Recaps

Kabuto abandoned his plan to capture Orochimaru and ingratiated himself with the reanimated Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, while Lord Hanzō also won Tobirama’s respect. The group then realized Orochimaru had disappeared and Hashirama had regained control of himself.

• After seeing Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju appear, Kabuto scrapped his capture plan and joined them, posing as a loyal Konoha ninja alongside Jugō.
• Kabuto praised the Hokage and Konoha’s education, earning Tobirama’s approval as the Second Hokage reflected on the village’s progress.
• Tobirama recognized Lord Hanzō’s Water Release and heard how he had become close friends with Danzo during the war.
• Jugō noticed Orochimaru had vanished, and Hashirama realized the restraints had weakened enough for him to control himself.

Kabuto stopped Tobirama Senju from killing Guren and persuaded the Hokage to leave the Sound ninja to Konoha’s younger generation. Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju departed after praising Kabuto and the others, just as Konoha reinforcements arrived and witnessed the bewildering scene.

• Kabuto accepted the failed mission to capture Orochimaru and told Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju that Konoha’s younger ninja would handle him.
• Tobirama Senju moved to kill Guren, but Kabuto asked him to spare her and argued that Orochimaru’s abandoned followers deserved another chance.
• Tobirama Senju spared Guren, praised Kabuto as a potential Hokage, and sensed that Konoha’s reinforcements had arrived.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju praised Kabuto, Jugō, and Obito before vanishing and leaving two unrecognizable ninja corpses behind.
• The arriving Konoha ninja saw the vanished Hokage’s aftermath and stared in confusion at the Grass bandits they had apparently approved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Kakashi’s report about the failed search for Orochimaru and the appearance of the First and Second Hokage, then ordered the information kept secret while Konoha focused on recovery. Kusana learned that Orochimaru had escaped Kabuto’s group and turned his attention to Kaguya One’s upcoming launch.

• Kakashi reported that he and Guy had retreated after encountering Kusagakure, and Hiruzen Sarutobi suspended the search for the Sannin while ordering the news about the First and Second Hokage concealed.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered whether Kusagakure was connected to the Hokage’s appearance and noticed a BBC Daily announcement about the successful development of the Kaguya One satellite.
• Kusana learned from Kabuto’s intelligence that Orochimaru had escaped despite the efforts of Hanzō, Obito, and the others.
• Kusana recalled that Kakashi’s team had fled from Kabuto’s group, with Might Guy opening the Sixth Gate to carry his companions away.
• Kabuto used Guren to pacify the Sound Ninja, blamed Hanzō for the poisoning incident, and stayed behind with Jugō to help integrate the base into Otogakure.
• Kusana noted that Kaguya One’s launch was approaching and suspected Hanzō did not want to miss it.

Kusagakure prepared to launch its first satellite, Kaguya One, in a public broadcast near Sunagakure. As the gathered crowd watched, Naruto praised the Land of Grass’s achievements, while Black Zetsu recognized the satellite and stared at it uneasily.

• Kusana named Kusagakure’s first satellite Kaguya One after Elder Yōsei declined to name it after himself.
• Kusagakure prepared a public satellite launch before winter and planned to broadcast the attempt throughout the country.
• Shibuki and several Taki ninja arrived at the launch site beside Sunagakure and marveled at the Land of Grass’s prosperity.
• Naruto told the visitors that the Land of Grass trusted its own people rather than a Child of Destiny or ultimate weapons, impressing the Taki ninja.
• Black Zetsu stared darkly at a newspaper image of Kaguya One, recognizing the enormous mechanical eyeball.

Kusagakure launched Kaguya One, the ninja world’s first satellite, as reporters and spectators watched. The satellite reached its designated orbit, while Black Zetsu and Naruto promised to protect Black Zetsu’s mother.

• White Zetsu reported on Kaguya One and interviewed Elder Yōsei, who credited two unnamed ninja talents with helping develop it.
• Elder Yōsei completed the launch checks and pressed the ignition button as the countdown ended.
• Kaguya One launched toward the sky while Black Zetsu watched with a melancholy expression.
• Naruto promised Black Zetsu they would beat anyone who bullied his mother, and Black Zetsu thanked him.
• The broadcast announced Kaguya One had entered its designated orbit, and the crowd cheered as Elder Yōsei smiled.

