Recaps

Orochimaru introduced the resurrected Hizashi Hyuga to the other reanimated kekkei genkai users and told him about Neji’s life after his death. Hizashi learned that Neji had become a jonin through his own talent, while Hiashi had only addressed his resentment after Neji’s abilities became public.

• Orochimaru subdued Pakura, Pakura, and Toroi when they resisted being used by the Dusk Organization, then tried to recruit Pakura by offering help with revenge against the Sand Village High Command.
• Orochimaru greeted Hizashi Hyuga, who accepted his control and asked how Neji was doing.
• Orochimaru told Hizashi that Neji had become a jonin at seventeen and had mastered Hyuga techniques without instruction.
• Hizashi learned that Hiashi had not supported Neji after his death and had used Hizashi’s final letter to ease Neji’s resentment only after Neji impressed everyone at the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Orochimaru tried to persuade Hizashi to help free Neji from the Hyuga Clan’s branch-family system by having him defect to Rōran, but Hizashi only agreed to consider it. Orochimaru then explained Dusk’s strange rules and became intrigued by Haku as a potential reincarnation vessel.

• Orochimaru explained the Byakugan’s strategic value and criticized the Caged Bird system’s division of the Hyuga Clan into main and branch families.
• Orochimaru urged Hizashi to help Neji escape the branch family, suggesting that defecting to Rōran would spare Neji without changing the Hyuga system.
• Hizashi refused to betray the Hyuga Clan at first, but fell silent when Orochimaru raised Neji’s future and eventually said he would think about it.
• Orochimaru explained Dusk’s rules, including that senior members and the leader’s cats could bully others.
• Haku addressed Orochimaru, who privately admired Haku’s beauty and considered his body an excellent vessel for reincarnation.

Orochimaru brought Haku and the other reincarnated ninjas before Liao Wu, who asserted control over them and began recruiting them into the Dusk Organization. The chapter left Kimimaro and Orochimaru stunned as Liao Wu revealed that the Cloud Village had captured Jugo, Sasuke, and the others.

• Fish Ball ordered Orochimaru's followers to kneel, and Orochimaru made them obey and apologized to Fish Ball.
• Fish Ball led Pakura, Hizashi, Haku, and the others to meet Liao Wu, who introduced himself as Sage Riri-Uchiha Ryobu.
• Pakura refused to work for an Uchiha, so Liao Wu ordered Orochimaru to control her and send her to abduct her student Kurenai.
• Liao Wu offered Hizashi a chance to live, while Kimimaro remained devoted to Orochimaru.
• Liao Wu told Kimimaro that Jugo, Sasuke, and the others had been captured by the Cloud Village, then began explaining how he knew.

Liao Wu learned that the Cloud Village had captured Sasuke and the Hawk Team, then prepared to intervene and push Sasuke toward joining the village. As he welcomed the resurrected Sound Four and Haku, his gifts and comments revealed his preferences, and the chapter ended with everyone realizing Haku was a boy.

• Liao Wu told Orochimaru and the others that Itachi had sealed the Eight-Tails and the Cloud Village had captured Sasuke and the Hawk Team.
• Toroi explained that the Cloud Village would likely try to recruit Sasuke rather than hand him over to the Leaf Village, and Liao Wu decided to guide the effort himself after settling matters in Rōran.
• Liao Wu gave Kidomaru a spider suit, and Kidomaru became deeply loyal to him.
• Liao Wu asked Tayuya whether her reanimation body could warm up, then gave her a bamboo flute and asked her to play it for him.
• Liao Wu asked Haku why he was not a girl, shocking everyone who had assumed Haku was female.

After learning how Zabuza died defending him, Haku asked Liao Wu to bring Zabuza back through Impure World Reincarnation. Zabuza returned, reunited with Haku, and met Liao Wu, where he revealed his dream of becoming Mizukage and asked what had happened to the Mist Village.

