Chapter Summaries

Sakura told Tsunade about her breakthrough in Yin Release and the possibility of evolving Ice Release into a Kekkei Tōta, while keeping her Sharingan-related discoveries secret. She then asked Tsunade to arrange for Naruto to train at Kumogakure’s Waterfall of Truth, but someone entered before Tsunade could answer.

• Sakura admitted that she had not considered Tsunade’s assigned question and explained that she had tested her new Yin Release power.
• Sakura described how Yin Release had strengthened her Ice Release and brought it closer to becoming a Kekkei Tōta.
• Tsunade asked Sakura to record her insights and ordered her to think seriously about the assigned question before reporting back the next day.
• Sakura asked Tsunade to discuss letting Naruto train at Kumogakure’s Waterfall of Truth.
• Someone opened the Hokage’s office door and said they thought they had heard their name.

Naruto reunited with Sakura, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, and Tsunade discussed using Kumogakure’s Waterfall of Truth to help Naruto train. An urgent message from Kirigakure interrupted their plans, and Tsunade ordered Sakura and Naruto to report for a mission involving Team Kakashi.

• Naruto returned to Konoha and reunited with Sakura, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
• Tsunade urged Jiraiya to stay in the village, and he said he would remain for now while the Akatsuki threat persisted.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya discussed Kumogakure’s Waterfall of Truth as a possible training site for Naruto, to be considered after his Six-Tails training reached a bottleneck.
• Sakura agreed to help Naruto train with Sasuke, and Tsunade proposed restoring Team Kakashi’s coordination.
• An Anbu Ninja delivered an urgent message from the Land of Water, and Tsunade ordered Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki to report.

Tsunade assigned Team 7 to help Kirigakure capture the revived Three-Tails, though its location remained unknown and the team was told to wait for more information while rebuilding their teamwork. After leaving the Hokage's office, Sakura Haruno and Naruto met Konohamaru, whose demonstration of Sexy Jutsu led Naruto to show off his Harem Jutsu.

• Tsunade told Sakura Haruno and Naruto that Kirigakure had detected signs of the Three-Tails' revival and asked Konoha for help capturing it before Akatsuki could act.
• Sakura Haruno questioned why Kirigakure would trust Konoha with a Tailed Beast, and Tsunade warned her against betraying the alliance for it.
• Tsunade explained that Kirigakure had only found an unusual storm that might conceal the Three-Tails, so Team 7 would wait for clearer information and train together.
• Sakura Haruno pulled Naruto out of the Hokage's office, and they discussed Tsunade and Jiraiya before deciding to look for Sasuke and Kakashi.
• Konohamaru greeted Sakura Haruno and Naruto, announced that he had graduated, and demonstrated his Sexy Jutsu.
• Naruto criticized Konohamaru's technique and prepared to show him his Harem Jutsu, leaving Sakura Haruno stunned.

Sakura Haruno reunited with Naruto and her students, then invited them to demonstrate their new techniques at a training ground. The chapter ended with Moegi revealing that she had learned Wood Release and trapping Sakura with a vine.

• Sakura Haruno scolded Naruto and Konohamaru for using Sexy Ninjutsu in public, then Naruto learned that Sakura was a Jonin team leader.
• Moegi and Udon reunited with Naruto and asked about his travels, while Naruto bragged about his new ultimate moves.
• Sakura took Naruto and her students to a training ground to see their new techniques.
• Konohamaru attempted the Summoning Technique but summoned a tiny baby monkey instead of Enma.
• Moegi used Wood Release: Devil Vine Killing Binding Technique to bind Sakura with a thick vine.

Sakura Haruno watched her students demonstrate their new jutsu, praising Moegi’s self-developed Wood Release while warning her to strengthen her elemental basics, and dismissing Udon’s mucus-based technique. The story then shifted to the Land of Water, where Chojuro led Mist Ninja Anbu into a worsening storm to find the Three-Tails before the Akatsuki.

• Moegi trapped Sakura Haruno with Wood Release, but Sakura broke free and explained that Moegi needed to improve her Water and Earth Release foundations.
• Sakura encouraged Moegi after warning that her current Wood Release was weak and telling her to train diligently.
• Udon demonstrated his Nasal Mucus Jutsu, and Sakura washed it away and urged him to focus on Genjutsu.
• Chojuro led Mist Ninja Anbu toward the center of a fifteen-day storm, reasoning that the Three-Tails might be inside it.
• Chojuro ordered the Mist Ninja to search for the Three-Tails before the Akatsuki could find it.