Kusagakure launched a satellite that lost contact after a mysterious beam seized it, while Kusana and Elder Yang Zheng revealed that they had prepared for an accident. The satellite reached the moon, where Byakugan clansmen found a red button marked “Do Not Press.”

• Konoha investigated Kusagakure’s launch, but Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Anbu to keep searching for the two technicians without attracting Kusagakure’s attention.
• An Anbu ninja reported that Kusagakure’s satellite seemed to have suffered an accident, and Hiruzen Sarutobi learned it had lost contact near its destination.
• Elder Yang Zheng apologized to Kusana for the satellite’s disrupted orbit, but Kusana asked whether the costly project had succeeded and whether the requested addition had been installed.
• Byakugan clansmen on the moon discovered the satellite, which had an enormous arrow pointing toward a red button labeled “Do Not Press.”

The Otsutsuki main and branch families argued over whether to press a mysterious mechanical eyeball launched from the ninja world. A branch family member pressed it twice, triggering its self-destruction, and a distraught newcomer arrived to mourn Xiaobai.

• The main family Clan Head arrived and learned that the branch family had captured a giant white eyeball-like object from the ninja world.
• The main and branch families argued over the object and whether to obey its warning, while the Clan Head tried to restore order.
• The Clan Head asked whether they should press the object, and both families revealed their curiosity despite their hesitation.
• A branch family member pressed the button, changing the warning to “We Told You Not To Press!”
• The branch family member pressed it again, activating the self-destruct sequence and blowing the mechanical eyeball apart.
• A blurred figure rushed over and cried out in grief for Xiaobai.

Kusana confronted the Otsutsuki clansmen over Xiaobai’s destruction, while Naruto and the other shinobi intimidated the branch family. The Main Family agreed to take responsibility, and Kakuzu presented them with a loan document just as Kusana prepared to make his case.

• Kusana mourned Xiaobai and demanded to know which Otsutsuki clansman had destroyed it, while the clansmen argued over who was responsible.
• A branch family member insulted the shinobi world, but Kusana’s powerful companions released their aura and restrained him.
• Naruto and Kankuro mocked the branch family’s claims of godhood, and a Red-Haired young man challenged them to use the Tenseigan.
• The Patriarch of the Main Family apologized and offered to take responsibility, explaining that the clan had little money from the shinobi world.
• Kusana called Kakuzu, who handed the Patriarch a loan document, then Kusana rose onto an Earth Release platform and announced that the clansmen should hear him out first.

Kusana addressed the Otsutsuki Clan after they incurred a massive debt, using an impassioned speech to persuade them that their lives on the moon were unfair and that Kusagakure would welcome them as workers. The clansmen began to embrace his message, while the Main Clan Patriarch reacted with alarm.

• The Otsutsuki clansmen angrily rejected the debt terms, which required them to mortgage their lunar supplies and work to repay what they owed.
• Kusana used an amplifier to claim that the destroyed device, Kaguya One, had taken decades and vast resources to develop, leaving the Otsutsuki confused.
• Kusana reassured the clansmen that Kusagakure would treat them as family and return their belongings once they repaid their debt.
• Kusana contrasted the clansmen’s plain clothes, stored food, and monotonous life on the moon with the comforts enjoyed by the Hyuga Clan in the ninja world.
• The Otsutsuki clansmen began agreeing that they wanted better lives and shouted that they wanted to pursue happiness, while the Main Clan Patriarch’s face turned green.

Kusana rallied the Otsutsuki clansmen to abandon their inherited burdens and follow him to a new life in the ninja world. The main-family patriarch, unable to counter the crowd’s enthusiasm, ended by thanking Kusana.

• Kusana urged the Otsutsuki clansmen to question their harsh lives and compare them with the Hyuga Clan’s comfort.
• Kusana promised the clansmen jobs, prosperity, freedom from their duties, and a better future for their families.
• The clansmen applauded and embraced the prospect of starting new lives, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Fū watched in astonishment.
• Kusana led the crowd in chanting that no one could stop them and that they would crush anyone who stood in their way.
• Kusana invited the main-family patriarch to speak, and the patriarch fell silent before thanking him.

Kusana tried to recruit the Otsutsuki Clan on the moon after rallying its members, but the Main Family Patriarch refused his invitation. Kusana then demanded compensation for the destroyed Million-Billion Little White, and Kakuzu’s threats left the Patriarch struggling to negotiate.

