Recaps

Liao Wu used Kotoamatsukami to brainwash Deidara, then encountered Sasuke’s team as they headed for the Uchiha hideout. After Liao Wu told Sasuke that Itachi still loved him, Sasuke destroyed his shadow clone with Chidori.

• The Kotoamatsukami crow brainwashed Deidara into feeling unpayable gratitude toward Liao Wu.
• Liao Wu’s shadow clone removed Deidara’s seal and ordered him to go to Mount Myōboku and blow up the Great Toad Sage, but stopped him when Deidara admitted he did not know where it was.
• Liao Wu’s shadow clone found Sasuke’s team in a forest, and Karin detected him with the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura.
• Sasuke asked whether Liao Wu had come to stop him from finding Itachi.
• Liao Wu told Sasuke that Itachi had slaughtered their clan and killed their parents but still loved him, and Sasuke struck the shadow clone with Chidori.

Liao Wu questioned whether the Uchiha Massacre had been carried out by Itachi alone, prompting Kakashi to explain the village’s tense history with the Uchiha Clan. As the group pursued Sasuke, Liao Wu hinted that Village High Command might have been involved and ended up provoking Kiba.

• Suigetsu criticized Leaf Village’s Will of Fire, and Sasuke decided he no longer wanted to return to the village.
• Liao Wu told Sakura that his Shadow Clone had located Sasuke, and the group followed Kiba toward him.
• Kakashi objected to Liao Wu’s attempt to persuade Sasuke to forgive Itachi and said they should stand with Sasuke against Itachi.
• Liao Wu revealed that he had partly undone a sealed memory and learned Kakashi’s Sharingan had come from Uchiha Obito.
• Kakashi confirmed that relations between Leaf Village and the Uchiha Clan had grown so tense that they seemed unable to coexist.
• Liao Wu insinuated that the village might have been responsible for the Uchiha Massacre, then accused Kiba of slandering Village High Command, and Akamaru bit him.

The Snake Team reached the Uchiha Clan’s old stronghold, where Kisame ordered Sasuke to face Itachi alone. Sasuke went ahead, while Suigetsu challenged Kisame to a fight as Karin waited behind.

• Kakashi and the others wondered whether Itachi had truly destroyed the Uchiha Clan alone and what role Konoha’s leaders had played.
• The Snake Team arrived at the abandoned Uchiha stronghold, and Karin sensed a powerful Chakra approaching.
• Kisame told Sasuke that Itachi had ordered him to enter alone, and Sasuke agreed despite Karin’s warnings about a trap.
• Sasuke passed Kisame and continued toward Itachi, while Kisame blocked the others from following.
• Suigetsu introduced himself as Hozuki Mangetsu’s Younger Brother and challenged Kisame with Kubikiribōchō.

Kakashi’s group encountered the masked Akatsuki member Obito on their way to the Uchiha base, where Liao Wu tested his strange phasing ability. The group failed to land a hit, and the chapter ended with Kakashi asking Obito where he had taken Deidara.

• Kakashi led Yamato and the others toward the Uchiha base and found Tobi blocking their path.
• Kakashi warned the group to probe the unfamiliar Akatsuki member, and Liao Wu sent a Shadow Clone to attack him with a Rasengan.
• Obito phased through Liao Wu’s attack and challenged him to use Flying Thunder God.
• Liao Wu attacked with a marked Kunai and a Rasengan, but Obito phased through both strikes.
• Kakashi and the Ninja Hounds investigated Obito’s strange presence and scent while Liao Wu considered how difficult Kamui made him to hit.
• Kakashi asked Obito where he had taken Deidara, prompting everyone to look toward Liao Wu.

Liao Wu and Obito argued over whether Sasuke or Itachi would win, then Liao Wu provoked Obito by defending Kakashi’s killing of Rin. Obito’s fury surfaced, and Liao Wu compared their old team’s feelings to his current team’s relationships.

• Liao Wu told Obito that Deidara had died after blowing himself up during interrogation, and Obito pretended to mourn him.
• Liao Wu and Obito agreed to bet on Sasuke and Itachi’s fight, with Liao Wu wagering the Nine-Tails and Kakashi objecting.
• Liao Wu attacked Obito to draw him away from Kakashi and the others, while Kakashi identified Obito’s ability as Space Ninjutsu.
• Liao Wu and Obito mocked Kakashi’s failures before Liao Wu praised Kakashi for killing Rin to protect the Leaf Village.
• Obito became enraged when Liao Wu defended Rin’s death, and Liao Wu compared the team’s old love triangle to his current teammates.

