Recaps

Hiruko conducted an improved Bloodline Fusion Ritual for Ranmaru during a volcanic eruption, and Ranmaru successfully fused with four Bloodline Ninjas. The chapter ended with Ranmaru emerging from concealment in front of a baffled Hiruko.

• Hiruko brought Ranmaru to a volcanic mountain peak, where an eruption would help power the ritual.
• As the volcano erupted, Ranmaru used the Chimera Technique to release a Demon Seed and swallow the four bound Bloodline Ninjas.
• Ranmaru recalled the Demon Seed into his body, enduring severe pain as the ritual fused the four Bloodline Ninjas with him.
• Hiruko reached the ritual site and found Ranmaru missing, despite sensing that someone was watching him.
• Ranmaru gradually appeared less than a meter in front of Hiruko.

After his successful Chimera Technique ritual, Ranmaru discovered that his Shadow Release had become powerful enough to conceal him from Hiruko, while hiding his suspicion that Hiruko coveted his Red Eye. When the Akatsuki Organization summoned Hiruko, Ranmaru secretly followed him to a gathering near the Land of Fire, where someone suddenly spoke beside him.

• Ranmaru revealed that his ritual had succeeded, and Hiruko realized his Shadow Release had been greatly enhanced.
• Ranmaru lied that his Red Eye had not changed, concealing his discovery that Hiruko was planning an eye-transplantation surgery.
• A black crow summoned Hiruko, and Ranmaru followed him despite being told to remain in the laboratory.
• Hiruko joined Hidan and the other Akatsuki Organization members in a secluded woods near the Land of Fire.
• Ranmaru watched the gathering from hiding until an indifferent voice asked him what he was looking at.

Deva Path recruited Ranmaru into the Akatsuki Organization and ordered him to watch Hiruko. At a meeting, Scorpion proposed exploiting tensions among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, while a reconnaissance squad discovered an Akatsuki hideout and sensed a Tailed Beast within.

• Deva Path found Ranmaru, accepted him into the Akatsuki Organization, and assigned him to keep an eye on Hiruko.
• Deva Path told the Akatsuki Organization that the Five Great Shinobi Villages had gathered the remaining Jinchuriki in Konoha.
• Hiruko, Scorpion, Hidan, Shinnō, and Moryo argued over the threat before Deva Path silenced them and demanded a plan.
• Scorpion proposed using the captured Iwagakure Jinchuriki to force the Five Great Shinobi Villages to split their forces.
• A reconnaissance squad from the Five Great Shinobi Villages located a concealed cave entrance in the Land of Demons and decided to report it to the Five Kage.
• A rumble came from inside the cave, followed by a terrifying Tailed Beast presence.

A report of an Akatsuki base in the Land of Demons forced the Five Kage to weigh rescuing the captured Jinchuriki against the risk of an attack on Konoha. They agreed to secretly stage a counterambush, while Suikazan Fuguki asked after Kisame Hoshigaki and learned he was on a secret mission for the Mizukage.

• A reconnaissance team reported that it had sensed a Tailed Beast inside a cave in the Land of Demons, where the Akatsuki had subdued a rampaging Jinchuriki.
• The Third Hokage and the advisors considered whether the intelligence was an Akatsuki trap and called a Kage Summit to discuss the threat to their alliance.
• The Fourth Raikage proposed using the suspected trap to ambush the Akatsuki, and the Five Kage agreed to secretly mobilize an elite force while staging a false departure from Konoha.
• At dusk on the third day, the elite force slipped out of Konoha through a secret passage as some members left Shadow Clones behind.
• At Kirigakure's temporary base, Suikazan Fuguki asked where Kisame Hoshigaki was and learned that he had gone on a secret mission for the Mizukage.

Suikazan Fuguki revealed to Kabuto Yakushi that the Fourth Mizukage might have secretly left Konoha, hoping the Akatsuki Organization would kill him and clear Fuguki's path to power. Kabuto passed the intelligence to Orochimaru and then Scorpion, who reported that the Akatsuki's preparations were complete; Pain ordered the operation to begin.

• Suikazan Fuguki suspected the Fourth Mizukage had secretly left the camp and contacted the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kabuto Yakushi met Fuguki in an izakaya, explained that the previous contact had been captured, and learned about the Mizukage's possible departure.
• Fuguki left, and Kabuto reported the intelligence to Orochimaru, who approved passing it to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kabuto sent the news to Scorpion, who concluded that the bait in the Land of Demons had drawn the Five Great Shinobi Villages' elite forces away from Konoha.
• Scorpion told Pain that the preparations were complete, and Pain ordered all members to begin the operation.

