Recaps

Sasuke lost to Yakumo after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, prompting Konoha’s leaders to investigate his awakening and tighten his protection. Shinji remained confident, while Neji and Kimimaro were left comparing themselves unfavorably to others.

• Kakashi took the unconscious Sasuke to the hospital, and Tsunade praised Yakumo for defeating him.
• Tsunade and Shizune wondered why Sasuke seemed weaker than the Akatsuki’s Mangekyō Uchiha, and Tsunade attributed it to his inexperience and age.
• Danzo criticized Sasuke for not reporting his Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Third ordered Tsunade to investigate how he had awakened it.
• The Third classified Sasuke’s whereabouts and ordered ANBU to protect him around the clock.
• Students discussed Sasuke’s defeat, while Shinji reassured Shion, Haku, and Karin that he would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan too.
• Neji felt far behind Sasuke, and Kimimaro concluded that he was no match for him.

Orochimaru learned that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and been defeated by Yakumo, while Sasuke recovered in the hospital and told Kakashi that Shinji had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The Hokage leadership realized Shinji could become another Mangekyō Uchiha and that cultivating both boys could endanger the village.

• Kabuto told Orochimaru that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and that Yakumo had defeated him by crushing his Susanoo with Wood Release.
• Sasuke woke in Konoha Hospital, learned he would need days or weeks to recover, and told Kakashi how he fought Shinji to the death to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke said Shinji had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan during their fight, leaving Kakashi astonished.
• Kakashi reported Sasuke's account to the Third, Tsunade, and Jiraiya at the Hokage Office.
• Tsunade warned that Shinji's Sharingan talent could match Sasuke's, and the leaders feared Shinji might become a Mangekyō Uchiha aligned against their faction.

After Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Konoha’s leaders decided to stop trying to restrain him and Shinji and instead draw them into the village’s power structure. Shinji revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to Utatane Koharu, while news of Sasuke’s awakening spread across the shinobi world.

• The Third, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi agreed that the Akatsuki threat made Sasuke and Shinji too valuable to suppress, and the Third ordered the Academy to give them special privileges and access to most ninjutsu scrolls.
• The Third assigned Kakashi to watch over Sasuke and asked Tsunade to handle Shinji, while the leaders planned to win both Uchiha over by conceding power.
• Utatane Koharu questioned Shinji about Sasuke, and Shinji admitted that he had awakened the Sharingan and showed her his Three-Tomoe eyes.
• Utatane Koharu encouraged Shinji and continued viewing him as a tool for her influence, unaware that Konoha’s leaders intended to bring him into their highest circles.
• Word of Sasuke’s Mangekyō Sharingan spread beyond Konoha and reached the leaders of the major shinobi villages.

Kirigakure debated keeping Haku undercover in Konoha to investigate the Akatsuki Organization, while Kusagakure's 'Grass Flower' faction uncovered signs that its rivals had been altered. The chapter ended with the Kusagakure shinobi realizing that more than a hundred members of their faction had disappeared.

• The Fourth Mizukage ordered Kirigakure to keep searching for the Akatsuki Organization and maintained Haku's infiltration despite Mei Terumi and Kisame's concerns.
• A Kusagakure Anbu reported Sasuke Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan awakening and defeat by Kurama Yakumo to the Elder Council.
• The Kusagakure Anbu secretly met a young shinobi and said the 'Grass Fruit' Elders' Chakra felt tainted and unnerving.
• The Anbu revealed that the leader and 'Grass Fruit' Elders had stopped appearing during the day, and that six allies had recently gone missing.
• The Anbu realized that more than a hundred members of the 'Grass Flower' faction had vanished without explanation.

Ryūsetsuna carried the Grass Flower faction’s secret intelligence toward Konoha while Kusagakure’s Grass Fruit faction drew Muku into a meeting with Kokushibo. The chapter ended with Kokushibo killing an elder and offering Muku power beyond mortal limits.

