Recaps

Moriyue watched Rock Lee and Shira battle, then used Hinata to provoke Neji when he charged toward them. The chapter ended with Moriyue kissing Hinata in front of Neji and threatening to tell Naruto it was her first kiss.

• Moriyue and Hinata watched Rock Lee and Shira begin a taijutsu battle in the desert.
• Moriyue stirred up a sandstorm around the fighters, and Neji spotted Hinata with his Byakugan and raced toward her.
• Moriyue realized Neji had misunderstood Hinata's situation and decided to provoke him further.
• Moriyue lifted Hinata's chin and kissed her in front of Neji, then threatened to tell Naruto about her first kiss.

Moriyue used Hinata to provoke Neji, then attacked him with a strange Water Stream Projectile that absorbed the force of Neji’s defense. When Neji refused to negotiate and Moriyue’s plan fell apart, Moriyue escaped with Hinata, leaving Neji furious and unable to pursue.

• Moriyue stole Hinata’s first kiss to disrupt Neji’s composure, then fired a Water Stream Projectile at him.
• Neji countered with Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, but discovered Moriyue’s water stream absorbed the rotation’s power before he stopped it.
• Neji attacked Moriyue with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and refused to negotiate over the scrolls.
• Moriyue realized Neji’s fury had ruined his plan to exploit the Hyuga conflict and ordered Ando, Zero, and Kazeki to prepare to flee.
• Moriyue scattered bear meat and used Wind Release to cover their escape, while wet sand trapped Neji and kept him from chasing them with Hinata.

Moriyue fled with Hinata across the desert after provoking Neji, while Hinata struggled with what she had learned about Naruto and Sakura. Elsewhere, Kaede and Gaara faced Monk Fayi, who used his biwa to subdue Kaede and announced that he intended to seal their tailed beasts.

• Moriyue carried Hinata through the desert and apologized for provoking Neji, but Hinata turned away from him.
• Moriyue, Kazeki, Ando, and Hinata heard a fierce battle nearby and spotted three figures fighting in the sand.
• Kaede faced a bald monk while Gaara was intercepted on his way to Konoha.
• Kaede took to the air using the Seven-Tails' power, but Monk Fayi played his biwa and made her Chakra uncontrollable.
• Monk Fayi introduced himself as the Biwa Hermit and declared that he would seal Kaede and Gaara's tailed beasts.

Monk Fayi used his biwa and black-purple chains to drain the Tailed Beast Chakra from Kaede and Gaara, but an unexpected change outside freed them. Kaede recognized Moriyue as a rescuer, only to see him flee with a sack, while Gaara lingered over the broken biwa fragments.

• Monk Fayi weakened Kaede and Gaara with his biwa music and used chains to absorb their Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Kaede formed an insect cocoon around herself and Gaara to slow the Chakra drain, while encouraging him to hold on.
• Kaede and Gaara sensed fighting outside and noticed Monk Fayi's Chakra weakening.
• Kaede dispelled the cocoon, and the black-purple chains shattered as their Chakra became active again.
• Kaede spotted Moriyue running away with a struggling sack and chased after him, while Gaara stared at the broken biwa fragments.

Moriyue forced Monk Fayi to reveal the forbidden technique for extracting Tailed Beast Chakra while enduring the technique’s backlash. After leaving the monk behind, Moriyue traveled with his companions and suggested that he and Kaede try selling scrolls.

• Moriyue beat Monk Fayi and demanded that he explain his Tailed Beast-extraction technique.
• Moriyue took on the backlash from Fayi’s Black Purple Chains, which left a moving tattoo on his chest and caused him intense pain.
• Moriyue sent Kazeki, Kaede, and Ando outside, then continued beating Fayi until the monk promised to teach him the forbidden technique.
• Moriyue emerged from the canyon with the tattoo mostly stabilized, while his companions chose not to ask about the missing monk.
• Kaede talked about meeting Gaara, and Moriyue proposed that they try selling scrolls together.

