Chapter Summaries

Sasuke and Sakura combined Water and Lightning Release to defeat most of the Rain Ninja, then Sasuke left Naruto and Sakura to handle the survivors while he hurried to help Kakashi. On the way, Sasuke charged a powerful new technique called Daikokuten, preparing to strike Kakashi’s enemy.

• Sasuke and Sakura fused their water and lightning dragons into a devastating attack that killed or injured most of the Rain Ninja, while their gray-haired leader escaped badly wounded.
• Sasuke asked Sakura and Naruto to finish dealing with the survivors and left to check on Kakashi, whom he believed was facing an Akatsuki member.
• Sakura agreed to lead Shibu and Kaede onward, while she and Naruto promised to finish the fight and support Sasuke afterward.
• Sasuke emerged from Takigakure’s Great Waterfall and raced toward the place where he had last sensed the Anbu personnel.
• Sasuke used Kagutsuchi to absorb surrounding light and heat as he ran, building power for his ultimate technique, Daikokuten.

Yamato fought Kakuzu with Wood Release but was badly burned by Kakuzu’s combined Fire and Wind Release attacks. Yamato tried to delay Kakuzu to give Kakashi time to face their other enemy, and the chapter ended with Yamato declaring his resolve to protect the village.

• Kakuzu attacked Yamato with Fire Release, and Yamato defended himself with Wood Release: Mokujōheki.
• Kakuzu followed with Wind Release: Atsugai, strengthening the flames until they shattered Yamato’s wooden barrier and severely burned him.
• Yamato assessed his injuries and resolved to hold Kakuzu back so Kakashi could deal with the other enemy.
• Yamato suggested Kakuzu was using him to revisit his defeat by the First Hokage, but Kakuzu denied having a lingering knot over it.
• Yamato declared that he had inherited the First Hokage’s Will of Fire and determination to protect the village, and Kakuzu offered to spare him if he performed well.

Kakashi fought Hidan and discovered that the Akatsuki member could survive a fatal wound thanks to his immortal body. A powerful newcomer attacked Hidan with a blinding, scorching blade, and Kakashi recognized Sasuke as reinforcements arrived.

• Kakashi fought Hidan cautiously, suspecting that Hidan needed his blood for a secret technique.
• Hidan struck a Lightning Clone, but Kakashi pierced his chest with the White Fang Short Sword.
• Hidan survived the fatal wound and claimed that Lord Jashin had granted him an immortal body.
• A sudden darkness surrounded Hidan before a blazing attack blinded him and shattered his Triple-Bladed Scythe.
• Kakashi saw the newcomer emerge through the ash and smoke and recognized Sasuke.

Sasuke arrived to help Kakashi, then fought Hidan after Kakashi went to support the badly injured Yamato. Sasuke destroyed Hidan with black flames, while Kakashi faced Kakuzu.

• Sasuke told Kakashi that Naruto and Sakura should be fine, then warned him that Hidan had survived Daikokuten.
• Sasuke sent Kakashi to rescue Yamato and stayed behind to face Hidan.
• Kakashi moved Yamato out of danger with a Shadow Clone and confronted Kakuzu, who revealed that he and Hidan had attacked the Konoha ninja.
• Hidan charged Sasuke despite his severe injuries, but Sasuke trapped him in an illusion and cut off his head.
• Sasuke stabbed Hidan's head with Kagutsuchi and burned his body away with black flames.

Sasuke killed Hidan with Black Flame and rushed to Kakashi, who had been badly injured while fighting Kakuzu. After treating Kakashi, Sasuke faced Kakuzu and proposed they part ways for now.

• Sasuke concluded Hidan was dead after burning his body to nothing and reflected on how his Mangekyō techniques and Susanoo had become familiar through years of training in a mental world.
• Sasuke rushed to Kakashi and found him gravely wounded after losing to Kakuzu.
• Sasuke treated Kakashi with Medical Ninjutsu, but Kakashi fell unconscious after warning him to run.
• Kakuzu revealed his stitched body and three masked monsters, and reflected on Kakashi's Mangekyō technique destroying one of his hearts.
• Kakuzu recognized Sasuke as Itachi's younger brother and asked if he had killed Hidan, while Sasuke suggested they end the fight and go their separate ways.

Sasuke tried to persuade Kakuzu to call their conflict even, while concealing his reluctance to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan. As Kakuzu remained ready to fight, Sasuke sensed that Obito and Zetsu were watching, and the chapter ended with Nagato summoning them.

