Chapter Summaries

The Third and Fourth Kazekage launched a devastating attack on Kusagakure, killing its gate guards and overwhelming its patrols with Iron Sand and Gold Dust. Kusagakure leader Moribayashi Genjin saw the destruction and suspected the attackers came from Sunagakure.

• Watabe Ken teased Izumi Gaijin about his new marriage before Iron Sand needles killed him.
• Izumi Gaijin tried to sound the alarm, but the Fourth Kazekage struck him with an Iron Sand cylinder and sent him flying.
• The Third Kazekage attacked the arriving Kusagakure patrols with Iron Sand, and the Fourth Kazekage followed with Gold Dust that wiped them out.
• The Third and Fourth Kazekage unleashed massive Iron Sand and Gold Dust waves that devastated the area around Kusagakure.
• Moribayashi Genjin saw the attack from inside the village and wondered if the Magnet Release users were from Sunagakure.

Sasuke and Karin confronted Kusagakure leader Moribayashi Genjin, and Karin avenged her mother by killing him. Sasuke then entered the residence where Weiyang and Chuniu were.

• Moribayashi Genjin attacked Sasuke and Karin with Water Release, but Sasuke deflected the technique and Karin accused Genjin of causing her mother's death.
• Sasuke fought Moribayashi Genjin, killed his two guards, and hypnotized him after breaking his kunai and injuring his arm.
• Sasuke left Moribayashi Genjin's fate to Karin, and Karin killed him before hurrying after Sasuke.
• Sasuke killed the two guards at the residence where Weiyang and Chuniu were and stepped inside.

Sasuke and Karin raided Kusagakure to learn the location of the Box of Ultimate Bliss and how to activate it, while the Third and Fourth Kazekage devastated the village. They left Kusagakure blaming Orochimaru for the attack, and Karin began learning the activation formula as Kusagakure publicly named Orochimaru as the culprit.

• Sasuke searched the memories of Weiyang and Chuniu, killed them, and burned the manor before meeting Karin.
• At Kusagakure’s gates, Chenlong, Yinhu, and the injured Maotu recognized the Third and Fourth Kazekage and suspected Orochimaru was controlling them.
• Sasuke searched Shenhou and Wuma’s memories, killed them, and left Kusagakure with Karin after she decided they had done enough.
• The Third Kazekage and Fourth Kazekage regained their senses, blamed Orochimaru for controlling them, and departed in their coffins.
• Sasuke gave Karin the Box of Ultimate Bliss’s Fuinjutsu formula, and she said she could master it in one day.
• Kusagakure reported its losses, including Moribayashi Genjin’s death, and publicly announced that Orochimaru had attacked the village.

Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu traveled toward Hozuki Castle as Sasuke learned about its old ties to the Hozuki Clan. When Karin questioned their lack of a ship, Sasuke revealed his plan to fly there with Susanoo and blasted off toward the island with his companions in its hands.

• Suigetsu explained that Hozuki Castle had once been the Hozuki Clan's base, but the clan had left long ago and the remaining residents were only distant relatives.
• Sasuke said he was going to Hozuki Castle to retrieve something, while Karin scolded Suigetsu for questioning him.
• Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu reached the coast at the border of the Land of Hot Water after leaving Otogakure.
• Sasuke summoned Susanoo, grabbed Karin and Suigetsu, and used spinning flames to propel them across the sea toward Hozuki Castle.

On the Island of Summoning, researchers injected the giant chrysalis with the Ultimate Serum, creating a powerful but mindless Ultimate Summoned Beast. When their seals failed to contain it, the white-haired chief ordered them to bring Honoka Uzumaki.

• Researchers explained that the chrysalis had grown stronger than ordinary summoned beasts and recommended injecting it with the Ultimate Serum.
• The white-haired chief approved the injection, and the serum caused the chrysalis to pulse with power.
• The Ultimate Summoned Beast emerged, killed several researchers, and displayed only bloodlust and instinct.
• The chief ordered the researchers to seal the beast, but it broke through the seals and smashed through a wall.
• The chief called for Honoka Uzumaki, a young sealing specialist they had recruited years earlier.

Sasuke and his companions rescued Honoka, an Uzumaki sealing specialist, from the evolving Ultimate Summoned Beast on the Island of Summoning. After the beast regenerated and grew wings, Sasuke summoned the Shouki Lizard to join the fight.

