nearby, then revealed that a Byakugan user had wounded him.

• Four Kumogakure ninja traded rumors about the Akatsuki capturing the Land of Water’s Tailed Beast and Konoha’s battle to stop them.
• Anjō and the others discussed Sakura Haruno’s strength, and Anjō recounted witnessing her stand her ground before the Raikage.
• Anjō told the group that Sakura and the Uchiha Clan’s sole survivor had fought the Akatsuki at sea, causing two tsunamis in one day.
• Ukon Uroko recognized Anjō and ordered the four ninja to return to their village after their mission was complete.
• Uroko privately warned the four that Kakashi Hatake and a team of Konoha experts were nearby, then showed them the wound a Byakugan user had inflicted on him.

Uroko warned his Kumogakure subordinates to avoid Kakashi's team and not provoke powerful ninja, then encountered a black-haired woman and her noble-looking companion at an izakaya. The pair secretly used the bartender to pass intelligence and revealed they were headed to find Orochimaru, while the man teased Sasuko about their exposed disguises.

• Uroko told Anjō and the other Kumogakure Ninja that they were no match for Kakashi's team and ordered them to avoid a fight and warn their comrades.
• A black-haired woman entered the izakaya, and Uroko's instincts warned him not to challenge her, so he stepped aside and let her pass.
• A travel-worn man dressed like a noble followed the woman, and Uroko was so unnerved by him that he ordered his subordinates to leave immediately.
• The man used a code phrase and his Mangekyō Sharingan to make the bartender secretly store intelligence without remembering the exchange.
• The woman identified the departing group as Kumogakure Ninja, and the man said they could now pursue Orochimaru without worrying about them.
• The man teased the woman, calling her Sasuko, and asked whether she had exposed their disguises on purpose or was tired of playing his maid.

Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke dropped their disguises after leaving the tavern and struggled to find a reliable way to locate Orochimaru. Sakura reasoned that Orochimaru might choose to face her if he believed her strength had not changed much, so the two set off toward the heart of his territory.

• Sasuke and Sakura ended their disguises, and Sasuke explained that their cover would not work inside Orochimaru's core territory.
• Sakura and Sasuke reviewed Kakashi-sensei's intelligence but found no reliable plan beyond attacking Orochimaru's bases.
• After leaving the tavern, Sakura noted that Orochimaru's rejection of the Akatsuki left him with few options and might lead him to fight her.
• Sasuke agreed that Orochimaru could be drawn into a confrontation if he underestimated Sakura's strength.
• Sakura and Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique to leave town and head deeper into Orochimaru's territory.

Orochimaru suspected Kabuto might betray him as Konoha and Akatsuki closed in, so he restrained Kabuto and demanded an explanation. Outside another underground base, Sakura and Sasuke arrived and prepared to force Orochimaru out.

• Orochimaru and Kabuto discussed Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke’s threat as they walked through the underground passage.
• Orochimaru described his enemies as a dead end and accused Kabuto of considering Akatsuki’s offer to betray him.
• Orochimaru bound Kabuto with pythons and demanded that he explain his hesitation.
• Sakura and Sasuke arrived outside another underground base, and Sakura formed Hand Seals to call Orochimaru out.

Orochimaru chose to trust Kabuto before confronting Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke, but Kabuto’s surprise attack failed to injure Sakura. Orochimaru then suspected that the girl was not Sakura Haruno.

• Orochimaru and Kabuto openly confronted Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke after a private conversation that had nearly ended in a break between them.
• Sakura threatened Orochimaru, and Kabuto attacked her from underground with a Chakra Scalpel, striking her ankle.
• Kabuto gloated over the hit, but Sakura mocked his lack of progress and revealed that her leg was unharmed.
• Sakura used Monstrous Strength Technique: Guarding Foot to shatter the ground and destroy the corpse Kabuto had controlled.
• Orochimaru observed that Kabuto’s failed attack had revealed useful information and asked whether Sakura was really Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke confronted Orochimaru, who admitted that Akatsuki had recently approached him and hinted that he might bargain with either side. As Sakura threatened him, Sasuke attacked with Susanoo, but Orochimaru’s chakra remained unharmed beneath the smoke.