• Ryūsetsuna’s brother urged her to leave Kusagakure, but she refused and agreed to bring his information to the Elder.
• The Elder sent Ryūsetsuna to Konoha with a top-secret scroll detailing the Grass Fruit faction’s plans and Kusagakure’s spies.
• Ryūsetsuna found Muku’s letter saying he had gone to carry out a mission to revive the Grass Country, then set off for the Land of Fire.
• A Grass Fruit faction elder brought Muku before Kokushibo, whom Muku recognized as Upper Moon Two.
• Kokushibo beheaded the elder, whose body turned to ash, then offered Muku the chance to become more than mortal.

Sasuke recovered in the hospital but wrestled with Kakashi’s advice to wait before challenging Yakumo again and to speak with Shinji. Meanwhile, Shinji used his new access to Konoha’s resources to analyze Chakra for his Tenseigan Plan, leaving him calculating a fusion that could bring the Tenseigan within reach.

• Kakashi urged Sasuke to remain hospitalized, master his Mangekyō Sharingan, and find a chance to talk to Shinji after challenging him with intent to kill.
• Shinji used the Medical Team’s advanced laboratory to analyze Chakra gathered by the biological exoskeletons implanted in Neji and Kimimaro, then erased the records of his visit.
• Shizune reported Shinji’s laboratory use to Tsunade, who guessed he had requested access only to test the village’s attitude toward him.
• Shinji found that Kimimaro’s Shikotsumyaku Chakra was far stronger than Neji’s Byakugan Chakra, while Neji’s Tenseigan Chakra could mediate between them.
• Shinji calculated that his final fusion would combine Hyuga, Kaguya, and Otsutsuki Chakra with Tenseigan Chakra to advance his Tenseigan Plan.

Ryūsetsuna fled Kusagakure attackers while carrying a top-secret scroll and reached Konoha badly injured. At Konoha Hospital, Shinji noticed her Kusagakure forehead protector and began examining her, asking what had happened.

• Ryūsetsuna evaded shuriken and continued toward Konoha after her pursuers attacked a Konoha border outpost.
• Sakura, Naruto, Ino, Shion, and their classmates visited Sasuke, who said he had recovered and planned to challenge Yakumo again with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• After leaving Sasuke's room, the classmates met Shinji and discussed Sasuke's condition and his rematch plan.
• A Konoha Ninja rushed into the hospital carrying an injured girl, and Shinji noticed the Kusagakure symbol beneath her hair.
• Shinji went to the examination room and began treating the girl, asking the Konoha Ninja what had happened.

Shinji treated the injured Kusagakure ninja Ryūsetsuna and discovered a plea for help describing Akatsuki’s secret takeover of Kusagakure. He forged the scroll to conceal information about Karin and alert Konoha to the suspected Akatsuki presence, then returned to question Ryūsetsuna.

• A Konoha patrol ninja brought the injured Ryūsetsuna to the hospital, where Shinji recognized her and treated her wounds.
• Shinji found a top-secret scroll in Ryūsetsuna’s pouch and secretly took it before leaving the hospital.
• Shinji read the scroll and learned that the Grass Flower faction suspected demons had infiltrated and taken control of Kusagakure.
• Shinji forged the scroll in the Grass Flower Elder’s handwriting, removed references to Karin, and emphasized a possible Akatsuki takeover.
• Shinji gave the forged scroll to Utatane Koharu, who praised him for obtaining valuable intelligence.
• Shinji returned to the hospital, where Ryūsetsuna woke and he introduced himself as Shinji Uchiha.

Shinji questioned Ryūsetsuna about Kusagakure and learned that the Akatsuki Organization might have infiltrated the village. At an emergency meeting, Konoha decided to investigate immediately, and Shinji told Ryūsetsuna he would join the reconnaissance team setting out for Kusagakure.

