Recaps

The Akatsuki recovered from their battle in Grass Country while Itachi and Hiruko searched separately for Upper Moon One in Earth Country. Kakashi's team encountered an Itachi who attacked Sasuke, leaving the brothers facing off with Susanoo.

• Zetsu repaired Hidan and reported that the injured Akatsuki members would need days or weeks to recover, while Itachi and Hiruko searched for Upper Moon One.
• Itachi and Hiruko split up in Earth Country, with Itachi seeking a way to contact the Ninja Village Allied Forces and Hiruko planning to capture Upper Moon One.
• Itachi encountered Orochimaru and his group, who had just escaped from someone they believed was Itachi.
• Yakumo spotted Itachi, and Kakashi, Yakumo, and Sasuke went to meet him while the rest of the team kept watch.
• The apparent Itachi ignored Sasuke's question about the Uchiha massacre and used Susanoo to throw him aside.
• Sasuke activated his own Susanoo and confronted Itachi.

Sasuke confronted Itachi, but Itachi defeated him and crushed him in front of their squad. Kakashi and the others restrained Itachi's Susanoo and pulled him out, leaving Might Guy poised to strike.

• Sasuke attacked Itachi with his Susanoo, and the squad gathered after Kakashi found no other enemies nearby.
• Itachi deflected Sasuke's arrow with the Yata Mirror, then blasted a hole in Sasuke's Susanoo with a Yasaka Jade and seized him.
• Itachi crushed Sasuke in his Susanoo's fist before Yakumo and Gaara's attacks could reach him.
• Kakashi ordered the squad to attack, and Yakumo's vines and Gaara's sand restrained Itachi's Susanoo.
• Yakumo pulled Itachi's Susanoo aside, Gaara dragged Itachi out from beneath it, and Might Guy struck him with a flying kick.

The team fought Itachi Uchiha, who used Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu to incapacitate Darui and trap Kakashi in Tsukuyomi. Yakumo rescued Kakashi from the genjutsu, but he immediately passed out, while Guy, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo continued battling Itachi.

• Guy kicked Itachi, but Itachi split into Ninja Crows and appeared behind Darui, knocking him unconscious with a glance.
• Kakashi warned the team not to look into Itachi’s eyes, but Itachi trapped Kakashi in Tsukuyomi and inflicted the illusion of Amaterasu.
• Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo engaged Itachi in taijutsu while Kurotsuchi used Light-Weight Rock Technique to boost Guy’s speed.
• Yakumo failed to dispel Kakashi’s genjutsu with ordinary techniques, so she used Five Senses Control to pull him out of Tsukuyomi.
• Kakashi regained consciousness but fainted from exhaustion after experiencing more than ten days of torture in the illusion.

Yakumo watched Itachi overwhelm the squad with a trap involving Amaterasu, leaving several of her allies gravely wounded. Just as the flames threatened to kill them, Sasuke extinguished them, though he was left exhausted and clutching one eye.

• Yakumo recognized that Kakashi had suffered a severe mental attack while Might Guy, Ryūsetsuna, Chiyo, Jirō, and Gaara pressed Itachi in battle.
• The squad struck Itachi, but his body burst apart as a Shadow Clone and scattered Amaterasu across the attackers.
• Might Guy, Jirō, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo failed to extinguish the flames, while Itachi blocked Yakumo from reaching them to use a sealing technique.
• Yakumo saw that Sasuke, Darui, and Kakashi were already down and that Itachi had also blocked Gaara and Kurotsuchi.
• The Amaterasu flames flickered out, and Yakumo saw Sasuke kneeling and gasping with one eye covered.

Sasuke survived Itachi’s Susanoo by using Izanagi, then joined Yakumo and the others in fighting Itachi. The battle left Sasuke facing Itachi’s Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade, with the rest of the squad badly injured or unable to fight.

• Sasuke revealed that he had used Izanagi to survive Susanoo, then used Amaterasu to extinguish the flames burning Might Guy, Ryūsetsuna, Chiyo, and Jirō.
• Sasuke released his Cursed Seal and destroyed three Itachi Shadow Clones with Chidori.
• Itachi dragged Kurotsuchi underground and emerged in Susanoo, but Yakumo and Gaara briefly restrained its arm before it broke free and attacked the squad.
• The squad escaped Susanoo’s assault with help from Yakumo, Sasuke, and Gaara, while several members remained gravely wounded.
• Sasuke charged Itachi’s Susanoo with Chidori, but the Yata Mirror repelled him and sent him crashing through trees.
• Itachi summoned the Totsuka Blade and focused on Sasuke as the battle continued.

