Recaps

Sasuke challenged Karin for her code name, but she defeated him with Wood Release without using her Mangekyō Sharingan. Shinji returned and announced that the mission was complete, though the crisis had only been postponed, and the Demon Slayer World was beyond saving.

• Sasuke challenged Karin, demanding her code name if he won, and she accepted.
• Karin overwhelmed Sasuke with Wood Release, drained his Chakra, and defeated him without using her Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Karin invited the others to challenge her, while the group grew more wary and competitive.
• Shinji returned after searching Ryuhei Ubuyashiki's bases and confirmed no one had been contaminated by the Overlord of Fear.
• Shinji said the mission was complete but the crisis had only been postponed, then declared the world beyond saving as red light flashed in the sky.

Shinji returned to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters after sending Haku and the others back to the Shinobi World, then warned the Corps that its missing Hashira had tried to save their world but failed. He left the Corps to face the approaching end, and Genya wondered if his brother and the others had failed.

• Shinji opened a Space Rift and sent Karin, Haku, and the others back to the Shinobi World, refusing Haku's request to tell the Demon Slayer Corps the truth.
• A black-robed Lantern Bearer appeared through another Space Rift, recognized the danger, and retreated without speaking to Shinji.
• Shinji traveled to the Demon Slayer Corps' temporary headquarters on Mt. Fujikasane, where he saw the Corps struggling amid the growing chaos.
• Nezuko and Genya Shinazugawa confronted Shinji, and he said the missing Hashira had not betrayed the Corps but had chosen the wrong way to try to save their world.
• Shinji urged the Demon Slayer Corps not to resent or search for the missing Hashira and to use the little time they had left, then vanished.
• Genya wondered aloud whether his brother and the other missing Hashira had failed.

After leaving the Demon Slayer World, Shinji returned to Konoha and reviewed the village’s research into demons. He decided to pursue awakening the Rinnegan himself, while recognizing that reaching Six Paths level would likely require the dangerous Ten-Tails.

• Shinji found that the other Lantern Bearers had withdrawn from the Demon Slayer World, then returned to the Shinobi World.
• Shinji returned to Konoha and learned that the Ninja Academy’s end-of-term exams had become a major topic in the village.
• Shinji reviewed reports that villages were researching demon flesh and blood, then examined the materials he had seized from Ryuhei Ubuyashiki.
• Shinji decided to pursue awakening his own Rinnegan and considered how to advance beyond it to Six Paths level.
• Shinji concluded that the Ten-Tails was the only apparent route to Six Paths level and a dangerous prize sought by all sides.

After seeing the Overlord of Fear’s power, Shinji decided he needed to aim beyond his Rinnegan and Tenseigan plans, though he focused for now on awakening his own Rinnegan. At the Ninja Academy, Iruka announced a difficult final exam with a practical combat test, while Shinji worried about how it would interfere with his secret First Hokage cell transplant surgery.

• Shinji considered becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki to reach the Six Paths level, then set the dangerous plan aside and made awakening his Rinnegan his urgent goal.
• Sasuke trained intensely after Karin defeated him, while Yakumo, Neji, Kimimaro, and Shion also devoted themselves to training after Karin’s remarks.
• Iruka announced that the Ninja Academy final exam had been designed by the Advisor Elder Council and would include a practical combat component in teams of three.
• Naruto excitedly celebrated the combat test, and Sakura pulled him down from his desk after Iruka ordered him to sit.
• Sasuke took Naruto and Sakura to train, worried that Yakumo’s team would have an advantage in the exam.
• Shinji began planning his First Hokage cell transplant surgery and worried when he learned about the upcoming final exam.

Orochimaru and Danzo tested the Remodeling Fluid on prisoners, and only a handful survived with enhanced bodies that still fell short of true Upper Moon power. Danzo took the original formula and urged Orochimaru to target Sasuke Uchiha during the Ninja Academy's final exam.

• Orochimaru had Kabuto Yakushi activate the Remodeling Fluid experiment, and most of the prisoners exploded while seven survived.
• Danzo tested one survivor by slashing his throat, then watched him die before his wound could heal.
• Orochimaru explained that the fluid enhanced strength without giving subjects the sunlight weakness or bloodlust of Upper Ranks.
• Danzo took the original formula and told Orochimaru that Sasuke Uchiha might be vulnerable during the Ninja Academy's final exam.
• Danzo decided to use the formula to cultivate his own subordinates, while Orochimaru agreed to go see Sasuke.

