Chapter Summaries

Sasuke captured Kidomaru and reported his infiltration to Tsunade, who refused to spare the scarce manpower needed to pursue Orochimaru. After completing a merchant escort mission, Sasuke encountered Kimimaro near Konoha and faced Orochimaru’s demand that he come willingly or be taken by force.

• Sasuke and the night patrol ninja brought the captured Kidomaru to Tsunade, who ordered him sent to prison until Ibiki returned.
• Sasuke suggested following Kidomaru to Orochimaru’s hideout, but Tsunade said Konoha lacked the manpower and told him to wait until the village recovered.
• Sasuke escorted a merchant to the port and returned to Konoha after the client boarded a ship.
• Kimimaro blocked Sasuke near Konoha, identified himself, and demanded that Sasuke follow Orochimaru or be crippled and taken back.
• Sasuke asked Kimimaro for his name and said he did not want to fight him.

Sasuke tested weapons and tactics against Kimimaro, then killed him with sniper rifles after exploiting his weakness to illusion techniques. He collected materials from Kimimaro’s body and was left mourning their shared fate while recognizing his own cruelty.

• Sasuke tested his iron spear and Lightning Style against Kimimaro’s bone weapons, then used clones and an illusion to confuse him.
• Sasuke judged Kimimaro’s close-range fighting limited and arranged for Shadow Clones to harass him while others set up sniper rifles.
• Kimimaro killed the attacking clones, but Sasuke’s armor-piercing rounds broke through his defenses and left him gravely wounded.
• Kimimaro activated his Cursed Seal, but a second volley struck him and ended the battle.
• Sasuke gathered materials from Kimimaro’s corpse and reflected on their shared origins and his own ruthlessness.

Sasuke returned from a mission and spent the day in the village, where Naruto and Sakura caught him observing Kakashi and Karin, a suspected spy. After Sakusen Village demanded Karin in exchange for two captured Konoha genin, Tsunade prepared a rescue mission, while Kakashi warned that Karin might have learned classified information.

• Sasuke told Tsunade he had dealt with Orochimaru's men on his way back, and she gave him the day off to rest.
• Naruto and Sakura followed Kakashi and Karin around the village, while Sasuke recognized Karin as a spy from his memories.
• Sasuke disguised himself as a flower girl and sold Karin a bouquet of lilies as she walked with Kakashi.
• A messenger told Tsunade that Sakusen Village had captured two Konoha genin and wanted to exchange them for Karin.
• Tsunade assigned a mission to recover the genin, and Kakashi warned that Karin might have obtained classified information.

Tsunade ordered a rescue mission for Karin, while Sasuke intercepted and released her after questioning her ties to Sakusen Village. Back in Konoha, Sasuke helped Tsunade adapt the Yin Seal for Shizune, as Orochimaru learned that his plan to retrieve Sasuke had failed and Kimimaro was dead.

• Tsunade approved the hostage exchange mission, and Kakashi led a team to retrieve Karin while Konoha prepared an ambush.
• The exchange took place on a bridge, but the Sakusen leader blew himself up, and Kakashi concealed Karin's escape from Team 7.
• Sasuke intercepted Karin, questioned her about Sakusen Village and Kakashi, then released her with a way to leave messages for him.
• Tsunade inspected Sasuke's auxiliary Yin Seal and asked him to help Shizune begin training with it.
• Kabuto told Orochimaru that the plan to bring Sasuke back had failed and Kimimaro was dead, while a figure in a Black Cloud cloak appeared outside the snake den.

A masked Akatsuki member with the Rinnegan offered Orochimaru a chance to regain Sasuke’s loyalty and return to the organization in exchange for two kilograms of high-purity Chakra Metal. Orochimaru agreed to gather the payment within a year and resume the Konoha Crush Plan, though the masked man insisted the operation would be Orochimaru’s alone.

• Orochimaru met a masked Akatsuki member who appeared at his base and demonstrated the power of a second Rinnegan.
• The masked man offered to help Orochimaru make Sasuke follow him for three years, while warning that Itachi would eventually come for them.
• The masked man demanded two kilograms of Chakra Metal with purity above ninety percent as the price of the deal.
• Orochimaru agreed to provide the Chakra Metal within a year and asked how he could make Sasuke submit.
• The masked man told Orochimaru to prove his strength and urged him to resume the Konoha Crush Plan, denying that the Akatsuki Organization would be involved.

Sasuke stored Kimimaro’s body for future experiments while Jiraiya returned to Konoha and Orochimaru secretly entered the village with Kabuto Yakushi and the Masked Man. The chapter ended as Pain unleashed Planetary Devastation on Konoha, with the falling sphere threatening Sasuke’s home and everything he owned.

