Chapter Summaries

Itachi and Kisame were sent to delay Kakashi’s team while the Akatsuki extracted the One-Tail’s Chakra. Sasuke recognized that the pair were impostors and challenged Itachi, while Kisame engaged the others.

• The leader ordered Itachi and Kisame to hold off Kakashi’s team long enough for the Akatsuki to obtain more than half of the One-Tail’s Chakra.
• Itachi and Kisame set out to draw Kakashi’s team away from the extraction site.
• Kakashi’s team encountered Itachi and Kisame on a plain, and Sasuke volunteered to fight Itachi while Kakashi faced Kisame.
• Sasuke identified the pair as not being the real Itachi and Kisame, and Kisame confirmed they were impostors.
• Sasuke charged Itachi, while Kisame unleashed Exploding Water Colliding Wave against Kakashi’s group and Itachi led Sasuke farther away.

Sasuke and Itachi secretly discussed delaying the ritual and taking half of the One-Tail’s Chakra to save Gaara. As Naruto was dragged underwater and Kakashi struggled against Kisame, Sasuke used a powerful fire technique to finish his fight with Itachi and rushed to help.

• Sasuke asked Itachi how long the ritual would take and proposed that Itachi take half of the One-Tail’s Chakra so Gaara would survive.
• Kisame overwhelmed Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura with Water Release techniques, trapping Naruto underwater with a water shark.
• Kisame fought Kakashi while Naruto struggled underwater, and Sakura could not catch the shark.
• Sasuke used Fire Release: Nine Dragon Maze Formation against Itachi, then rushed toward Kisame’s battle.
• Kisame spent his remaining Chakra on Great Shark Bullet, but Sasuke’s Water Formation Wall held it back until the water shark dissipated.

After defeating two Akatsuki impostors, Kakashi's team rested and continued toward Gaara's location. At the cave entrance, Sasuke offered to remove the Five-Point Seal so the team could break through the boulder and enter.

• Kakashi warned Naruto and Sasuke that the Akatsuki members they had defeated were weakened and that another difficult fight awaited them.
• Sasuke described his dangerous solo training, and Kakashi encouraged Naruto by promising to teach him the Multiple Shadow Clone training method.
• Kakashi ordered the team to rest before approaching the stronghold, and Sasuke shared food and meditated while they recovered.
• Kakashi woke the team during the night, and they traveled to a canyon where a sealed cave blocked their path.
• Kakashi explained that the Five-Point Seal required four matching seals to be removed simultaneously, and Sasuke offered to remove it while Sakura prepared to smash the boulder.
• Kakashi wondered how Sasuke could undo the seal and feared the cave might be a trap.

Sasuke broke the cave’s seal, rescued Gaara from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and faced Deidara as Kakashi and Granny Chiyo prepared to fight Sasori. The Akatsuki leader and statue disappeared, leaving the rescue team to confront the two remaining enemies.

• Sasuke used Lightning Chains to break the Five-Point Seal, and Sakura smashed the boulder blocking the cave.
• Sasuke severed the Chakra connecting Gaara to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, caught Gaara, and sent him to Naruto.
• The Akatsuki leader ended the extraction and vanished with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, leaving Deidara and Sasori behind.
• Sakura examined Gaara and found that he needed treatment for overexertion and slight internal bleeding, while Naruto angrily confronted Deidara and Sasori.
• Sasuke chose Deidara as his opponent, and Granny Chiyo addressed Sasori as her grandson.

Sasuke pursued Deidara into an aerial battle, using Eagle Blade and his ninjutsu to counter Deidara’s explosive clay. After foiling Deidara’s ambush, Sasuke confronted him on the ground as Deidara sent a swarm of Clay Spiders after him.

• Deidara flew out of the cave to fight Sasuke, while Kakashi assigned Naruto to protect Sakura as she treated Gaara.
• Sasuke summoned Eagle Blade and caught up with Deidara in the sky.
• Eagle Blade and Sasuke destroyed Deidara’s Twin-winged Hummingbirds with Wind Blades and Lightning Release Senbon.
• Sasuke used Water Release to weigh down Deidara’s Clay Bird, but Eagle Blade detected Deidara’s ambush and helped Sasuke evade its explosion.
• Sasuke landed to face Deidara while Eagle Blade kept control of the sky, and Deidara sent Clay Spiders hopping toward Sasuke.