Orochimaru planned to use the surviving children from his transformation experiments as test subjects for the Cursed Seal, while Shinji and Sasuke prepared for the Ninja Academy final exam. The chapter ended with Sasuke insisting that his Mangekyō Sharingan still let him see clearly and that he would win.

• Kabuto reported that Danzo wanted Orochimaru to eliminate Sasuke, and Orochimaru admitted he coveted Sasuke for himself.
• Orochimaru learned that Sakon Ukon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, Jirobo, Fumimaru, and Guren had survived the transformation fluid and ordered Kabuto to prepare them for Cursed Seal testing.
• Utatane Koharu told Shinji to win the final exam and suggested he change teammates, but Shinji refused and agreed to prioritize defeating Kurama Yakumo if possible.
• Kakashi offered to have Sasuke excused from the final exam, but Sasuke refused and insisted his Mangekyō Sharingan still let him see clearly.

Kakashi secretly tested Sasuke's worsening eyesight and decided to conceal his suspicions while investigating the Akatsuki Organization. As the Ninja Academy final exam approached, Tsunade ordered Yakumo to win, while Hiashi urged Neji to give the exam his all.

• Kakashi recognized that Sasuke's deteriorating eyesight suggested he had used his Mangekyō Sharingan repeatedly, but chose to keep his suspicions secret and investigate the Akatsuki Organization from the village.
• Sasuke fled, worried that Kakashi had discovered his secret, and resolved to win the final exam before his eyesight failed and to defeat Itachi Uchiha.
• Tsunade explained to Yakumo that the combat exam would help the village identify promising students and ordered her to win.
• Hiashi told Neji the exam mattered to him and the Hyuga family, and Neji promised to do his best before asking about Lady Hinata.

Konoha’s leaders and clans prepared a Ninja Academy assessment to choose which of several emerging geniuses would lead the next generation. As Naruto surprised Sasuke with the Nine-Tails’ power and Shion began special Taijutsu training with Yakumo, the assessment preparations moved into practice.

• Konoha’s factions backed different candidates for the assessment, and the Advisor Elder Council supported Shinji to challenge the Third’s line.
• Sasuke and Naruto sparred while Sakura watched, and Naruto used a Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak to overpower Sasuke.
• Tsunade pushed Yakumo to prepare for the assessment, so Yakumo invited Shion to train with her.
• Shion used Water Breathing and her Miko physique to charge at Yakumo, and they began an intense Taijutsu clash.

Naruto’s initial Tailed Beast Transformation gave him a powerful edge, but Sasuke outmaneuvered him and stopped his rampage with Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu. Meanwhile, Yakumo and Shion fought to a standstill, leaving Tsunade and Shizune surprised by Shion’s sudden Taijutsu improvement.

• Naruto swatted away Sasuke’s Great Fireball Technique, and Jiraiya told Kakashi that Naruto had only just learned to control the initial stage of his Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Sasuke circled the increasingly agitated Naruto, then put him to sleep with Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu before Naruto’s Nine-Tails transformation could spiral out of control.
• Sasuke left Naruto with Jiraiya and Kakashi, then decided to have Naruto hold off Yakumo while he dealt with Kimimaro first.
• Yakumo and Shion fought fiercely, with Shion’s unexpected Taijutsu skill surprising both Yakumo and her observers, Tsunade and Shizune.
• Tsunade suggested that Shion’s strength came from a secret technique of the Land of Demons, while Shizune predicted Yakumo would win the test.

As the Academy students prepared for the final exams, Shinji secretly worked in his laboratory, organizing information from the Demon Slayer World and assessing whether he was ready for a First Hokage cells transplant. He decided to wait until his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had reached its limit before attempting the dangerous procedure.

• Neji, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata trained at different grounds to improve their teams before the final exams.
• Haku and Karin asked Shinji to train with them, but he reassured them that the exam was ordinary and sent them on their way.
• Shinji used Shadow Clones in his secret laboratory to organize information about Breathing Techniques and considered improvements based on Medical Ninjutsu.
• Shinji compared his medical results with Karin's pre-transplant records and found that his cellular activity, Chakra fluctuations, and Chakra reserves were lower.
• Shinji checked his Chakra and realized his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was still being strengthened by the Power of All Things, so he chose to delay the First Hokage cells transplant until it reached its limit.

