Chapter Summaries

Sakura Haruno and Killer B fought a swordsmanship duel, with Killer B escalating into Tailed Beast Mode and using all seven swords of Acrobat to break through her defense. Sakura escaped his midair attack with Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals and left Killer B suspended in the air as she declared the winner had been decided.

• Sakura Haruno stopped Killer B’s initial sword strikes with her ice sword, and Killer B activated his Tailed Beast Cloak to increase his strength and speed.
• Killer B attacked with a powerful slash and a sudden thrust, but Sakura blocked and deflected his blows before defending against his rapid assault.
• Killer B grew a fifth Chakra tail and announced that his next move would decide the winner, while Sakura gained the upper hand in their exchange.
• Killer B used seven swords held between his joints to disrupt Sakura’s rhythm and force her to leap into the air.
• Killer B pursued Sakura with a simultaneous attack from his swords, but Sakura vanished and reappeared on an ice mirror below using Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Sakura Haruno and Killer B ended their sparring match as friends, while Obito continued planning to strike after Konoha and Kumogakure lowered their guard. Back in Konoha, Sasuke trained his Susanoo and wondered when Sakura would return, then came home to find the sealing scroll waiting in the living room.

• The Fourth Raikage stopped Sakura Haruno and Killer B from escalating their sparring match, and Killer B ended his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Sakura Haruno and Killer B exchanged a fist bump, and Killer B praised her for treating Naruto as a comrade rather than judging him as a Jinchūriki.
• Obito told White Zetsu that he would wait for Konoha and Kumogakure to relax their vigilance before carrying out his plan, and said he was ready to use a certain technique.
• Kakashi ended Sasuke's training after he demonstrated his Susanoo, and Sasuke asked when Sakura would return from Kumogakure.
• Sasuke returned home alone and went to look at the sealing scroll in the corner of the living room.

Sasuke kept the scroll Sakura Haruno had entrusted to him as a safeguard in case she died or Konoha came under attack. Sakura’s mission in the Land of Lightning went smoothly, and she prepared to return home after Kumogakure’s farewell ceremony.

• Sakura Haruno gave Sasuke a scroll containing a duplicate with a Mangekyō Sharingan and part of her spiritual energy, explaining that it could serve as a way for her to return if she died.
• Sakura Haruno told Sasuke to open the scroll if Konoha came under attack while she was away, and Sasuke reluctantly accepted it.
• Sasuke kept the scroll at home and worried about Sakura Haruno’s safety during her mission in the Land of Lightning.
• Tsunade learned from Sakura Haruno’s brief communications that negotiations with the Kumogakure Ninja were progressing smoothly and nearing completion.
• Sakura Haruno arranged for her subordinates to rest and planned to leave for home after Kumogakure’s farewell ceremony the next day.

Sakura Haruno tried to help Sai understand that he was more than a tool, then woke to an ominous disturbance at the delegation’s lodging. After chasing off the Masked Man, she found Sai’s severed head at her feet.

• Sai offered to repair Sakura Haruno’s torn coat and spoke about his dead brother, Shin, and his time in Root.
• Sakura Haruno told Sai that the smile she had seen proved he still had feelings and urged him to be himself rather than her tool.
• Sakura Haruno woke uneasy and found the courtyard strangely quiet while she searched for the night watch.
• Sakura Haruno confronted the Masked Man, recognized him as Madara Uchiha, and struck his intangible form before he escaped.
• A newcomer arrived and tossed Sai’s severed head at Sakura Haruno’s feet.

Sakura Haruno confronted the Fourth Raikage after he killed Sai and discovered that Kumogakure had betrayed Konoha. She defeated A in a clash but learned that Shizune and the others had already been captured.

• Sakura Haruno found Sai's headless body and accused the Fourth Raikage of killing him.
• A admitted that Sai had discovered him and said it was too late to stop the betrayal.
• An explosion sounded nearby, and Sakura Haruno rushed toward the fighting, but A blocked her path.
• Sakura Haruno clashed with A, then shattered his Lightning Release Armor and sent him crashing through a wall with a high roundhouse kick.
• As Sakura Haruno healed her injured leg, the fighting fell silent, and A told her that no one had escaped.
• A's brother arrived carrying an unmoving figure and reported that they had caught everyone.

Kumogakure captured Sakura Haruno’s delegation and tried to force her to join the village by torturing Shizune in front of her. Sakura resisted their threats and questioned their motive, and the Raikage revealed they planned to use Kumogakure’s secret technique, False Waterfall.