Sasuke defeated Deidara by surviving his explosive attacks and using Kamui to evade Deidara’s final blast. Meanwhile, Sakura stabilized Gaara and prepared to enter the cave to help fight Sasori, leaving Naruto to guard Gaara.

• Sasuke overwhelmed Deidara with his speed, lightning armor, and a combined fire-and-wind attack.
• Sasuke tracked Deidara underground with Eight-Way Earth Current and struck him with Lightning Cutter.
• Deidara held Sasuke and began his final self-detonation, but Sasuke used Kamui to become intangible and escape unharmed.
• Sakura finished treating Gaara and told Naruto she would go into the cave to help fight Sasori.
• Naruto wanted to avenge Gaara, but Sakura insisted that her medical skills made her the better choice to face Sasori’s poison.

Sasuke joined Kakashi, Sakura, and Chiyo as they fought Sasori, while Naruto stayed outside to care for Gaara and worried that he had been useless. Sasori unleashed his Puppet Brigade, and Sasuke stepped forward to face him alone.

• Sakura joined Kakashi and Chiyo in the battle against Sasori’s Third Kazekage puppet, relying on her antidote and knowledge as the team struggled.
• Sasuke returned after defeating Deidara, but refused Naruto’s request to guard Gaara and hurried into the cave to help Sakura.
• Naruto spoke with Gaara after he woke, confessed that he felt useless, and took encouragement from Gaara’s reassurance.
• Sasuke saw Sakura’s injuries and angrily confronted Sasori, who mocked him and then summoned the Puppet Brigade.
• Sasuke told Kakashi, Sakura, and Chiyo to retreat while he handled Sasori, who became wary that Sasuke might possess eyes like Itachi’s.

Sasuke fought Sasori after sending Kakashi, Sakura, and Chiyo out of the cave, using the battle to improve his swordsmanship. He summoned Eagle Fury and launched a diving attack with a powerful combination of Fire and Wind Release, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Sasuke told Kakashi to take Sakura and Chiyo away, then faced Sasori alone.
• Sasuke used Water Release to destroy many of Sasori’s puppets before fighting the remaining ones with War Soul.
• Sasuke’s swordsmanship improved during the fight, prompting Sasori to pull back his puppets.
• Sasuke summoned Eagle Fury and rode it into the air as Kakashi and the others watched from a distance.
• Sasuke and Eagle Fury dove toward Sasori, who raised his puppets for protection, while Sasuke used Great Fire Annihilation and Eagle Fury used Rapid Current Wind.

Sasuke defeated Deidara and Sasori, recovered Sasori’s core, and reunited with Gaara and the others. After the group rested, Guy’s Team arrived, and Sasuke told Guy they had rescued the Kazekage and killed two Akatsuki members.

• Sasuke used Gale Flame Wave to destroy the cave’s puppet wreckage, then sealed Sasori’s core in a scroll.
• Sasuke gave the scroll to Granny Chiyo and told her Sasori could return to life in a puppet body, but warned her to keep him in check.
• Gaara woke and thanked Sasuke, who cautioned that Akatsuki might target him again and explained why defeating Deidara and Sasori did not mean the group could easily defeat Akatsuki.
• Sasuke hunted and cooked dinner for the group, then took the night watch while the others rested.
• Guy’s Team and Pakkun arrived at midnight, and Sasuke welcomed them and reported that they had rescued Gaara and killed two Akatsuki members.

After rescuing Gaara, Sasuke and Kakashi escorted him back to Sunagakure, where Temari, Kankuro, and the villagers welcomed him. The Konoha team returned home a week later, with Sasuke racing ahead alongside Might Guy and Rock Lee.

• Temari, Kankuro, and Ebizo led a group of Sand Ninja to meet the returning team and reunite with Gaara.
• Kakashi decided the Konoha team had to escort Gaara to Sunagakure before their support mission was complete.
• The group reached Sunagakure, where villagers welcomed Gaara, and Kakashi's team left after resting for a day.
• Sasuke raced with Might Guy and Rock Lee on the journey back and reached Konoha's gate first.
• Sakura reminded Might Guy that the team needed to register and report to the Hokage.

After the successful mission to rescue the Kazekage, Tsunade and Jiraiya assigned Yamato to Team 7 to help train Naruto and suppress the Nine-Tails’ Chakra. Yamato joined the team and began explaining Chakra nature transformation, while Sasuke continued to wonder about the unusual abilities of his eyes.