Itachi overwhelmed the Ninja Village Allied Forces with his Susanoo and Totsuka Blade, then left when something drew him away. He killed a White Zetsu Clone that had been spying on him and continued toward his goal of killing Orochimaru.

• Itachi activated Susanoo's Totsuka Blade and cut through Yakumo and Gaara's attempts to bind him.
• Yakumo and Gaara shielded Sasuke, but Sasuke's Susanoo barely blocked Itachi's strike.
• Itachi turned toward something in the distance, dispelled Susanoo, and left the battlefield as Sasuke tried to pursue him.
• Yakumo and Gaara restrained Sasuke, and the defeated squad took stock of their wounded teammates.
• Itachi returned to kill the White Zetsu Clone that had been watching him, then vanished to pursue Orochimaru.

Itachi realized Orochimaru had recently encountered someone impersonating him, then hurried off to deliver intelligence to the Five Kage. At the battered squad’s camp, Yakumo questioned how Itachi could have used his Mangekyō Sharingan so extensively, and the real Itachi appeared before them.

• Itachi let Orochimaru and his group pass, then suspected someone had impersonated him and left to deliver intelligence to the Five Kage.
• Yakumo and the others treated their wounded after Itachi’s attack, while Guy and Jirō remained in critical condition.
• The squad discussed Itachi’s fighting ability, and Sasuke vowed to defeat him next time.
• Gaara asked about Itachi’s Susanoo, and Sasuke admitted he did not know how its shield and flaming sword worked.
• Yakumo realized Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan should not have endured his many techniques, raising doubts about the Itachi they had fought.
• The real Itachi arrived at the camp, and Sasuke angrily confronted him.

Itachi’s arrival sparked a fight with Sasuke and the elite squad, but Itachi quickly incapacitated Darui with a trap and genjutsu. Confused by the squad’s hostility and injuries, Itachi wondered whether Orochimaru’s group or Upper Moon One had attacked them.

• Sasuke charged Itachi with Chidori, but Itachi’s body transformed into crows before reforming as a clone.
• Yakumo located Itachi, and Darui charged toward him but was caught in an explosive-tag wire trap and genjutsu.
• Gaara cleared the smoke and found Darui unconscious while Itachi stood unharmed, prompting the squad to avoid his gaze and prepare to fight.
• Itachi noticed the injured Kakashi, Might Guy, and Jirō and wondered whether Orochimaru’s group or Upper Moon One had fought the squad.

Itachi returned and incapacitated Sasuke and Darui before escaping, forcing Yakumo’s squad to retreat and report to the Allied Forces. At headquarters, the Five Kage reacted to the report while Tsunade questioned why Itachi had attacked them.

• Itachi attacked Sasuke to leave information on him, but used Susanoo to capture him and Tsukuyomi to knock him unconscious when the Cursed Seal began to spread.
• Itachi blocked the squad’s attacks and escaped, leaving Sasuke unconscious and Darui incapacitated.
• Yakumo ordered the squad to retreat, and the group rescued Darui, carried their injured members, and reached an Allied Forces camp to report to headquarters.
• The Five Kage were shocked by the report that Itachi had defeated the elite squad, while Tsunade wondered why he had attacked them and whether he could still be trusted.

As the Five Kage worried about Itachi and the threat of two Akatsuki factions, Shinji realized the Itachi who routed their elite squad was an Overlord-created Fear Projection. He decided to delay confronting the fake until he had become the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, then left with Yakumo after she reported they had found something.

• The Five Kage discussed the elite squad’s defeat and feared that Nagato and A’s Akatsuki faction could join forces.
• Shinji identified the first Itachi Uchiha the elite squad had fought as a powerful Fear Projection and distinguished him from the real Itachi by their differing tactics and limits.
• Shinji judged that Orochimaru’s group could not reliably defeat the fake Itachi and decided to have Orochimaru lead him on a chase until Shinji could become the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki.
• Yakumo arrived and reported that her group had found it, so Shinji took her away while Karin, Nameless, Neji, and Kimimaro kept watch.

Shinji arrived at the northern icefield after Haku defeated Shinnō, who had unlocked the Clear World during their fight. Shinji renamed the defeated enemy Zero-Tails and offered him a place in Akatsuki in exchange for Sky Ninja Village’s Flying Fortress, while Ido found Shion and Moryo still fighting inside a radiant orb.

