Recaps

Yugito Nii and Kazeki entered an eerily quiet Kirigakure to break Ando out of prison, where he had met Zabuza and Haku. As Yugito prepared to charge the prison, Kazeki hesitated over an unanswered question, and Ando was asked why he had been arrested.

• Yugito Nii and Kazeki watched Kirigakure from outside and noticed its oppressive, lifeless atmosphere.
• Yugito Nii ordered Kazeki to postpone her question and led her into the village to rescue Ando.
• Yugito Nii and Kazeki found Kirigakure's streets nearly empty and its guard posts withdrawn.
• Yugito Nii confirmed there were few people near the prison and decided they should charge straight in.
• Ando chatted with Zabuza and Haku in prison, then hesitated when Zabuza asked what he had been arrested for.

Yugito Nii and Kazeki launched a prison rescue in Kirigakure while Ando freed Zabuza and Haku. Yugito found them and led them out as Kazeki held off the pursuing guards.

• Yugito Nii and Kazeki reached the prison, where Yugito rushed inside and Kazeki stayed outside to block the guards.
• Kazeki began preparing her Cyclone technique while Kirigakure ninja attacked her.
• Ando used a tentacle to free himself, then broke open Zabuza and Haku’s cell with a lightning blade.
• Yugito Nii fought through the prison and freed prisoners as she made her way to Ando, Zabuza, and Haku.
• Ando led Zabuza and Haku after Yugito Nii while Kazeki’s winds tore through the prison entrance and held off the guards.

Moriyue realized Dark Naruto believed he had been sealed by Kotoamatsukami and claimed he had come to free him. Meanwhile, Gaara, Sakura, and Hinata found the cave where Moriyue and the others were hiding, and Sakura confronted Orochimaru in Sasuke’s body.

• Moriyue suspected Itachi had hidden Shisui’s eye among the crows watching him and Dark Naruto in the forest.
• Dark Naruto asked Moriyue to remove his seal, and Moriyue concluded Kotoamatsukami had altered the Naruto outside the inner world.
• Moriyue told Dark Naruto he had come to break the seal, and Dark Naruto eagerly anticipated being freed.
• Konan warned that enemies had found the cave as Nagato, weakened and unable to maintain the Six Paths of Pain, put his trust in Moriyue.
• Gaara, Sakura, and Hinata arrived at the cave, where Sakura recognized the unconscious Naruto and confronted Orochimaru in Sasuke’s body.
• Sakura attacked Orochimaru but stopped her punch just before striking him, then stared at him through tears.

Nagato prepared to retreat and seek another way to extract the Nine-Tails, while Orochimaru revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and attacked Gaara. Hinata and Sakura intervened to save Gaara from Orochimaru’s black flames.

• Nagato told Moriyue that their preparations were almost complete and decided to leave before Konoha’s reinforcements arrived.
• Hinata used her Byakugan to inspect Naruto and Orochimaru, then recoiled after sensing an evil power inside Naruto.
• Konan attacked Gaara with paper feathers while Gaara struggled to defend himself in the cave’s scarce sand.
• Orochimaru awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and burned through Gaara’s sand with black flames, trapping Gaara in a Genjutsu.
• Hinata and Sakura struck Orochimaru’s attack aside and shoved Gaara out of danger.

Orochimaru and Nagato withdrew while Moriyue searched Naruto’s inner world for Itachi’s contingency and found Shisui’s eyes. As Naruto’s familiar personality emerged and confronted Dark Naruto, Moriyue left him to face the other personality.

• Orochimaru’s failing vision forced him to abandon the fight, and he and Nagato escaped under Konan’s cover while Gaara and the others recovered.
• Moriyue searched the dark forest in Naruto’s consciousness and took a crow from Dark Naruto, confirming it carried Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan eyes.
• The consciousness space shook as darkness gathered around Dark Naruto and a familiar version of Naruto appeared.
• Moriyue explained that Naruto was in his inner world and pointed out Dark Naruto, who challenged Naruto’s memories and beliefs.
• Moriyue told Naruto they could talk later, then left him alone with Dark Naruto.