• Kakashi reported the mission’s success to Tsunade, and she approved a few days of rest for the team.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed to remove Yamato from the Anbu and assign him to Team 7 to help train and protect Naruto.
• Sasuke took Naruto and Sakura out for a meal, and the team rested before meeting Kakashi again the next day.
• Kakashi introduced Yamato as Team 7’s new Jonin and acting captain when Kakashi was absent, explaining that Yamato could suppress Naruto’s Nine-Tails’ Chakra.
• Yamato demonstrated Wood Release and explained that he had combined Water and Earth Chakra natures to form a Kekkei Genkai.
• Yamato told Naruto that he had other Chakra natures besides Wind Release, though Wind Release was the most abundant in his body.

Yamato explained chakra attributes, clan techniques, and Kekkei Genkai while Kakashi prepared Naruto for accelerated training. Sasuke left after realizing he had forgotten a fundamental point about the world's chakra system, and began reconsidering his plan to create a new order.

• Yamato explained the five basic chakra attributes and how Yin Release and Yang Attribute Chakra supported the secret techniques of several Konoha clans.
• Yamato revealed that his Wood Release came from the First Hokage's cells, while Kakashi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya worried about Sasuke's growing potential and planned to strengthen Naruto.
• Kakashi told Naruto to focus on Wind Release training and introduced a quick-training method suited only to him; Sasuke recognized it as the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and left to think.
• Sasuke realized he had forgotten that the world's five chakra attributes lacked metal and wood, and reconsidered his belief that the world's disorder required a new order.

Sasuke unlocked the Nine-Tomoe’s ability to travel between his nine elemental spaces, then became frightened as he wondered whether a god had arranged the world and his own arrival. After resting and dreaming of an ordinary family life, he regained his resolve to protect Sakura and the people close to him.

• Sasuke tested his Nine-Tomoe and explored the nine elemental spaces, then considered how Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Divine Tree, and the Summoning Animals might fit into the world’s history.
• Sasuke feared that a god might have created the world’s order and placed his soul there, and he questioned the purpose of his cultivation.
• Sakura found Sasuke sitting dazed in the courtyard, and he took her to dinner before going home and sleeping without cultivating Chakra.
• Sasuke dreamed of growing old with a family, then woke late to find Sakura beside him and decided he would face death rather than abandon those he needed to protect.

Sasuke went to Eagle Nest Mountain to restore his missing Chakra attributes and investigate his Sharingan abilities, discovering that Nine-Cycle Space accelerated his cultivation. After filling out all nine Chakra types, he woke to find most of his Chakra depleted and began monitoring his body while fishing.

• Sasuke got Tsunade's permission to train at Eagle Nest Mountain for a month and told Sakura he would be away.
• Sasuke asked the Eagle King about Summoning Animals with Wood Release and Metal Release, but the Eagle King knew nothing about them.
• Sasuke tried cultivating earth-nature Chakra with fire-nature Chakra, but his progress was too slow.
• Sasuke entered the earth-attribute space within Nine-Cycle Space and rapidly cultivated until he had all nine Chakra types, dividing his reserves equally among them.
• Sasuke woke after a day of sleep to find two-thirds of his Chakra depleted, replenished it, and began fishing to sense changes in his Chakra.

Sasuke discovered that his eyes drained most of his Chakra each day, leaving his strength unstable, but chose to keep his new Chakra attributes rather than change them back. Back in Konoha, he learned the Two-Tails Jinchuriki had been captured, received a mission to help stop the hunt for the Three-Tails, and began studying the Scroll of Seals.

• Sasuke observed his Chakra flowing into his eyes for a month and decided to wait and see how much they would absorb.
• Sasuke returned to Konoha and told Sakura that his training had produced little progress, while learning that Naruto had improved through Shadow Clone training.
• Sasuke and Sakura reported to Tsunade, who told them the Two-Tails Jinchuriki had been captured and assigned their team to help stop the hunt for the Three-Tails.
• Sasuke asked to study the Scroll of Seals and requested a collection of low-level ninjutsu, and Tsunade approved both requests.
• Sasuke began reading the Scroll of Seals to memorize techniques suited to his expanded range of Chakra attributes.

Sasuke joined a large Konoha team sent to the nameless island to deal with the Three-Tails, while concealing his plan to rescue it and struggling with his unstable Chakra. After learning that Hidan and Kakuzu were also targeting the Three-Tails, the group reached the island prepared to confront them.