• Sasuke offered to let bygones be bygones, but Kakuzu suspected he was setting up a genjutsu and refused to lower his guard.
• Sasuke sensed an otherworldly gaze from the Kamui Dimension and recognized another concealed observer as Zetsu.
• Obito recalled emerging from the Kamui Dimension to find Kakuzu beating up Kakashi, and learned Hidan had died only after Sasuke arrived.
• White Zetsu teased Obito and bickered with Black Zetsu until Obito threatened to kill him.
• Black Zetsu received a message through his ring that Nagato was summoning them.

Akatsuki learned that Hidan had been killed by Sasuke and sent Deidara and Sasori to support their members. In Takigakure, Naruto, Sakura, and Kaede overwhelmed the Rain Ninja, but the gray-haired leader and Kirisame began a mysterious technique, and a huge fireball suddenly flew toward Naruto and Sakura.

• Pain told Akatsuki that Kakuzu had encountered a powerful enemy and Hidan might be dead, then ordered Deidara and Sasori to support them.
• Zetsu confirmed that Sasuke had killed Hidan, prompting Itachi to open his Sharingan.
• Naruto and Sakura combined their techniques to defeat much of the Rain Ninja force while Kaede kept Suien under pressure.
• Sakura urged the remaining Rain Ninja to retreat, but the gray-haired leader insisted he still had power from Lord God.
• The gray-haired man and Kirisame began a mysterious technique as Hisame shielded them from Naruto and Sakura's attack.
• A massive fireball burst through the water vapor and raced toward Naruto and Sakura.

Sakura and Naruto confronted Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki at the river, where Sakura blocked Itachi’s Fire Release and then struck Kisame with a Water Dragon Bullet. Itachi left to support Kakuzu, while Sakura and Naruto remained to fight Kisame.

• Sakura protected Naruto from Itachi’s Great Fireball Technique with the Second Hokage’s Water Formation Wall.
• Itachi and Kisame emerged from the mist, and Sakura recognized Itachi as the man who had slaughtered the Uchiha clan.
• Itachi departed to support Kakuzu, and Naruto attacked Kisame to keep him from leaving with Itachi.
• Kisame mocked Sakura for using Water Release against a Kirigakure ninja, but Sakura’s Water Dragon Bullet struck him and drove him into the lakebed.
• Sakura taunted Kisame by asking whether his teacher had ever told him who the Shinobi World’s greatest Water Release master was.

Sasuke fought Kakuzu while concealing his Mangekyō, then used the storm and Futsu-no-Mitama to unleash Amefunokumo. The lightning overwhelmed Kakuzu’s counterattack, and the chapter ended with an unidentified calm voice telling Sasuke he had grown.

• White Zetsu and Uchiha Obito watched Sasuke battle Kakuzu, and Obito said he would not save Sasuke if he died.
• Sasuke evaded Kakuzu’s attacks and, after deciding to risk one powerful move, slashed at the Earth Grudge Fear monsters with Daikokuten.
• Uchiha Itachi saw Sasuke’s flame blade in the distance and hurried toward the battle as storm clouds gathered.
• Sasuke drew natural lightning through Futsu-no-Mitama and unleashed Lightning Release: Amefunokumo.
• Kakuzu fired Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot, but Sasuke’s lightning destroyed it and tore through the battlefield.
• A calm voice told Sasuke that he had grown quite a bit.

Sasuke’s lightning attack left Kakuzu severely injured but alive, and Uchiha Itachi arrived to take over the fight. Sasuke avoided revealing the Mangekyo power behind his attack and remained wary of confronting Itachi.

• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu watched the aftermath of Sasuke’s attack as Obito remained unconcerned, then White Zetsu noticed Uchiha Itachi approaching.
• Sasuke suppressed his killing intent, hid the Mangekyo state of his eyes, and recalled the Futsu-no-Mitama Sword while Itachi taunted him.
• Itachi told the badly injured Kakuzu to leave, and Kakuzu departed after deciding not to challenge him while weakened.
• Sasuke let Kakuzu go and focused on Itachi, wary of the Kotoamatsukami and Izanami he believed Itachi possessed.

Sasuke confronted Uchiha Itachi, who was revealed to be a Shoten no Jutsu Body, and tested him with a fierce attack. Itachi urged Sasuke to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan through hatred, but Sasuke ended the exchange by asking whether Itachi was suffering.

• After Kakuzu left, Uchiha Itachi taunted Sasuke, who attacked him with the Futsu-no-Mitama Sword.
• Uchiha Itachi evaded Sasuke's beam with a crow transformation and countered with Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.
• Sasuke dodged the fire attack and charged at Itachi with a powerful sword technique, but Itachi escaped through the Crow Clone Technique.
• Uchiha Itachi praised Sasuke's growth and urged him to deepen his hatred until he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke opened his Three Tomoe Sharingan, recognized that Itachi was using a Shoten no Jutsu Body, and asked whether Itachi was suffering.

Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi traded accusations about the Uchiha massacre, each trying to provoke the other by reopening painful memories. Itachi recognized that Sasuke’s calmness exceeded his expectations, while Sasuke declared that he would kill him.

• Sasuke taunted Uchiha Itachi about killing their parents and suggested that Fugaku and Mikoto had died without resentment toward their beloved son.
• Uchiha Itachi remembered his parents’ final words but insisted that family bonds and pain mattered less than gaining power.
• Sasuke accused Uchiha Itachi of being unable to let go of his family and using lies to hide his guilt, while claiming that he himself had moved on.
• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu watched the brothers’ exchange, and Black Zetsu concluded that they were both acting to conceal their true feelings.
• Uchiha Itachi doubted Sasuke’s claim that he no longer cared about bonds, but felt reassured that Sasuke still valued them.
• Sasuke declared that his Sharingan showed Uchiha Itachi’s death and said he would end his pain by killing him.

Sasuke defeated Itachi’s weakened Shoten no Jutsu body while Zetsu and Obito watched, then realized Kisame remained a threat. At Takigakure, Kaede rescued Sakura from Kisame’s attack, but the battle continued with Naruto trapped in a water prison.

• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu watched Sasuke and Itachi clash, while Black Zetsu praised Madara’s strength and dismissed the younger Uchiha.
• Sasuke overcame Itachi’s genjutsu and pierced him with Kagutsuchi, then taunted his brother before the Shoten no Jutsu body burned to ash.
• Obito and Zetsu left the battlefield, and Sasuke estimated that half his chakra remained before considering Kisame’s likely presence in Takigakure.
• Sasuke returned to the unconscious Kakashi and noticed a nearby person whose dark brown scales were cracking as their breathing stabilized.
• At Takigakure, Kisame trapped Naruto in a Water Prison Technique and attacked Sakura, but Kaede used her partial Tailed Beast Transformation to deflect Samehada and pull Sakura to safety.

Haruno Sakura used an improvised ultra-high-pressure Water Severing Wave to defeat Kisame Hoshigaki with Naruto's help. Kisame's Shoten no Jutsu body died after recognizing Sakura's skill, while Sakura was left nearly exhausted.

• Kisame Hoshigaki argued that the Second Hokage's Water Release was no longer unmatched, and Sakura rebuked him for belittling the legacy he had inherited.
• Sakura recognized that Kisame's Water-Eating Sharks and Samehada could absorb chakra, then prepared a new technique using natural water, abrasive materials, and a compression method inspired by the Rasengan.
• Sakura fired her Water Release: Ultra-High Pressure Water Cutter Technique, slicing through Kisame's Water-Eating Sharks and forcing him to dodge.
• Naruto broke free of Kisame's Water Prison and struck him with the Konoha Taijutsu Ultimate Technique—Dragon God, knocking Samehada away and driving Kisame into Sakura's attack.
• Sakura's water arrow pierced Kisame's chest, and the dying Kisame praised her and said he would remember her before a shark destroyed his Shoten no Jutsu body.
• Sakura explained that she stood on the shoulders of those who came before her, while Naruto complained that Kisame had ignored him.

The Akatsuki discussed their failed mission and Pain warned that he would personally deal with Second Pillar if he continued obstructing them. In Takigakure, Sasuke discovered a strange connection between his Mangekyō Sharingan and the colossal tree surrounding the village.

• Kakuzu blamed Hatake Kakashi's newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan for his defeat by Second Pillar, while Uchiha Itachi said Second Pillar had not awakened his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Zetsu said Second Pillar had killed Hidan with powerful Fire Release, and Pain ended the meeting before Kakuzu could confront him.
• Uchiha Obito warned Pain that Uchiha Itachi would protect his younger brother, and Pain said he would act personally if Second Pillar interfered again.
• Pain told Obito that his former Amegakure subordinates had become wandering ninja and were probably already dead.
• After helping Village Chief Shibu handle the Rain Ninja captives, Sasuke wandered through Takigakure and found the giant tree encircling the village.
• Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan revealed the tree as a monstrous shape resembling the Ten-Tails.

Sasuke learned about Takigakure’s Sacred Tree and Hero’s Water from Kaede, then secretly entered the shrine inside the tree and stole the water. The tree’s branch tried to draw him in, but Sasuke escaped with the bottle, promising to drink it another time.