Moriyue discovered that Kotoamatsukami had affected only Naruto’s usual personality, leaving Dark Naruto untouched and able to take control. Dark Naruto challenged Naruto’s faith in the Will of Fire, then seized the body and returned to the real world with Moriyue.

• Moriyue realized Naruto had a separate Dark Naruto personality that had absorbed his negative emotions and remained unaffected by Kotoamatsukami.
• Naruto defended the Will of Fire, while Dark Naruto began turning their mental space black and prepared to fight him.
• Moriyue stopped Dark Naruto from attacking and asked Naruto to explain his beliefs.
• Dark Naruto argued that the Will of Fire was a lie backed by strength and criticized the village’s wars, its treatment of children, and Naruto’s privileged identity.
• Naruto asked whether Dark Naruto could bring about a better tomorrow, but Dark Naruto said he was not interested and reclaimed control of the body.
• Dark Naruto and Moriyue returned to the real world, where Dark Naruto opened his eyes and breathed out in relief.

Dark Naruto awakened in the cave, and Moriyue secretly obtained Shisui's eye while Nagato's group withdrew. Dark Naruto attacked Sakura and nearly struck Hinata, but spared her before leaving the cave.

• Dark Naruto woke and climbed down from Moriyue, while Moriyue used the distraction to obtain Shisui's eye.
• Sakura and Hinata rushed toward Naruto, and Gaara realized that Naruto's chakra had changed and warned them away.
• Dark Naruto struck Sakura aside and held a Nine-Tails Chakra spear at Hinata's throat.
• Hinata trusted Naruto and called his name, so Dark Naruto dispersed the spear and left without harming her.
• Moriyue and Orochimaru exchanged a glance as they considered how to deal with Dark Naruto.

Moriyue tried to draw Obito out by focusing on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which began to awaken after Nagato left. Obito appeared and removed the statue before Moriyue could stop him, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Gaara rescued Sakura and Hinata as the cave began collapsing, then led them out instead of pursuing Naruto.
• Moriyue discussed Naruto, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and the Hoshikage with Orochimaru while they walked through the falling rubble.
• Orochimaru transformed into a snake and left when he sensed Obito approaching.
• Obito appeared above the statue, noticed its diminished power, and dodged Moriyue's black coin with his Sharingan ability.
• Moriyue confronted Obito, but Obito made the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path vanish and left Moriyue behind.

After Obito fled with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Moriyue left the collapsing cave and headed for Amegakure to treat Nagato. Meanwhile, Naruto accepted the Nine-Tails' power, Orochimaru pursued new ways to overcome the Mangekyō Sharingan's drawbacks, and Yugito Nii's group escaped their pursuers from Kirigakure.

• Obito reclaimed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and fled, while Moriyue wondered how Obito had learned to fear him.
• Moriyue left the cave and decided to find Nagato in Amegakure to treat him and gain some benefits.
• Naruto accepted the Nine-Tails' power, and Orochimaru continued researching ways to avoid blindness from using the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Ajisai continued training her subjects and prepared to return to the Cloud Shinobi.
• Yugito Nii, Ando, and Kazeki fled Kirigakure's pursuers, who suddenly turned back, and decided to return to their village with Haku and Zabuza.
• Moriyue arrived in Amegakure, where Akimoto Osamu's opposition to Nagato had gained ground while Nagato was away.

The Akatsuki Organization's attack on Konoha alarmed the Daimyos, who feared a second conflict could ignite a wider war. Meanwhile, hooded figures discussed Gold's fight with Moriyue, Nagato, and their lord's coming awakening before the chapter ended with the group arguing over an eerie old man.

• The Daimyos ordered an investigation into why the Akatsuki Organization had joined forces and demanded information about the Kumogakure ninja and the person who fought him.
• A hooded woman and a magnetic-voiced man discussed Gold's fight with Moriyue and the death of one of their reserve members.
• The burned Gold entered the meeting, announced that Nagato might have been persuaded, and left without further discussion.
• The group questioned whether Moriyue had discovered something and asked who had arranged Nagato as a contingency.
• An aged man named the Hoshikage as his lord, then left as the others speculated about his strength and condition.