• Shinji used Yakumo’s Blood Clone to reach the icefield, where Haku had kept Shinnō from interfering with Shion and Moryo’s battle.
• Haku explained that the icefield favored his Ice Release, and Shinji realized Haku had unlocked the Clear World.
• Shinnō offered to serve Shinji, who renamed him Zero-Tails and demanded that he hand over the Sky Ninja’s Flying Fortress.
• Shinji assigned Haku to watch Zero-Tails and ordered Yakumo to send a clone to assist him.
• Ido entered a cave in the Land of Demons and found Shion and Moryo struggling inside a radiant orb.

Shinji and his allies watched Shion and Moryo’s fusion, uncertain which would emerge with power approaching the Six Paths level. At the Allied Forces’ headquarters, Sasuke woke after treatment and asked Gaara about the others injured in the battle with Itachi.

• Ido watched Shion and Moryo’s radiant fusion at the altar and judged that Shion could become the organization’s strongest member if she prevailed.
• Ido detached from Yakumo’s Blood Clone, and Yakumo’s real body and Shinji were switched from the Land of Iron to the cavern in the Land of Demons.
• Shinji and Yakumo saw that Shion and Moryo remained locked in a stalemate, so Shinji told Yakumo to leave a Blood Clone watching over them while he returned to the war.
• At the Allied Forces’ headquarters, Tsunade treated Kakashi, Sasuke, Might Guy, Jirō, Ryūsetsuna, and Chiyo; Kakashi remained unconscious while Sasuke woke.
• Sasuke left his hospital tent and asked Gaara how the others were doing.

Sasuke learned that the Allied Forces had postponed hunting Itachi Uchiha because of their heavy losses, but he vowed to pursue him with Darui and Kurotsuchi once they recovered. Meanwhile, Orochimaru tried to lure the fake Itachi Uchiha toward an ambush, but the pursuer caught up with him and forced him to summon three coffins.

• Gaara told Sasuke that Kakashi, Might Guy, Jirō, and others were badly injured, and urged him to rest.
• Yakumo said the Allied Forces had postponed hunting Itachi Uchiha, and Sasuke collapsed when he tried to leave camp.
• Darui and Kurotsuchi promised to join Sasuke in settling the score with Itachi, while Sasuke said Shinji and Nameless could help counter his genjutsu.
• Orochimaru sent Kabuto Yakushi, Jugo, Guren, and Tayuya ahead to prepare an ambush for the fake Itachi Uchiha in the Land of Hot Water.
• The fake Itachi Uchiha found Orochimaru in the Land of Waterfalls and attacked with Amaterasu, so Orochimaru summoned three coffins.

Orochimaru summoned the Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage to fight the abnormal Itachi Uchiha, while Shinji warned him to proceed cautiously. Itachi attacked the Hokage and then targeted Orochimaru, who transformed into a giant eight-headed serpent as the three Hokage held back.

• Orochimaru summoned the Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage using Impure World Reincarnation.
• Shinji sensed the confrontation through Naobi and warned Orochimaru that the fake Itachi Uchiha was abnormal and dangerous.
• The Hokage questioned Itachi's allegiance and resisted Orochimaru's control, but Itachi attacked them with Amaterasu.
• Itachi used Susanoo to smash the tree where Orochimaru had been hiding, prompting Orochimaru to order the Hokage to attack.
• The Second, Third, and Fourth chose to watch as Itachi pursued Orochimaru, who transformed with the Eight Branches Technique into a colossal white serpent.

Orochimaru used the Eight Branches Technique to challenge Itachi Uchiha’s Susanoo, but Itachi’s legendary weapons overwhelmed the Eight-Headed Serpent. Meanwhile, Shinji considered sending the real Itachi after the fake, though he worried about the real Itachi’s declining health and power.

• Third and Fourth recognized Orochimaru’s Eight Branches Technique and recalled how difficult and dangerous it was to master.
• Shinji decided that the real Itachi might be the best person to stop the fake, but questioned whether his declining health would leave him strong enough.
• Orochimaru sent the Eight-Headed Serpent charging at Itachi Uchiha’s Susanoo, but Susanoo’s shield repelled it.
• Itachi Uchiha used the Totsuka Blade to sever the serpent’s heads and cut through it faster than it could regenerate.
• Second identified the sword as possibly being the legendary Totsuka Blade as Itachi nearly destroyed Orochimaru’s serpent.

Itachi Uchiha defeated Orochimaru’s Eight-Headed Serpent with Susanoo and unleashed Amaterasu across the battlefield, while the Hokages grew suspicious of his reckless use of Mangekyō abilities. Orochimaru escaped through Kabuto Yakushi’s Reverse Summoning Jutsu, and Shinji resolved to rely on Itachi Uchiha to pursue the fake while he monitored other threats.