Chojuro led the Mist Ninja through the storm in search of the Three-Tails, but stopped to let his exhausted team rest. After they resumed the mission, Yurika sensed two powerful Chakra signatures ahead that felt more frightening than the Three-Tails.

• After ten hours of searching in the storm, Chōjūrō persuaded his brother Kuro to let the Mist Ninja rest for five hours.
• A sensor ninja found a submerged reef, and an Earth Release ninja raised it to create a temporary camp where the team warmed up and ate.
• Uncle Hino told Chōjūrō and the others about Kirigakure during the Bloody Mist era.
• Chojuro arranged a watch roster, ordered the team to rest, and took the first watch.
• After the team resumed its search, Yurika sensed two powerful Chakra signatures ahead and said they felt more frightening than the Three-Tails.

Chojuro identified Akatsuki members Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasori approaching the Mist team in search of the Three-Tails, and stayed behind to cover his comrades’ retreat. In Konoha, Naruto reunited with Sakura and Sasuke after returning from his travels.

• Terumi Yurika sensed two powerful strangers approaching and identified them as Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasori of the Red Sand.
• Chojuro decided the Mist team could not defeat Akatsuki and prepared to draw the attackers away so the others could escape.
• Chojuro gave his sword to Chōjūrō, entrusted his brother to Uncle Hino, and asked Yurika to deliver a message to her cousin and teacher.
• Yurika kissed Chojuro and urged him to survive by stalling the enemy; he then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the team.
• In Konoha, Sakura finished training her students and walked with Naruto to meet Sasuke, reflecting on how both she and Naruto had changed.
• Naruto surprised Sasuke outside the Anbu building, and Sasuke welcomed him back while trying to hide his excitement.

Sakura reorganized Naruto and Sasuke into Team 7, an elite squad tasked with countering Akatsuki and protecting Naruto, and warned them that dangerous missions lay ahead. In Kirigakure, Chojuro remained critically injured, so Mei Terumi decided to ask the Fifth Hokage for help.

• Naruto and Sasuke eagerly planned to spar at a training ground they both knew, while Sakura struggled to get their attention and joined them for lunch at Ichiraku Ramen.
• At Training Ground 9, Sakura announced that Team 7 had been reorganized to oppose Akatsuki and protect Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Sasuke declared he was ready to face powerful opponents, and Sakura told him they would train while waiting for their first deployment.
• Mei Terumi learned that Chojuro was out of immediate danger but might never recover his abilities or wake up.
• Mei ordered Ao to bring paper and a pen so she could send the Fifth Hokage an urgent letter.

Mei Terumi sent Tsunade an urgent request for help against Akatsuki and medical aid for Chojuro, who feared his injuries had ended his career as a ninja. In Konoha, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke trained before their mission to the Land of Water, and Sakura prepared to reveal something new.

• Mei wrote to Tsunade requesting help against Akatsuki and medical assistance for Chojuro, then reflected on Kirigakure's alliance with Konoha.
• Chojuro woke and told Mei that Sasori had used a Human Puppet with Kisame's appearance and Ninjutsu, allowing him to escape.
• Chojuro asked Mei whether he could still be a ninja, and Mei left after offering an uncertain promise that they would heal him.
• Sasuke demonstrated his Mangekyō Sharingan and nearly one-hundred-meter Susanoo to Naruto at Training Ground Nine.
• Sakura said she had new power to show, then slipped into the forest with a scroll as two slender figures emerged from the shadows.

Sakura Haruno revealed that her Clone Duplicate was a real person with a Sharingan and Mangekyō, then demonstrated her power by summoning a massive green Susanoo. Naruto and Sasuke watched in astonishment, with Sasuke sensing that she had grown stronger.

• Sakura Haruno introduced her Clone Duplicate to Naruto, who realized the duplicate was a real person rather than a chakra clone.
• The duplicate revealed her Sharingan, and Naruto mistook her for Sakura Uchiha, prompting Sasuke to laugh at the name.
• Sakura Haruno explained the duplicate’s origins and described how she could absorb Senjutsu Chakra to support her in battle.
• The duplicate activated her Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned a towering green Susanoo that dwarfed Sasuke’s purple one.
• Naruto stared at the Susanoo in awe, while Sasuke wondered aloud whether the duplicate had become stronger.