• Shinji gave Ryūsetsuna her classified scroll and asked about the people pursuing her, and she described the strange events in Kusagakure.
• Shinji revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to Ryūsetsuna before leaving her hospital room.
• The Third called an emergency meeting after Shinji submitted an altered copy of the classified scroll, and Inoichi said its information about the Akatsuki Organization's infiltration seemed reliable.
• Shinji proposed that Konoha investigate Kusagakure while contacting the other great villages, and the Third agreed to act at once.
• Shinji visited Ryūsetsuna the next day and told her he was joining Konoha's reconnaissance team to Kusagakure.

Shinji sent Tsunade’s and Kakashi’s squads to investigate Kusagakure while secretly mobilizing Akatsuki-disguised allies to conduct parallel reconnaissance. The allied shinobi villages began assembling forces against the Akatsuki Organization, and Shinji’s group reached Kusagakure, where Tsunade chose to arrange a meeting with the Grass Flower faction’s Elder elsewhere.

• Tsunade led one squad and Kakashi led another as they departed Konoha for Kusagakure with Ryūsetsuna.
• Shinji used Naobi to order Sasuke, Neji, and Kimimaro into the operation, pairing them with Haku and each other while Karin partnered with Ido.
• Konoha warned the other great shinobi villages that the Akatsuki Organization might have infiltrated and taken control of Kusagakure.
• Kirigakure and Kumogakure sent elite forces toward Konoha, while Sunagakure and Iwagakure dispatched teams as well.
• After several days of travel, Shinji’s group reached Kusagakure, which appeared ordinary from the outside.
• Ryūsetsuna offered to take the team to the Grass Flower faction’s secret base, but Tsunade decided to arrange a meeting with the Elder elsewhere.

Tsunade’s reconnaissance squad met with Kusagakure Elder Hirayama Ichiro, who linked the village’s disappearances to the Grass Fruit faction and the Box of Paradise. Meanwhile, Kokushibo prepared to reveal the Box’s power using Muku as a Blood Demon candidate.

• Tsunade told Kakashi to prioritize reconnaissance and avoid rash action, and Shizune reported that the other four Kage and the Joint Force were assembling.
• Yakumo spotted Ryūsetsuna approaching with a masked man, and Tsunade verified that he was Hirayama Ichiro by comparing his handwriting with the confidential scroll.
• Hirayama described the Grass Fruit faction’s suspicious behavior and the disappearances in Grass Country, and Ryūsetsuna thanked Shinji for helping Kusagakure.
• Hirayama suspected the disappearances were connected to the Grass Fruit faction trying to open the Box of Paradise, and Tsunade asked his faction to support the operation against the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kokushibo learned that Muku was overflowing with Chakra after consuming blood and flesh, then ordered the Grass Fruit Elders to begin showing the Box of Paradise’s true form.

Kokushibo unleashed the demons hidden beneath Kusagakure, turning them and the village Elders loose to massacre the village. Ryūran witnessed the attack and realized Kusagakure’s Elders were helping the monsters slaughter the villagers.

• Muku accepted his fate and entered the Box of Paradise after the Grass Fruit faction Elder urged him to sacrifice himself for Grass Country.
• Kokushibo learned that the Grass Flower faction might have exposed his existence to Konoha and went to the underground cellar.
• Kokushibo released more than twenty powerful demons, ordering them to slaughter, while the Elders learned Kusagakure was doomed.
• The Kusagakure Elders joined the demons in attacking the village, with some deciding to claim its people as their own blood rations.
• Ryūran saw monsters pouring into Kusagakure and discovered that the village Elders were helping them kill the villagers.

Tsunade’s Konoha squad watched Kusagakure erupt into riots and fires, then retreated when demons exposed their hiding place. The demons caught the squad outside the village, and the chapter left both sides fighting beneath the moonlight.