Moriyue and his team reached the only route to the Desert Tower and found several groups waiting to ambush passing teams. He defeated them, collected their scrolls, and offered to trade scrolls back for valuables and information.

• Moriyue led his team to the narrow, unavoidable trail leading to the Desert Tower.
• Moriyue joined the assembled teams, and their members began fighting among themselves before he stepped in and defeated them.
• Moriyue gathered the teams’ Heaven and Earth Scrolls and made their leaders agree that they had handed them over willingly.
• Moriyue returned a set of scrolls to several ninjas who had flattered him and offered the others a chance to trade information, scrolls, or Secret Jutsu for theirs.

Moriyue and his companions exchanged scrolls for resources, helping several teams advance through the Chunin Exams. As they headed for the tower, Moriyue reflected on the intelligence and techniques he had gained and considered how the scrolls could advance his ninjutsu research.

• Moriyue redistributed scrolls among the gathered teams in exchange for resources, allowing teams that offered valuable goods to complete their sets.
• Teams that recovered their scrolls hurried toward the tower, while Moriyue left the teams unwilling to offer anything behind.
• Kaede, Ando, and Kazeki received their shares of the resources, and the group decided to report to the tower.
• Moriyue reviewed the techniques, intelligence, and forbidden technique he had acquired during the exams, along with the battles and information he had missed.
• Moriyue considered the ninjutsu scrolls his greatest gain and believed they could help him develop his research into new techniques.

Moriyue and his companions watched as a rebellion erupted in Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams. From the Desert Tower, Moriyue used binoculars to observe the fighting and spotted Neji, who sensed someone watching him.

• Ando reflected on how Moriyue had outdone himself during the exams, while Moriyue insisted that a good show was still coming.
• Sunagakure ninja rushed out of the Desert Tower after receiving an order, and Moriyue led Ando and Kazeki to a window to watch.
• Kazeki identified the scene outside as a split within Sunagakure, where masked Sunagakure ninja faced a sand statue of a woman.
• Moriyue watched Konoha’s candidates join the battle and pointed out several familiar faces through his binoculars.
• Neji looked around and told Rock Lee that he felt someone was watching him in a lecherous way.

Moriyue watched Konoha’s young ninjas defeat the rogue Sunagakure attackers, then turned his attention to Kaede’s limited control of the Seven-Tails and the danger of being a Jinchuriki. He revealed the black chains on his chest and directed them toward Kaede, leaving her startled.

• Sakura, Rock Lee, and the other Konoha ninjas overwhelmed the rogue Sunagakure attackers while Asuma and Kurenai guarded Gaara.
• Moriyue stopped watching the battle and asked Kaede about her status as the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Moriyue warned Kaede that people might target her for the tailed beast and pointed out that she had not mastered many techniques or the Seven-Tails’ power.
• Kaede insisted that she was strong and could merge with Chōmei, while Moriyue decided to demonstrate the danger she faced.
• Moriyue tore open his clothes and made the black chains tattooed on his chest emerge toward Kaede.

Moriyue persuaded Kaede that she needed to grow stronger to protect Takigakure, and she decided to go to Kumogakure with him for training. Before her teammates could accept the plan, the tower came under attack, and Kaede discovered that the attackers were members of the Akatsuki Organization.

• Moriyue used his chain ability and warned Kaede that her weakness could endanger Takigakure, convincing her to consider training in Kumogakure.
• Kaede's two Takigakure teammates arrived and challenged her about spending time with Kumogakure ninja.
• Kaede announced that she would go with Moriyue to Kumogakure and stay until she could protect her village, but her teammates objected.
• A tremor struck the tower, and Kaede carried the others outside as it began to tilt.
• Kaede and the others saw the Akatsuki Organization attacking the tower.

Moriyue and Kaede’s group encountered the Akatsuki’s Hidan and Kakuzu while supporting the effort to rescue Gaara. The fight began with Kaede and Moriyue countering Hidan’s attack, but Kakuzu neutralized Moriyue’s electromagnetic cannon, leaving the group facing two powerful enemies.