• Karin sensed Honoka in danger, and Sasuke accelerated Susanoo toward the island to help her.
• Honoka fought the Ultimate Summoned Beast with sealing techniques and explosive tags, but it broke her chains, evolved, and nearly killed her.
• Honoka began the Inner Three Talents Sealing Jutsu, but Karin spoke to her and Sasuke destroyed the beast's body with Susanoo.
• Karin introduced herself to Honoka, who explained that the Ultimate Summoned Beast evolved by devouring creatures and adapting to danger.
• The beast regenerated, grew wings, and charged at Sasuke, who seized it with Susanoo and summoned the Shouki Lizard.
• The Shouki Lizard appeared and told Sasuke that it wanted to eat the Ultimate Summoned Beast.

Sasuke equipped the Shouki Lizard with Majestic Attire: Susanoo and defeated the evolving Ultimate Summoned Beast. He allowed the Shouki Lizard to eat the monster despite Honoka’s warnings, leaving its possible mutation uncertain.

• Sasuke used Majestic Attire: Susanoo: Beast Calamity to armor the Shouki Lizard and boost its strength.
• Sasuke attacked the Ultimate Summoned Beast, while Honoka, Karin, and Suigetsu watched the display of power.
• The Ultimate Summoned Beast evolved repeatedly, but Sasuke restrained and defeated it with Purple Electricity and lightning spears.
• Sasuke concluded that the monster’s evolution was limited by its available chakra and warned the Shouki Lizard about its violent cells.
• The Shouki Lizard swallowed the unconscious monster, despite Honoka warning that its bloodthirsty genes might cause a mutation.

Sasuke invited the grieving Honoka to join his team, then used Yin Release to guide the Shouki Lizard through a dangerous transformation after it devoured the Ultimate Summoned Beast. The lizard emerged as a winged Western-style dragon, and Sasuke wondered if he could create an Eastern Divine Dragon in Ryūchi Cave someday.

• Sasuke asked Honoka to join his team, and Karin encouraged her by promising they could spend time together in Otogakure.
• The Shouki Lizard began mutating violently, so Sasuke entered its mind and used Yin Release to guide its cells and control the madness.
• Karin urged Sasuke to bite her to recover, and he accepted after realizing he needed to regain his strength.
• The Shouki Lizard completed its evolution, growing golden wings, a horn, and a more majestic body that Sasuke recognized as a dragon.
• Sasuke considered whether he could create an Eastern Divine Dragon when he visited Ryūchi Cave to learn Senjutsu.

Sasuke examined Shouki after it evolved into a stronger, dragonlike form and warned it not to merge back with its main body while its chaotic will remained dangerous. He suspected Grass Lizard Swamp had once been a Senjutsu sanctuary, but left its origins and destruction unresolved pending future exploration.

• Sasuke checked Shouki's transformed body as Shouki described its increased strength, chakra, and newly awakened sensory abilities.
• Shouki sneezed sulfurous breath and exhaled smoke with sparks, while Sasuke found its body denser and more powerful.
• Sasuke told Shouki to keep its evolved body separate from its main body because its inherited chaotic will could become uncontrollable.
• Sasuke examined Shouki's horn and concluded that it had become a Sub-Dragon rather than a true dragon, perhaps because it lacked Senjutsu.
• Sasuke considered whether Grass Lizard Swamp had once been a lizard-clan Senjutsu sanctuary that pursued dragonhood and resolved to explore its depths to test his theory.

After leaving the research base, Sasuke and his companions flew to Hozuki Castle, where Sasuke secretly entered and confronted its lord, Mui. Mui was seeking a way to revive his son, Muku, and open the Box of Ultimate Bliss when Sasuke offered him a game—or a deal.

• Shouki carried Sasuke, Honoka, Karin, and their companion away from the Island of Summoning after Sasuke collected research materials and helped Honoka bury the dead.
• During the flight, Sasuke taught Honoka the activation formula for the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and she learned it after seeing it once.
• At Hozuki Castle, Mui learned from his subordinates that the prisoners remained under control and that patrols had found no suspicious activity.
• Mui resolved to seek information about the Box of Ultimate Bliss and find a powerful chakra source so he could revive Muku.
• Sasuke slipped into Mui's room, revealed himself, and proposed a game or a deal.