• The Second Hokage recognized that Itachi Uchiha’s aggressive Mangekyō use was unusual, and the Third Hokage and Fourth Hokage watched the battle with concern.
• Itachi Uchiha dismembered Orochimaru’s Eight-Headed Serpent with Susanoo and burned the battlefield with Amaterasu as the remaining snakes fled.
• The Third Hokage explained Kirin to the Fourth Hokage, and the three Hokages wondered whether Orochimaru had survived the attack.
• Itachi Uchiha extinguished the Amaterasu flames and sensed that Orochimaru had escaped, then looked toward the distance.
• Shinji revealed that Kabuto Yakushi had used Reverse Summoning Jutsu to rescue Orochimaru and decided to have Itachi Uchiha pursue the fake while he watched the Allied Shinobi Forces’ headquarters and Shion and Moryo’s fight.

Itachi searched Earth Country for Upper Moon One, but Karin arrived with news that an impostor bearing Itachi’s abilities had attacked Kakashi’s Team. She lent Itachi Sasuke Uchiha’s Sharingan so he could pursue an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and fight the impostor, leaving him surprised by the terms of the loan.

• Itachi searched Earth Country for Upper Moon One but found no trace of him.
• Karin told Itachi that another version of him had attacked Kakashi’s Team, badly injured Kakashi, and nearly killed Sasuke Uchiha.
• Karin revealed that the impostor possessed Itachi’s weapons and forbidden techniques, convincing Itachi that the threat was real.
• Karin gave Itachi a canister containing Sasuke Uchiha’s Sharingan and said he would need to fuse them into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to fight the impostor.
• Karin clarified that the eyes were only lent in Sasuke’s name and that Itachi would have to return them with a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Itachi accepted Karin’s offer to use Sasuke’s Mangekyō Sharingan to gain an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and agreed to hunt down the fake impersonating him. Karin also shared a clue about raising his Chakra level, then caught a White Zetsu Clone spying on them and sensed something was wrong with Itachi’s body.

• Itachi realized that “B” was using Sasuke’s Mangekyō Sharingan to pressure him into cooperating, but he agreed to take the eyes and deal with the fake Uchiha Itachi.
• Karin gave Itachi the location of a secret meeting point and promised he could contact her for help.
• Following Shinji’s instruction, Karin told Itachi that Yin Release Chakra could balance First Hokage cells and produce the Power of All Things, potentially raising his Chakra level.
• Itachi and Karin heard movement in the bushes, and Karin found and sealed a spying White Zetsu Clone.
• The White Zetsu Clone warned Itachi not to trust Karin and claimed he had come to help search for Upper Moon One; Karin tossed him to Itachi and said something was wrong with Itachi’s body.

Karin told Itachi that White Zetsu tissue could help treat his Bloodline Disease and implied that he should replace Sasuke in the organization. The Shinobi World then endured two unusually quiet weeks as both sides regrouped, while Sasuke and Naruto trained at the Allied Forces' main camp.

• Karin warned Itachi that his condition made balancing the Yang Release Chakra in First Hokage cells difficult, then suggested he try fusing with a White Zetsu Clone.
• Karin told Itachi that the organization needed someone to take over the missions assigned to Sasuke, then vanished before he could answer.
• The Ninja Village Allied Forces and the Akatsuki Organization searched unsuccessfully for Upper Moon One while regrouping after suffering heavy losses.
• Orochimaru led the fake Uchiha Itachi across the Shinobi World, where he killed Allied Forces shinobi and enraged Sasuke and Kakashi's elite squad.
• Naruto and Killer B remained at the Allied Forces' main camp, where Naruto trained and grew strong enough that Killer B could no longer underestimate him.

Sasuke and the others watched Naruto defeat Darui in a sparring match, revealing how much Naruto’s speed and taijutsu had improved. Gaara then challenged Naruto as the Five Kage discussed the young ninja’s potential to influence the war.

• Sasuke finished training and went to investigate a commotion at the headquarters training ground.
• Naruto used his speed and taijutsu to defeat Darui, astonishing Sasuke and the other spectators.
• Sasuke hesitated to challenge Naruto, but Gaara stepped onto the field and agreed to spar with him instead.
• Killer B praised Naruto’s growth, charisma, and battle instincts to the Five Kage.
• Tsunade lamented that Naruto had little time left to develop, while Jiraiya argued that the battlefield itself could help the young ninjas grow.