• Kaede brought Moriyue and the others safely to the ground as Hidan and Kakuzu attacked.
• Moriyue warned Kazeki to stay back and provide long-range support, while Kaede’s two Takigakure companions crouched in fear.
• Moriyue and Kaede struck Hidan’s scythe with a Wind Blade and an electromagnetic cannon, sending it flying and shocking Hidan into releasing it.
• Kakuzu offered to spare their lives if they handed over Kaede, but Moriyue answered with an electromagnetic cannon that Kakuzu’s tentacles stopped.
• Hidan began introducing himself as a Jashinist, but Kaede interrupted him with a Scale Blade that sent him flying.

Moriyue used a shadow clone and a lightning attack to lure Kakuzu into revealing a trap, then appeared to die in Kakuzu’s fire-and-wind blast. As Kakuzu turned to capture the tailed beast Jinchuriki, Moriyue struck him from behind with a lightning-fast attack.

• Kazeki’s attacks failed to hurt Kakuzu, while Ando was repeatedly overwhelmed by his tentacles.
• Moriyue sent a shadow clone at Kakuzu and charged from the front, but Kakuzu secretly extended tentacles underground and trapped him.
• Kakuzu’s masks engulfed Moriyue in a blast of fire, and Ando stopped Kazeki from rushing to his aid.
• Kakuzu believed Moriyue had been killed and turned his attention to the tailed beast Jinchuriki.
• Moriyue suddenly appeared behind Kakuzu and unleashed a rapid strike, saying he also liked having heart-to-heart talks.

Moriyue wounded Kakuzu and tore out one of his hearts, but Kakuzu continued pursuing as Kazeki carried the unconscious Moriyue away. After a Takigakure ninja sacrificed himself to save Kaede from Hidan’s Blood Death Art, Kaede joined Kazeki’s group as they fled toward Gaara’s forces.

• Moriyue tricked Kakuzu with his Clone Technique, resisted Kakuzu’s tendrils with lightning, and tore out one of his hearts.
• Kazeki carried the exhausted Moriyue away and called for Ando while Kakuzu entered a berserk state.
• Hidan activated Blood Death Art against Kaede, inflicting matching wounds on her with an iron spike.
• A Takigakure ninja revealed he had taken Kaede’s place, urged her to escape to Kumogakure, and stayed behind as she fled.
• Kaede caught up with Kazeki’s group, and the girls vowed to repay Kakuzu as they ran toward Gaara’s forces.

After Kakuzu and Hidan abandoned their pursuit, Kazeki, Moriyue, Ando, and Kaede recovered in Konoha and quickly left before Danzo could stop them. They returned safely to Kumogakure after robbing several bandits along the way.

• Gaara thanked Konoha's allies for helping Sunagakure, while Kurenai spotted Kazeki and her companions fleeing Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Asuma recognized the Akatsuki members, and Kakuzu chose to retreat rather than fight the gathered Konoha and Sunagakure forces.
• Kazeki woke in a Konoha hospital after dreaming that Moriyue had sacrificed himself to save her, and Ando urged the group to leave Konoha.
• Moriyue, Kazeki, Ando, and Kaede left without contacting Konoha's leaders, and the hospital staff and guards received orders forbidding their departure only afterward.
• Danzo learned that the group had escaped and regretted that his dispute with Tsunade had delayed him.
• Moriyue's group avoided the Akatsuki on their journey and robbed several bandits before reaching Kumogakure.

Moriyue returned to Kumogakure injured after the exam and recovered in the hospital while Kaede asked him to train her so she could become stronger. Yugito Nii arrived to visit him and found herself in a tense standoff with Kazeki and Kaede, leaving Moriyue trapped among them.

• Moriyue and his companions returned to Kumogakure and went to the hospital, where the nurse questioned his injuries and the unfamiliar Takigakure ninja with them.
• Kaede reflected on the Akatsuki Organization and her teammate's sacrifice, then asked Moriyue to help her train.
• Moriyue told Kaede to recover and reminded her that she needed to report to Lord Raikage as a Takigakure ninja.
• Kazeki stopped Kaede from holding Moriyue's hand and insisted that his recovery and Kaede's unresolved business came first.
• Yugito Nii arrived to see Moriyue, and Ando fled the tense room, leaving Moriyue with the three women.