Moriyue operated on Nagato in Amegakure, removing the metal rods from his back and repairing his spine with experimental medicine and Earth Grudge Fear. He discovered a parasitic beetle wrapped around Nagato’s heart and began removing its eggs, but the beetle survived his attempts to kill it.

• Moriyue gave Nagato a life-preserving medicine and began operating after Konan agreed to his terms.
• Moriyue removed sixty-three broken metal rods, corrected Nagato’s twisted spine, and stitched the wound using Earth Grudge Fear.
• After four hours, Nagato showed signs of improvement, but Moriyue discovered an unexplained chest wound and decayed tissue.
• Moriyue found a parasitic beetle wrapped around Nagato’s heart and removed its eggs by electrocution.
• The beetle remained attached to Nagato’s chest despite the shocks, and Konan timidly suggested trying another method.

Moriyue operated on Nagato and removed a pair of intelligent parasitic insects that had been feeding on him. Nagato’s condition improved, and Moriyue offered to heal his paralyzed legs for an extra cost, leaving the rest of their deal for when Nagato woke up.

• Moriyue continued treating Nagato and questioned Konan about when the suspicious parasite had appeared.
• Konan suspected someone skilled with insects had attacked Nagato, while Moriyue asked her for tweezers.
• Moriyue carefully cut two parasites and the surrounding flesh from Nagato’s chest, then stitched the wound closed.
• Konan saw that Nagato’s condition had improved, though his legs remained paralyzed.
• Moriyue said their cooperation was complete for the moment and offered to heal Nagato’s legs for an extra cost.

Amegakure’s rebels gained ground after Nagato and the Akatsuki left, while a sinister old man arrived in the village. Nagato woke after Moriyue’s surgery able to walk again, but collapsed after pushing himself, leaving Moriyue to order him to rest.

• Nagato and the Akatsuki left Amegakure, allowing Akimoto Osamu and the rebels to gain support among the villagers.
• Akimoto Osamu greeted a strange, short old man who asked whether he had reached Amegakure, then watched him disappear into the rain.
• Nagato woke in a hidden ward and realized Moriyue’s surgery had restored his spine and removed the receivers in his body.
• Nagato tried to walk with Konan’s help, but stumbled after a few steps and vomited blood.
• Moriyue examined Nagato and told Konan that he needed to rest and recover slowly.

Moriyue told Nagato that Uchiha Madara had manipulated events in his life and planned to use the Tailed Beasts for a greater purpose. Nagato accepted that the explanation fit and became furious over the possibility that Yahiko’s death had been orchestrated.

• Moriyue recalled the Black-faced Sheep and Snake Talisman, then invited Konan to join him in speaking with Nagato.
• Nagato thanked Moriyue for treating him but said he would not abandon collecting the Tailed Beasts.
• Moriyue revealed that Nagato’s eyes had been transplanted into him and identified Uchiha Madara as the one searching for him.
• Moriyue explained that someone had engineered Yahiko’s death and intended to use Nagato’s collection of the Tailed Beasts to revive someone.
• Nagato saw that Moriyue’s account fit what had happened and became furious at the thought that Yahiko’s death had been planned.

Moriyue explained that Nagato had been targeted by a stealthy parasitic insect and urged him to leave Amegakure, entrusting the village to Akimoto Osamu before they headed to Kumogakure. As Moriyue sensed another attack and used his powers to expose a hidden monster insect, the attacker’s presence remained a threat.

• Moriyue showed Nagato the dead parasitic insect removed from his chest and warned that Amegakure was no longer safe.
• Moriyue proposed leaving Amegakure and appointing Akimoto Osamu as its leader, and Nagato agreed.
• Moriyue said they would go to Kumogakure and planned to become Raikage, while Konan questioned the danger of approaching the current Raikage.
• Moriyue sensed a hidden attacker and blocked a tiny tail stinger with a sand shield, then used Sage Mode to search the building.
• Moriyue tore apart an invisible concealment and revealed a large spherical monster insect, which was still twitching on the ground.

A considered the threats facing Kumogakure while Yugito Nii and the others investigated the attack on Kirigakure and searched for clues about Moriyue’s disappearance. Zabuza identified the group behind the hiring as the Hoshikage, leaving Yugito Nii worried that the organization was connected to Kirigakure’s condition.