• Orochimaru offered to turn Haku into a girl, but Liao Wu changed the subject and asked Haku what he wanted to do.
• Liao Wu told Haku how Zabuza had defended Haku's dignity before dying, and Haku asked to have Zabuza brought back.
• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Zabuza, who reunited with Haku and learned why he had been revived.
• Haku introduced Zabuza to the Dusk Organization, and Orochimaru brought them to meet Liao Wu.
• Liao Wu asked Zabuza about his dreams, and Zabuza said he wanted to become Mizukage before asking what had happened to the Mist Village.

Zabuza learned that Mei Terumi had led the Mist Village out of the Blood Mist Era, but Liao Wu rejected his wish to return there and threatened to capture Mei. Itachi returned with the Eight-Tails sealed in his Totsuka Blade, and the Dusk Organization held its first meeting as Akatsuki learned of the operation.

• Candy told Zabuza that Mei Terumi had become the Fifth Mizukage and brought the Mist Village out of the Blood Mist Era, and Zabuza asked Liao Wu if he could return after being resurrected.
• Liao Wu had Fish Ball drag Zabuza away to be beaten, declared that he would capture Mei Terumi, and told Haku to assist him.
• Liao Wu teased Haku with a bar of soap, but Candy picked it up before Haku had to bend over.
• Itachi returned in crow form and reported that he had sealed the Eight-Tails inside his Totsuka Blade, after which Liao Wu summoned the former Akatsuki members for a Dusk Organization meeting.
• Itachi told the meeting that the Cloud Village knew he had been resurrected, and Deidara warned that Akatsuki would learn of the operation.
• Liao Wu said Dusk was not a secret organization, while acknowledging that Akatsuki would now target them to recover the Eight-Tails.

Liao Wu ordered Itachi to release and kill the Eight-Tails, delaying the Akatsuki’s plan to revive the Ten-Tails, while Dusk discussed uniting the Five Great Shinobi Nations and other matters. The Akatsuki then planned to find Itachi and take the Totsuka Blade, with Obito revealing he had let the Cloud Village capture Sasuke to lure Itachi out.

• Liao Wu told Itachi to release the Eight-Tails, kill him, and record the death for the Akatsuki and the Five Great Nations.
• Itachi killed the injured, unhosted Eight-Tails with Amaterasu, and Candy copied the footage to send to the Akatsuki and the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
• Liao Wu assigned Kakuzu to hunt Conservative Faction members and promised to find Hidan’s body so Orochimaru could revive him.
• Deidara mocked Itachi, who trapped him in Tsukuyomi and left him unconscious after a brutal illusion.
• Obito, Nagato, and Konan discussed finding Itachi and taking the Totsuka Blade, and Obito said he had let the Cloud Village capture Sasuke to lure Itachi out.

Nagato planned to capture the Nine-Tails during the Leaf Village's Chunin Ninja Exams, but the Eight-Tails' death forced the Akatsuki to delay its plan to revive the Ten-Tails. In Kumogakure, Liao Wu revealed that the village could wait for the Eight-Tails to revive at one of its former homes, though it might instead return inside Killer B.

• Nagato told Obito and Konan that he would go to the Leaf Village during the Chunin Ninja Exams to capture the Nine-Tails and test the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
• An Akatsuki member reported that the Eight-Tails had been killed, and Obito said they would have to wait at least three years for it to revive.
• Nagato ordered an investigation into Dusk and decided to go to the Leaf Village with Obito to pursue the Nine-Tails and sabotage the Five Great Nations' alliance.
• Liao Wu infiltrated Kumogakure as Rogui and argued that the village could station forces at the Eight-Tails' likely revival point near Cloud Thunder Canyon.
• Killer B realized the Eight-Tails could return near his former home, while the chapter noted it might instead revive inside Killer B because he carried five of its tails.

At Cloud Village’s Jonin meeting, Liao Wu argued that the Eight-Tails’ death delayed Akatsuki’s plan, while the Raikage and others assessed the threat posed by Madara and considered Leaf Village’s proposed Ninja Alliance. The meeting ended with the Raikage facing a choice about attending the Chunin Exams and handing Sasuke over to Leaf Village.