Akatsuki members received orders from Nagato and mobilized for a major mission while Shinji noticed the Five Great Shinobi Villages were hiding their movements. Sasuke, still recovering his ocular power, refused to withdraw from the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams and considered his options as his Cursed Seal warmed.

• Kakuzu and Hidan left the Land of Iron, while Shinnō and Moryo prepared to carry out their mission and Juzo Biwa set out with Itachi.
• Hiruko recruited Ranmaru as his new partner, and Scorpion and Deidara departed with their weapons and explosive clay.
• Akatsuki members across the Land of Iron received Nagato's orders and mobilized for the organization's first full operation since its re-formation.
• Shinji noticed that elite Jonin from the Five Great Shinobi Villages were using clones in Konoha and suspected a highly secret alliance operation against Akatsuki.
• Shizune warned Sasuke not to use his unrecovered Mangekyō Sharingan and advised him to withdraw from the exams, but he refused and left the hospital.
• At home, Sasuke weighed his options for the Chunin Ninja Exams as his Cursed Seal began to grow warm.

The Chunin Ninja Exams began with Shinji, his teammates, and other Konoha teams arriving at the arena amid wary attention from rival villages. Shinji discovered that the other four Kage appeared to be clones and suspected the exams would go wrong, though he trusted his allies to handle trouble.

• After three days of preparation, Shinji, Haku, and Karin headed to the arena and met Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Yakumo, Shion, and Tenten along the way.
• Yakumo proposed that she, Shinji, and Sasuke team up against their opponents, and Sasuke agreed to deal with other teams before settling things between them.
• At the underground waiting area, teams from several villages watched Shinji and his companions warily, while Shinji sat down to rest.
• Shinji led the Konoha participants into the arena, where the Third Hokage declared the Chunin Ninja Exams open.
• Shinji used his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to recognize that the other four Kage appeared to be clones and suspected the exams would not go smoothly.

Shinji, Haku, and Karin passed the written test by using their skills to share answers, while Sasuke helped Naruto finish his paper with a Sharingan genjutsu. The surviving examinees gathered at the Forest of Death for the second test, whose rules reminded Shinji of the original timeline.

• Shinji used his Sharingan to identify a source of answers and secretly passed them to Haku and Karin during the written test.
• Naruto struggled with the test, but Sasuke controlled the proctors with genjutsu and sent him the answers before time ran out.
• A fourth proctor eliminated an examinee and his teammates for disrupting the exam, while explaining that using genjutsu on a proctor was not forbidden.
• The test ended, and more than a hundred examinees and their teammates were eliminated for cheating, low scores, or blank papers.
• The examinees who passed gathered outside the Forest of Death, where the second test was announced and its Heaven and Earth scrolls seemed familiar to Shinji.

Shinji's team entered the Forest of Death for the second exam, while rival teams planned to target powerful competitors. Elsewhere, Orochimaru, disguised as Shinji Kotera, fought Kurotsuchi and ended the clash with her in his grasp.

• The examiner explained the Forest of Death's rules, and Shinji, Karin, and Haku entered through Entrance 17 after the other teams hurried away from them.
• At Entrance 3, Ringo Ameyuri, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Chojuro planned to recruit other villages to target Konoha's Sasuke Uchiha and Kurama Yakumo.
• The Sound Four discussed Orochimaru's order to test Sasuke Uchiha and force his Cursed Seal to emerge, with permission to use their own Cursed Seals.
• Kurotsuchi defeated Orochimaru's disguised Shinji Kotera's two Kusagakure teammates and demanded his scroll.
• Orochimaru attacked Kurotsuchi and soon held her by the neck.

Orochimaru poisoned Kurotsuchi and continued searching for Sasuke, while Sasuke defeated the Kusagakure shinobi and the Sound Ninja Trio to collect their scrolls. As Sasuke let the trio leave, the Sound Four suddenly killed them and began their hunt.

• Orochimaru attacked Kurotsuchi, poisoned her, and left her unable to move as he searched for Sasuke.
• Sasuke defeated a Kusagakure squad and found a Book of Earth in one shinobi’s pouch.
• The Sound Ninja Trio attacked Sasuke, but he defeated them and took their scroll.
• Sasuke ordered Dosu, Zaku, and Kidō Maru to leave, but the Sound Four killed them.
• Sakon Ukon emerged from the shadows and declared that the hunt had begun.