• Sasuke preserved Kimimaro’s body and considered ways to combine bloodlines and become an Otsutsuki.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha, learned the Akatsuki Organization would be quiet for three years, and met Tsunade in the Hokage's Office.
• Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and the Masked Man entered Konoha under genjutsu, and Orochimaru sent Kabuto to search the prison for a surviving member of the Sound Four.
• Team Seven returned from a B-rank mission, and Naruto heard at Ichiraku Ramen that Jiraiya was back in the village.
• Sasuke saw Obito in Konoha, then watched Deva Path Pain use Planetary Devastation to pull people and buildings into the air.
• Sasuke opened the Gate of Life to escape the gravitational force as the enormous sphere fell toward the Uchiha clan district.

Eight enormous white snakes attacked Konoha, forcing Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke to fight them while the village evacuated. After the ninja defeated the snakes, Orochimaru appeared with the creatures revived and merged, claiming he had come to clear up a misunderstanding.

• Four white snakes surrounded Konoha with a barrier while four others broke through the walls and led a tide of snakes toward the village.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu and Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to battle the giant snakes, but the Toad Brothers were forced to retreat and the snakes' scales proved highly resistant.
• Tsunade split a white snake with Byakugou-enhanced strength, but its remains exploded; the ninja learned to break the snakes apart and seal or bury their pieces to prevent further blasts.
• Sasuke supported Naruto and Jiraiya with attacks and rescued people as the ninja organized their defense and eventually brought down the giant snakes.
• Orochimaru appeared before Tsunade and Jiraiya, then revived the snakes' remains and merged them into two larger creatures as he taunted Sasuke.

Shi Xiaosong’s exhausting work and financial losses preceded his apparent awakening in the Naruto world, where Orochimaru was draining Naruto’s Chakra and trying to persuade Second Pillar to join him. Orochimaru offered Tsunade one disciple in exchange for Konoha, leaving Jiraiya’s fate unknown.

• Shi Xiaosong woke on a bus after reliving memories of the Naruto world and thanked a woman who had helped him recover from low blood sugar.
• Shi Xiaosong arrived late to work, failed to sell his Green Halt stock before it crashed, and eventually sold it at a forty-two percent loss.
• Shi Xiaosong endured overtime, weekend work, and stressful family obligations, and yearned to escape his life.
• Orochimaru restrained Naruto and extracted his Chakra, while Jiraiya was wrapped in a white snake and Tsunade lay on the ground.
• Orochimaru told Tsunade he wanted Second Pillar to willingly join him and offered to trade one disciple for Konoha.

Tsunade realized Orochimaru had left by choice and had threatened Sasuke, while Sasuke woke in Konoha Hospital to discover that his Yin Seal and Mangekyō Sharingan had been completed and his Consciousness Space fortified. He entered Naruto’s mind, confronted the weakened Nine-Tails, and ended up drawing in some of its Chakra as it pounced on him.

• Tsunade watched the Konoha civilians celebrate Orochimaru’s departure, knowing he had not been defeated and remembering his threat concerning Sasuke.
• Sasuke woke in Konoha Hospital and found that his Yin Seal was full, a seal covered it, and his Consciousness Space had been reinforced.
• Sasuke treated Naruto and returned some Chakra to him, then entered Naruto’s Consciousness Space to meet the weakened Nine-Tails.
• Sasuke revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and taunted the Nine-Tails, whose attacks could not hurt him.
• Sasuke breathed in the Nine-Tails’ Chakra and invited it to test whether he could return it; the Nine-Tails pounced, and a faint Tailed Beast Cloak appeared around Sasuke in the hospital.

Sasuke inspected the Nine-Tails’s seal, warned it about Akatsuki, and returned to find Anbu watching Naruto. As Orochimaru’s plan to drive Sasuke from Konoha unfolded, Sasuke destroyed Itachi’s spying Crow and awakened his Mangekyo abilities before masked shinobi surrounded his home.

• Sasuke showed the Nine-Tails its sealed Chakra, shared some of his own, and warned it that Akatsuki would target Naruto.
• Sasuke assured the Anbu that Naruto’s seal was stable, then returned to the Uchiha compound and reflected on his preparations to leave.
• Two Orochimarus, Kabuto Yakushi, and Kidomaru watched Konohagakure as the Orochimarus discussed how to force Sasuke out of the village.
• Sasuke restrained and destroyed Itachi Uchiha’s Crow clone, and Itachi’s interruption prompted Deva Path Pain to end the day’s work.
• Sasuke awakened Heavenly Needle and Ama no Ramu, placed a Heavenly Needle on a backyard wall, and sensed killing intent from masked shinobi surrounding his home.