• Liao Wu explained that the Eight-Tails would revive near Cloud Village and that its death gave the villages more time to prepare, but Killer B objected to him calling it good news.
• The Fourth Raikage concluded that Itachi had made the choice to destroy the Eight-Tails for Cloud Village and became angry at the thought that Itachi had underestimated them.
• Cloud shinobi reported that Sasuke and Hawk Team knew little about Akatsuki and had served as outsourced help, while Liao Wu listed Akatsuki’s losses and revealed that Madara had recruited Sasuke.
• Liao Wu said Sasuke suspected the masked man was borrowing Madara’s name but warned that his elusive Space Ninjutsu made him dangerous, and the Fourth Raikage decided to treat him as Madara.
• Darui and Mabui urged the Fourth Raikage to join the other villages against Akatsuki and attend Leaf Village’s Chunin Exams, and Mabui said Cloud Village would have to hand Sasuke over to Leaf Village.

The Cloud Village decided to keep Sasuke and exploit his Uchiha bloodline, while Liao Wu argued for the plan under his Rogui disguise. The Fourth Raikage grew suspicious of Rogui and ordered Mabui to investigate as Liao Wu went to speak with Sasuke.

• Liao Wu persuaded the Fourth Raikage and the Cloud Village jonin that they should keep Sasuke, citing his attack on Killer Bee and the Leaf Village’s need for an alliance.
• The Fourth Raikage ordered Liao Wu to convince Sasuke to join the Cloud Village, and Liao Wu proposed claiming that Sasuke was an Orochimaru clone.
• After the meeting, the Fourth Raikage told Mabui to investigate Rogui because his behavior had changed too much.
• Liao Wu visited Sasuke and the Hawk Team, who were confined with their chakra sealed and closely watched.
• Karin argued with Suigetsu while Jugo fed birds, and Sasuke practiced with a wooden sword wearing bandages over his eyes.

Liao Wu told Sasuke that the Cloud Village planned to preserve the Sharingan through him, but Sasuke refused to become a breeding machine and learned that Itachi had killed the Eight-Tails. Sasuke offered to join the Cloud Village if it helped him kill Danzo, and Liao Wu said he would consult Raikage-sama.

• Karin pleaded with Liao Wu to let the Hawk Team outside, and he told them the Cloud Village planned a Sharingan Specialized Research Program centered on Sasuke.
• Sasuke rejected the Cloud Village's plan, while Karin and Suigetsu reacted to the idea of him fathering children for the village.
• Liao Wu refused to send Sasuke to the Leaf Village for trial and revealed that Itachi had killed the Eight-Tails.
• Sasuke asked whether the Cloud Village would help him get revenge, then offered to join if it helped him kill Danzo.
• Liao Wu said he could not decide on the proposal himself and needed to discuss it with Raikage-sama.

Kumogakure debated Sasuke's offer to defect and whether to exploit his Uchiha bloodline, then received a Leaf delegation demanding his return. Liao Wu and the Leaf envoy Shikaku Nara argued over whether Sasuke belonged to the Leaf or was Kumogakure's spoils of war.

• Liao Wu told Kumogakure's leaders that Sasuke wanted to join them, and they questioned his loyalty while discussing ways to secure Uchiha offspring.
• A ninja announced that the Leaf's envoy had arrived, and the Fourth Raikage sent Liao Wu and Mabui to meet them.
• Liao Wu met Shikaku Nara and learned that the Leaf delegation reflected factions that wanted Sasuke returned, abandoned, or killed.
• Shikaku asked Kumogakure to hand Sasuke over and offered compensation for the damage he had caused.
• Mabui refused to return Sasuke, while Liao Wu claimed he was an Orochimaru-made clone and Kumogakure's spoils of war.
• Shikaku suspected Kumogakure wanted Sasuke's Sharingan, and both sides traded arguments without reaching an agreement.

Shikaku's Leaf delegation negotiated with Mabui over the Ninja Alliance and Sasuke, whom the Cloud Village refused to return or let them see. As the talks ended, Shikaku gave Liao Wu three letters from Sasuke's former Team Seven teammates.