• Orochimaru questioned Sakura Uchiha’s identity, and she stopped Sasuke from reacting rashly.
• Sakura Uchiha deduced that Orochimaru had recently exchanged information with Akatsuki and pressed him about their approach.
• Orochimaru admitted that people had come to him and said he would consider whichever side made the better offer.
• Sakura warned Orochimaru that Konoha would not accept him as a traitor and threatened to kill him if he delayed.
• Sasuke struck Orochimaru with Susanoo, but Orochimaru remained unharmed as a huge gray figure emerged from the smoke.

Black Zetsu approached Orochimaru with an offer to rejoin the Akatsuki, hoping to gain access to his Impure World Reincarnation and strengthen the organization. Orochimaru rejected the recruitment, and Black Zetsu ended by hinting that combining opposing bloodlines could grant him All Things in Nature.

• Orochimaru confronted Black Zetsu after catching him following him near the Land of Rice Fields.
• Black Zetsu offered Orochimaru wealth, power, and a place back in the Akatsuki, but Orochimaru mocked the offer and refused.
• Orochimaru deduced that the Akatsuki sought his Impure World Reincarnation because Sakura Haruno had inflicted heavy losses on them.
• Black Zetsu explained the Akatsuki's stated goal of gathering the Nine Tailed Beasts and defeating the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but Orochimaru dismissed his explanation.
• Black Zetsu acknowledged Orochimaru's newfound power and suggested that combining two opposing bloodlines could grant him All Things in Nature.

Orochimaru spread rumors to draw Konoha into his conflict with Akatsuki, but Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke arrived and confronted him. Orochimaru revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo, and Sasuke attacked after learning Orochimaru helped Danzo use Uchiha eyes in experiments; Sakura watched, waiting to see what Orochimaru was planning.

• Orochimaru ordered Suigetsu to spread rumors about Akatsuki contacting him, hoping Konoha would investigate and complicate Akatsuki's plans.
• Konoha sent Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke, and Orochimaru tried to stall them rather than fight.
• Sasuke attacked Orochimaru with Susanoo, but Orochimaru revealed a blue-green Susanoo of his own and an unfamiliar Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sakura summoned a larger Susanoo and questioned Orochimaru about his Sharingan and his earlier interest in Sasuke's body.
• Orochimaru admitted that he and Danzo had used Shin's body to test transplanted Sharingan taken from the Uchiha clan, enraging Sasuke.
• Orochimaru provoked Sasuke by calling Shin valuable experimental material, and the two fought while Sakura watched.

Kabuto absorbed Orochimaru’s cells and powers, transforming into a snake-like hybrid who claimed he had lost his sense of self. Sakura Uchiha attacked him, but he survived and revealed a grotesque new form as their battle continued.

• Kabuto revealed that he had injected Orochimaru’s cells into his body, and Sakura Uchiha recognized the transformation.
• Sakura’s Susanoo cut Kabuto in half, but he used the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique to emerge alive from his own body.
• Kabuto explained that he had lost his identity and absorbed Orochimaru’s power to survive and fight Sakura.
• Sakura decided to kill Kabuto, but he blocked her Susanoo’s sword with Summoning Technique - Quintuple Rashomon.
• Kabuto’s five pythons swallowed five corpses, while heads resembling Tayuya, Sakon, and the others emerged from his chest, provoking Sakura’s disgust.

Sakura Uchiha held back from joining Sasuke’s battle with Orochimaru and confronted Kabuto Yakushi instead. After surviving her Susanoo’s attack, Kabuto revealed that he had injected himself with something, leaving his surprise unexplained.

• Sasuke and Orochimaru fought a brutal Susanoo battle while Sakura Uchiha watched without joining in.
• Kabuto Yakushi attacked Sakura with a Kunai and said he meant to keep her from interfering in Orochimaru’s fight.
• Sakura struck at Kabuto with Susanoo’s giant sword, but summoned pythons briefly delayed the blow and let him escape unharmed.
• Kabuto revealed the corpses of the Sound Four and Kimimaro as a decoy, then showed Sakura the scales spreading from an empty syringe embedded in his arm.

