Chapter Summaries

Bai Hao confronted Itachi and Kisame, who were revealed to be clones, and used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to stop Sasuke’s reckless attack. He pulled Sasuke and the other rookies back, then arranged for them to fight the clones while he left Kisame’s side to Shikamaru.

• Kisame recognized Bai Hao and confirmed that he and Itachi were clones, while Itachi greeted Sasuke and recalled the Uchiha Clan’s destruction.
• Sasuke charged at Itachi with Chidori, but Bai Hao trapped Itachi in the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique and moved Sasuke and the others away.
• Itachi dispelled the genjutsu and helped Kisame break free of it.
• Bai Hao told Sasuke to use Sage Mode, assigned Sakura to direct the group and Naruto to provide support, and left Kisame’s side to Shikamaru.

Team 10 fought Kisame while Shikamaru used his analysis of Kisame’s preferences to trap him with the Shadow Imitation Technique. Kisame broke free, leaving Shikamaru exhausted as the battle continued.

• Bai Hao raised a wooden barrier to separate Team 10 and Kisame from Team 7 and Itachi, then watched from atop it.
• Choji attacked Kisame with Partial Expansion Jutsu, and Shikamaru used the opening to catch Kisame with Shadow Imitation Technique.
• Shikamaru explained that he had baited Kisame into relying on Samehada and taijutsu instead of Water Release.
• Kisame broke free from Shikamaru’s control before Choji and Ino could attack, and Shikamaru gasped from the strain.

Team Ten defeated Kisame through coordinated tactics, while Team Seven fought Itachi using clones and teamwork to protect Sasuke as he prepared Sage Mode. Itachi deliberately held back, waiting to see what jutsu his younger brother would use.

• Shikamaru immobilized Kisame with a talisman-marked Chakra blade, and Ino's brief possession gave Choji the opening to stab Kisame in the heart.
• Kisame revealed himself to be an unfamiliar ninja transformed by a substitution, and Itachi praised Team Ten's teamwork.
• Bai Hao compared the teams and turned his attention to Team Seven's battle against Itachi.
• Sakura and Naruto used clones to harass Itachi, while Naruto watched for genjutsu and sent two clones to protect Sasuke.
• Itachi recognized that Team Seven was protecting Sasuke but pretended not to notice, eager to see what jutsu his younger brother was preparing.

Sasuke activated Sage Mode and Lightning Flash Mode to attack Itachi, but Itachi used genjutsu and substitution to counter him. Sasuke and Sakura later coordinated their attacks and sent Itachi’s clone flying.

• Itachi sensed Kisame’s defeat and wondered about Bai Hao’s strength and Team 10’s capabilities.
• Sasuke activated Sage Mode and Lightning Flash Mode, then attacked Itachi at high speed.
• Itachi used a substitution and crow genjutsu to evade Sasuke’s attacks, while Naruto’s clone helped Sasuke break free.
• Sasuke resumed the fight and suppressed Itachi’s clone with his speed and Lightning God Spear.
• Sakura activated Sage Mode, burrowed underground with the Earth Dragon Vein Technique, and joined Sasuke’s attack.
• Sakura emerged from the ground and punched Itachi, sending him flying.

After Itachi and Kisame defeated Bai Hao’s team, they reported the team’s strength to the Akatsuki Organization, which prepared to finish sealing the One-Tail before the Konoha pursuit arrived. In Konoha, Might Guy received a mission to support Bai Hao, while Bai Hao’s team rested together at the Land of Waterfalls border.

• Itachi disguised himself as an unfamiliar jōnin after the battle, and Naruto resolved to learn Sage Mode so he could keep up.
• Kisame told the Akatsuki members that Bai Hao had powerful genjutsu, Wood Release, and a huge amount of Chakra, while Obito identified the other opponents as the Ino-Shika-Cho team.
• Hidan volunteered to fight Bai Hao, and Deidara challenged him for the chance to fight instead.
• Obito urged the Akatsuki to seal the One-Tail quickly, and Nagato said his technique would delay the pursuers.
• Might Guy received a mission to support Bai Hao’s team and set out with a Ninja Dog to track them.
• Bai Hao broke through the Wood Release barrier at the Land of Waterfalls border and had the two teams rest together.