Liao Wu provoked Obito by mocking his grief over Rin, then challenged his claim to be Madara Uchiha by summoning Hashirama Senju’s Wood Dragon Technique. The chapter left Obito and the others stunned as Liao Wu revealed his mastery of advanced Wood Style.

• Obito lost his temper when Liao Wu said Sakura would have deserved to be killed and attacked him with chains, but Liao Wu dodged using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Obito calmed down and declared himself Madara Uchiha before Kakashi and the others, revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Liao Wu questioned Obito’s claims and said he would cosplay as the First Hokage, then poured Chakra into the tree beneath him.
• Liao Wu summoned a gigantic wooden dragon, shocking Obito and Yamato with his use of the advanced Wood Dragon Technique.
• Yamato realized Liao Wu had learned the Wood Dragon Technique from the Scroll of Seals rather than from their brief Wood Style training.

Obito used Pakkun as leverage to stop Kakashi's team from reaching Sasuke, but Liao Wu chose to protect their comrade and wait for Sasuke and Itachi's battle to end. Obito returned Pakkun and waited for Itachi to die so he could reveal the truth to Sasuke and turn him against the Leaf Village.

• Kakashi urged Naruto and the others to leave Madara and go find Sasuke, and Liao Wu carried the team on the Wood Dragon.
• Obito grabbed Pakkun and threatened to kill him unless Kakashi's team stopped advancing.
• Liao Wu lowered the Wood Dragon and agreed to wait, saying Sasuke was not more important than a comrade who had stayed by their side.
• Liao Wu argued with Sakura about her devotion to Sasuke, while Obito described Karin's abilities and Kakashi tried to stop the dispute.
• Obito returned Pakkun, and Liao Wu caught him as Kakashi's team waited for the Brothers' Battle to conclude.
• Obito waited for Itachi to die, planning to reveal the truth to Sasuke and make him hate the Leaf Village.

Sasuke used the storm he had created to unleash Kirin against Itachi at the ruined Uchiha hideout, while Kakashi’s group remained blocked by Obito. Liao Wu’s Wood Clone reached the battle just as Itachi’s Susanoo appeared to meet the attack.

• Kakashi spotted the distant battle and had Hinata use her Byakugan to identify black Amaterasu flames near Sasuke and Itachi.
• Sakura attacked Obito in an effort to break through, while Liao Wu sent a hidden Wood Clone underground toward the brothers.
• Sasuke climbed onto the ruins and revealed that his Fire Style attacks had heated the air to form thunderclouds, allowing him to use the atmosphere’s energy.
• Sasuke called down a massive lightning beast with Kirin and sent it crashing toward Itachi.
• Liao Wu’s Wood Clone witnessed Kirin strike and saw orange-red Susanoo amid the lightning.

Sasuke believed he had defeated Itachi with Kirin, but Itachi revealed Susanoo’s armored third form and overwhelmed Orochimaru’s Eight Branches Technique. Orochimaru emerged from the serpent and claimed he had taken over Sasuke’s body.

• Sasuke’s Kirin devastated the Uchiha stronghold, but Itachi survived and rose despite his worsening illness.
• Itachi revealed that he could unleash Susanoo even without activating his Sharingan, then summoned its armored third form and left Sasuke despairing.
• Orochimaru’s Eight Branches Technique burst out of Sasuke, and Itachi’s Susanoo cut down its serpent heads with a glowing sword.
• Orochimaru emerged from the serpent’s mouth and revealed that he had escaped Sasuke’s attempt to seal his soul.
• Orochimaru announced that he had finally obtained Sasuke’s body.

Itachi used the Totsuka Blade to seal Orochimaru, though one of Orochimaru’s snakes escaped into Liao Wu’s hands. Itachi’s illness then worsened as he and Sasuke continued their fight, leaving Itachi advancing toward his brother inside a faltering Susanoo.

• Orochimaru emerged from Sasuke and attacked Itachi, but Itachi’s Susanoo pierced and sealed his soul with the Totsuka Blade.
• Orochimaru split his soul into snakes to escape, and Liao Wu’s Wood Clone captured one while Amaterasu burned others.
• Itachi’s condition deteriorated after sealing Orochimaru, but he challenged Sasuke to continue their fight.
• Sasuke threw an explosive-tagged kunai at Itachi, who survived and summoned Susanoo again.
• Itachi shuffled toward Sasuke with failing vision, briefly showing warmth that Sasuke did not notice.