• A reviewed the reports about Kirigakure and worried that the Hoshikage’s activities could threaten Kumogakure.
• A asked Yugito Nii whether Moriyue had returned, and she said there was still no news of him.
• Yugito Nii met Ando and Ajisai in the interrogation room and questioned Zabuza and Haku about their employer and Itachi Uchiha’s corpse.
• Zabuza said the people who hired him called themselves Hoshikage and wore matching starry-sky robes.
• Ajisai recalled that the Daimyos might know of the organization, and Yugito Nii suspected it was connected to Kirigakure’s condition.

Moriyue, Konan, and the critically ill Nagato were attacked by an old man who controlled swarms of insects. As Konan struggled to protect Nagato, he prepared to sacrifice his life to save her, but she refused to let him.

• Moriyue led Konan and Nagato out of their hiding place as an insect swarm devoured the building.
• Moriyue sensed the attacker to the southeast and sent clones toward him while Konan carried Nagato into the air.
• Moriyue found the old man, but his target was only an insect clone, and the attacker continued closing in on Konan and Nagato.
• Konan used Dance of the Shikigami to hold back the insects while Moriyue's clones attacked the old man and were swallowed by the swarm.
• Nagato told Konan to live for him and Yahiko, then prepared to use his remaining strength to protect her, but Konan refused.

Moriyue rescued Konan and Nagato from the old man’s insect swarm with a massive lightning attack, though the old man escaped. Moriyue told them to leave Amegakure and seek shelter near the Cloud Shinobi, while the old man reported the failed mission to Hoshikage’s council.

• Moriyue concealed his true body with the Snake Talisman and unleashed a powerful lightning attack that burned the insect swarm, while the old man escaped by scattering into insects.
• Moriyue fell from the sky incapacitated, and Konan caught him with paper and thanked him for saving her and Nagato.
• Moriyue warned Konan and Nagato that Uchiha Madara would pursue Nagato’s eyes and urged them to leave Amegakure for the Cloud Shinobi.
• Konan agreed to leave with Nagato and Moriyue, despite having to care for both injured men.
• The old man arrived at Hoshikage’s council hall and announced that the mission had failed.

Moriyue left Amegakure after telling Akimoto Osamu that Pain would no longer protect the village and giving him supplies to help it develop. As Moriyue, Konan, and Nagato traveled on, Yugito Nii encountered a masked Akatsuki member near Kumogakure who seemed to have come for her.

• Moriyue told Akimoto Osamu that Pain would no longer appear in Amegakure and warned him that the village would lose Pain's protection.
• Moriyue gave Akimoto Osamu Sealing Scrolls containing ninja tools, Explosive Tags, and ninjutsu, then vanished.
• Moriyue rejoined Konan and Nagato, and the three departed Amegakure after suppressing Nagato's injuries.
• Yugito Nii continued patrolling Kumogakure's outskirts while growing increasingly irritable from the violent Tailed Beast Chakra within her.
• Yugito Nii concealed herself after hearing footsteps and spotted a masked Akatsuki member dragging two chains toward her.

Obito attacked Yugito Nii to capture the Two-Tails, but she used her fire abilities to counter his attacks. Obito’s intangibility let him evade her strikes, and he wounded her with chains and giant shuriken.

• Yugito Nii recognized Obito as an Akatsuki member and tested him with fire-marked shuriken, but his body turned intangible and the flames passed through him.
• Yugito Nii recalled Moriyue’s warning about Obito’s ability, then entered her battle stance with the Two-Tails’ power.
• Obito charged Yugito Nii and used a Great Fireball with chains following behind it, but Yugito took control of the flames and sent the transformed blue fireball back at him.
• Obito used Intangibility to evade Yugito’s counterattack and her claws, then struck back with chains and giant shuriken, wounding her.