Sakura Haruno demonstrated her enhanced Susanoo and its new spiral sword attacks, then watched Sasuke reveal his own Susanoo and Lightning Release technique. The chapter ended after Sasuke unveiled Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, a heavily armored form of Susanoo.

• Sakura Haruno explained that breakthroughs in Yin Release had strengthened and changed her Susanoo, giving it a giant spiral sword.
• Sakura Haruno demonstrated the sword's attacks, Susanoo: Tsukumo, and Yasaka Tomoe, devastating the training ground.
• Sakura Haruno said she could use the stronger Majestic Attire God Warrior but would save it for another time.
• Sasuke showed his half-bodied Susanoo, using its bow and arrow for both ranged and close combat.
• Sasuke combined Susanoo with Lightning Release and revealed Secret Technique: Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, which clad the giant in Lightning Release Armor.

Sasuke demonstrated the destructive power of his Susanoo, and Naruto tried to match it by forcing himself into increasingly dangerous Tailed Beast Forms. As Naruto began losing control in Seven-Tails Mode, Sakura used her Mangekyō to enter his mind, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Sasuke fired his Super Electromagnetic Cannon through a straight path in the Forest of Death, impressing Naruto and Sakura.
• Naruto entered Six-Tails Form, worried that he was falling behind Sakura and Sasuke, and managed to stabilize it with their encouragement.
• Naruto pushed toward Seven-Tails Mode, while the Nine-Tails tempted him and his clarity began to fade.
• Sakura recognized that Naruto was losing consciousness, joined hands with her clone, and used her Mangekyō to transport herself to a dark underground hall.

Sakura Haruno entered Naruto's sealed mindscape and stopped the Nine-Tails from overwhelming him. After destroying the fox's Chakra clone, she faced the real Nine-Tails behind Minato Namikaze's sealed gate and left him wary of her Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Sakura Haruno confronted the Nine-Tails as he tried to make Naruto accept his power and used Genjutsu to freeze the fox's Chakra clone.
• Sakura Haruno grabbed the immobilized clone and shattered it with her Monstrous Strength Technique and Star Cannon Fist.
• Sasuke saw the clone disappear, and Sakura Haruno explained that Naruto was safe for now but that the real Nine-Tails remained inside the sealed cage.
• Sakura Haruno approached the gate and challenged the real Nine-Tails to fight again, while he restrained his urge to attack because of her Mangekyō Sharingan.

Sakura Haruno confronted the Nine-Tails inside Naruto’s seal and tried to make him stop influencing Naruto. After Genjutsu and Susanoo failed to make him submit, Sakura decided to use Kotoamatsukami.

• Sasuke asked whether they should kill the Nine-Tails, but Sakura explained that killing him would only make him return later and deprive Naruto of his power.
• Sakura entered the Nine-Tails’ cage in a Genjutsu, making him believe he had attacked and killed her before revealing she was unharmed outside the bars.
• The Nine-Tails rejected Sakura’s demand to submit and launched Tailed Beast Bombs at her, but the seal stopped them from reaching her.
• Sakura and Sasuke summoned their Susanoo and pinned the Nine-Tails down when his attacks proved futile.
• Sakura decided to use Kotoamatsukami on the Nine-Tails after Sasuke suggested fighting him directly.

Sakura Haruno prepared to use Kotoamatsukami to make the Nine-Tails submit to Naruto, but Naruto stopped her and insisted that he wanted to befriend the fox. The Nine-Tails responded with threats, leaving Sakura doubtful that Naruto could reach him.

• Sakura Haruno explained that Kotoamatsukami could implant thoughts and planned to use it to make the Nine-Tails submit to Naruto.
• Sakura Haruno began gathering Chakra to cast the Genjutsu, but Naruto regained consciousness and asked her to stop.
• Naruto told Sakura Haruno that he wanted to become friends with the Nine-Tails so he could become a Perfect Jinchuriki like Killer B.
• The Nine-Tails threatened to kill Naruto, and Sakura Haruno questioned whether Naruto would persist despite the fox's hatred of humans.

Naruto tried to understand the Nine-Tails and make friends with him, but the Nine-Tails rejected his words and threatened to kill him. Sakura Haruno left the sealing space with Naruto and Sasuke, and Team 7 resumed training before Tsunade received an urgent letter from the Mist Ninja.