• The Main Family Patriarch silenced the Otsutsuki clansmen and ordered them home after Kusana urged them to join Kusagakure.
• Kusana followed the Main Family Patriarch and Branch Family Clan Head into the palace with his group.
• The Main Family Patriarch apologized for damaging Kusagakure’s Million-Billion Little White but declined Kusana’s invitation because the clan still had its mission.
• Kusana presented the compensation contract, and the Otsutsuki Clan Heads protested the amount and denied responsibility.
• Kusana called Kakuzu whenever the elders resisted, and Kakuzu appeared with his Great Sword at their necks.
• The Main Family Patriarch tried to explain that the clan lacked enough money, but Kakuzu’s threats made him hesitate to negotiate.

Elder Yang Zheng warned the Otsutsuki Clan that generations of intermarriage had caused declining births and other health problems, putting the clan at risk of extinction. He pointed to an eyeless child as evidence, leaving the hall stunned.

• The Patriarch of the Main House realized that Konoha, which had lost a war to Kusagakure, would likely be unable to pay the sum being discussed.
• Elder Yang Zheng told the Otsutsuki Clan leaders that their clan would disappear if it continued as it was.
• The Patriarch of the Main House and the Branch Family Clan Head admitted that births were declining and listened as Yang Zheng described other problems among their children and clansmen.
• Yang Zheng explained that generations of intermarriage had caused inbreeding and warned that the Otsutsuki Clan would eventually die out without change.
• The Branch Family Clan Head questioned Yang Zheng's proof, and Yang Zheng pointed to an eyeless child as an example of a congenital deformity.
• Kusana, Sasuke, the child, and the gathered Otsutsuki Clan members fell silent in shock.

Elder Yōsei judged Otsutsuki Toneri and the clan members to have serious mental problems, while Kusana persuaded the Otsutsuki clan to consider joining Kusagakure. The Main House Patriarch agreed to send clan members to the village, though he suspected they might never return.

• Elder Yōsei questioned Toneri, who vowed to destroy the ninja world’s flawed humans and kill anyone who opposed him, even his own clansmen.
• Elder Yōsei warned the Otsutsuki leaders that the clan’s pressure and internal conflict could lead to its extinction.
• Kusana offered the Otsutsuki clan jobs, housing, and psychological support if they joined Kusagakure, and cited Obito’s departure from Konoha as an example.
• Otsutsuki Torino supported moving the clan to Kusagakure, arguing that change could prevent the main and branch families from fighting.
• The Main House Patriarch accepted Kusana’s offer and asked him to treat the Otsutsuki who went to Kusagakure as family.
• When the Main House Patriarch asked who had taught him such persuasive speaking, Kusana answered that it was love.

Kusana brought the Otsutsuki group from the moon to Kusagakure, where they began settling into their new lives and the village prepared to study Otsutsuki technology. The next day, Kusana returned to work and discussed how to place the Takigakure and Otogakure exchange students at the academy.

• Otsutsuki Torino agreed to accompany the Branch Family members to Kusagakure, while Elder Yang Zheng stayed on the moon to oversee research into Otsutsuki technology.
• Kusana led the group to Kusagakure in Obito's special vehicle, where Torino was stunned by the vehicle's passenger-compartment shop.
• Kusana left the Otsutsuki's accommodations and psychological care to Kusagakure's staff, then returned to his other duties.
• Kusana learned that Konoha and Kumogakure suspected the satellite launch had failed, while the Great Nations continued to obey the Land of Grass's rules.
• Pakura told Kusana that the Takigakure and Otogakure exchange students were numerous and older than usual, and asked whether to divide them among classes or place them together.

Kusana and Pakura planned a separate, accelerated class for the children from Takigakure, the Sound Ninja, and the Otsutsuki Clan, while Kusana insisted that Fū be treated like any other student. Oyakamon then challenged Kusana’s year-end performance schedule, but Kusana persuaded him that the show would promote unity among the Land of Grass’s ninja clans.

• Kusana proposed placing the incoming children in a distinctive class that would open within days and follow a shortened school term, and Pakura agreed.
• Pakura asked how Fū would be treated, and Kusana said she should receive no special exception.
• Oyakamon entered Kusana’s office to object that the Chinoike Clan and he had been assigned performances for the year-end celebration.
• Kusana told Oyakamon the performances would display unity among the Land of Grass’s ninja clans and promote peace, then urged him to perform as clan head.
• Oyakamon doubted Kusana’s sincerity but accepted the assignment after Kusana accused him of lacking the Spirit of Grass.