• Ryūran realized the slaughter in Kusagakure had spiraled out of control and decided to evacuate as many villagers as possible.
• Tsunade’s squad stayed outside Kusagakure and gathered intelligence with help from the Grass Flower faction.
• Yakumo spotted fires, explosions, and a large-scale riot inside Kusagakure, while Tsunade hesitated over whether to intervene.
• Yakumo detected demons charging toward the squad, and Tsunade ordered everyone to retreat.
• Tsunade punched a demon and watched it recover, then had Shizune distribute poison that suppressed demonic regeneration.
• Seven demons attacked Tsunade’s squad, beginning the battle.

Shinji and Yakumo fought demons during a retreat after the team was overwhelmed, and Yakumo used her Red Dragon Eye and Wood Release to subdue one. Shinji realized his lamp was being disrupted by the Demon Slayer World’s Lantern Bearer and revealed that his teams were nearby, waiting for his orders.

• Shinji found that Tsunade’s poison temporarily slowed a demon’s regeneration, but its effects faded and the wounds healed.
• Two squad members were killed, so Tsunade ordered everyone to split up and retreat while she covered them.
• Yakumo refused Shizune’s offer to join her and fled with Shinji, but a demon cornered them in the woods.
• At Shinji’s urging, Yakumo restrained the demon with blood control and Wood Release, draining its Chakra until it was trapped and weakened.
• Shinji wondered why his lamp had not reacted and suspected the Lantern Bearer was disrupting it; he noted that Haku, Sasuke, Karin, Ido, Neji, and Kimimaro were nearby and had been ordered to hold back.

Kokushibo watched Kusagakure’s defenders rally against the demons and considered the Box of Paradise. Outside the village, Sasuke, Haku, Karin, Neji, and Kimimaro waited for orders as they discussed the demons, until a gigantic winged shadow erupted from Kusagakure.

• Hirayama Ichiro and the Grass Flower faction helped Kusagakure’s shinobi regroup and defend the villagers from the demons.
• A demon Elder asked Kokushibo for permission to activate the Box of Paradise, and he showed interest.
• Haku explained to Sasuke that the demons fed on shinobi, feared sunlight, and could be killed with Amaterasu or repeated attacks.
• Karin and Ido waited for Shinji’s orders while watching the battle at Karin’s former home.
• Neji and Kimimaro recognized the demons from their earlier operation, then a gigantic winged shadow leaped out of Kusagakure.

Satori emerged from the Box of Paradise and devastated Kusagakure, prompting the Third to mobilize Konoha and summon the other Kage. Nagato and Obito both decided to head to the Grass Country, setting up a confrontation involving the Akatsuki Organization and the mysterious demons.

• Satori slaughtered Kusagakure's defenders, pierced Hirayama Ichiro with its claws, and forced Ryūran to lead the survivors in a breakout.
• The Third learned of the coup in Kusagakure and ordered Konoha's forces to march while summoning the other Four Kage to the Grass Country.
• Konan told Nagato that demons resembling the Lower Moons were active in Kusagakure, and Nagato decided to lead the Akatsuki Organization there himself.
• Obito learned that Nagato was going to Kusagakure and ordered Zetsu to gather their people, including Shinnō and Moryo, to accompany him.
• Zetsu warned Obito that Sasuke Uchiha might join the operation, and Obito resolved to watch for an opportunity to use Sasuke against Itachi.

Shinji and Yakumo rescued Ryūsetsuna’s refugee group by killing a demon, while Deidara, Scorpion, Hidan, and Kakuzu fought demons elsewhere. The demons continued regenerating as the ninja groups tested their abilities against them.

• A demon ambushed a group of Kusagakure refugees, and their Grass ninja leader fled after ordering everyone to scatter.
• A powerful demon cornered Ryūsetsuna’s group, but Shinji arrived and restrained it with vines while Yakumo drained its blood and Chakra until it was torn apart.
• Ryūsetsuna ran to Shinji and cried in his arms, prompting Yakumo to pout at them.
• Deidara blew a demon to pieces, then watched it regenerate and prepared another Clay Bomb while Scorpion told him to stop playing around.
• Hidan fought a muscular demon, survived its attack through his immortality, and split it apart while Kakuzu criticized him.
• The demon began regenerating as Hidan and Kakuzu argued, and it wondered whether they were ninjas too.