Sasuke studied the Box of Ultimate Bliss and planned a carefully constrained wish to evolve Uchiha Mikoto’s Sharingan, knowing it would release a powerful Satori. He accepted that he would likely have to fight Satori himself and asked Yakushi Kabuto about Uchiha Shin’s whereabouts.

• Sasuke examined the Box of Ultimate Bliss and found that its material, weight, and inscriptions resisted analysis, while it absorbed chakra from his attacks.
• The Box’s whispers briefly disoriented Sasuke, but his Sharingan dispelled the illusions, and he concluded the box might be a relic of the Sage of Six Paths.
• Sasuke decided he needed a faster way to charge the box and began refining his wish so it would evolve Uchiha Mikoto’s Sharingan without twisting his intent.
• Sasuke anticipated that fulfilling the wish would release Satori, reborn through Uchiha Mikoto’s Sharingan, and hoped Uchiha Itachi would fight it in his place.
• Sasuke resigned himself to facing Satori himself and asked Yakushi Kabuto whether he had found Uchiha Shin.

Sasuke ordered Kimimaro to lead the Sound Four and eight Otonin squads to the Land of Demons, while Yakushi Kabuto considered Sasuke’s plans for his research. In Konoha, Tsunade assigned Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai, and Team Asuma to guard the temple sealing Moryo.

• Yakushi Kabuto reported that he had not found Uchiha Shin, and Sasuke told him to remain in Otogakure rather than search.
• Yakushi Kabuto said Kimimaro had recovered enough to fight, though his illness remained and the Hyuga Cell Fusion Agent only suppressed its effects.
• Sasuke urged Yakushi Kabuto to investigate connections among the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and other clans, and Kabuto suspected Sasuke intended to use him as an experiment.
• Sasuke ordered Kimimaro to take the Sound Four and eight Otonin squads to the Land of Demons the next day to help Yomi release Moryo.
• Tsunade assigned Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai, and Team Asuma to guard the Land of Demons’ temple, with two elite Anbu squads secretly accompanying them.

Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai discussed the dangers of their mission to guard the Sealing Temple in the Land of Demons, including the threat of an Otherworldly Demon and a possible attacker. After reaching the border of the Land of Rain and Land of Grass, they wondered whether Orochimaru was involved.

• Kakashi explained that the mission could draw in Sunagakure or Iwagakure and that the Otherworldly Demon might be as powerful as a Tailed Beast.
• Asuma suggested the shrine maiden had foreseen an attack, and Kakashi urged the group to remain vigilant.
• Kakashi considered the support of Yamato, Xiang, and other Anbu members, but remained uneasy about the unknown attacker.
• The squads reached the border of the Land of Fire, Land of Rain, and Land of Grass by nightfall.
• Asuma asked whether Orochimaru was behind the mission, and Kakashi agreed that he might be involved while wondering what Sasuke was planning.

Around a campfire during their mission, Yakumo reassured Sakura that Sasuke had likely joined Orochimaru to gain power quickly and was still acting according to his own plans. She then explained that Sakura’s Inner Sakura had not vanished but had merged with her, leaving Sakura comforted and newly at peace with her growth.

• Naruto and Sakura discussed the mission’s forbidden power and worried they might encounter Sasuke and Orochimaru.
• Sakura asked Yakumo why Sasuke had sided with Orochimaru, and Yakumo said Sasuke had sought power quickly and likely had his own plans.
• Yakumo noticed Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke and asked whether she had once had a split personality.
• Sakura recalled that Inner Sakura had protected her when she was timid and bullied, but had stopped appearing after Sasuke left.
• Yakumo told Sakura that Inner Sakura had merged with her as Sakura grew stronger and learned to protect others, and Sakura felt relieved.

Shion dreamed of Moryo’s resurrection and saw a mysterious figure capture it in the Box of Hell, which then broke apart to release a terrifying being. She awoke before seeing the being’s new eye pattern and recognized its earlier crimson eyes as the Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Shion found herself in a prophetic dream in the Land of Swamps as Moryo emerged from the Volcanic Cave.
• Moryo began boasting about establishing an empire, but a dark-purple giant hand seized it by the throat.
• Shion saw the mastermind throw Moryo into the Box of Hell, which consumed the monster and then collapsed into ash.
• A godlike, demonic figure emerged from the box, and its black-and-white eyes turned red as tomoe began to form.
• Shion woke in terror and identified the mastermind’s crimson eyes as the Mangekyō Sharingan from the Shrine’s records.