Kusana arranged year-end performances to showcase unity in the Land of Grass while Kusagakure expanded its technology and trade abroad. As the clans rushed to prepare, the Four Great Ninja Villages struggled with their losses, and a young man in Konoha watched a suspiciously prolonged television clearance sale.

• Kusana reassured Pakura that the performances were meant to promote harmony and reviewed plans for a lunar expedition, communication base stations, and the Otsutsuki clan’s examinations.
• The ninja clans, including Takigakure and Otogakure, panicked over the sudden order to prepare year-end performances and began organizing anyway.
• The Land of Grass openly expanded trade and communication infrastructure in the major countries after the Four Great Ninja Villages honored the treaty.
• Konoha grew quieter amid economic hardship, while a television shop loudly advertised a clearance sale and a young man wondered how long its supposedly ten-day sale had already lasted.

Itachi, marginalized and watched in Konoha, bought a television and asked Kakashi to help him subscribe to Kusagakure’s satellite service. The chapter ended as heavy snow covered the Land of Grass and the ninja world reached the year’s final day.

• Itachi bought a television after seeing an advertisement featuring a familiar figure giving a thumbs-up.
• Itachi met Kakashi, asked about the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke, and his mother, and Kakashi assured him they were doing well without revealing the truth.
• Kakashi explained how Itachi could sign up for Kusagakure’s Satellite TV, and Itachi asked him to handle it.
• Kakashi watched Itachi leave and reflected on how Konoha and the Uchiha Clan no longer trusted or accepted him.
• Heavy snow covered the Land of Grass as the ninja world reached the last day of the year.

On Kusagakure’s New Year, Otsutsuki Torino reflected on the clan’s new life in the shinobi world and let Otsutsuki Toneri go play with Naruto and the other children. Watching them celebrate, Torino hoped the shinobi world could help Toneri and the Otsutsuki Clan change.

• Otsutsuki Torino considered the Otsutsuki Clan’s settlement in Kusagakure and weighed how its members might find work after the New Year.
• Otsutsuki Toneri told Otsutsuki Torino that Naruto had invited him out, and Torino encouraged him to go and enjoy himself.
• Naruto and the other children waited outside for Otsutsuki Toneri, who joined them in the snow.
• Otsutsuki Torino remembered the doctor’s warning that Toneri’s devotion to the Ancestor’s Will could lead him to eliminate anyone who threatened his purpose.
• Otsutsuki Torino watched the children set off firecrackers and hoped the shinobi world could offer the Otsutsuki Clan a different path.

Kusana and Lord Hanzō prepared to join the end-of-year festivities as Naruto and the others returned from the moon. On the moon, Elder Yōsei activated a television so the gathered Otsutsuki clan members and researchers could watch the ninja world's end-of-year performance.

• Lord Hanzō reminisced about the Land of Grass's rise and confirmed with Kusana that communications with the Four Great Ninja Villages had been tested.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Kushina, and the others returned home, and Kusana invited everyone to set off for the celebrations.
• On the moon, the Otsutsuki Main Branch Family and Kusagakure researchers waited impatiently for the promised performance to begin.
• Elder Yōsei turned on the television, and the crowd settled down to watch the ninja world's end-of-year broadcast.

Kusana watched the Land of Grass’s grand year-end celebration, where Ninja Clan representatives were unexpectedly made to perform a joint song. The awkward spectacle entertained viewers across the ninja world and on the moon, while Yahiko prepared to leave on a business trip to avoid the fallout.

• The Ninja Clan representatives performed a hastily prepared song about unity, with the Snow Clan’s representative singing gracefully while Obito, Nagato, and the Otsutsuki Branch Family Clan Head struggled through it.
• Kusana filmed Obito and Nagato as Naruto revealed he had recommended Nagato for the performance, and Second Pillar felt relieved he had refused Obito’s offer to become the next Clan Head.
• Yahiko watched the performance in embarrassment, admitted he had rushed the Clan Heads onto the stage, and filmed the event before planning a business trip to Kabuto’s place.
• Viewers across the ninja world and on the moon laughed at the televised performance, while the Main Clan Patriarch joined in watching the Branch Family Clan Heads enjoy themselves.

The Ninja Clans and villages performed at the celebration, and Sunagakure’s puppet show told a warm story about a war-orphaned puppet master who became a factory worker and built a happy life. Scorpion watched from Factory Three, recognizing Chiyo’s message, as the Uchiha Clan’s performance began and a young man watched from Konoha.