Sasuke defeated Itachi, who died after tapping his forehead and leaving Sasuke confused about his final smile and the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. While Sasuke mourned, Liao Wu stole Itachi’s corpse and left with it, planning to revive and use him.

• Sasuke exhausted his attacks against Itachi, who collapsed after tapping Sasuke’s forehead instead of taking his eyes.
• Itachi died with a smile, and Sasuke realized his brother had been weakened by illness and may have wanted his forgiveness.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu discussed Itachi’s illness and left to report the battle’s outcome to Obito.
• Sasuke lay beside Itachi in the rain, grieving and unsure what to do next.
• Liao Wu replaced Itachi’s corpse with a Spore-created body, sealed the real corpse in a scroll, and left underground with it.

Kakashi's Team learned that Sasuke had defeated Itachi, while Obito celebrated Itachi's death and escaped with Sasuke. Liao Wu revealed that he had replaced Itachi's corpse and sealed some of the Amaterasu, but Kakashi's Team arrived too late to find Sasuke.

• White Zetsu told Obito that Sasuke had won and Itachi was dead, and Liao Wu demanded Obito's eye as payment for their wager.
• Obito refused Liao Wu's demand and vanished with Kamui; Liao Wu revealed that his clone had replaced Itachi's body with a disguised spore.
• Obito found the fake corpse without noticing the deception, then took the unconscious Sasuke and left with Black and White Zetsu.
• Kakashi's Team reached the Uchiha hideout, where Yamato split a path through the Amaterasu flames and Liao Wu's Shadow Clone sealed some of the fire in scrolls.
• Kakashi's Team found the hideout in ruins and could not track Sasuke, leaving Sakura devastated that they had arrived too late.

Liao Wu unsealed Rōran’s Dragon Vein and emerged from it in the past, then summoned and absorbed Naruto’s clone, taking the Nine-Tails’ seal and devouring Kushina’s remaining Chakra. He began sealing and consuming Asura Chakra, gaining part of Asura’s power and experience while declaring his intent to devour Indra as well and claim Six Paths Sage Power.

• Liao Wu’s Wood Clone reversed Minato’s hand seals and unsealed Rōran’s Dragon Vein, which resonated with Sara’s daughter Kira and prompted her to travel to the ruins.
• Liao Wu emerged from the Dragon Vein in the past, calmed its surging Chakra, and absorbed the Wood Clone’s memories of its actions in Naruto’s era.
• Liao Wu summoned Naruto’s clone to Rōran and assimilated it, transferring the Nine-Tails’ seal onto his own abdomen.
• Liao Wu used the Naraka Path to devour Kushina’s Chakra when it appeared to bind him and demand Naruto’s return.
• Liao Wu fought Asura within his consciousness, sealed and consumed half of Asura Chakra, and gained three Truth-Seeking Orbs and Asura’s experience with Yin Yang Release.
• Liao Wu told Asura that he planned to devour Indra too, merge the brothers’ Chakra, and obtain Six Paths Sage Power.

Liao Wu absorbed Asura's chakra and Nine-Tails, then summoned the Meow Six Paths to guard him as he transformed. In Amegakure, Nagato and Konan discovered Jiraiya had infiltrated the village, and Konan went to confront him first.

• Liao Wu created three Truth-Seeking Orbs after devouring Asura's chakra.
• Liao Wu hypnotized Nine-Tails, absorbed his chakra and will, and began transforming into a tailed beast life-form.
• Liao Wu summoned the Meow Six Paths and ordered them to guard him and capture intruders.
• The Great Toad Sage warned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima that an evil power from the past had invaded the ninja world.
• Nagato detected Jiraiya infiltrating Amegakure with the Rain Tiger Will Technique, and Konan identified him as their former teacher.
• Nagato decided to kill Jiraiya, but Konan asked to speak with him first and went to find him.

Jiraiya confronted Konan and the Animal Path while investigating Pain, and learned that Yahiko had died in Hanzō and Danzo's conspiracy. The Animal Path remained in Jiraiya's grasp as he realized Nagato had turned toward destruction.

• Konan trapped Jiraiya with paper, but he escaped and recognized her as his former disciple.
• Jiraiya asked Konan who Pain was and why she had joined the Akatsuki, while Konan blamed his past choices and spoke of their suffering after Yahiko's death.
• Konan and the Animal Path attacked Jiraiya, who dismissed the summoned Hell Crab and bound the Animal Path with his hair.
• Jiraiya asked Nagato what had happened to Yahiko, and the Animal Path said Yahiko had died long ago.
• Jiraiya recalled that Hanzō and Danzo had killed Yahiko and concluded that Nagato's grief had led him to pursue destruction.