Shion told Konoha that an Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan was behind the attempt to release Moryo, while Sasuke secretly prepared to reunite Moryo’s soul and body and use them to feed the Box of Ultimate Bliss. The chapter ended as Shion revealed what she had seen to Kakashi and the other Konoha shinobi.

• Shion woke from a vision of a Great Demon born from Moryo and the Box of Ultimate Bliss, then learned that Konoha’s shinobi had arrived.
• Team Taka reached the Land of Demons, while Sasuke hid the Box of Ultimate Bliss near the shrine where Moryo’s body was sealed.
• Sasuke planned to release Moryo’s soul in the Land of Demons, lure it to the Land of Swamps, and reunite it with its body.
• Shion met Kakashi, Sakura, and Hinata at the shrine and assigned the Konoha shinobi to guard Moryo’s sealed shrine.
• Shion told Kakashi that an Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan intended to release Moryo.

Shion told Konoha’s ninja that the mastermind behind Moryo possessed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, leading Kakashi to suspect Uchiha Itachi. As Kakashi and the others learned about Moryo and the Mangekyō’s awakening, Naruto and Sakura worried Sasuke might be involved, but Kakashi said Sasuke had not met the conditions to awaken it.

• Shion identified the mastermind’s eyes as a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan and described Moryo’s power and Ghost Army to Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi.
• Kakashi ruled out Sasuke as the mastermind and suspected Uchiha Itachi, the only other surviving Uchiha he believed could possess the Mangekyō.
• Kurama Yakumo explained that the Mangekyō Sharingan was the Sharingan’s final evolution and mentioned Uchiha Madara as its most recently documented wielder.
• Naruto and Sakura wondered whether Sasuke was the mastermind, but Kakashi said Sasuke had not experienced the immense negative emotions required to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Konoha’s ninja discussed who might wield the Mangekyō Sharingan and suspected the mysterious attacker who had controlled the Nine-Tails. As the Sealing Temple came under attack, Sasuke separated from the Otogakure group and confronted two figures in Akatsuki Cloaks.

• Xiang reminded Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai that the mysterious Mangekyō Sharingan user might be the person who controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha thirteen years earlier.
• Kakashi and the others agreed to remain cautious and consider requesting support if the mysterious attacker appeared.
• Guards from the Land of Demons arrived and announced that the Sealing Temple was under attack.
• Yomi led Sasuke and the Otogakure group through a mountain pass toward the temple where Moryo was sealed.
• Sasuke ordered Kimimaro to lead the attack while he stayed behind, then spotted two Akatsuki-cloaked figures on the heights.

Sasuke encountered Kakuzu and his new partner, Kazuma, while they were guarding the route to the Sealing Temple. Kakuzu insisted on fighting Sasuke before joining the mission, and the two clashed as Kazuma watched.

• Sasuke recognized Kakuzu and noticed the white-haired Kazuma beside him in an Akatsuki cloak.
• Kazuma reminded Kakuzu that the Shrine Maiden had hired them to guard the Sealing Temple, but Kakuzu said he would kill Sasuke first.
• Kakuzu confronted Sasuke, revealed the Earth Grudge Fear creatures within his body, and threatened to kill him.
• Sasuke countered Kakuzu’s Wind Release with Chidori Sharp Spear, then rushed in with a lightning sword.
• Sasuke and Kakuzu fought at close range, and Kazuma grew serious as he watched Sasuke keep up with Kakuzu.

Sasuke fought Kakuzu and weighed whether killing him would expose the Mangekyo Sharingan and disrupt his plans involving the Third Eye. He used the Star Meteorite to awaken Purple Electricity, then prepared to kill Kakuzu while letting another Akatsuki member escape and report back.

• Sasuke used his Three Tomoe Sharingan and Lightning Flash Body Flicker to evade Kakuzu and the Earth Grudge Fears’ combined attacks.
• Sasuke considered the Akatsuki reinforcements that might arrive and decided not to reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan.
• As Kakuzu’s attacks trapped Sasuke, the Star Meteorite appeared and slipped beneath his clothes.
• Sasuke’s Lightning Armor transformed into Purple Electricity, which shattered Kakuzu’s attacks and forced him to regroup.
• Kakuzu recognized Sasuke’s new Kekkei Genkai, praised his talent, and charged again, while Sasuke planned to kill him and let the other Akatsuki member report back.