Recaps

Naruto quickly defeated Shino, then Sasuke faced Neji in the semifinal. Neji revealed a colossal skeletal transformation, and Sasuke answered by awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan and summoning Susanoo, leaving their battle poised to begin.

• Naruto defeated Shino with a Rasengan that overwhelmed his insects, prompting Shino to surrender.
• Itachi suspected that the person inside Naruto was no longer his little brother and resolved to question him later.
• Sasuke told Neji to surrender, but Neji erupted with Chakra and transformed into a gigantic skeletal titan.
• Neji declared he would win glory and benefits for the Empire and the Hyuga Clan, astonishing Hyuga Hiashi and making Sasuke take him seriously.
• Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and summoned a purple Susanoo several dozen meters tall.

Sasuke defeated Neji after their Susanoo and Skeletal Titan clashed in a fierce battle. After the two acknowledged each other, Naruto suggested revealing their identities to the Shinobi World.

• Itachi crushed his chair as he suspected that the Sasuke below was an impostor or possessed.
• Neji used the Skeletal Titan to battle Sasuke's Complete Susanoo, but Sasuke's Amaterasu began burning through its defenses.
• Neji struck Susanoo and used a ground-shaking counterattack to create an opening, but Sasuke anticipated his move and countered with Blaze Release.
• Neji withdrew the Skeletal Titan and conceded, and Sasuke approached him to acknowledge that he had underestimated him.
• Naruto told Sasuke that fighting him again would be dishonorable while Sasuke's Chakra was depleted, and urged him to reveal their identities publicly.

White struggled between his mother and Momochi Zabuza, who left to avoid causing conflict with White’s family. White later learned that Zabuza had volunteered to lead the Water Province’s ninja army to World 64 and capture the Land of Water.

• White’s mother urged him to stop associating with Zabuza, arguing that Zabuza was a frightening, weak outsider who had already repaid his debt.
• Zabuza heard White defending him and, after reflecting on the Empire’s prosperity and his old loyalty to the Hidden Mist, left a letter for White before departing.
• White found Zabuza’s letter explaining that he had left for White’s sake and encouraging him to train and serve the Empire.
• White vowed to become the strongest person in Snow Crystal Village and not disappoint Zabuza.
• The Empire Daily reported that Zabuza had volunteered to lead the Water Province’s ninja army to World 64 and pledged to capture the Land of Water within ten days of the passage opening.

Rasa rewarded Luo Tie for killing the Land of Wind’s daimyo and his entourage, giving him powerful tools and medicine. When Deidara and Sasori arrived seeking the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Luo Tie survived Sasori’s attack with the pills and activated the Homing Nuclear Exploding Tag against him.

• Rasa praised Luo Tie for killing the daimyo and his attendants, then gave him a scroll of rewards.
• Luo Tie discovered a Sand Iron Body Refinement Technique, two Basic Regeneration Pills, a Homing Nuclear Exploding Tag, a Wind Sand Blade, and promised land.
• Deidara and Sasori landed near Luo Tie’s home and asked where the One-Tail Jinchuriki was.
• Sasori struck Luo Tie in the heart with a hidden weapon, but Luo Tie swallowed both pills and recovered.
• Sasori bound Luo Tie with his mechanical scorpion tail and demanded to know what the pills were.
• Luo Tie infused Chakra into the Homing Nuclear Exploding Tag, targeting the hunched figure before him.

Deidara and Sasori escaped the Nuclear Tag’s blast after Sasori took control of Deidara and abandoned Hiruko to absorb the explosion. Deidara mistook Sasori’s exposed red-haired appearance for his true identity and became obsessed with the blast’s power, while Sasori wondered how the Hidden Sand Village had acquired such a weapon.

• Deidara warned Sasori and launched two Clay Clones toward the Nuclear Tag as it flew at them.
• Sasori shed Hiruko and used his puppet technique to control Deidara, while Hiruko swallowed the tag.
• Luo Tie accepted that he had failed the Kazekage as the Nuclear Tag detonated and devastated the area around it.
• Deidara praised the explosion as the ultimate art and admired Sasori, who silenced him with his puppet technique.
• Sasori wondered how the Hidden Sand Village had obtained power comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb.

A mining blast at Omi Grand Mine yielded a rich haul of gold, while an explosion near Luo Tie's residence sent Rasa rushing to investigate. As Rasa ordered the Anbu to rescue civilians first, one shinobi saved a mother and her child and felt the impact of being thanked by a villager.