Jiraiya learned that Nagato and Konan sought to end war through a forbidden weapon that would inflict overwhelming pain, but he rejected their extreme plan. Before he could confront them, the Toad Sages revealed a prophecy about a far greater threat and sent him to the Rōran Ruins.

• Nagato explained through the Animal Path that Akatsuki planned to use the Tailed Beasts to create a weapon whose devastation would frighten the world into ending war.
• Jiraiya prepared to enter Sage Mode, but the Animal Path’s Hellhound and Yatagarasu overwhelmed Gama Ken.
• Jiraiya dismissed Gama Ken and summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, who relayed a prophecy about an evil force from the past far more dangerous than Akatsuki.
• Sage Fukasaku told Jiraiya to investigate the threat at the Rōran Ruins in the Land of Wind, and Sage Shima urged him to leave at once.

Jiraiya fled Rain Village with Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, leading Nagato and Konan toward Rōran so Akatsuki might confront the prophesied evil force. At the ruins, the Thief Cats protected Liao Wu as he transformed, and Jiraiya discovered their crimson Barrier.

• Jiraiya escaped Rain Village with Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima on Gama Hiro, and Nagato ordered the Six Paths of Pain to pursue them.
• Sage Fukasaku told Gama Hiro to slow down so Nagato and Konan would follow them toward the Land of Wind and the prophesied evil force.
• At Rōran, the Thief Cats captured Kira, recognized her as Sara’s daughter, and formed the Six Red Yang Formation to protect Liao Wu while he transformed.
• Jiraiya and the Two Sages reached Rōran and saw a crimson Barrier surrounding the ruins, which Jiraiya recognized as the Red Yang Formation.

Jiraiya and the Two Sages hid near the Six Red Yang Formation while Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain tried to break through and Jiraiya recognized Yahiko among them. In Obito’s underground base, Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and Amaterasu burned Obito away.

• Jiraiya and the Two Sages hid in the shadows as the Six Paths of Pain and Konan arrived at the Rōran Ruins.
• Nagato sensed that the barrier resonated with his Rinnegan, but the Animal Path and Asura Path failed to damage it.
• Jiraiya recognized Yahiko as the Deva Path and noticed that the other Paths also resembled people from his past.
• Sasuke awoke in Obito’s underground base after Obito treated his injuries and told him he knew the truth about Itachi.
• Sasuke awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Amaterasu flames engulfed Obito and burned him away.

Obito told Sasuke that Itachi had used Amaterasu to protect him and claimed that Itachi’s slaughter of the Uchiha Clan was a mission assigned by the Hidden Leaf Village. He began explaining how the village’s founding and the Warring States era shaped Itachi’s fate.

• Sasuke’s eyes triggered Itachi’s Amaterasu, but Obito survived by using Izanagi and explained that Itachi had planted the technique to protect Sasuke.
• Obito claimed Itachi had injected his Pupil Power into Sasuke and tried to convince him that his Older Brother had protected him.
• Obito said he was Madara Uchiha and had helped Itachi during the Night of Annihilation, then named the few people who knew the truth.
• Sasuke grew agitated, reopened his wounds, and fainted; when he woke, he found Obito had tied him up.
• Obito admitted Itachi had killed the Uchiha Clan and fled Konoha, but said the Hidden Leaf Village had assigned him the mission.
• Obito began recounting the Warring States era and identified the Uchiha and Senju as the strongest Ninja Clans.

Obito revealed the truth about the Uchiha Clan’s coup and Itachi’s mission to massacre the clan, explaining that Itachi spared Sasuke to protect him. Sasuke rejected Obito’s account, but grief and hatred began to stir a sinister power within him.

• Obito recounted how the village’s suspicion and restrictions pushed the Uchiha Clan toward a coup.
• Obito told Sasuke that Itachi had served as a spy for the village and carried out the mission to kill the Uchiha Clan.
• Obito explained that Itachi threatened Danzo and spared Sasuke, hoping Sasuke would grow stronger and eventually kill him.
• Sasuke denied Obito’s claims, but Obito argued that Itachi had deliberately staged their battles and forced Sasuke to release Orochimaru’s Curse Mark.
• Obito told Sasuke that Itachi had valued Sasuke’s life more than the village, while Sasuke’s grief and hatred began to awaken a powerful change in his eyes.

Obito revealed the truth about Itachi to Sasuke, who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Obito discovered that Itachi’s corpse had been stolen and ordered a search for the unknown foe while learning that Jiraiya had fled toward the Land of Wind with Nagato pursuing him.