Sakura Haruno and the Barrier Team completed the Yin Seal - Fourth Stage, “Yin God,” a vast formula designed to store nuclear fission energy. At Shikkotsu Forest, Sakura began activating it, with Sage Katsuyu wishing her fortune in battle.

• Yuki Haku served as acting captain of the Barrier Team, which Sakura Haruno had recruited to help modify the Yin Seal.
• Sakura Haruno expanded the Yin Seal’s capacity and designed a formula with 314,159,265 runes to contain nuclear energy.
• Sage Katsuyu watched as Sakura explained how standardized modules let the Barrier Team construct the enormous sealing formula.
• Sakura Haruno stepped barefoot into the center of the completed array and announced that she was beginning.
• Sage Katsuyu wished Sakura fortune in battle as the runes beneath her feet began to glow.

Sakura Haruno activated a reactor-powered Yin Seal in Shikkotsu Forest, enduring a dangerous startup until its energy stabilized. After reconnecting the new seal to her body, she transformed into Yin God Mode, whose power stunned Sage Katsuyu and was felt by people across the world.

• Sakura Haruno completed the rune array’s checks, supplied Chakra from her Yin Seal, and inserted the fuel core and control rods.
• Sakura Haruno started the reactor and increased its power to 100% as the energy barriers repeatedly collapsed and regenerated.
• Sakura Haruno held the barriers steady until the seal stabilized, then condensed the energy-form technique and pressed the new Yin Seal onto her forehead.
• Sakura Haruno’s energy erupted in a pillar that split the clouds, shook a lake, and sent a powerful tremor across the world.
• Tsunade, Sasuke, Sakura Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Pain sensed the disturbance, while Sakura Haruno emerged in Yin God Mode.
• Sage Katsuyu recognized Sakura Haruno’s power as comparable to the Sage of Six Paths, and Sakura Haruno shook her head.

Sakura Haruno tested the Six Paths-level power she gained by opening Yin God Mode, then sealed it away because its radiation made it dangerous to use often. She prepared to return to Konoha to handle other matters.

• Sakura Haruno explained to Sage Katsuyu that Yin God Mode put her in the Six Paths realm, though she remained far weaker than the Sage of Six Paths.
• Sakura concentrated her power into a simple Water Gun Technique and carved a straight path through Shikkotsu Forest and the clouds.
• Sakura sensed that Yin God Mode strengthened her body and could pass some of her abilities to her descendants, but its radiation made prolonged use unsafe.
• Sakura and Sage Katsuyu discussed how Yin God Mode might compare with Ten-Tails Mode, while Sakura confidently declared Yang God Mode superior.
• Sakura ended Yin God Mode, fell into Sage Katsuyu's arms, and decided to use the form only for training or battle.
• Sakura borrowed spare clothes and a scroll from Sage Katsuyu and waited to be summoned back to Konoha, where she had matters to handle.

Sakura Uchiha overwhelmed Kabuto Yakushi despite his body modifications and summoned techniques, while Orochimaru and Kabuto escaped after using the battle to buy time. Sakura and Sasuke turned their attention to searching Orochimaru’s hideout.

• A surge of power briefly interrupted Sakura Uchiha, Kabuto Yakushi, and Orochimaru’s battle, and Orochimaru urged Kabuto to finish quickly.
• Kabuto revealed a giant patched together from the Sound Five’s abilities and Orochimaru’s power, but Sakura Uchiha cleaved through it with her Susanoo.
• Kabuto transformed the remains into Sakon and Ukon and summoned Tayuya’s demons to restrain Sakura’s Susanoo, but Sakura destroyed them with a spinning sword strike.
• Kabuto admitted he could not hold Sakura back, then escaped underground after Sakura struck down his apparent corpse.
• Sakura Uchiha and Sasuke realized Orochimaru and Kabuto had used the fight to stall and escape, so they headed to Orochimaru’s hideout.