Juzo Biwa and Itachi confirmed that sunlight destroyed a demon, then reported their findings as Nagato’s teams gathered to discuss the monsters in Grass Country. Shinji held a separate meeting in Naobi Space, where Haku reported a gigantic flying monster near Kusagakure.

• Juzo Biwa and Itachi trapped a demon, saw it melt in the sunlight, and headed into the woods to report.
• Nagato’s teams met through the Phantasmal Body Technique and shared what they had learned about demons in Grass Country.
• Nagato ordered the teams to continue toward Kusagakure, then told Konan he would go there despite the risk of encountering the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Shinji gathered his allies in Naobi Space, where Sasuke and Ido entered for the first time and learned that the space concealed their identities.
• Haku told Shinji that he had found a flying monster as large as a Tailed Beast in Kusagakure.

Shinji pieced together how Grass Country’s ambition to reclaim its past glory had enabled the demons to take over Kusagakure, while multiple forces converged on the country. He concluded that the mysterious Lantern Bearer was the true target he had to confront and began planning his next move.

• Shinji reviewed how Grass Country had once used the Box of Paradise to build an empire, then lost control of it and later hoped to regain power through the weapon.
• Shinji reasoned that the Grass Fruit faction had allied with demons, leading to Kusagakure and Grass Country becoming hunting grounds where demons were created from shinobi.
• Ido reported seeing Dark Dawn members, and Shinji identified them as Kakuzu and Hidan; Sasuke had asked whether Itachi Uchiha was among them.
• Haku warned that demons, the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Dark Dawn, and Breaking Dawn were gathering in Grass Country, threatening to plunge it into chaos.
• Shinji concluded that the mysterious Lantern Bearer was orchestrating the invasion to draw him out and eliminate him, so he decided to seize the initiative and considered his next move.

Shinji realized the demons had mistaken him for the Akatsuki leader and planned around Nagato taking the blame, while the Five Great Shinobi Villages entered Grass Country and collided with a demon horde. Beneath Kusagakure, the Lantern Bearer ordered the demons and swordsmen to spread chaos and draw Shinji out.

• Shinji concluded that the demons and the Akatsuki Organization were enemies, and decided not to expose himself while Nagato remained the demons’ apparent target.
• The Third received permission for Konoha to enter Grass Country, learned that the other villages were advancing toward Kusagakure, and ordered his forces forward despite the missing reconnaissance team.
• The five villages’ shinobi forces encountered far more demons than expected, as the demons had gathered in Grass Country and stockpiled Chakra by hunting Kusagakure’s ninjas.
• Beneath Kusagakure, Gyomei Himejima said the swordsmen were prepared to die alongside the demons to save their world, and Kokushibo challenged him.
• The Lantern Bearer ordered the demons and swordsmen to spread corruption and slaughter to draw Shinji out, promising to deal with him personally.

Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure forces encountered powerful samurai while hunting demons in Grass Country. Kokushibo began slaughtering Kirigakure troops, the Fourth Kazekage called for reinforcements after spotting Upper Moon One, and Ōnoki set out to rescue Kumogakure despite its envoy only requesting an alliance.

• A Kirigakure squad killed two demons, but Kokushibo suddenly beheaded its Jonin leader and attacked as distress flares revealed that other units were also under assault.
• The Fourth Kazekage's Sunagakure army encountered a young samurai marked Upper Moon One, so he ordered Elder Chiyo and Pakura to join them.
• Ōnoki received reports that Iwagakure's vanguard and rearguard were under attack and its reconnaissance unit had vanished.
• A wounded Kumogakure messenger reported that the Raikage wanted to join forces with Iwagakure against the attacking samurai.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure's army to move out and rescue Kumogakure, despite the messenger clarifying that the Raikage had only requested an alliance.