Moriyue returned alive from the exam with Kaede, a Jinchuriki from the Hidden Waterfall Village, and Yugito Nii took Kaede to speak with the Raikage. Darui sent Moriyue the ninjutsu scrolls he had wanted, while Yugito faced pressure from shadowy figures to serve Kumogakure as its weapon.

• Moriyue reunited with Yugito Nii, who reassured him that surviving the exam mattered more than passing it.
• Moriyue told Yugito that he had encountered Kaede during an attack by a powerful enemy, and Yugito agreed to take Kaede with her and speak to the Raikage.
• Yugito told Moriyue to recover and ignore village rumors, then left him books on ninjutsu research.
• Darui sent Moriyue several scrolls containing techniques he had previously wanted, and Moriyue recognized them with delight.
• Yugito told Darui she had persuaded the Raikage to let Kaede stay without causing trouble, then left through a window.
• Shadowy figures told Yugito to focus on becoming Kumogakure's strongest weapon, and Yugito rejected their reminders while watching the hospital.

Moriyue used the forbidden jutsu Super Regeneration to heal his wounds and then returned home to begin researching new techniques. He left the story eager to develop forbidden jutsu, using Shadow Clones to study many sources at once.

• Moriyue learned that Takigakure’s waterfalls might hold clues to the legendary Talismans and decided to visit once he recovered.
• Moriyue used Super Regeneration, rapidly healing his wounds at the cost of life force that left him weak and turned his hair white.
• Kazeki witnessed Moriyue’s recovery and chose not to stop him from using another forbidden jutsu.
• Moriyue left the hospital with his scrolls, while Kaede and Kazeki began chatting together about Takigakure and the Seven-Tails.
• Moriyue gathered books and scrolls at home, summoned Shadow Clones, and set them to researching ninjutsu and forbidden jutsu.

Moriyue's attempt to develop a forbidden jutsu restored his human body but left him transformed into a Jibaku Cat. Kaede found him and carried him off, while Kazeki waited with Yugito for their training.

• Moriyue struggled to develop a forbidden jutsu, using the Dog Talisman's power and Lightning Release as the talisman gradually merged with his body.
• Moriyue used the jutsu to reconstruct his body, then discovered he had become a small black-and-white Jibaku Cat.
• Kaede arrived to bring Moriyue to train, mistook the cat for a pet, and grabbed and sniffed him.
• Kazeki asked Kaede where Moriyue was, and Kaede said she had found the little cat instead.

Moriyue, trapped in kitten form, endured the women’s relentless petting and escaped when Yugito Nii suggested neutering him. As the group discussed Moriyue’s absence and their performance in the exam, he listened nearby while they resolved to grow stronger.

• Kaede passed Moriyue to Kazeki, who rubbed his fur and tried repeatedly to press down his upright tail.
• Yugito Nii examined Moriyue and suggested he should be neutered, prompting him to break free and fend off Ando.
• Kaede arrived and said Moriyue had not shown up, while Kazeki urged the others to let their captain rest.
• Yugito Nii reviewed the group’s exam performance and said their strength remained inadequate.
• The three lowered their heads as they recalled their helplessness against Kakuzu and Hidan and recognized their need to improve.

Yugito Nii set Kazeki, Ando, and Kaede the task of catching Moriyue before nightfall, while threatening to have him neutered. Moriyue escaped their pursuit and unexpectedly drew on Chakra to break free of Kazeki, leaving her wondering whether she had imagined it.

• Yugito Nii praised the trio’s resolve and assigned them to catch Moriyue before nightfall, adding that she planned to have him neutered.
• Moriyue fled at full speed, determined to protect himself, while Kazeki, Ando, and Kaede began the chase.
• Kazeki spotted Moriyue hiding among black jars, and Ando pursued him with a net before revealing that he had used a clone.
• Moriyue ran into Kazeki and accidentally touched her, but she grabbed him and prepared to rub his fur off.
• Moriyue drew on his newly accumulated Chakra, broke free of Kazeki’s hands, and vanished as she wondered if a cat could really use Chakra.