• The Snow Clan, Sound Ninja, and Takigakure presented an Ice Release spectacle, a musical performance, and a heroic play.
• Sunagakure staged a puppet story about a lonely child who learned Puppet Technique, made puppets of his parents, and later left the village to work in a factory.
• The puppet story showed the child growing into a worker, finding love, marrying, and raising a family while his grandmother respected his choice to live away from the village.
• Scorpion watched the celebration with his coworkers at Factory Three, realized Chiyo had known about his life, and dismissed the story as boring while admitting it might not matter.
• The Uchiha Clan’s performance began with black-haired men in red-and-white fan outfits, while a young man in Konoha watched and anticipated their act.

Itachi and Sasuke watched the Uchiha Clan’s festival dance at Kusagakure’s fireworks event, only for Sasuke to discover that Obito had used Transformation Jutsu to put several Uchiha onstage. After the crowd began voting for its favorite performance, Sasuke joined his family as a camera captured them laughing together.

• Itachi admired Kusagakure’s leader and recognized the Uchiha Clan’s traditional festival dance on television.
• Sasuke realized that the performer resembling him was a transformed look-alike, and Kusana identified Obito as the likely culprit.
• Kusana explained that attendees and television viewers could vote for the night’s best performance, while the Uchiha dance drew loud cheers.
• Sasuke activated his Mangekyo and used Chidori against Obito after seeing the embarrassing dance moves onstage.
• Naruto voted for Sasuke, and Sasuke held Little Qin while his family laughed together.
• A camera swept across the audience and captured Sasuke with his family.

Itachi saw a fleeting image of his mother and Sasuke with a baby on the television and anxiously watched for another glimpse. As Kusagakure’s year-end celebration ended, people across the ninja world reflected on the village’s strength and what its rise might mean for them.

• Itachi recognized his mother and Sasuke in a brief image on television and watched the screen intently for the next performance.
• The Uzumaki Clan performed its masked Death God Festival Dance at Kusagakure’s celebration.
• Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura discussed Kusagakure’s power and the Byakugan, while Hiruzen hoped Danzo would emerge from seclusion.
• Leaders and villagers in Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Otogakure watched the celebration and considered Kusagakure’s growing influence.
• Guren agreed to discuss Yugimaru’s wish to study in Kusagakure with Kabuto, and Yugimaru ran off to vote for the Sound Ninja.
• The celebration ended with fireworks as Kusana watched the people around him and the children held by Nagato and Sasuke.

After the year-end festival, the Land of Grass returned to development as its technology and cultural products spread while the other ninja villages adjusted to the changing political landscape. With the ninja world unusually peaceful, Kusana gathered everyone and announced that it was time to begin the next step of the plan.

• The Snow Clan won the year-end festival's Best Outstanding Performance, and Yahiko left for Otogakure to help with its construction.
• The visiting ninja began attending classes, while the completed lunar research institute let Elder Yang Zheng's team study Otsutsuki technology.
• Grass Ninja Manufacturing's televisions and mobile phones gained popularity, and Kusagakure expanded its cultural influence through media and Armored Ninja merchandise.
• The Four Great Ninja Villages kept their distance from Kusagakure, while the Feudal Lord's Mansion recruited rogue ninja and Orochimaru and Danzo remained absent.
• The other Three Great Ninja Villages improved conditions for ninja clans, while the Fourth Raikage launched a strict campaign against revealing or bizarre clothing in Kumogakure.
• Kusana gathered everyone and declared that it was time to begin the next step of the plan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi promised the Hyuga Clan that Konoha would not betray them, while investigating a mysterious Byakugan ninja in Kusagakure. Meanwhile, Kusagakure's forces entered the Kingdom of Goa and confronted its nobles at a royal banquet.

• An Anbu ninja told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Hyuga Clan Head seemed to be hiding the secret of a Byakugan ninja seen at Kusagakure's celebration.
• The Anbu ninja relayed the Hyuga Clan Head's assurance that the clan would never betray Konoha, and Hiruzen promised Konoha would not betray the clan either.
• Hiruzen learned that Kusagakure had withdrawn most of its border troops and that Nagato Uzumaki had departed for an unknown purpose.
• At a royal banquet in the Kingdom of Goa, a group wearing green outfits and Grass forehead protectors surrounded the nobles.
• The intruders identified themselves as the Land of Grass.