Recaps

Menma and Naruto faced major threats from the Four-Tails, the Ōtsutsuki, and the attack on Leaf Village, while Hinata challenged the Hyuga Clan’s control of its Branch Family. Menma then strengthened the Land of Snow and took Karin to Shikkotsu Forest to begin her Sage training.

• Kukomaka severely damaged the Four-Tails with Ultra-High Heat, Particle Breath, then subdued it and devoured the Chakra in its four tails while Shisui and Rōshi joined her group.
• Menma battled Hyde over the Gelel Stone, awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, sealed the ore vein, and urged Timothy to decide whether he still wanted to witness a miracle.
• Izumi defeated Rasa’s forces and severed his legs, while Sasuke entered imperfect Sage Mode and Neji accepted Ōtsutsuki Rito’s offer to learn the Byakugan’s true power.
• Hinata protected Hanabi from Rito, then fought the Hyuga Main House elders, broke the Grand Elder’s control over the Branch Family, and rallied its members behind her.
• Naruto fought Rito and stopped the meteorite from destroying Leaf Village, then helped hold back Takamimusubi’s Wood Release as Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived.
• Menma agreed to train Karin, gave her a contract scroll for the Three Great Sage Regions, and took her to Shikkotsu Forest to learn Sage Mode.
• Menma and Karin signed a contract with the slugs and were summoned to Shikkotsu Forest, where Katsuyu introduced herself and agreed to keep Menma’s identity from Tsunade.

Menma pursued the Priestess’s inheritance while the Yomi Sect unleashed Monster and its Stone Statue Soldiers, drawing shinobi from several villages into battle. Meanwhile, Menma expanded his plans in the Land of Waves, where the iris-flower trade grew rapidly and Oyakishiro Honoo reunited with Chino.

• Menma contracted Katsuyu, then left Shikkotsu Forest with Karin after she explained why the Uzumaki Clan resented the Leaf Village.
• Yakushi Kabuto defeated Hiruko and recruited him, then proved his strength to Orochimaru by driving Manda back with Garaga.
• Menma chose to seek the Demon Country Priestess’s Sage Art inheritance, while Kakashi accepted Hiruzen’s assignment to lead Naruto and Sasuke’s squad.
• Danzō secured Enshu Ki’s backing for his Nine-Tails Chakra drug, while Menma directed Oyakishiro Honoo to expand the iris-flower trade in the Land of Waves.
• Haku earned construction wages for Zabuza, and Menma decided to support Zabuza’s effort to overthrow Yagura and change Kirigakure.
• Menma met the dying Miroku, received the Priestess’s inheritance, and learned that Monster was the embodiment of the Priestesses’ evil thoughts.
• Yomi absorbed Monster and sent Kabuto to face Kakashi’s allied Leaf and Cloud forces, while an enemy controlling Yamato’s body fought Guy, Kakashi, and Darui.
• The battle’s combined lightning storm swept the shinobi away, while Land of Waves nobles plotted against Yi Wenren and Chino greeted Oyakishiro Honoo as her father.