• The chief blasting officer detonated ten Homing Nuclear Exploding Tags at Omi Grand Mine, breaking open gold-rich rock and celebrating the harvest with the workers.
• Rasa heard an explosion near Luo Tie's residence and flew toward the site, fearing his trusted subordinate had been hurt.
• Rasa ordered the Anbu to evacuate civilians and provide disaster relief, rejecting their demand to investigate for enemy shinobi first.
• An Anbu shinobi rescued a child from a collapsing pillar and stopped the injured mother from taking her own life.
• The mother thanked the shinobi and asked him to visit, leaving him moved by her gratitude and thinking of Rasa's call to put people first.

Sasori confronted Chiyo while searching for the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and his puppets and attack left her shaken and nearly killed. Rasa rescued Chiyo and faced Sasori and Deidara, who demanded that he hand over the Jinchuriki.

• Deidara offered to protect Sasori after his puppets were destroyed, while Chiyo arrived to treat the wounded and recognized her grandson.
• Sasori demanded to know where the One-Tail Jinchuriki was, then summoned puppets resembling his parents and the Third Kazekage.
• Chiyo was horrified by Sasori's puppets and the truth of his crimes, and Sasori attacked her with the Third Kazekage's Sand Iron.
• Rasa arrived in time to disrupt Sasori's attack, sent Chiyo away to treat the wounded, and confronted Sasori and Deidara.
• Deidara admitted that he and Sasori were connected to the explosion, and the two demanded that Rasa hand over the One-Tail Jinchuriki.

Deidara and Sasori attacked Rasa, but the Kazekage overwhelmed them with his Magnet Release. Rasa left both captured inside layers of gold sand coffins, with Deidara's mouths sealed to stop him from using his clay.

• Deidara provoked Rasa and attacked him with clay birds, but the explosion left Rasa unharmed.
• Sasori summoned his hundred puppets and used the Third Kazekage puppet's Sand Iron techniques against Rasa.
• Rasa repelled the Sand Iron attacks and knocked down the puppets with a storm of gold sand.
• Rasa used Tenfold Gravity to collapse Deidara and then trapped him and Sasori in gold sand coffins.
• Rasa sealed Deidara's hand, chest, and speaking mouths, leaving him unable to chew clay or use his techniques.

Rasa contained Sasori and Deidara after their failed escape attempts, then displayed them as punishment at the Kazekage Tower. In the Hidden Cloud Village, Nagato arrived and asked A to surrender Killer B’s Eight-Tails to the Empire, leaving A wary and Killer B battered.

• Rasa’s Gold Dust stopped Sasori’s attacks, and Rasa ordered that Sasori and Deidara be kept alive and hung at the Kazekage Tower with signs confessing their guilt and honoring Luo Tie.
• A apologized to Killer B for past wrongs, then worried about the Hidden Leaf’s competition because Darui and the others had not reported back.
• Killer B spotted a giant bird and a falling figure, but A mistook his warning for a delusion and beat him.
• Nagato arrived after descending from the bird, and A learned that he came from the Empire’s Hidden Leaf Village.
• Nagato asked A to surrender the Eight-Tails and offered to extract it without harming its Jinchuriki, along with generous compensation.

Nagato confronted Fourth Raikage A and Killer B in the Hidden Cloud Village while seeking the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and survived their first attack through the King of Hell Rebirth. As Nagato gained the upper hand, Killer B released Gyūki and joined A in preparing their strongest forms.

• Fourth Raikage A and Killer B used Double Lariat to sever Nagato's head, then A explained the Tailed Beast deterrence system and destroyed Nagato's head with a lightning projectile.
• Nagato revived through the King of Hell Rebirth, revealed his Rinnegan, and demanded that A tell him where the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was.
• Killer B attacked with Wild Crane Slash, but Nagato stopped his blades with Shinra Tensei and then used Almighty Pull to drag Killer B and A toward one another.
• Killer B released Gyūki's Chakra to protect A, then transformed into the Eight-Tails' complete form as A prepared his Lightning Release Chakra Complete Form.

Nagato used his Adamantine Sealing Chains and Preta Path to restrain Gyūki and Killer B and absorb their chakra. He survived Gyūki pouring all of its chakra into him, then demanded that the Cloud Village’s strongest fighters submit to the Empire.