• Killer B brought the badly wounded Shizune into the courtyard, and the Raikage’s men displayed the captured Konoha delegation before Sakura Haruno.
• Sakura saw that Sai and the combat-team Jonin were dead and the remaining envoys were gravely injured, then vowed to fight the Kumogakure Ninja.
• The Raikage offered to release the captives if Sakura joined Kumogakure, but rejected her attempt to secure their release first.
• Killer B tortured Shizune with lightning to frighten Sakura, while the Raikage threatened the other captives and warned Shizune might die without treatment.
• Sakura questioned whether Kumogakure had allied with the Akatsuki, and the Raikage denied it before saying a secret technique called False Waterfall would ensure she joined.

Sakura Haruno faced the Raikage’s demand that she submit to Kumogakure’s False Waterfall, while weighing the threat to her companions against the village’s safety. After Shizune and the captured Konoha Ninja sacrificed themselves, Sakura decided to make Kumogakure pay if the events were real.

• The Raikage explained that the False Waterfall could replace Sakura Haruno’s personality with one loyal to Kumogakure, and threatened her with a prepared force if she resisted.
• Sakura Haruno considered the Raikage’s offer and relied on the Kotoamatsukami safeguard she had left with Sasuke in case her thoughts were forcibly changed.
• The Raikage argued that Kumogakure feared Konoha’s growing power and urged Sakura Haruno to accept his terms for the sake of the alliance against the Akatsuki.
• Shizune regained consciousness and urged Sakura Haruno not to trust the enemy or betray Konoha, while Killer B tried to silence her.
• Shizune and the other captured Konoha Ninja killed themselves, and Sakura Haruno wept before deciding what she would do if the scene was real.

Sakura Haruno fought her way out of the Kumogakure Ninja’s encirclement after burying Shizune and the others. She used the Ice Body Flicker Technique to vanish just as the Raikage’s attack reached her.

• Sakura Haruno chose to retreat rather than risk her life fighting the Kumogakure Ninja, then buried Shizune and the others in the crater with the help of her clones.
• Sakura Haruno attacked with ice darts and Ice Clones, while the Raikage and Killer B destroyed the clones and the Kumogakure Ninja launched coordinated attacks.
• Sakura Haruno dodged the Ninjutsu and Killer B’s tentacle, then tried to break through the encirclement as the Raikage pursued and delayed her.
• The Raikage struck at Sakura Haruno, but she vanished with the Ice Body Flicker Technique, prompting him to warn the others.

Sakura Haruno realized Kumogakure’s encirclement was wearing her down and chose to stop fleeing. She used a weaker gap in their defenses to head toward Kumogakure, leaving the Raikage terrified of what she planned to do.

• Sakura Haruno appeared beside her Ice Clone, destroyed the Raikage’s Black Panther attack, and escaped the first group of Kumogakure Ninja.
• The Kumogakure forces pursued Sakura Haruno for hours, repeatedly catching her and restricting her Ice Body Flicker Technique.
• After the Raikage told Sakura Haruno to surrender and warned that her loved ones would die if she fought, she realized the opposite route toward Kumogakure was less guarded.
• Sakura Haruno questioned how the Fourth Hokage had died despite his speed, and the Raikage recognized that she meant to attack Kumogakure.
• Sakura Haruno vanished using her Ice Body Flicker Technique and told the Raikage to see her in Kumogakure, leaving him roaring in despair.

The Raikage ordered Kumogakure to evacuate civilians and prepare to stop Sakura Haruno, fearing she would devastate the village. Sakura instead destroyed Raikage Peak and the Raikage’s building, then confronted Omoi and challenged him over Kumogakure’s attack on Konoha’s delegation.

• The Raikage warned combat squads not to engage Sakura Haruno alone, ordered civilians evacuated, and hurried back to Kumogakure.
• Sakura Haruno sliced Raikage Peak, the Raikage’s building, and several nearby peaks apart with a stream of water.
• Omoi confronted Sakura Haruno and argued that Konoha should join Kumogakure for the sake of strength and peace.
• Sakura Haruno rejected Omoi’s justification for Kumogakure’s actions and told him she had killed many Kumogakure Ninja, asking what he could do about it.

Sakura killed Omoi and unleashed a devastating Water Release attack on the returning Kumogakure forces, causing enormous casualties in the village. After the Raikage struck her and she healed with sage markings appearing, Sakura prepared to show him the force of her own punch.