Naruto and Sasuke confronted Sakon Ukon after they murdered their own teammates, while teams from Kusagakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure faced a tense standoff. Temari chose for Konoha and Sunagakure to team up against Kusagakure, leaving Ryūsetsuna to face Gaara's squad and Chiyo to watch the Konoha team.

• Naruto condemned Sakon Ukon for killing their teammates, and Sasuke challenged them after they mocked his earlier defeat by Shinji Uchiha.
• Ryūsetsuna, Chiyo, and Tsuji faced Yakumo's Konoha squad and Gaara's Sunagakure squad in a three-way standoff.
• Yakumo and Ryūsetsuna prepared their teams for a possible attack as Kankuro considered which side to target.
• Temari persuaded Gaara to attack Kusagakure first and invited Yakumo's team to join them.
• Tsuji charged Sunagakure but was caught in Kankuro's Chakra Thread trap, and Ryūsetsuna stepped forward to face Gaara's team while Chiyo watched Konoha.

Ryūsetsuna overwhelmed the Sunagakure team with her speed and strength, defeating Kankuro and Gaara before Gaara began to unleash a dangerous surge of sand. She fled with her Grass Shinobi teammates, leaving Yakumo’s group uncertain about what would happen next.

• Yakumo, Shion, and Tenten held back because Ryūsetsuna’s role as captain seemed suspicious despite Chiyo appearing to be the stronger Grass Shinobi.
• Ryūsetsuna knocked Kankuro into the air and charged at Gaara as Temari joined the fight.
• Ryūsetsuna smashed through Gaara’s sand and Temari’s wind blades, then punched Gaara into a tree.
• Gaara’s Sand Armor began crumbling, and sand gathered around him to form a sphere and enormous hands.
• Ryūsetsuna cut her teammates free, ran from Gaara, and Chiyo followed her.

Temari and Gaara attacked Yakumo’s squad after the Grass Ninja fled, while Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo found and treated the poisoned Kurotsuchi, who gave them her scroll. Elsewhere, Sasuke outmaneuvered Jirobo and struck him with Chidori.

• Gaara lost control after the fight, and Temari joined his sand attack on Yakumo’s squad.
• Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo found unconscious Grass Ninja and Iwagakure Ninja, including the poisoned Kurotsuchi.
• Chiyo used her Ketsuryūgan to remove the snake venom and revive Kurotsuchi.
• Kurotsuchi gave Ryūsetsuna her squad’s scroll and pointed her toward Shinji Kotera’s direction before signaling for help.
• Sasuke dodged Jirobo’s stone spears with a feint and stabbed him from behind with Chidori.

Sasuke fought Jirobo and activated his Cursed Seal, releasing a surge of Chakra that astonished the nearby fighters and Orochimaru. Shinji watched from a distance and secretly drew a small amount of Natural Energy-infused Cursed Seal Chakra from Sasuke.

• Sasuke defeated Jirobo with Chidori, then searched the trees for the hidden Kidomaru while worrying that Sakura was struggling against Tayuya.
• Jirobo grabbed Sasuke, slammed him into the ground, and transformed by activating his Cursed Seal.
• Sasuke asked Jirobo who had given him his Cursed Seal, then activated his own seal and caught Jirobo's punch effortlessly.
• Orochimaru watched Sasuke's transformation and grew interested in Sasuke's body and power.
• Shinji watched with Haku and Karin, secretly used Naobi and Magatsu to draw a tiny amount of Cursed Seal Chakra from Sasuke, and sensed its Natural Energy.

Sasuke fully released the Cursed Seal into State Two and confronted the Sound Four, while Shinji studied the Curse Mark Chakra and considered future research into Natural Energy. Sasuke killed Ukon with overwhelming speed and strength, then charged at the remaining Sound Four.

• Shinji studied the Curse Mark Chakra extracted from Sasuke and began considering a project to master Natural Energy.
• Sasuke entered State Two, alarming Sakura and Naruto as Jirobo called on the Sound Four to help him fight.
• Tayuya and Sakon Ukon also activated their Cursed Seals, and Sasuke realized the mysterious person who marked him was likely from Otogakure.
• Tayuya summoned the Three Demons as Ukon urged the Sound Four to attack Sasuke together.
• Sasuke seized Ukon, dragged him away, and killed him by crushing his neck and heart.
• Sasuke called the Sound Four the prey and lunged at Sakon, Tayuya, and Jirobo.

Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo heard a battle ahead and went to investigate as Sasuke fought the Sound Four. Sasuke killed Jirobo and Tayuya, was wounded by Kidomaru’s arrow, and charged toward Kidomaru’s hiding place.

• Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo heard explosions and headed toward the battle, hoping to find the fake Shinji Kotera.
• Sasuke outmaneuvered Jirobo’s mud doll and killed Jirobo with Chidori while using his body to block Kidomaru’s arrows.
• Tayuya told Kidomaru to run and pretended to surrender, creating an opening for him to shoot her and pierce Sasuke’s shoulder.
• Sasuke recognized Tayuya’s sacrifice as a ploy, located Kidomaru from the direction of his arrows, and rushed to attack him.

Sasuke defeated most of the Sound Ninja squad and prepared to kill the last survivor, Kidomaru, when Orochimaru, disguised as Shinji Kotera, arrived. Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo joined the battlefield, prompting Sasuke to attack them, while Kakashi’s Jonin squad watched from afar.

• Kakashi’s Jonin squad learned that Sasuke had killed two Sound Ninja and critically injured another, then went to investigate.
• Sasuke fought Kidomaru in State Two, demanded to know who had given him his Cursed Seal, and prepared to finish him when Kidomaru refused to talk.
• Orochimaru, disguised as Shinji Kotera, arrived and challenged Sasuke to show his limits.
• Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo appeared, and Sasuke mistook them for Shinji’s allies and launched an attack.
• Kakashi’s squad watched Sasuke battle Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo, while Kakashi trusted Shinji’s squad to handle the situation.

Shinji intervened when Sasuke faced Shinji Kotera and two Grass Ninja, then rescued Sasuke from Orochimaru’s snakes after Sasuke insisted on fighting. Shinji took Sasuke’s place and declared that he would end the fight quickly.

• Shinji stopped Sasuke and Chiyo’s fight, while Karin’s arrival caused Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo to retreat.
• Naruto and Sakura reached Sasuke, and the watching Jonin discussed the Cursed Seals and the suspicious Grass and Sound Ninja.
• Sasuke refused to rest and charged Orochimaru with Chidori, but Orochimaru’s snakes trapped and injured him.
• Shinji cut the snakes away, carried Sasuke to Naruto and Sakura, and stepped forward to fight Orochimaru himself.

Shinji Uchiha and Orochimaru fought fiercely in the forest while Sasuke remained too injured to help and the Jonin watched, ready to intervene. When Chojuro, Suigetsu, and Ringo Ameyuri joined the fight, Shinji and Orochimaru quickly knocked two of them aside and continued battling deeper into the woods.

• Kakashi and the other Jonin discussed Shinji Kotera’s suspicious technique and agreed to step in if Sasuke’s team faced danger.
• Shinji Uchiha and Orochimaru exchanged rapid Taijutsu blows as Sakura and Naruto watched in amazement.
• Sasuke tried to rise but could not, while Haku urged him to trust Shinji and Karin watched the Kusagakure ninja.
• Shinji and Orochimaru continued fighting, each surprised by the other’s strength.
• Chojuro, Suigetsu, and Ringo Ameyuri found the fighters and attacked Shinji Uchiha.
• Orochimaru knocked Chojuro away, Shinji knocked Suigetsu away, and the two combatants resumed their fight farther into the woods.

Shinji and Orochimaru’s Taijutsu battle tore through the Chunin Exam grounds, knocking out nearby teams and drawing the attention of the proctors and pursuing Mist and Cloud shinobi. After Shinji and Orochimaru were both driven back, Orochimaru began forming hand seals to unleash a jutsu.

• Shinji and Orochimaru escalated their fight until their blows shattered trees and flattened everything around them.
• Darui, Karui, and Omoi encountered the battling pair; Omoi and Karui attacked but were disarmed and hurled into trees.
• Ringo Ameyuri and Darui pursued Shinji and Orochimaru as their battle eliminated teams caught in its path.
• Kurenai urged Kakashi to stop the exams, but Kakashi refused because the villages were using Konoha as bait for an Akatsuki attack.
• Haku, Karin, Sasuke’s team, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo caught up with the proctors as Naruto carried the immobile Sasuke.
• Shinji and Orochimaru separated after another clash, and Orochimaru began forming hand seals, saying he would teach Shinji a lesson with a jutsu.

Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation during the Chunin Ninja Exams, shocking Konoha’s shinobi and the other spectators. Though the Hokage warned Shinji to flee, Orochimaru forced them to attack, and Shinji met them head-on, gaining the upper hand.

• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to raise two coffins marked “First” and “Second.”
• The First and Second Hokage emerged, and Ringo Ameyuri, Darui, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Shizune recognized who they were.
• Kakashi guessed that the figure known as Shinji Kotera was actually the rogue Orochimaru, alarming Konoha’s shinobi and ANBU.
• The First told Shinji that the jutsu forced them to obey Orochimaru and urged him to run, but Orochimaru ordered them to attack.
• Shinji activated the Twelve Palaces, fought both Hokage, and knocked the Second back with a punch before kicking the First away.

Shinji fought the First and Second Hokage, whose Impure World Reincarnation bodies were stronger than he expected. The Second Hokage trapped the battlefield in darkness and wounded Ringo Ameyuri and Darui with a powerful Water Style attack.

• Shinji realized the First and Second Hokage were growing stronger and suspected Orochimaru had improved the Impure World Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru ordered the Hokage to attack, and the Second Hokage used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to plunge the area into darkness.
• Shinji closed his eyes and used his bodily control and Killing Intent Perception to fight the First Hokage by sensing his attacks.
• The Second Hokage ambushed Ringo Ameyuri and Darui, slashing Ringo's arm and stabbing Darui's thigh.
• Ringo Ameyuri activated the Lightning Armor through the Lightning Blade Kiba, and Darui activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
• The Second Hokage struck both with Water Style: Water Severing Wave, piercing Ringo's Lightning Armor and sending them crashing to the ground.

The Second Hokage overwhelmed Darui and Ringo Ameyuri in the darkness, intercepting both when they tried to escape. As he moved to kill Darui, an unseen person seized his wrist and stopped the Kunai.

• Darui and Ringo Ameyuri decided to flee in opposite directions to escape the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
• The Second Hokage covered himself in Explosive Tags and detonated them against Darui, then intercepted Ringo Ameyuri and knocked her back into the darkness.
• Darui survived the explosions but was badly injured, and both he and Ringo Ameyuri realized the Second Hokage had stopped their escape.
• Orochimaru mocked the two shinobi, while Darui concluded that Shinji Kotera could not really be from the Grass Village.
• The Second Hokage thrust a Kunai toward Darui's throat, but another hand emerged from the darkness and grabbed his wrist.

Shinji rescued Darui and Ringo Ameyuri from the Second Hokage’s attack before Kakashi’s squad dispelled the darkness. As Orochimaru unleashed the First Hokage’s Wood Release, Shinji held off both Hokage while Haku and the others protected Naruto and Sasuke from Orochimaru.

• Shinji saved Darui and Ringo Ameyuri inside the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique and told them to hold on until help arrived.
• Kakashi’s squad dispelled the darkness, and Shizune began treating the badly injured Darui and Ringo Ameyuri.
• Orochimaru summoned the First Hokage’s Wood Release, forcing Kakashi and the others to retreat as Shinji confronted both Hokage alone.
• Orochimaru used the trees to pursue Naruto and Sasuke, but Haku intercepted him and protected them.
• Karin, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo returned to stand beside Haku as Orochimaru faced the group.

Orochimaru used the First Hokage’s Wood Release forest to try to abduct Sasuke, trapping Naruto and the others inside. Yamato and the Jonin struggled to break through, while Haku sheltered the group in an ice structure that began to crack under the forest’s pressure.

• Orochimaru attacked Naruto and Sasuke, but Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo intercepted him and forced him onto the defensive.
• The First Hokage unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, engulfing the battlefield and forcing Shinji to retreat.
• Yamato arrived with a Jonin squad, then joined Kakashi and the others in an attempted rescue, but his Wood Release defenses failed to withstand the First Hokage’s forest.
• Haku revealed that she had sheltered Naruto, Sasuke, Shinji, Ryūsetsuna, Chiyo, and the others inside a hollow ice structure.
• As the forest tightened around the ice and cracks began forming, Haku told the group to rest briefly before preparing to break out.