• Nagato bound Gyūki and Killer B with Adamantine Sealing Chains, then transformed the chains into tubes to drain their chakra.
• Gyūki urged Killer B not to fear Nagato and decided to overwhelm him by sending its chakra through the chains.
• Gyūki gradually increased its chakra output, then poured all of its remaining chakra into Nagato, expecting his body to burst.
• Nagato absorbed all of Gyūki’s chakra without harm, drawing on his Uzumaki Body, Sage Eyes, and the Six Paths Elixir.
• Nagato declared that the Empire could accelerate its advance and ordered Gyūki and Killer B to submit.

Nagato extracted Gyūki from Killer B and sealed the Tailed Beast inside himself, then restrained A and Killer B and sealed their Chakra. A faced the consequences of resisting the Empire as Nagato unleashed Super Almighty Push.

• Nagato used the Outer Path: Tailed Beast Extraction Technique to pull Gyūki from Killer B, leaving him alive but devastated and powerless.
• A watched Killer B lose the Eight-Tails and vowed to call a Four Kage Summit to unite the villages against the Hidden Leaf Village.
• Gyūki struggled against Nagato’s seal as Nagato imprisoned him inside his own body.
• Nagato decided to keep A and Killer B alive until the Empire’s army arrived, then sealed their powers with golden chains.
• Nagato announced that resistance would be punished and used Super Almighty Push on A and Killer B.

Nagato tried to force A to accept the Empire’s rule by demonstrating his overwhelming power. After A refused to reveal the Two-Tails Jinchuriki’s location, Nagato unleashed Shinra Tensei on the Hidden Cloud Village, leaving A overwhelmed with regret and fear.

• Nagato argued that the village’s leaders had to feel pain and recognize their weakness before they would accept peace and the Empire.
• Nagato gave A one last chance to reveal the Two-Tails Jinchuriki’s location, but A refused.
• Nagato rose into the sky and unleashed Shinra Tensei, sending a devastating repulsive force through the Hidden Cloud Village.
• The force shattered buildings and ground across the village, throwing people into the air as A watched in despair.
• A regretted his choices as Nagato disappeared into the distance, and the experience left him branded with fear and powerlessness.

Nagato deliberately devastated the Hidden Cloud and injured its people to make them depend on the Empire’s aid, then fought Yugito Nii when she arrived as the Two-Tails’ Jinchuriki. He extracted the Two-Tails and informed the Empire Vanguard group that he had captured both the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails.

• Nagato left the ruined Hidden Cloud, intending for the Empire’s relief efforts to win the survivors’ loyalty.
• Yugito Nii confronted Nagato and attacked him with Matatabi’s power, but he deflected her strikes with Shinra Tensei.
• Yugito Nii fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Nagato, but it exploded before reaching him.
• Nagato restrained Yugito Nii with Adamantine Sealing Chains and extracted the Two-Tails, which reunited with the Eight-Tails inside him.
• Nagato departed on the Giant Bird and messaged the Empire Vanguard group that he had captured the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails.

Obito and Uchiha Setsuna argued over how to earn merit by capturing Tailed Beasts, then split up to hunt the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. When Obito found the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki in the Hidden Stone Village, he spotted a woman with the Rinnegan.

• Uchiha Setsuna persuaded Obito to lie to Nagato that they had captured the Tailed Beasts in the Land of Earth and were heading to the Land of Water.
• Nagato told Obito he had captured the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, then said he would search the Hidden Waterfall Village for the Seven-Tails.
• Uchiha Setsuna and Obito agreed to hunt the Four-Tails and Five-Tails separately and meet at the Hidden Mist Village, or the Hidden Sand Village if they lost contact.
• Obito searched for two days, found the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki in the Hidden Stone Village, and approached him to ask him to release the Tailed Beast.
• Obito noticed a woman nearby who possessed the Rinnegan.

Uchiha Setsuna ambushed Roshi and used his Mangekyo Sharingan to bind and attack his soul, but Son Goku awakened Roshi before Setsuna could take control of the Four-Tails. Roshi counterattacked with Lava Release and a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, while Setsuna summoned two purple arms to meet his charge.