• Omoi charged Sakura to avenge his comrades, but she disarmed him, killed him, and dropped his body into the valley.
• The Raikage confronted Sakura over Omoi’s death, and she challenged him to fight despite the danger to the village.
• Sakura used Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent to kill half of the returning elite Kumogakure Ninja and cut through nearby buildings.
• Sakura redirected the torrent toward C, and the Raikage struck her but failed to save C, who was killed along with an Eight-Tails tentacle.
• The Raikage attacked Sakura again, but she stopped his punch with one hand, healed her shattered face, and prepared to punch him back.

Sakura overpowered the Raikage and confronted Kumogakure over its treatment of the delegation, while Killer B’s reckless Tailed Beast Bomb devastated the village. After defeating Killer B in the blast’s aftermath, Sakura stood over him and asked whether he regretted what he had done.

• Sakura struck the Raikage with Star Cannon Fist, sending him flying and dislocating his arm.
• Sakura pointed out the destruction caused by her earlier attack, and the Raikage learned that more than two thousand people might have been in the ruined area.
• Killer B entered Complete Tailed Beast Mode and began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb in the village, so Sakura summoned the Giant God Warrior and forced the bomb into the Eight-Tails.
• The bomb exploded inside the Eight-Tails, destroying much of Kumogakure’s central district and leaving Sakura, Killer B, and the surviving forces badly wounded.
• Sakura defeated Killer B in their final clash, then stomped his head into the mud and asked whether he regretted what he had done.

In the Tsukuyomi World, Sakura Haruno killed Killer B and Karui, devastated Kumogakure’s forces, and drove the Fourth Raikage to sacrifice himself to stop the fighting. She then realized the battlefield was an illusion, while Obito revealed that his real aim had been to disrupt cooperation between Konoha and Kumogakure.

• Sakura pierced Killer B’s limbs with hardened blue will rods, then kicked him into the charging Raikage, killing him.
• Karui charged Sakura in grief, and Sakura killed her with a blue rod before defeating the Raikage and slaughtering more Kumogakure ninja.
• The Raikage begged Sakura to stop and declared Kumogakure’s surrender, then impaled himself on Sakura’s rod and ordered his ninja not to seek revenge against her.
• Sakura detected that the Raikage and the battlefield were unreal and recognized that she had been trapped in a Tsukuyomi World.
• Obito watched the cracked crystal ball break and said that turning Konoha and Kumogakure against each other had been his true purpose.

Sakura Haruno and the Konoha delegation escaped Obito’s Limited Tsukuyomi, learning that Akatsuki had used the illusion to turn them against Kumogakure. After reassuring the shaken delegation, Sakura prepared to meet the Raikage and his people.

• Obito explained to White Zetsu that he had planned to kill the Konoha delegation in Kumogakure and blame the deaths on its ninja, but Sakura had broken Limited Tsukuyomi sooner than expected.
• Sakura realized the Raikage and the surrounding conflict were part of a genjutsu, then returned to the real world at the courtyard corridor.
• Sakura found Sai unharmed in a tree and reassured Shizune and the delegation that Akatsuki, not Kumogakure, had trapped them in the illusion.
• Sakura reorganized the watch and added hidden sentries after the shaken delegation decided to stay awake through the night.
• An Inuzuka girl spotted the Raikage and his people approaching, and Sakura summoned Katsuyu, entered Sage Mode, and led the delegation out to meet them.

Sakura Haruno and the Fourth Raikage discovered that both groups had been attacked by the same Masked Man and trapped in a realistic Genjutsu. After the Kumogakure Ninja described Sakura’s brutal behavior inside it, the two sides were left confronting how little they trusted one another.

• A broke through the courtyard wall and found Sakura Haruno and the Konoha delegation unharmed.
• Killer B, C, and other Kumogakure Ninja arrived, and Sakura and the Raikage realized that the same Masked Man had attacked both groups.
• Sakura and the Raikage compared their experiences and recognized that they had both been caught in a powerful Genjutsu.
• Karui accused Sakura of slaughtering and torturing Kumogakure villagers in the Genjutsu, and Killer B reminded her that it had not been real.
• Sakura explained that her Genjutsu counterpart had an opposite personality, but Karui questioned whether Konoha could be trusted.
• Sakura reflected that the Genjutsu had made both villages’ suspicions and possible future actions seem plausible.