Bai Hao and the others reached the hidden Akatsuki Organization base while pursuing Gaara, but a barrier concealed the island in the lake. Bai Hao used the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura to locate the talismans needed to dispel it.

• Shikamaru warned Bai Hao that Team 7 and Team 10 were too weak to face the Akatsuki without reinforcements.
• Bai Hao led the group onward with Arcanine, and they arrived above the lake hiding the Akatsuki base.
• Sasuke used his Sharingan to spot signs of a barrier concealing an island in the lake.
• Bai Hao recalled that removing several talismans together could break the barrier and reasoned that the talismans’ Chakra could be sensed.
• Bai Hao used the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura and found the talismans.

Bai Hao explained that seven talismans had to be uncovered at once to lift the barrier, and that each would summon a copy to delay the team. He sent the others to the six distant positions while he stayed to uncover the island’s talisman, but Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino insisted they wanted to fight and help rescue Gaara.

• Bai Hao found seven hidden talismans and drew a map showing their positions.
• Bai Hao explained that uncovering all seven talismans would lift the barrier and summon copies of the team to hold them back.
• Shikamaru realized clones could not reach the distant talismans and worried that one person would be left facing the Akatsuki Organization.
• Bai Hao gave the team walkie-talkies and told them to uncover the six other talismans while he handled the island’s talisman.
• Bai Hao advised the team to exploit their own weaknesses to defeat their copies and warned them not to approach him.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino each volunteered to fight and help rescue Gaara.

Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, and their allies agreed to help Bai Hao attack the Akatsuki, while Nagato ordered the Akatsuki members to delay him until the One-Tail was sealed. As the group struggled to find a way to stop Bai Hao without disrupting the sealing, Black Zetsu offered a possible solution.

• Choji brought out his pills, and Shikamaru proposed using Bai Hao’s Flying Thunder God kunai to regroup and fight the Akatsuki together.
• Bai Hao agreed to come to the group after they removed the talismans, help them defeat their enemies, and bring them back.
• White Zetsu reported that Bai Hao was preparing to remove the talisman outside the hideout, while Hidan and Deidara argued over who would fight him.
• Nagato ordered the Akatsuki members to delay Bai Hao because disrupting the sealing could kill the Jinchuriki and force them to wait for the One-Tail to revive.
• Black Zetsu said there might be one method left to stop Bai Hao.

Black Zetsu proposed using Impure World Reincarnation to delay the Black-Clad Organization while the Akatsuki sealed the One-Tail. Meanwhile, Bai Hao’s team revealed an island and hidden copies by removing talismans, but he sensed that a White Zetsu clone’s chakra had changed.

• Black Zetsu urged the Akatsuki to act quickly and proposed repeatedly summoning resurrected fighters with Impure World Reincarnation until the One-Tail was sealed.
• Nagato approved the plan and told Black Zetsu to report if he could no longer delay their enemies.
• Bai Hao sensed several people appear nearby, identified them as likely White Zetsu, and continued directing the Konoha 6 to find and remove their talismans.
• After the team removed the talismans together, identical copies appeared beside the Konoha 6, and an island emerged in the lake.
• Bai Hao found a talisman on the boulder blocking the island’s cave and sensed that a White Zetsu clone’s chakra had changed.

Bai Hao used the Flying Thunder God Technique to rescue Ino and Sakura from Reanimated Hashirama, then defeated and sealed him. The threat was contained for the moment, while Ino and Sakura stayed behind bickering.

• Bai Hao realized White Zetsu had used Impure World Reincarnation and warned everyone over the Walkie-talkie before teleporting to Ino.
• Bai Hao destroyed Ino's clone and saw Reanimated Hashirama charging toward them.
• Bai Hao teleported Ino to Sakura, destroyed Sakura's clone, and left after warning Sakura.
• Ino and Sakura argued about Sakura's forehead after Bai Hao disappeared.
• Bai Hao returned to Hashirama, shattered him with a Rasengan, and sealed him underground.