Shinji and Yakumo protected the Kusagakure refugees from Kaigaku, the replacement Upper Rank Six, and discovered that the enemy could track them through shared information among demons. After they defeated Kaigaku, Tsunade and Shizune reported that Satori had stopped the Konoha army near the border.

• Yakumo gathered the Kusagakure refugees to move on while Shinji intercepted the approaching Kaigaku.
• Kaigaku revealed that he knew about Yakumo’s blood-controlling ability and attacked Shinji with Thunder Breathing.
• Shinji evaded Kaigaku’s strike, then trapped him with wire and Explosive Tags beneath a Fire Release attack.
• Yakumo restrained Kaigaku with Wood Release, drained his blood, and killed him after wearing down his Chakra and demonic strength.
• Tsunade and Shizune arrived and told Shinji and Yakumo that Satori had attacked the Konoha army led by the Third and held it up near the border.

Tsunade decided to withdraw her reconnaissance squad and escort the Kusagakure refugees, but Shinji stayed behind to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki Organization and the mysterious demons. Alone in the forest, he ordered his allies to avoid demons and began contacting Deidara to learn more about the Akatsuki’s presence.

• Shizune told Tsunade, Yakumo, and Shinji that the Five Kage’s forces had suffered heavy losses in the Land of Grass from powerful mysterious enemies.
• Tsunade decided to abandon the reconnaissance mission and retreat with the Kusagakure refugees, but Shinji disagreed and offered to remain behind alone.
• Tsunade allowed Shinji to stay and told him to withdraw if the situation became too dangerous.
• Shinji raced into the forest and reasoned that he needed to avoid demons so the Lantern Bearer could not learn his plans through them.
• Shinji used Naobi to order Karin, Ido, Sasuke, Haku, Neji, and Kimimaro to stay hidden, avoid fighting demons, and locate Akatsuki members.
• Shinji activated Naobi again and contacted Deidara to investigate how many Akatsuki teams had entered the Land of Grass.

Shinji's allies struggled to stay hidden while Akatsuki members encountered powerful demons across several battlefields. As Akatsuki forces moved to confront them, Ido left Karin to find a way to extend her range.

• Haku stopped Sasuke from leaving their hiding place and reminded him that Shinji had ordered them to avoid contact with demons.
• Ido discovered that Yakumo's retreat with Tsunade had taken her beyond her Spirit Body's range, so she left to find a way to extend it.
• Neji and Kimimaro watched a large group of Kusagakure refugees flee in terror after mistaking their Red Cloud outfits for the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kokushibo defeated most of a Kirigakure squad, then two Akatsuki members arrived on a flying white bird and claimed the fight.
• Itachi Uchiha and Juzo Biwa confronted Demonized Tanjiro, Upper Moon One, after he crushed a puppet and slaughtered Sand ninja.
• Raiga Kurosuki leaped from Hiruko's flying Chimera to attack a Demonized swordsman battling Kumogakure ninja.

The Akatsuki Organization and the demons fought across the Grass Country as both sides prepared lethal moves. Konan reported from the battlefield to Nagato, while the conflict left the Sunagakure forces watching from the sidelines.

• Deidara and Scorpion fought Kokushibo, Upper Moon Two, and Scorpion saved Deidara from a surprise sword strike.
• Kokushibo introduced himself and declared he would kill Deidara and Scorpion, who resumed their clash with him.
• Konan used Paper Clones to observe the battles and coordinate communications, then returned to Nagato's cave.
• Demonized Tanjiro, Upper Moon One, overwhelmed Juzo Biwa and faced Itachi, who activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• The Fourth Kazekage arrived with Chiyo, Pakura, and Sunagakure troops, and they chose to let the Upper Ranks and Akatsuki fight each other.