After the Genjutsu ended, Sakura Haruno and the Raikage learned that each side had experienced a different version of events and agreed to preserve cooperation between Konoha and Kumogakure. Their handshake restored trust between the leaders for the moment, but Sakura saw that suspicion remained among the ninja as the delegation returned safely to Konoha.

• Kenichi Shiranui and the Konoha ninja argued with the Kumogakure ninja until Sakura Haruno silenced them with her Sage Mode presence.
• Kenichi described how Kumogakure Anbu had tortured the Konoha group in the Genjutsu, and Sakura Haruno explained that her battle with the Raikage ended when she broke it.
• Killer B explained the Waterfall of Truth and apologized to Shizune, who told him the events had only happened in a Genjutsu.
• The Raikage concluded that the Masked Man had planned to exploit the Genjutsu and asked Sakura Haruno to maintain cooperation between their villages.
• Sakura Haruno accepted the Raikage's handshake, though she recognized that distrust still lingered among the ninja.
• Kumogakure held a farewell ceremony, and the delegation returned safely to Konoha several days later.

Sakura Haruno returned to Konoha and reported her mission to Tsunade, who questioned how she would have responded if the events of the Genjutsu world had been real. Tsunade left Sakura with an assignment about her choices and raised the possibility of her becoming Hokage, while Sakura hurried off with Naruto’s letter to find Sasuke.

• Sakura Haruno returned to Konoha and reported the Kumogakure mission to Tsunade.
• Tsunade asked how Sakura would have acted if the Genjutsu events were real, and Sakura said she would retaliate by destroying Kumogakure.
• Tsunade criticized Sakura’s response and assigned her to reflect on where she had gone wrong.
• Tsunade told Sakura she could become Hokage in a future term, but Sakura said she did not want the position.
• Tsunade gave Sakura a letter from Naruto, and Sakura used the Body Flicker Technique to leave and find Sasuke.

Sakura Haruno returned from a mission and retrieved the scroll holding her Mangekyō Sharingan clone. Worried that a powerful Genjutsu from the Land of Lightning might still affect her, she asked the clone to use Kotoamatsukami if necessary.

• Sakura Haruno entered the Anbu district and learned from Shino that Sasuke was working in the Interrogation Division.
• Ibiki, Sasuke, and Hinata interrogated former Root ninjas, and Sakura caught Hinata when exhaustion made her collapse.
• Sakura asked Sasuke for the key to his house so she could retrieve the scroll he had been safeguarding.
• Sakura activated her Clone Duplicate at her secret underground base and explained that she needed its Mangekyō Sharingan to check for lingering Genjutsu.
• Sakura told the clone to use Kotoamatsukami on her if she was still affected by the Genjutsu.

One month earlier in the Land of Hot Water, Jiraiya trained Naruto to control the Nine-Tails’ power as he pushed beyond Four-Tails Mode into Five-Tails Mode. After Naruto unleashed devastating attacks, the Nine-Tails’ influence overwhelmed him and a sixth tail began to form as Jiraiya rushed to intervene.

• Jiraiya watched Naruto stabilize Four-Tails Mode and urged him to attempt forming a fifth tail.
• Naruto endured the Nine-Tails’ violent thoughts and successfully entered Five-Tails Mode.
• Naruto’s arm swing sent a powerful shock wave through the woods, and he shattered a boulder with his claws.
• Naruto formed and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, destroying a distant mountain and shocking Jiraiya.
• Naruto ignored Jiraiya’s order to stop, roared, and began forming a sixth tail, prompting Jiraiya to rush forward in alarm.

Naruto nearly lost control to the Nine-Tails after reaching the Six-Tails state, but Jiraiya’s scroll trick helped him regain his senses. With their investigation and training journey complete, Naruto and Jiraiya headed back to Konoha, where Sakura awaited Naruto’s return.

• Naruto’s consciousness began to give way to the Nine-Tails, but voices of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura encouraged him to fight back and regain control.
• Naruto returned to human form, and Jiraiya revealed that Shadow Clones, Transformation Technique, and sealed voices had created the illusion of his friends appearing.
• Jiraiya decided to end their journey because they had gathered enough information on Akatsuki and Naruto’s further Tailed Beast Transformation training was too dangerous to handle alone.
• Sakura read Naruto’s letter saying that he and Jiraiya were returning to Konoha, and she eagerly anticipated seeing him soon.
• Naruto and Jiraiya camped outside Konoha, and Jiraiya told Naruto they would reach the village the next day.