• Mabui told Shikaku that the Raikage supported forming the Ninja Alliance, and they discussed the threat posed by the Akatsuki and Uchiha Itachi.
• Mabui raised the Uchiha Massacre and accused the Leaf's high command of playing a disgraceful role, while Inoichi insisted Sasuke still belonged to the Leaf Village.
• Liao Wu declared that the Cloud Village would keep Sasuke, prompting Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza to confront him over the Sharingan bloodline.
• After the two sides argued, Mabui refused to let the Leaf delegation see Sasuke, and Shikaku agreed to end the meeting for the day.
• Liao Wu noticed that Anbu beside Shikaku seemed to be Root operatives, then received three letters from Shikaku addressed to Sasuke from Team Seven.

Mabui suspected that Liao Wu was the ancient Uchiha envoy from Rōran and urged the Cloud Village to cooperate with him. Liao Wu pressed Sasuke to leave descendants in Kumogakure before helping him get revenge on Danzo, and Karin unexpectedly became part of his proposal.

• Liao Wu and the Leaf representatives discussed Naruto's relationship with Ino and celebrated the Yamanaka Clan's future marriage prospects.
• Mabui concluded that Liao Wu was likely the ancient Uchiha from Rōran, whose goal was to revive his clan, and decided Kumogakure should conceal his identity and seek cooperation.
• The Fourth Raikage ordered Liao Wu to make sure Sasuke left descendants in the Cloud Village before the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Liao Wu told Sasuke that Kumogakure would help him take revenge on Danzo only if he left his bloodline there, and Sasuke and Karin objected.
• Liao Wu suggested that Karin join the Cloud Village and have children with Sasuke, leaving Karin blushing.

The Cloud Village decided that Sasuke would marry Karin and join their village, while Sasuke struggled with the sudden plan and his concerns about dragging Karin into his life of revenge. Suigetsu tried to persuade him that leaving the Uchiha bloodline in Kumogakure would strike back at the Leaf Village, then asked what the Leaf feared most.

• Karin showed that she wanted to be paired with Sasuke, and Suigetsu declared that she would join the Cloud Village and marry him.
• Sasuke stayed silent about the proposed marriage, while Jugo asked Liao Wu to give Sasuke time to prepare.
• Liao Wu ordered a wedding for the next day, burned Sakura's letter to Sasuke, and convinced the Fourth Raikage and Mabui to announce Sasuke's marriage publicly.
• Suigetsu told Sasuke that joining the Cloud Village and leaving the Sharingan bloodline there could be revenge against the Leaf Village.
• Suigetsu revealed that Leaf envoys had argued over Sasuke all day and asked what the Leaf Village feared most.

Sasuke decided to join the Cloud Village after Suigetsu argued that it valued kekkei genkai and would give the Uchiha bloodline a home. Root operatives used a spy and an Anbu shift change to attack Sasuke, and two of them rushed into his room to kill him and take his eyes.

• Suigetsu persuaded Sasuke to consider the Cloud Village by pointing to the Leaf Village's treatment of the Uchiha and the Cloud Village's respect for bloodline abilities.
• Karin urged Sasuke to join the Cloud Village, and Sasuke weighed his bonds with Team Seven against his disgust with the Leaf Village.
• Sasuke agreed to join the Cloud Village, and a Cloud Village Anbu used the Body Flicker Technique to inform the Raikage.
• A spy in the Cloud Village gave Root operatives Sasuke's location and the Anbu shift-change times.
• Three Root operatives disguised themselves as Akatsuki contractors and attacked Sasuke's lodging during the shift change.
• An Aburame Root operative trapped two Cloud Village Anbu with insects while the other two Root operatives rushed into Sasuke's room to kill him and take his eyes.

Jugo, Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin were attacked by two Root ninja, one of whom summoned Nue, a chakra-devouring biological weapon. Nue exploded as the Fourth Raikage and other Cloud ninja approached, leaving Sasuke’s fate uncertain and the Cloud Village’s plan to obtain the Sharingan apparently ruined.