Yugito Nii fought Obito and tried to exploit the brief moment when he became tangible, but the battle ended before its outcome was shown. Moriyue, Konan, and Nagato found signs of the fight near Kumogakure and feared Obito had captured Yugito, while Nagato could no longer sense the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Yugito Nii reasoned that Obito could be struck if an attack occupied the space where he became tangible, and surrounded herself with Rat Orbs to restrict his movements.
• Obito and Yugito Nii resumed their close-range battle, with Obito evading her attacks through intangibility while she intensified her blue flames.
• Moriyue returned to Kumogakure with Konan and Nagato and found scorched terrain marked by Yugito Nii's Chakra.
• Nagato recognized the Two-Tails' Chakra, and Moriyue feared Obito had captured Yugito Nii.
• Moriyue asked Nagato to locate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but Nagato said he could no longer sense it.

Moriyue and Orochimaru made a deal to pursue Obito’s whereabouts and save Yugito Nii, while Nagato and Konan stayed behind. Elsewhere, Dark Naruto embraced the Nine-Tails’ influence and resolved to make Konoha pay for its past.

• Orochimaru arrived and offered to help Moriyue and Nagato, proposing that they work together to mass-produce the Rinnegan using Nagato and his Sharingan.
• Orochimaru revealed that he knew Obito’s whereabouts and that Obito had found a reliable partner, while Moriyue agreed to his terms so they could hurry to Yugito Nii.
• Konan convinced Nagato to stay behind and recover, and she gave Moriyue a paper crane so they could contact one another.
• Orochimaru whispered additional information to Moriyue, who considered the connections between Obito and the Hoshikage.
• Dark Naruto drank from a mountain spring and renewed his resolve to take revenge on Konoha.
• The Nine-Tails urged Dark Naruto to make Konoha suffer, and he accepted its influence and vowed to bring a new flame to the decaying village.

After Naruto was taken by the Akatsuki, Jiraiya woke in the battered Konoha hospital and learned what had happened, while Tsunade and Naruto’s friends struggled with grief and guilt. Danzo moved to impeach Tsunade, as Naruto’s anger at Konoha’s decay remained unresolved.

• Naruto reflected on Konoha’s corruption and concluded that the village needed to be reborn through pain.
• Jiraiya woke in the hospital with a premonition and asked Tsunade where Naruto was.
• Tsunade avoided answering directly, and Jiraiya realized that Naruto had been taken away.
• Hinata trained until her hands bled, while Sakura blamed herself for failing to save Naruto.
• Danzo proposed impeaching Tsunade and accused her of causing Konoha’s severe losses.

After Tsunade stepped down as Hokage, Jiraiya and Kakashi refused the succession before Shimura Danzō was nominated. Jiraiya then changed his mind and was chosen as Hokage, leaving Danzo to accept a supporting role.

• Konoha held a memorial ceremony for those killed in the defense war, while village leaders discussed the losses and the danger posed by the Akatsuki Organization.
• Shimura Danzō pushed the discussion toward Tsunade's removal, and the elders announced that she had agreed to step down as Fifth Hokage.
• Jiraiya declined the nomination, and Kakashi Hatake also refused while offering to serve if the village needed him.
• The elders nominated Shimura Danzō, who prepared to accept the Hokage position and fulfill his long-held ambition.
• Jiraiya reconsidered when he saw Danzo about to take the position, and the Daimyo approved Jiraiya as Hokage.
• Shimura Danzō congratulated Jiraiya and offered to assist him, hiding his anger at losing the position.

Naruto began pursuing revenge against Konoha but realized he would need allies, then encountered a mysterious woman whose speed overwhelmed him. Meanwhile, Moriyue sensed a Talisman, discussed the Sharingan and Impure World Reincarnation with Orochimaru, and continued toward Obito with a plan to counter his powers.

• Naruto recognized that he could not hurt Konoha alone and considered gathering people who resented it.
• Naruto sensed a pursuer with the Nine-Tails' Chakra, but a mysterious woman appeared before him and he fled as she said he could not escape.
• Moriyue sensed that his Talisman Collection Technique had reacted, but chose to prioritize finding Yugito Nii.
• Moriyue told Orochimaru he had stopped developing his transplanted Sharingan beyond the Three-Tomoe level, and guessed Orochimaru had revived powerful figures with Impure World Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru said the technique was not so simple and suggested Kabuto might be the one to use it, while Moriyue revealed a plan to counter Obito's Sharingan with the eyes on his tentacle.