Bai Hao defeated the First Hokage and regrouped with the six others as the Akatsuki summoned Madara Uchiha. Madara appeared before them, heard about the Black-Clad Organization, and grew interested in it.

• Black Zetsu decided to summon Madara Uchiha because the Akatsuki needed to gather the tailed beasts quickly.
• Bai Hao used the Flying Thunder God Technique to defeat the remaining four clones and reunite the group.
• Bai Hao told the others he had defeated the First Hokage and warned them that another Impure World Reincarnation was approaching.
• Madara Uchiha appeared before Bai Hao, Sasuke, and the others, then criticized Zetsu for resurrecting him this way.
• White Zetsu explained the Black-Clad Organization's power, and Madara Uchiha became interested in it.

White Zetsu summoned Uchiha Madara to stop the pursuing Konoha ninja, and Madara’s killing intent overwhelmed them until Bai Hao intervened. Bai Hao then fought Madara in taijutsu and appeared to gain a slight advantage.

• White Zetsu told Madara that the Konoha ninja were disrupting the sealing of the One-Tail and that their leader was too strong to handle.
• Madara recognized Sasuke as an Uchiha and Naruto as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, then released killing intent that left the Konoha Six unable to move.
• Bai Hao used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to interrupt Madara’s killing intent and pull the others away, but Madara quickly broke free.
• Madara charged Bai Hao, and the two exchanged more than a hundred taijutsu blows as the others watched in awe.
• Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Choji recognized Madara’s immense power and were astonished that Bai Hao could match him and seemed to have the upper hand.

Bai Hao used Sage Mode to overwhelm Madara, transforming the lake into land, covering it with a forest, and summoning a gigantic thousand-handed Buddha. Madara watched in astonishment as the rookies realized how powerful Bai Hao was.

• Madara praised Bai Hao’s taijutsu, then attacked with Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
• Bai Hao blocked Madara’s flames with Water Style: Water Wall and suspected Madara’s Impure World Reincarnation was weaker than expected.
• Bai Hao activated Sage Mode and used Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart to turn the lake into a large stretch of land.
• Bai Hao created a forest with Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, astonishing Madara as his Sharingan changed to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Bai Hao summoned a gigantic thousand-handed Buddha with Sage Art: Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru watched Bai Hao’s display and reacted with awe, admiration, and resolve to train harder.

Bai Hao overwhelmed Madara Uchiha and broke through the Akatsuki Organization stronghold’s barrier with the Top Buddha. As the battle shook the earth, Sasuke watched in awe and resolved to learn a technique like Bai Hao’s.

• White Zetsu reported that Bai Hao had created an island, turned it into a forest, and summoned Hashirama Senju’s Giant Thousand-Armed Buddha, leaving Black Zetsu despairing over his plan to resurrect Mother.
• Madara Uchiha praised Bai Hao as the strongest, but found that he could not use the Rinnegan and that his Impure World Reincarnation was fading.
• Madara chose not to release Impure World Reincarnation, hoping Black Zetsu could summon him again after he was fully resurrected.
• Bai Hao’s Top Buddha smashed Madara’s Susanoo and pierced the barrier around the Akatsuki Organization stronghold.
• Sasuke watched the battle with the Konoha Six, wondered whether Itachi could withstand Bai Hao’s technique, and resolved to learn a similar one.

Bai Hao destroyed Madara’s Susanoo and the barrier around the Akatsuki hideout, but Obito had already used Kamui to relocate some members. Bai Hao found Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Sasori still inside, and they weighed their chances against his strength.

• The Akatsuki members decided to evacuate Gaara and Yugito Nii with Obito’s Kamui while Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu escaped separately.
• Obito appeared inside the hideout and began the relocation plan.
• Bai Hao’s Top Buddha attack ended, destroying Madara’s Susanoo and the hideout’s barrier.
• Bai Hao sensed Obito’s arrival and watched several chakra signatures vanish from the hideout.
• Bai Hao found Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Sasori still there, and each recognized the danger he posed.