• Obito told Sasuke that Itachi had secretly protected him and borne the blame for the Uchiha Massacre, and Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in grief.
• Obito left Sasuke to rest and discovered that Itachi’s corpse was missing, replaced by an unfamiliar Wood Style spore.
• Obito and Black and White Zetsu concluded that an unknown person with a technique like White Zetsu’s had stolen Itachi’s body, and Obito ordered reconnaissance across the Ninja World.
• White Zetsu reported that Jiraiya had entered the Rain Village and fought Nagato using Sage Mode before escaping toward the Land of Wind.
• Obito learned that Nagato was pursuing Jiraiya, but the reason Jiraiya had fled in that direction remained unknown.

Obito learned that Jiraiya had gone to the Land of Wind and set out to discover why, while Nagato and Konan tried to break the Six Red Yang Formation. When the barrier became transparent, they and Jiraiya saw a terrifying beast-shaped light cocoon inside, and Konan spotted six ninja cats positioned around the formation.

• Black Zetsu told Obito that the Great Toad Sage might have sent Jiraiya to the Land of Wind after dreaming of the future, and Obito decided to investigate.
• Nagato and Konan tried several attacks against the Six Red Yang Formation, but the barrier immediately repaired its cracks.
• The Preta Path began absorbing the barrier's chakra, making the formation transparent and revealing a huge black-and-white light cocoon.
• Jiraiya and the Two Great Sages felt the cocoon's oppressive presence and feared that it contained a force more terrifying than a tailed beast.
• Nagato suspected the cocoon held power comparable to the Ten-Tails, and Konan pointed out six ninja cats standing at the formation's corners.

Candy and the Ninja Cats confronted Nagato’s Six Paths while Liao Wu’s Tailed Beast Ritual reached completion. The Light Cocoon broke open, revealing Liao Wu transformed into a giant cat with a Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Konan and Nagato recognized that the six Ninja Cats had Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan, and Nagato realized the true Rinnegan holder was the beast in the Light Cocoon.
• Candy used Natural Energy against the Preta Path, turning him to stone until the Naraka Path revived him.
• Jiraiya identified the Six Paths’ separate abilities and concluded that the Ninja Cats had stolen Nagato’s eyes from the past.
• The Light Cocoon cracked and shattered as Liao Wu’s Tailed Beast Ritual succeeded.
• Liao Wu emerged as a mountain-sized black-and-white cat and sensed that he had become a Tailed Beast Life after devouring the Nine-Tails.

After devouring the Nine-Tails’ Yang half, Liao Wu gained immense power and transformed into a black-and-white cat before returning to human form. He claimed to be an ancient Uchiha named Uchiha Ryobu, and Konan began explaining how the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out.

• Liao Wu discovered that he could resurrect in this era, had doubled his chakra, and had entered the Six Paths realm after devouring the Nine-Tails’ Yang half.
• Jiraiya, Sage Shima, Nagato, and the others sensed Liao Wu’s overwhelming power as Nagato directed Yatagarasu away from the ruins of Rōran.
• Candy, Fish Ball, Cai Lai, and the other ninja cats introduced themselves to Liao Wu, who then shrank into human form.
• Jiraiya and the Two Great Sages recognized Liao Wu’s Uchiha crest, and Liao Wu introduced himself to Nagato and Konan as Uchiha Ryobu.
• Liao Wu pretended not to know Itachi or the Uchiha Clan’s fate, while Konan explained that the Senju and Uchiha had allied to found the Leaf Village.

Liao Wu pretended to be Uchiha Ryobu, Madara Uchiha’s grandfather, and used the claim to draw the masked man who called himself Madara into the open. Jiraiya and the Two Great Sages secretly identified Liao Wu as an ancient Uchiha, while Obito considered how to win him over.

• Jiraiya and the Two Great Sages listened to Liao Wu and suspected he came from the Warring States Period or earlier.
• Liao Wu asked how the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, then claimed he would avenge the clan against Itachi.
• After Konan asked whether he knew Hashirama and Madara, Liao Wu claimed Madara was his grandson and said his name was Uchiha Ryobu.
• Obito arrived through Kamui, heard Liao Wu’s claim, and wondered whether Madara had lied to him about awakening the Rinnegan.
• Konan revealed that a masked man in the Akatsuki called himself Madara, prompting Liao Wu to ask to meet him.
• Obito appeared beside Nagato and Konan, and Obito considered using Liao Wu’s lack of familiarity with Madara to gain his favor.