• Sasuke studied the Scroll of Seals, received a scroll of low-level techniques from Shizune, and set out with Konoha’s teams for the mission.
• Naruto told Sasuke that his training had succeeded, while Sasuke hid how quickly his Chakra was draining.
• Kakashi asked Sasuke about Itachi’s intelligence, and Sasuke learned that Hidan and Kakuzu were assigned to capture the Three-Tails.
• Sasuke told the Jonin to focus on discovering the enemies’ abilities and suggested separating and sealing them if they could not be killed.
• The group traveled by ship to the nameless island, where Sasuke kept his prior knowledge of the place and his plan to rescue the Three-Tails secret.

Sasuke’s group approached the central lake but was trapped in strange mist and enclosed by red crystal walls, which restricted their scouting abilities. After determining the barrier’s size, Kakashi asked Might Guy to test the crystal while everyone stood ready.

• As the group advanced through the mist, Neji’s Byakugan, Kiba’s senses, and Shino’s insects were all hindered.
• Sasuke led the group onward, and they discovered that red crystal walls enclosed them and blocked sounds from outside.
• Kakashi sent the squads in different directions to measure the enclosure, and they found it was about one kilometer across.
• Sasuke judged that the crystal was likely Ninjutsu created through a Kekkei Genkai rather than a conventional barrier.
• Kakashi told Might Guy to test the crystal while the others stepped back and stayed alert.

Might Guy broke through Guren’s crystal barriers as Kakashi’s group raced toward the Three-Tails, but smoke and other attacks slowed them down. Sasuke slipped past the defenders and reached the lake, where the Three-Tails had been drawn by Yūkimaru’s amplified cries.

• Might Guy opened four of the Eight Inner Gates and shattered the crystal wall blocking the group.
• Guren’s backup crystal dome trapped the group again, but Might Guy broke it while Kakashi had Neji check the road ahead.
• Rin sent bats and Kifū’s smoke bombs to impede the group, and Sakura confirmed the smoke was not poisonous but could cause suffocation.
• Sasuke offered to circle around the smoke and continue ahead alone, and Kakashi allowed him to go.
• Hidan and Kakuzu arrived by ship and argued about pursuing the Three-Tails and claiming the reward.
• Sasuke reached the lake shore, saw the Three-Tails, and ran across the water toward it as Yūkimaru’s voice drew it closer.

Sasuke entered the Three-Tails and persuaded it to help with his plan to unite the Five Great Villages and nations under a government bound by law. The Three-Tails agreed with his vision but still questioned why it needed to leave parts of its body behind.

• Sasuke swam through the lake, entered the Three-Tails' mouth, and spoke with it inside its body.
• Sasuke told the Three-Tails he had found a home for it at Eagle Nest Mountain, but asked it to remain and give up several body parts to help his plan.
• Sasuke explained that the world lacked order and that he wanted to unite the villages and nations, establish laws, and improve people's livelihoods.
• The Three-Tails agreed that Sasuke's idea seemed workable but asked how it connected to leaving parts of its body behind.
• Sasuke said he planned to use the Tailed Beasts' power to pressure the villages and nations into uniting against the organization collecting Tailed Beasts.
• The Three-Tails asked whether Sasuke wanted to rule the nations, and Sasuke explained that leaders would be elected by the people.

Sasuke arranged for the Three-Tails to escape to Eagle Nest Mountain after surrendering three tails, then watched it defeat Guren. With Kakashi’s team and the Akatsuki members waiting nearby, Sasuke replenished his Chakra and considered how to use the Immortal Duo to transport the tails.

• Sasuke explained his plan for the Five Great Nations and made a summoning contract with the Three-Tails, directing it to retreat to Eagle Nest Mountain after giving up three tails.
• The Three-Tails broke free of its restraints, defeated Guren, and carried her to the lakeshore.
• Sasuke left to recover his Chakra while Kakashi and his team killed Rin and the other three members of her group.
• Kakashi’s team reached the lakeshore but found Sasuke, Orochimaru’s people, and the Three-Tails gone, so they waited for Sasuke to return.
• Kakuzu and Hidan watched Kakashi’s team and decided the Three-Tails was unsuitable for them to capture.
• Sasuke spotted Kakuzu and Hidan near his hiding place and considered how to get them to carry the Three-Tails’ tails back.