• Jugo warned Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin that they were under attack, then entered Sage Transformation to fight the Root ninja.
• A Root ninja released Nue from the Gozu Tennō seal and shouted, “For Lord Danzo!!” as Nue drained both Root ninja and began to explode.
• The Fourth Raikage and his group headed toward Sasuke’s quarters, discussing Sasuke joining the Cloud Village and the village’s plans for the Sharingan.
• Nue’s blast engulfed Sasuke’s quarters and sent the Fourth Raikage’s group flying, while the Raikage feared Sasuke had been killed.

Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza discussed Sasuke’s situation while relaxing in a Cloud Village hot spring, then heard an explosion near the place where Sasuke was held. Cloud Village ninja stopped them from approaching as they investigated, leaving the trio waiting and fearing Sasuke had been hurt.

• Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza soaked in a hot spring and discussed Shikamaru’s guilt over the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke.
• The trio debated how to bring Sasuke back, with Shikaku arguing that Itachi might be the key to influencing him.
• A distant explosion sounded near Sasuke’s place of house arrest, and Shikaku suspected Leaf Village agents might have attacked.
• The trio dressed and rushed toward the explosion, but Cloud Village ninja surrounded them and ordered them to return.
• Shikaku agreed they had to wait for the investigation while Inoichi worried Sasuke’s death might cause Naruto to lose control.

Obito rescued Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin from Root’s explosion, though Jugo was left behind. Sasuke rejected Obito’s plans and explained that he wanted to join the Cloud Village, leaving Obito to consider his changed outlook.

• The Fourth Raikage rushed into the explosion’s ruins as Obito transported Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin to a nearby cliff.
• Karin worried about Jugo, who had stayed behind to protect Sasuke and was not rescued by Obito.
• Sasuke confronted Obito for watching him, then declared that he wanted to join the Cloud Village and help the Uchiha prosper there.
• Obito argued that Itachi’s Uchiha surname had kept him from becoming Hokage, and Sasuke agreed that the Leaf Village would only use Uchiha as enforcers.
• Sasuke rejected the Akatsuki’s tailed beast plan, questioning how its pursuit of peace could justify mass deaths.

Obito explained his Moon Eye Plan to Sasuke and the others, promising them perfect lives in Infinite Tsukuyomi, but Liao Wu arrived with the unconscious Jugo and a Root ninja. Obito identified Liao Wu as the one who resurrected Itachi and the leader of Dusk, while Liao Wu refused to confirm or explain.

• Obito revealed that his Moon Eye Plan would cast Infinite Tsukuyomi over the world and give everyone the lives they wished for.
• Obito described ideal dream lives for Suigetsu, Karin, and Sasuke, drawing them into his vision of peace.
• Liao Wu appeared with Candy carrying the unconscious Jugo and Fish Ball carrying an unconscious Root ninja, and Suigetsu and Karin were relieved to see Jugo alive.
• Liao Wu scolded Obito and Sasuke for neglecting their ancestors, and Sasuke resolved to honor them when he returned to the Leaf Village.
• Obito concluded that Liao Wu had resurrected Itachi and founded Dusk, but Liao Wu declined to explain further.

The Fourth Raikage confronted Obito and Liao Wu, but Obito evaded his attack with Kamui while Liao Wu awkwardly offered flowers and the Uchiha bloodline to Cloud Village. Obito then revealed that Liao Wu had founded Dusk, resurrected Itachi, and interfered with the Akatsuki, leaving the Cloud shinobi stunned.

• The Fourth Raikage rushed Obito, who used Kamui to let the attack pass through him.
• The Fourth Raikage recognized Liao Wu from Leaf intelligence, and Liao Wu demanded that Samui and Mabui be sent to him.
• Liao Wu had Fish Ball and Candy present roses to Samui and Mabui, creating an awkward pause among the gathered shinobi.
• Liao Wu offered the Fourth Raikage his Uchiha bloodline, but the Raikage suspected he had hidden motives.
• Obito asked Liao Wu why he had founded Dusk, resurrected Itachi, and disrupted the Akatsuki's plans, shocking the Cloud shinobi.