• Naruto told the Nine-Tails that he understood his hatred because he had also been shunned and had once considered taking revenge on Konoha.
• Naruto acknowledged that the Nine-Tails had been controlled during his attacks on Konoha and said he wanted to be the first person to understand him.
• The Nine-Tails briefly wavered at Naruto's sincerity, then grew furious, wounded himself against the seal, and threatened to devour Naruto.
• Sakura Haruno offered to use Kotoamatsukami to remove the Nine-Tails' killing intent, but Naruto refused and insisted that he and the Nine-Tails should build trust without it.
• As Naruto's body began to wake, Sakura Haruno, Naruto, and Sasuke left the sealing space and returned to the real world.
• Team 7 continued training normally, and a few days later Tsunade received an urgent letter from the Mist Ninja.

Team Kakashi arrived in Kirigakure to help investigate Akatsuki’s hunt for the Three-Tails and treat the wounded. Sakura Haruno discovered Chojuro’s injuries had been poorly treated and promised Mei Terumi she could help him regain the ability to be a ninja.

• Mei Terumi welcomed Sakura Haruno, Sasuke, and Naruto, then reported that a Mist sensory team had vanished and Kirigakure had lost contact with its watchers at sea.
• Mei Terumi said Akatsuki had sent at least Sasori and Kisame, and Sakura Haruno explained that Kisame was dead and his corpse had become one of Sasori’s Human Puppets.
• Mei Terumi asked Sakura Haruno to analyze fragmented messages from a team attacked at sea, but Sakura Haruno first insisted on visiting the wounded.
• Sakura Haruno examined the unconscious Chojuro and found that his internal injuries had not been properly treated.
• Mei Terumi showed Sakura Haruno that Chojuro had lost a leg, and Sakura Haruno said she could help him become a ninja again.

Chojuro awoke after Sakura Haruno operated on him, and Mei Terumi assured him Kirigakure would not abandon him despite his injuries. After reviewing unreliable reports about the Akatsuki, Sakura returned to her team and warned Sasuke and Naruto to rest before a dangerous mission.

• Sakura Haruno told Chojuro she had removed dead tissue from his spleen and treated his other injuries.
• Mei Terumi promised Chojuro that she would not abandon him, while Sakura suggested his leg injury might still have hope.
• Chōjūrō burst into Chojuro's room but was dragged out by a medical-nin, and Sakura and Mei left after questioning Chojuro about Sasori.
• Sakura reviewed Kirigakure's reports, found them unreliable, and wondered whether Kakuzu was among the Akatsuki attackers.
• Sakura returned to her lodgings, found Sasuke and Naruto fresh from a bath, and told them to rest before their dangerous mission.

Sakura Haruno, Naruto, and Sasuke shared a seafood dinner in Kirigakure and debated why wars began and how peace could be achieved. Sakura suggested that two people as powerful as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha could deter the ninja villages, then the trio prepared to leave for their mission.

• Sakura Haruno warned Naruto to stay cautious on their dangerous mission, and the three enjoyed a seafood feast hosted by Kirigakure.
• Naruto asked why Kirigakure and other villages fought wars, prompting Sakura and Sasuke to discuss human desire and the struggle for resources.
• Sakura explained that resources might be the purpose of war rather than its root cause, and urged Naruto to think about such questions if he wanted to become Hokage.
• Naruto asked for a simple way to achieve peace, and Sakura suggested that two people as powerful as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha could prevent wars by joining forces.
• The next morning, Sakura found Naruto and Sasuke packing their equipment, and she told them to set out.

Sakura Haruno, Sasuke, and Naruto prepared for a mission to stop the Akatsuki from capturing the Three-Tails. After reaching the storm zone where Isobu was expected to revive, the team set out toward the enemy’s last known location.

• Sasuke packed ninja tools and discarded his hard bracers after Sakura Haruno advised that armor would hinder him against powerful opponents.
• Sakura Haruno and Naruto finished preparing, with Sakura relying on her own techniques and a few supplies rather than standard weapons.
• Sakura Haruno led Sasuke and Naruto out to meet two Mist Ninja guides, and Chōjūrō recognized her from their previous meeting.
• The five traveled by river and reached a violent storm over the open sea, where the Mist Ninja identified the area as the likely site of the Three-Tails’ revival.
• Chōjūrō described the rocky island where he had encountered the Akatsuki, and the Mist Ninja turned back as Sakura Haruno, Sasuke, and Naruto continued toward the enemy.