Shinji inspected the Sky Ninja Village’s Flying Fortress and forced Zero-Tails to power its reactor, getting the fortress airborne. He left Haku to oversee repairs while planning to extract Zero-Tails’ technical knowledge through Tsukuyomi.

• The Five Kage discussed Shinji Uchiha’s disappearance and the lack of evidence to verify their suspicions about Itachi Uchiha’s message.
• Shinji and Haku reached the Flying Fortress’s core power room, where Zero-Tails explained that the reactor needed a major energy source.
• Zero-Tails suggested using a Tailed Beast to power the fortress, and Shinji recognized that he was trying to provoke conflict with Nagato.
• Shinji trapped Zero-Tails in Tsukuyomi and sealed him inside the reactor, restoring its power.
• The Flying Fortress rose into the air, and Shinji left Haku aboard to recruit workers and supervise repairs.

The Akatsuki Organization recovered in Bird Country while its members discussed Moryo and Shinnō’s disappearance and Itachi’s reported attacks on the allied forces. Obito concluded that an impostor was posing as Itachi, while the real Itachi hid during his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan fusion; elsewhere, a figure emerged from a secret chamber before Konan.

• Hiruko confirmed that Juzo Biwa had recovered, while Hidan complained that his back still hurt after receiving White Zetsu Cells.
• Scorpion said Moryo and Shinnō had disappeared after a large battle in the Land of Iron, and the group suspected that A’s organization might have attacked them.
• The members discussed reports that Itachi had attacked the Ninja Village Allied Forces, and Obito told them to focus on recovering while he prepared to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Obito asked Zetsu about Itachi, and Zetsu confirmed that his clones had seen Itachi wield Susanoo with the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade.
• Obito realized that an impostor was posing as Itachi while the real Itachi hid during his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan fusion.
• Konan waited outside a secret chamber at another Akatsuki Organization base as a figure emerged.

Nagato recovered his ability to walk and gained a major boost in power after harnessing the Chakra of six Tailed Beasts through the Six Paths of Pain. After reviewing the Ninja Village Allied Forces’ remaining fighters, he decided to attack their weakened headquarters himself.

• Nagato emerged from the hidden room on his own feet, and Konan welcomed his recovery.
• Nagato explained that the Tailed Beast Chakra had revived his Uzumaki Sage Body and changed his Rinnegan, making him a miniature Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Konan told Nagato that the Akatsuki and Ninja Village Allied Forces had suffered heavy casualties during the Grass Country assault, though the Allied Forces’ Rain Country headquarters was weakened.
• Konan gave Nagato a roster of the Allied Forces’ remaining high-level fighters, and he noticed Jiraiya’s name.
• Nagato said he would personally attack the Allied Forces’ headquarters, while Konan warned him about its remaining fighters, A, and the Upper Moon One.

Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku discussed the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy of an evil force threatening to destroy the Shinobi World, with “light” possibly holding the key to its survival. Naruto then made rapid progress in Senjutsu training with Menma’s help, while the prophecy’s meaning remained unknown.

• Naruto practiced sensing natural energy on Mount Myōboku as Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku watched.
• Sage Fukasaku told Jiraiya that the Great Toad Sage had foreseen the Shinobi World shattered and its final light extinguished by an unknown evil force.
• Jiraiya wondered whether Nagato or Upper Moon One was the threat, but Sage Fukasaku said the Great Toad Sage could not identify it and had trembled when trying to observe it.
• Sage Fukasaku said the prophecy emphasized “light” as the power that could let the Shinobi World endure, leaving Jiraiya unsure what it represented.
• Naruto announced that he had absorbed natural energy, and Menma revealed that his assistance had boosted Naruto’s absorption speed.
• Naruto continued Senjutsu training with Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku and showed exceptional talent.

Jiraiya and Tsunade tried to identify the “light” in the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy, each privately believing a young ninja could save the Shinobi World. Meanwhile, Shinji monitored his plans from the Flying Fortress as the Akatsuki gathered near the Allied Forces’ camp.

• Jiraiya told Tsunade that the Great Toad Sage had prophesied the Shinobi World’s destruction and that finding the prophesied “light” was their only hope.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade considered powerful ninjas and talented youths as candidates, privately thinking of Naruto and Kurama Yakumo respectively.
• Shinji listened as Karin reported that Itachi had fused the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan but had not confirmed implanting White Zetsu Cells, and Shinji urged her to press him to deal with the fake Itachi.
• Karin reported that Shion was still fighting Moryo and that Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo had fully recovered; Shinji told Karin to warn them to stay on guard.
• Nine Akatsuki members stood in the rain and watched the Ninja Village Allied Forces’ main camp.