Liao Wu explained that he had ordered Itachi to prevent Ten-Tails from reviving, leading the Cloud Village to understand why Eight-Tails had died. The Fourth Raikage and Obito argued over a proposed Ninja Alliance, but both sides remained wary and the confrontation ended in a standoff.

• The Fourth Raikage confronted Liao Wu over ordering Itachi to kill Eight-Tails, and Liao Wu said he had sought to stop Ten-Tails from reviving.
• The Fourth Raikage considered the danger Ten-Tails posed, and Darui proposed that the Five Great Shinobi Villages form a Ninja Alliance to destroy the Akatsuki.
• Obito dismissed the Five Great Nations as a rabble, but Karui and the Fourth Raikage questioned his claims and suspected he feared their united forces.
• Obito admitted that his injuries had weakened him and warned that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path already held seven tailed beasts and that he had allies.
• Liao Wu stopped the argument, and the Cloud Village shinobi and Obito held their positions rather than fighting.

Liao Wu exposed Obito’s role in the Uchiha Massacre, prompting Sasuke to attack him and forcing Obito to admit his guilt. Obito defended his actions and revealed his plan to place the world under the Infinite Tsukuyomi, leaving the Cloud Village shinobi horrified by his goal.

• Liao Wu told Sasuke that Obito had encouraged the Uchiha coup and helped Danzo and Itachi destroy the clan.
• Obito admitted he had been one of the masterminds behind the Uchiha Massacre, and Sasuke charged at him in fury.
• Obito tried to seize Sasuke’s Mangekyo, but Candy used space ninjutsu to teleport Sasuke to Liao Wu.
• Obito claimed he had wanted to lead the Uchiha away from the Leaf Village and blamed the clan for betraying him.
• Karin explained Obito’s moon eye plan, and Obito said he intended to erase reality by trapping the world in an illusion.
• The Fourth Raikage called Obito insane, but Obito insisted the world itself was insane.

Obito, posing as Madara, defended the Moon Eye Plan before Liao Wu exposed his role in the Nine-Tails attack on the Leaf Village. Sasuke attacked Obito with Amaterasu, forcing him to escape, while the Cloud Village remained wary of Liao Wu.

• Obito argued that the Moon Eye Plan would end conflict and accused the people opposing him of standing in the way of everyone's dreams.
• Liao Wu revealed that Obito had summoned the Nine-Tails to attack the Leaf Village sixteen years earlier, and Dodai recalled that Madara had once controlled the beast.
• Sasuke pleaded with Candy to remove the seal on his chakra, then activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and struck Obito with Amaterasu.
• Obito used Kamui to escape, leaving his burning mask behind as some observers glimpsed his scarred face.
• The Cloud Village felt relieved that Obito had left but remained conscious of Liao Wu's power.

Liao Wu pressed Sasuke to choose between joining him in Rōran or staying in the Cloud Village, challenging Sasuke’s motives for revenge. When the Fourth Raikage confronted Liao Wu, Liao Wu subdued him instantly with his Mangekyo Illusion Technique, leaving the Cloud Village terrified.

• Candy healed Sasuke’s aching eye, while Suigetsu and Fish Ball argued over the ninja cats of the Empty Zone.
• Liao Wu asked Sasuke whether he would come to Rōran or remain in the Cloud Village, and Sasuke questioned why Itachi would not meet him.
• Liao Wu challenged Sasuke to decide whether he sought revenge for the Uchiha Clan or for Itachi, and Sasuke said he wanted revenge on both the Leaf Village and those who had wronged Itachi.
• Karui interrupted their conversation, and the Fourth Raikage confronted Liao Wu for sneaking into the village.
• Liao Wu’s Mangekyo Illusion Technique took control of the Fourth Raikage, who appeared behind Liao Wu with a lightning blade held to his own neck.
• Dodai, Darui, and the other jonin held back the horrified Cloud Village ninja.