• Kaede told Sasuke that Takigakure’s Sacred Tree was centuries old and produced Hero’s Water, which greatly increased chakra but consumed the user’s life force.
• Kaede revealed that Chomei disliked the Sacred Tree, while Sasuke offered to help her if she ever faced danger.
• Chomei warned Kaede that Sasuke had ill intentions and that Uchiha could not be trusted, but Kaede defended him.
• Late at night, Sasuke entered a secret shrine inside the Sacred Tree and took the bottle of Hero’s Water.
• The tree’s branch reached for Sasuke and urged him to drink, but he dodged it and left with the water, saying he would drink it next time.

Team 7 reported their encounter with Akatsuki-linked enemies to the Third Hokage, who kept the mission classified and began investigating Hanzō. Meanwhile, Orochimaru prepared to take Sasuke’s body soon, and Sasuke began developing a Lightning Style Chakra Mode.

• Sakura and Sasuke told the Third Hokage that Team 7 had encountered Amegakure forces, Akatsuki members, and a clone of Uchiha Itachi, while Kakashi had been gravely injured.
• Sasuke credited Kakashi for weakening the enemies, and the Third Hokage ordered Team 7 to keep the mission secret while promising each of them a ninjutsu as compensation.
• The Third Hokage suspected that Hanzō led Akatsuki and summoned Shikaku to discuss the organization.
• Yakushi Kabuto told Orochimaru that Sasuke had exceptional chakra control and reported that Sasori wanted intelligence about him; Orochimaru decided to perform the Living Corpse Reincarnation on Sasuke soon.
• Orochimaru said he had allowed Shin and his clone sons to escape so Shin’s Sharingan might evolve, keeping him as a backup plan against Uchiha Itachi.
• Sasuke used the Chakra Armor as inspiration and began developing his own Lightning Style Chakra Mode.

Sasuke examined the Chakra Armor and discovered that a blue stone inside it held an enormous amount of chakra. He began adapting the armor’s chakra-circulation principles to his own Lightning Armor, using the Futsu-no-Mitama sword as its power source.

• Sasuke reflected on how his battle with Kakuzu exposed his vulnerability to attacks and strengthened his interest in developing a defensive technique.
• Sasuke found that the Chakra Armor enhanced his Lightning Armor’s defense, but removed the armor because it restricted his movement.
• Sasuke opened the armor’s chest and discovered a blue stone containing chakra comparable to a Jonin’s, then stored it in a scroll.
• Sasuke concluded that the armor amplified ninjutsu by imitating the body’s chakra pathways and decided to use the Futsu-no-Mitama sword instead of the unknown stone.
• Sasuke merged the Futsu-no-Mitama sword into his Lightning Armor and used the Mangekyō Sharingan to shape the lightning into a humanoid suit.

Sasuke refined his Lightning Armor, acquired a restraint technique, and sent Denka to investigate a mysterious stone and Kazahana Dōtō’s past travels. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura clashed with visiting Sunagakure ninja Kankuro and Gaara, and learned that the Chunin Exams were approaching.

• Sasuke recognized that his Lightning Armor was more defensive and chakra-efficient than before, then studied Lightning Release: Binding Jutsu and practiced using Four-Pillar Binding Jutsu alone.
• Sasuke sent Denka to ask Nekomata to investigate the mysterious stone and gather information about Kazahana Dōtō’s travels outside the Land of Snow.
• Sasuke returned to his underground laboratory to continue researching Yamato Cells and Hero’s Water.
• Naruto collided with Kankuro in Konoha, seized his hand, and stopped him from reaching for the puppet on his back.
• Sakura intervened, challenged Kankuro’s threats, and noticed Gaara watching from the shadows before the Sunagakure trio left.
• Naruto and Sakura learned that the Chunin Exams were coming.

Sasuke studied Yamato’s cells and Hero’s Water, concluding that Yamato’s transplant offered a model for creating cells of his own while the Water unleashed a body’s latent power through Yang Release. He decided he still needed genuine First Hokage Cells and began considering other remnants of the Ten-Tails, including Hoshigakure’s Meteorite.

• Sasuke reviewed Yamato’s transplant and concluded that the fused cells let Yamato’s body produce its own weaker Wood Release cells.
• Sasuke realized he still needed original First Hokage Cells to awaken the Rinnegan within his three-year deadline and to gain power comparable to the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara.
• Sasuke decided Orochimaru’s transplantation principles could help him create cells belonging to himself while retaining the traits of First Hokage Cells.
• Sasuke examined Hero’s Water and concluded that it strengthened biological tissues and unleashed latent chakra by breaking the body’s limits, at the cost of backlash.
• Sasuke considered whether Takigakure’s giant tree and Hoshigakure’s Meteorite were remnants of the Ten-Tails.