Tsunade assigned Sasuke an S-rank mission to infiltrate Orochimaru’s side for three years after masked attackers ambushed him. As Sasuke prepared to leave Konoha, Orochimaru appeared in the Hokage’s Office disguised as a messenger.

• Tsunade and the advisers debated how to prevent Orochimaru from attacking Konoha again and pressured Sasuke to make a choice.
• A messenger reported that someone had attacked Sasuke, but Sasuke arrived at the office unharmed and revealed more than twenty dead masked attackers from Root.
• Mitokado Homura urged Sasuke to go to Orochimaru or prevent him from obtaining the Uchiha bloodline, and Sasuke asked Tsunade for a mission to join Orochimaru’s side.
• Tsunade issued Sasuke a three-year S-rank infiltration mission with a reward of fifty million ryo, and Sasuke accepted the mission document.
• Orochimaru appeared in the Hokage’s Office disguised as a messenger, frightening the two advisers.

Sasuke left Konoha with Orochimaru after Tsunade confirmed he had not signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest. He reached Orochimaru’s hideout, where Kabuto Yakushi and Kidomaru awaited him, while Orochimaru recovered from a body switch.

• Orochimaru demanded proof that Sasuke had not contracted with Shikkotsu Forest, and Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to show the scroll, which listed only Tsunade.
• Sasuke gave Tsunade medicines and messages for Naruto and Neji before leaving Konoha with Orochimaru.
• Tsunade assigned three Anbu to pursue Orochimaru and agreed with the Council Elders that the Ninja Academy needed to expand enrollment.
• The intelligence ninja wearing Orochimaru’s face collapsed after giving Sasuke a meeting location, and the Masked Man in Akatsuki robes disappeared after warning Orochimaru not to forget his request.
• Sasuke met Kabuto Yakushi and Kidomaru at the hideout, learned that Orochimaru was busy, and was told Kidomaru would serve as his subordinate.

Tsunade told Naruto that Sasuke had willingly gone with Orochimaru to stop the attack on Konoha, and urged him to train until a chance to rescue Sasuke came. Just as Naruto promised to protect the weakened village, Jiraiya disappeared from Konoha Hospital, while Gamamaru woke at Mount Myōboku.

• Tsunade learned Danzo had left Konoha to recuperate and refused to fund the reconstruction of Root’s base.
• Tsunade gave Naruto Sasuke’s letter and explained that Sasuke had gone willingly with Orochimaru after Konoha was defeated.
• Naruto wanted to rescue Sasuke immediately, but Tsunade said Orochimaru would make his move in three years and warned Naruto not to contact Sasuke.
• Tsunade told Naruto that Jiraiya needed at least two more weeks to recover and asked him to protect the village in the meantime.
• A staff member reported that Jiraiya had disappeared from Konoha Hospital, and Tsunade and Naruto hurried to investigate.
• At Mount Myōboku, Gamamaru woke after spending the night asleep while tending the three injured brothers.

After the battle at Konoha, Naruto was summoned to Mount Myōboku to hear a prophecy intended for the unconscious Jiraiya. The prophecy identified Naruto as a possible agent of great change but offered few details, and Naruto stayed for a meal before returning.

• Sage Shima summoned Naruto to Mount Myōboku after Jiraiya remained unconscious.
• Sage Fukasaku introduced Naruto to Gamamaru, who prophesied that a youth with powerful eyes would bring destruction or stability to the ninja world.
• Gamamaru identified Naruto as a blond member of the Uzumaki Clan who had chosen an exceptionally difficult path, but could not explain the youth’s identity or eye powers.
• Sage Fukasaku explained that Jiraiya’s disciple was foretold to bring great change and that Naruto was now the second possible agent of change.
• Naruto questioned the prophecy’s meaning and whether being Jiraiya’s disciple meant he might die like the previous disciples.
• Sage Shima invited Naruto to stay for a meal, and he accepted.

Sasuke and Kidomaru stayed at a bare outpost near Konoha while Kabuto Yakushi went to meet Orochimaru. Sasuke improved the primitive facilities, then questioned Kidomaru about the Sound Four and challenged him to train.

• The group rented a shed in a village, and Sasuke left his horse there rather than sell it.
• Kabuto Yakushi brought Sasuke to an outpost near Konoha and left him with Kidomaru while he went to find Orochimaru.
• Sasuke inspected the empty outpost, then diverted a stream and built an open-air bath with Kidomaru's help.
• Sasuke trapped Kidomaru in a spinning Water Prison Technique to wash him, then asked whether he wanted revenge for the Sound Four.
• Kidomaru said the Sound Four had not spent long together and that Orochimaru's power had made their lives subject to his orders.
• Sasuke told Kidomaru to spar with him and asked whether he could cook, leaving Kidomaru embarrassed by his own limited skills.