• Uchiha Setsuna caught Roshi alone and bound him with Soul Shackles before using Underworld Judgment to torment his soul.
• Son Goku's spiritual force resisted Setsuna's attack, and Setsuna struck Roshi with Blaze Release: Incinerating Fire Dragon Bullet.
• Roshi emerged in Lava Release Chakra Mode, realized Setsuna had attacked him, and charged with Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique.
• Setsuna shattered Roshi's lava projectiles with Flame Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, but Roshi resisted the flames and began a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Roshi lunged to seize Setsuna, and Setsuna summoned two thick, purple, illusory arms.

Uchiha Setsuna captured Roshi and controlled Son Goku, but four Rinnegan-wielding Paths appeared and attacked him. He fought them with Complete Body Susanoo and shadow clones, destroying one Path before the others revealed their ability to revive.

• Uchiha Setsuna crushed Roshi with Susanoo until Roshi's Lava Release Chakra Mode dispersed, forcing Son Goku to emerge.
• Uchiha Setsuna used his Sharingan to control Son Goku, then sensed hidden enemies and called them out.
• Four figures bearing the Rinnegan revealed themselves as Paths, and Uchiha Setsuna recognized their Black Receivers and challenged them with Complete Body Susanoo.
• The Asura Path attacked with weapons, but Uchiha Setsuna used shadow clones and Susanoo to pulverize it while Son Goku knocked back the Human Path.
• The Preta Path drained one of Uchiha Setsuna's clones, and another Asura Path summoned the Hell King to revive the destroyed Path.
• Uchiha Setsuna faced the Paths' revival ability without fear and declared that he was witnessing the Uchiha Clan's ultimate power.

Uchiha Setsuna destroyed Nagato’s four Paths with Susanoo while Obito watched Ziyang Hua’s Animal Path devastate Hidden Stone Village. Obito took the Five-Tails and used Kamui to absorb the Animal Path’s Summoning Animals as she pursued him, leaving only Panda to face him.

• Uchiha Setsuna unleashed Susanoo: Blazing Flames and destroyed the four Paths of Pain, prompting Nagato to curse from Rain Village.
• Ziyang Hua’s six Summoning Animals ravaged Hidden Stone Village and suppressed Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, while Obito watched.
• Obito controlled Kokuō and sealed the Five-Tails in his Kamui Dimension, then fled as the Animal Path demanded his life.
• The Animal Path pursued Obito and summoned her animals, but he used Kamui to remove the Split Dog, Hell Crab, Chameleon, Yatagarasu, and Fighting Bull.
• Obito used Kamui against Panda after it turned into a stone statue.

Nagato watched Uchiha Setsuna destroy his Paths while Obito defeated the Animal Path’s summons, leaving him to consider using his contingency plans. In Shinobi World No. 7, Uchiha Madara summoned himself to Mount Myōboku, where Gamabunta’s resistance led Fukasaku to invite him to meet the Sage.

• Nagato realized that splitting his attention between the Chunin Exams, Obito, and Uchiha Setsuna had left his Paths vulnerable, and he blamed the timing for the crisis.
• Obito used Kamui to evade the Animal Path’s attack, then burned the five Rinnegan-bearing figures with Wild Storm Dance.
• Nagato spat blood after the Paths were destroyed and considered the contingency plans that “Madara” had left him.
• Uchiha Madara repeatedly used the Summoning Technique until he arrived at Mount Myōboku.
• Gamabunta taunted Madara and resisted his Mangekyo Sharingan, while Gamaken called for the Sage.
• Fukasaku appeared and invited Uchiha Madara to go up and meet the Sage.

Naruto and Sasuke challenged the gathered shinobi elites, offering their powers to anyone who could defeat them. Ōnoki and then Mei Terumi attacked Sasuke, and the chapter ended as Mei’s corrosive Lava Release threatened to hit him while Itachi watched nervously.

• Naruto and Sasuke halted their Chunin Exam match and challenged the assembled elites, with Naruto offering his Sage Jutsu inheritance and Uzumaki Body and Sasuke offering his Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Jiraiya confirmed the challenge, and Ōnoki entered the arena and attacked Sasuke with Earth Release techniques.
• Sasuke shattered Ōnoki’s stone fist with his bare hand and sent the Tsuchikage flying.
• Mei Terumi covered the arena in mist, and Sasuke’s Great Fireball evaporated it but collided with her Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Technique.
• Mei’s corrosive lava surged toward Sasuke as Kisame noticed that Itachi seemed nervous.