Shinji organized the Demon Slayer World’s Breathing Technique and demon research, assessing how each could affect his strength and long-term prospects. He concluded that demons were limited by the power of flesh and blood and risked losing their identities, while pursuing Six Paths-level power offered a higher path.

• Shinji reviewed thirty Breathing Techniques and 742 volumes of related research, including Ryuhei Ubuyashiki’s notes on advanced states.
• Shinji decided that Breathing Techniques could boost his combat strength before he reached Six Paths level, especially with chakra and Medical Ninjutsu supporting his body.
• Shinji examined the demon materials and learned that ordinary demons depended on the Demon King, while even the Demon King faced a limit to his growth.
• Shinji concluded that demonhood could not grant true immortality, since demons gradually lost their human identities to the will within their flesh and blood.

Shinji developed a plan to combine Breathing Techniques with the cellular power of demons while preserving the body's natural balance. He began working out how to optimize Breathing Techniques, modify demons, and integrate the two systems.

• Shinji concluded that Breathing Techniques developed the body's organs while demons drew on cellular power, making demons stronger despite their severe drawbacks.
• Shinji recognized that combining the two systems could strengthen the body and increase the quantity and quality of a ninja's Chakra.
• Shinji outlined a three-step plan: optimize Breathing Techniques, remove the drawbacks of being a demon, and combine the two forms of power.
• Shinji drew inspiration from Ryuhei Ubuyashiki's notes and realized his ocular jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu gave him tools to create a refined Breathing Technique.

Shinji studied Ryuhei Ubuyashiki’s demon research and tried to improve the potion formula that created demons. After thousands of failed possibilities, he realized the Blue Spider Lily could stabilize the potion and protect the body.

• Shinji chose to focus on modifying demons rather than optimizing Breathing Techniques.
• Shinji reviewed Ryuhei Ubuyashiki’s notes and brought the potion ingredients and Ubuyashiki blood and cell samples to his laboratory.
• Shinji used his Mangekyō Sharingan and Izanagi to search for a safer version of the demon potion formula, but every possibility he examined failed.
• Shinji reconsidered his approach, retrieved a potted Blue Spider Lily, and realized it could stabilize the human form and prevent the potion from destroying the body.

Shinji created and tested Blue Spider Lily No. 1, a medicine that greatly increased strength and recovery without turning its subjects into demons, though it slightly shortened their lives. While he considered testing it on a shinobi, Karin refused to let Kusagakure investigate Muku and the Box of Paradise yet.

• Shinji used Izanagi to find a successful formula incorporating the Blue Spider Lily and prepared Blue Spider Lily No. 1.
• Shinji injected the medicine into ten mice and found that it increased their speed, strength, metabolism, and recovery without changing their forms or causing bloodlust.
• Shinji tested the medicine on three monkeys, and all thirteen animals survived with effects that broadly matched his expectations.
• Shinji analyzed the animals' telomeres and estimated that Blue Spider Lily No. 1 shortened their lifespans by three to five percent.
• Shinji considered choosing a shinobi to test the medicine on as Ryūsetsuna reported that Kusagakure had located Muku.
• Karin told Ryūsetsuna that Muku and the Box of Paradise were too dangerous for the village to handle and ordered her to wait.

Karin offered Ryūsetsuna an experimental dose of Blue Spider Lily No. 1 to strengthen her before she could investigate Muku and the Box of Paradise. After Ryūsetsuna injected it, Shinji examined her in a hideout and found that her power was still increasing.

• Karin reported Kusagakure's intelligence to Shinji, who decided Ryūsetsuna could test Blue Spider Lily No. 1.
• Shinji gave Karin the drug and warned her that human side effects were still unknown.
• Karin caught up with Ryūsetsuna, explained the drug's benefits and risks, and Ryūsetsuna agreed to inject it.
• Karin arranged for Ryūsetsuna to stay in the Land of Fire while her condition was monitored.
• Shinji examined Ryūsetsuna in a hideout and told her that she had become much stronger and was still growing stronger.