Sasuke tested the limits of his Mangekyo abilities, using Heavenly Needle to send a Shadow Clone to Konoha and Ama no Ramu to travel to a nearby bathhouse. After dispelling the clone and confirming it had not worsened his eye strain, he planned further experiments while recovering at Orochimaru’s base.

• Sasuke secured his room with Fuinjutsu and used Heavenly Needle to send a Shadow Clone to his old home in Konoha, where it remained undetected overnight.
• Sasuke used Ama no Ramu to open a Space-time Rift and travel from his room to the outdoor bathhouse, but the technique consumed much of his Chakra and strained his eyes.
• Sasuke concluded that both Mangekyo abilities needed more testing and considered Hashirama Cells as a way to address the physical burden on his eyes.
• Sasuke dispelled the Shadow Clone in Konoha and found that using it through Heavenly Needle had caused no extra Sharingan strain compared with an ordinary clone.
• Sasuke planned to use Heavenly Needle for scouting and gathering while training with Kidomaru, who struggled to keep up without his Cursed Seal.

Sasuke rejected Kabuto Yakushi's Cursed Seal medicine and insisted on pursuing Sage Mode and his own research instead. After Kabuto took him to a new underground chamber, Sasuke requested laboratory resources and asked whether any members of Kimimaro's Kaguya Clan remained.

• Kabuto Yakushi offered Sasuke medicine to strengthen his Cursed Seal, but Sasuke refused and challenged Kabuto to demonstrate its effects.
• Sasuke explained that he wanted to learn Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave, and Kabuto said Orochimaru would not reveal its location or let Sasuke meet him yet.
• Sasuke traveled with Kabuto Yakushi to a new temporary base and successfully left a second Heavenly Needle marker along the way.
• Sasuke gave Kabuto a list requesting a long-term laboratory, Taijutsu sparring partners, and medicine for his research.
• Sasuke asked Kabuto whether any Kaguya Clan members survived, and Kabuto said Kimimaro had been the last one he knew of.

Sasuke asked Orochimaru to clone Kimimaro, and Orochimaru agreed to provide the materials in exchange for a mission in the Land of Lightning. Sasuke set out with Kidomaru while the Akatsuki discussed Orochimaru and their plans to capture the tailed beasts.

• Sasuke told Kabuto he wanted to clone Kimimaro, and Kabuto returned the next day with Orochimaru's invitation.
• Orochimaru agreed to prepare the cloning materials if Sasuke stole an item from Kumogakure, and Sasuke accepted the mission while warning that he would not tolerate his identity being exposed.
• Sasuke left Kimimaro's preserved corpse with Orochimaru and took Kidomaru along as backup.
• Kidomaru gave Sasuke scrolls containing Orochimaru's ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu as they headed toward the Land of Lightning.
• The Akatsuki discussed Sasuke's Sharingan, Orochimaru's recent fight with Konoha, and their plans to capture the tailed beasts.

Sasuke and Kidomaru traveled undercover as merchant warriors into the Land of Lightning, gathering information and preparing medicinal goods. At Kumogakure’s gate, they registered under false names, and Sasuke revealed that they sold finished medicine as the village began inspecting their merchandise.

• Sasuke and Kidomaru traveled through the Land of Hot Water, where Sasuke found the sulfurous hot springs less appealing than clean hot water.
• Sasuke explained that they needed to gather information as merchants because questioning ninja alone would not uncover what Orochimaru wanted, and he wanted to avoid drawing suspicion in the Land of Lightning.
• As the mountainous terrain led them toward Kumogakure, Sasuke suppressed their Chakra fluctuations and kept Kidomaru disguised rather than leaving him outside the village.
• Two Kumogakure gate guards stopped Sasuke and Kidomaru, who introduced themselves as Inoue Sen and Matsumaru and said they had come to sell goods.
• Sasuke paid the guards tea money and described their merchandise, then clarified that they sold finished medicine rather than raw medicinal herbs.

Sasuke, posing as Mr. Inoue, sold medicine to Kumogakure’s hospital and used the connections to establish a stall with a prime location. He expanded it into a North-South General Store and food stalls, hoping the added bustle would draw customers and support his wider business plans.

• Sasuke sold four boxes of medicine to Kumogakure’s hospital, earned a little over nine million ryo, and declined an offer to join the village.
• Sasuke and Kidomaru toured Kumogakure with a guide ninja, checked local prices, and investigated its export market.
• Sasuke accepted the guide ninja’s help securing a popular stall location and prepared medicines, goods, weapons, fabrics, and other merchandise for sale.
• Sasuke opened the North-South General Store and hired clerks and vendors to set up snack stalls beside it.
• Sasuke cooked noodles and other foods for Kumogakure locals to sample, while the general store offered related seasonings and goods.