Sasuke fought the Kage-level opponents at the Chunin Exams and killed Darui with a single Susanoo strike, alarming the gathered delegates. Mabui accused the Hidden Leaf of provoking war, while Jiraiya ordered medical ninja to save Darui and tried to contain the crisis.

• Itachi suspected that Sasuke had been possessed and grew angry at the Hidden Leaf, though he again suppressed doubts about his own past choices.
• Mei Terumi's Lava Release began melting Sasuke's Susanoo, but Sasuke endured the attack.
• Darui combined Water and Lightning Release against Sasuke, who transformed the lightning into a Lightning Susanoo and cut through Darui's Storm Release lasers.
• Sasuke killed Darui with a slash, and Naruto protested after seeing his friend cut down an opponent.
• Mabui confronted Jiraiya and accused the Hidden Leaf of wanting war with the Hidden Cloud Village.
• Jiraiya ordered the medical ninja to save Darui and tried to manage the diplomatic fallout.

Tsunade confronted Mabui over Darui’s injury, then used the Slug Sage and her Medical Ninjutsu to save him. Meanwhile, Naruto faced challengers with Shadow Clones and overwhelmed Kitsuchi, who cried out for his father to save him.

• Jiraiya disowned the examinee and told Mabui she could seek revenge, but Tsunade arrived and challenged her accusations.
• Tsunade identified herself as Hashirama Senju’s granddaughter and took charge of the dispute.
• Tsunade summoned the Slug Sage and healed Darui, then warned Mabui against provoking another incident.
• Naruto created Shadow Clones to fight the challengers one-on-one, drawing attacks from shinobi who wanted his Sage inheritance and Uzumaki body.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clone destroyed Kitsuchi’s Earth Dragon Bullet and pierced his Earth Style Wall with a storm of shuriken, prompting Kitsuchi to shout, “Father, save me!”

Sasuke overwhelmed the Kage until Itachi intervened to save Ōnoki, revealing himself as Sasuke’s hated target. The brothers prepared to fight, while Itachi remained confused about the source of Sasuke’s hatred.

• Ōnoki, Mei Terumi, and Orochimaru attacked Sasuke, but Ōnoki diverted his Dust Release to save his son and destroyed Naruto’s Shadow Clones.
• Sasuke grew furious at Naruto’s complaint and transformed his Susanoo into its complete form, coating it in Amaterasu flames.
• Sasuke attacked Ōnoki, but Itachi appeared and deflected the Susanoo Flame Blade with Yasaka Beads.
• Sasuke accused Itachi of slaughtering the Uchiha and disgracing their clan, while Itachi sensed Sasuke’s genuine hatred and wondered what had caused it.

Sasuke confronted Itachi over the Uchiha massacre and believed his brother had spared him to take his eyes. Their Susanoo clashed as Itachi demanded to know where Sasuke was.

• Sasuke rejected Itachi's claim that he was his little brother and vowed to punish him for the Uchiha clan's deaths.
• Sasuke expanded his purple Susanoo, while spectators speculated that Itachi had returned to steal Sasuke's eyes.
• Kimita spread rumors that Itachi had left Sasuke alive to use his eyes as a replacement for his own failing Sharingan.
• Itachi and Sasuke summoned their Susanoo, with Sasuke wielding an Amaterasu-wreathed katana and Itachi drawing the Sword of Totsuka and raising the Yata Mirror.
• Itachi told Sasuke that his Susanoo was useless against his Divine Treasures and demanded to know where Sasuke was.

Itachi and Sasuke fought fiercely with their Susanoo, while stray Amaterasu flames killed Kimita and several Hidden Leaf hooligans. Sasuke struggled against Itachi’s legendary weapons and attacks from the other Kage, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Itachi used the Yata Mirror and Yasaka Beads to deflect Amaterasu, but some flames escaped and killed Kimita and the Hidden Leaf hooligans near him.
• Enraged, Itachi attacked Sasuke with his Susanoo’s Sword of Totsuka as Sasuke countered with lightning-charged sword strikes.
• Itachi and Sasuke clashed in the air, exchanging powerful sword attacks as flames and lightning tore through the sky.
• Sasuke realized his Amaterasu and Ninjutsu were being countered by Itachi’s Yata Mirror and grew frustrated that he lacked Six Paths Power.
• Sasuke also had to contend with Wind Kage, Mei Terumi, and Lord Ōnoki, who attacked him while Itachi kept fighting.