Shinji trained Ryūsetsuna to absorb Blue Spider Lily No. 1 by relying on physical strength, and she showed a dramatic increase in power and healing. He then visited Oyakuro En in the Land of Hot Water and discovered that Chiyo was training among children with Kekkei Genkai.

• Shinji concluded that Ryūsetsuna was absorbing Blue Spider Lily No. 1 less efficiently because she was accustomed to using Chakra, so he trained her to fight using only her body.
• Ryūsetsuna's strength and healing improved rapidly, and Shinji told her the drug's effects would continue as she trained.
• Shinji visited Oyakuro En at Karma Real Estate Company headquarters and asked where his daughter Chiyo was.
• Oyakuro En led Shinji to a training ground where Chiyo and other children with Kekkei Genkai were training.
• Shinji ordered Oyakuro En to bring Chiyo to see him, then left the training ground.

Shinji brought Chiyo back to the Land of Fire and injected her with Blue Spider Lily No. 1 to help develop her Chinoike bloodline. As the final assessment approached, Sasuke and Naruto’s team, Yakumo and Shion, and Neji’s team prepared to compete.

• Shinji took Chiyo from Oyakuro En and brought her to a hideout near his secret laboratory.
• Shinji explained Blue Spider Lily No. 1 to Chiyo, then injected her and monitored her vital signs.
• Shinji left Chiyo with instructions to use the underground training ground and returned to Konoha for the assessment.
• Sasuke and Naruto trained with Sakura and discussed their rivals, identifying Yakumo and Kimimaro’s team as the greatest threat.
• Yakumo and Shion rested after training and wondered why Kimimaro had not joined them.
• Neji ended training with Rock Lee and Tenten so they could rest before the assessment.

Kimimaro hesitated when Orochimaru ordered him to attack Sasuke during the Ninja Academy exam, torn between his loyalty to Orochimaru and his responsibility to the Akatsuki Organization. At the exam briefing, Iruka announced that teams would travel to the Land of Hot Water to capture rogue ninja and compete for points.

• Orochimaru ordered Kimimaro to seriously injure Sasuke during the final exam, and Kimimaro agreed despite his conflict over Sasuke's role in the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kabuto warned Orochimaru that Kimimaro seemed different, but Orochimaru decided not to watch him closely as long as he obeyed this order.
• The students gathered at the Ninja Academy, where Sasuke watched Yakumo, Shinji, Kimimaro, and Neji while Kimimaro remained distracted.
• Iruka gave each team a wanted list and revealed that the final exam would involve capturing rogue ninja.
• Iruka announced that the teams would hunt their assigned targets in the Land of Hot Water, earning points based on each target's strength.

The students learned the final exam would send teams after rogue ninja for points, prompting them to consider alliances and targets. As the teams and Konoha’s Jonin prepared to leave, Danzo ordered Root to capture the students if possible and kill them if not.

• Iruka explained that teams would hunt rogue ninja from a shared wanted list, earning points based on their targets’ ranks.
• Shikamaru rejected Ino’s proposal to ally with Shinji’s team and suggested partnering with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino instead.
• Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten discussed the high point values of Jonin-level targets and the risks of pursuing them.
• Asuma explained that the listed Jonin-level rogue ninja came from smaller villages, while Tsunade assigned the Jonin to judge the exam and protect the students.
• Tsunade sent the teams out to handle their targets, while Danzo ordered Root to capture them or kill them if capture proved impossible.

The month-long special final exam began with Chunin teams screening the student teams as they traveled toward the Land of Hot Water. Shinji's team had not reported in, and ANBU found the Chunin assigned to screen them unconscious beside Shinji Uchiha's signal flare.

• Iruka sent the students out of the village, and Shinji, Haku, and Karin chose a route toward the Land of Hot Water.
• Chunin teams began screening the student teams, and Kimimaro defeated the three ninja who confronted Yakumo's team.
• Naruto fought his team's screening opponents while Sasuke watched, and Neji's team passed its test and continued onward.
• The Hokage Building received reports that more than half the teams had been eliminated, but Shinji's team's result remained unknown.
• ANBU found the three Chunin assigned to Shinji's team unconscious and identified the lit signal flare as Shinji Uchiha's.