Moriyue escaped Kazeki and the others after unlocking his body’s potential, but the effort drained his Chakra and left him hungry. After eating at a restaurant, he was caught by Kaede, Kazeki, and Ando, and the chase ended at night with the three finally grabbing him.

• Moriyue escaped Kazeki and lamented that his Chakra was depleted, then searched for food rather than rummaging through garbage.
• Moriyue entered a small restaurant, used the menu to request milk, and drank the bottle the owner gave him.
• Kaede found Moriyue using phosphor powder, and Moriyue tried to escape by kicking at her as Kazeki and Ando blocked his way.
• Moriyue fought Kazeki, Kaede, and Ando until dusk, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
• Moriyue pretended to collapse from exhaustion, and Kazeki, Kaede, and Ando scooped him up as night fell.

Yugito Nii praised the group’s teamwork and recruited Moriyue, Kazeki, and Ando into her guard unit, with training set to begin the next day. Moriyue tried and failed to escape while she carried him home, then realized she might be warmer than he had thought.

• Yugito Nii cleaned Moriyue and praised the group for working together during the test.
• Yugito Nii told Kazeki and Ando that they would join her, along with Moriyue, after discussing it with Darui.
• Ando eagerly accepted, while Kazeki checked that the decision would not cause trouble with Darui.
• Yugito Nii told Kaede that training would begin tomorrow and criticized her crude use of Tailed Beast power.
• Kazeki and the others left without realizing they had forgotten Moriyue, and Yugito Nii carried him home.
• Moriyue repeatedly tried to escape Yugito Nii, then wondered if his little Yuzu teacher was not as cold as she seemed.

Moriyue explored Yugito Nii’s unexpectedly cozy home and saw photographs revealing her happy childhood and the devastation war brought to her family. As Yugito Nii fed and petted him, she let slip that she was exhausted by complicated relationships, leaving Moriyue wondering who had pressured her.

• Yugito Nii brought Moriyue into her pink, plush-filled room and went to get them food.
• Moriyue examined photographs showing Yugito Nii as a baby, enjoying a happy childhood, and later standing wounded among the ruins of a burned home.
• Yugito Nii caught Moriyue looking at the photographs, moved him away from the desk, and asked whether he had seen anything private.
• Yugito Nii gave Moriyue warm milk and bread, then stroked him while saying she envied cats and wished she could become one.
• Moriyue quietly endured Yugito Nii’s petting and wondered what had caused her recent stress.

Moriyue returned home after spending the night in cat form with Yugito Nii, then resumed his forbidden jutsu research. By dawn, he had revived one of Kakuzu’s hearts and prepared to test its black tentacles through a transplant.

• Moriyue left Yugito Nii’s home in cat form, changed back into a human at his own house, and sealed away the transformation jutsu prototype.
• Moriyue worked through the night on his forbidden jutsu research as lightning flashed outside.
• Moriyue used runes and a specimen to investigate the black tentacles of one of Kakuzu’s hearts, which he had removed from Kakuzu.
• Moriyue revived the heart and decided to transplant it into himself to test its tentacles.

Moriyue tried to transplant a heavily modified heart made from tentacles and forbidden jutsu, but it began draining his body and transforming into something unknown. As he fought it in a cycle of absorption and recovery, Kazeki respected his note and continued training with Yugito Nii.

• Moriyue postponed training with Kazeki and the others, shut himself in, and prepared to transplant the modified heart.
• The black tentacles wrapped around Moriyue and rapidly drained his flesh, blood, Chakra, and life force.
• Moriyue used his life force and Reverse to recover and reclaim Chakra, but the tentacles grew suckers and red-and-black pupils.
• Moriyue and the tentacles entered a stalemate, repeatedly draining and restoring his body.
• Kazeki saw Moriyue's note, chose not to disturb him, and returned her attention to Yugito Nii's training.