Bai Hao drove the Akatsuki four to retreat, then discovered White Zetsu had multiplied and disguised them to scatter in different directions. He regrouped with the Konoha Six and continued the pursuit, while Sasuke learned Itachi was not among the fugitives.

• Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, and Hidan used the Earth Dragon Underground Technique to flee from Bai Hao.
• Bai Hao sensed sixteen White Zetsu disguised as Akatsuki members and teleported away Deidara’s explosive clay clone before it detonated.
• Bai Hao returned to the Konoha Six and explained that the enemies had scattered in twenty directions and that Gaara had likely been taken by Obito Uchiha.
• Bai Hao told Sasuke that Itachi was not among the fugitives and said he could continue tracking the four Akatsuki members.

Bai Hao sent the Konoha Six after the four Hidans, using their weaknesses to distinguish White Zetsu copies from the real body. Shikamaru located the real Hidan, and Bai Hao left the fight to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio so they could take revenge.

• Bai Hao split Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji into three teams to pursue the Hidans while he hunted two himself.
• Bai Hao rode Dragonite after two Hidans and killed both, discovering that they were White Zetsu copies.
• Shikamaru reported finding the real Hidan, and the pursuers rushed to his location.
• Bai Hao used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Sakura and Ino to Shikamaru, then stepped aside and left Hidan to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Hidan fought Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and Bai Hao, but Shikamaru repeatedly taunted him by reminding him that Jashinism had been destroyed. Hidan prepared his curse ritual after Choji took a green pill, hopeful that he could kill one of them.

• Shikamaru angered Hidan by repeatedly telling him that Jashinism had been wiped out by the Black-Clad Organization.
• Hidan charged Shikamaru, then attacked Choji, who blocked with a shield until Shikamaru restrained Hidan with the Shadow Imitation Technique.
• Hidan threw his scythe at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, but all three used shields to defend themselves.
• Choji swallowed a green pill, and Hidan decided Bai Hao was letting the trio take revenge on him.
• Hidan pierced his palm with a black spear and drew a curse formation with his blood before facing the charging Choji.

Bai Hao helped Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji defeat Hidan and learned that Akatsuki had moved the One-Tails and Two-Tails jinchuriki to an unknown base. He brought Naruto and Sasuke to join the group, then prepared to infiltrate Akatsuki in Hidan’s disguise.

• Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru trapped Hidan, and Choji covered him with Explosive Tags before blowing his body apart.
• Bai Hao thanked Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji for their work and encouraged them to keep training to defeat Kakuzu.
• Bai Hao used genjutsu on Hidan’s head and learned that Akatsuki had moved the One-Tails and Two-Tails jinchuriki to another base whose location Hidan did not know.
• Bai Hao used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Naruto and Sasuke to the group, then sealed Hidan and took his Akatsuki ring.
• Bai Hao told the others to guard the area, transformed into Hidan, put on his ring, and began forming hand seals to infiltrate Akatsuki’s base.

Bai Hao infiltrated the Akatsuki Organization's meeting by posing as Hidan and joined the members as they extracted the One-Tail. The Akatsuki discussed Bai Hao's strength and suspected ties to the Black-Clad Organization, while Black Zetsu worried he lacked a powerful ally besides Madara Uchiha.

• Bai Hao copied White Zetsu's Transformation Jutsu, disguised himself as Hidan, and used Hidan's ring to enter the Akatsuki's meeting.
• Deidara, Sasori, Kakuzu, and the others discussed their escape from Bai Hao and acknowledged his strength.
• Pain began the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals, and the Akatsuki continued extracting the One-Tail while discussing Bai Hao's possible connection to the Black-Clad Organization.
• Itachi defended Bai Hao, while Black Zetsu and Kakuzu disagreed over whether schemes or strength were needed to confront him.
• Black Zetsu worried that Madara Uchiha might abandon the Moon Eye Plan if he learned the truth about the Black-Clad Organization.