The student squads advanced into the Land of Hot Water while Shinji's team raced ahead under the watch of Yamato's Jonin team. Sasuke's squad reached a black market, seized information about a Jonin-level rogue ninja, and prepared to pursue the target as Kakashi watched.

• The student squads traveled toward the Land of Hot Water with elite Jonin teams and a central support unit assigned to protect and monitor them.
• Karin sensed the Jonin team following Shinji, Haku, and Karin, but Shinji told her to ignore them as they raced through the forest.
• Yamato struggled to keep up with Shinji's squad and wondered how its supposedly average teammates were moving so quickly.
• After crossing the border, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura disguised themselves and found the local black market.
• Sasuke used his Sharingan to interrogate people at the black market and obtain information, then insisted that his squad pursue a Jonin-level target before their rivals did.
• Kakashi watched from a tree and judged Sasuke's attack on the black market a decisive move despite its risks.

As rogue ninja fled or went into hiding, Shikamaru’s team allied with Hinata’s to improve their chances of competing against stronger trainee teams. Meanwhile, Yakumo’s team and Sasuke’s team fought over Ganjuro, who escaped the clash only to find someone waiting in his hideout.

• Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino agreed to form an alliance with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, and the two teams decided to split their points evenly.
• Yakumo’s team captured Kazetō Kojirō, bringing their total to 285 points each, then set out for Star Valley to pursue Ganjuro.
• Ganjuro’s trap buried Star Valley, but Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura escaped without serious injuries as Yakumo’s team arrived.
• Sasuke and Yakumo’s teams fought over who would capture Ganjuro, allowing him to flee while they battled.
• Ganjuro reached a concealed underground cavern and heard a languid voice from its depths.

Shinji, Haku, and Karin lured rogue ninja into their cave trap, where Karin knocked Ganjuro unconscious and Haku tied him up. As the supervising Jonin realized the team had captured nine opponents and earned more than six hundred points, another figure approached the cave.

• Ganjuro tried to escape the cave by charging Karin, but she overwhelmed him with a single punch and knocked him unconscious.
• Haku tied up Ganjuro, and Shinji explained that the rogue ninja consistently chose Karin as the seemingly easy target.
• Ganjuro woke up among seven or eight other captured rogue ninja, several of whom were stronger or more famous than him.
• Yamato and the other supervising Jonin estimated that Shinji's team had captured nine rogue ninja and earned over six hundred points.
• A teammate spotted another furtive figure sneaking into the cave.

Oyakuro En agreed to help Orochimaru arrange bait for a child in the Land of Hot Water, while Sasuke’s team retreated from Yakumo’s Wood Release. Kimimaro then challenged Sasuke, and Shion stepped in to fight Naruto.

• Orochimaru asked Oyakuro En to arrange bait to help him pursue a child in the Land of Hot Water, and Oyakuro En agreed after recalling Shinji’s earlier request.
• Sasuke used Susanoo to protect Naruto and Sakura from Yakumo’s Wood Release, then led his team away when Ganjuro had already disappeared.
• Yakumo opened a path for Sasuke’s team to withdraw, and Sasuke dispelled Susanoo as they left.
• Kimimaro suddenly attacked Sasuke, and Naruto transformed and joined their fight.
• Shion kicked Naruto away and declared that she would be his opponent while Sasuke and Kimimaro fought one-on-one.

Sasuke and Kimimaro’s clash escalated until both were wounded, while Naruto and Shion also fought fiercely. Yakumo treated Sasuke, and Sasuke left with Naruto and Sakura after telling her that Ganjuro was hers.

• Tsunade and Kakashi watched as the teams continued fighting despite their target being gone, and Tsunade noted that Yakumo had wisely stayed back to support her teammates.
• Kimimaro attacked Sasuke with bone bullets and blades, while Shion surprised the observers by holding her own against Naruto in close combat.
• Kimimaro’s bone blade cut through Sasuke’s kunai and slashed his shoulder as Sasuke pierced Kimimaro’s shoulder with Chidori, leaving both injured.
• Sakura examined Sasuke’s serious wound, and Yakumo found that Kimimaro’s injury was not life-threatening and went to treat Sasuke instead.
• Yakumo used the Red Dragon Eye to stop Sasuke’s bleeding and bandaged him, then Sasuke left with Naruto and Sakura after telling Yakumo, “Ganjuro is yours!”